Monthly Archives: February 2022

The Mercy Seat

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Exo 25:17-22

After 430 years as predestined by God the same day the Israelites were brought out of the bondage of Egypt. They were made to camp at the foot of Mount Sinai and God asked them to prepare themselves by fasting for 3 days and purify them, so that God can speak to them. As told God came down upon the mount and spoke to them, which was terrible fearful sight and Israelites decided not to hear God directly, instead wanted Moses to talk to God.

But God wants to dwell among us and talk to us. God showed the model of tabernacle on the mount and told Moses to build similar tabernacle in the middle of the dwellings of the 12 tribes. Now to build the tabernacle and all things in it. God asks His people to give offering willingly out of wholeheartedness. (Exo 25:1-2) God had made Egyptians give their silver and gold to Israelites when they came out of Egypt, they had things to offer.

The Mercy Seat

God gives specifications to make ark of covenant covered by the mercy seat. Mercy seat means covering. This ark of covenant is foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus. It is made up of shittim wood which symbolize humanity and the gold covering symbolizes divinity. As our Lord Jesus walked upon earth as 100% man and 100% God.

This ark of covenant has 3 things in it. (Heb 10: 4,5)

i) Golden pot with manna

ii) Aaron ‘s Rod

iii) Two tablets of commandments

All these represent our Lord Jesus, Aaron’s Rod represents testimony of the chosen the high priest role of Lord Jesus. The Golden pot with manna refers to our heart filled with  the word of God ( Mathew 4:4) man doesn’t live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth, in the Gospel of John 6:35, Jesus says HE is the bread of life. The 2 tablets refers to the Law of Moses.

Why this mercy seat should cover the ark of covenant?

NKJV Bible. Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of the God. Roman 6:23 wages of sin is death. Law kills and can’t make anyone righteous because even if one Law is violated one is guilty of not following the entire Law and should be killed for violating the law. God covered this Law with mercy.  This mercy seat covering the law covers all the sins. So, we can go near God. Cherubim is model of God’s throne of grace.

1. Mercy seat is a place of receiving grace, forgiveness, place of redemption.

When a sinner cries to God accepting his sin and repents, God forgives through HIS mercy. 1 John1 :7.

Because Jesus paid the penalty on the cross once for all and sat at the right hand of the Father God (Heb 10:11,12)

Blood of Jesus Christ covering our sin and we have boldness to come near mercy seat. (Heb 10:19)

John 1:16 “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Col 2:14 “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it”

Roman 3:26;25 1 Thes 5:9 “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” God removes the judgment from us by breaking the law and the mercy seat prevails over law.

2. Mercy seat teaches us the Pattern of Worship and Offer sacrifice to God.

Lev 16:14,15.”He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

[15]“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.

Lord Jesus became the lamb.”

The mercy seat needed to be sprinkled with blood.  Jesus shed the blood on the cross for you and me.

Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering, and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. … [8] For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Roman 12: 1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

3. Mercy seat teaches us the Pattern of Interceding Prayer.

Exodus 25:22 “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.”

This is the secret place of prayer. Heb 4:14; Lev 7:89–place where we meet and talk to God.

Our prayer, intercessor being answer through Jesus.

Lev 7:89 “Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him.”

Today our body is the temple of God. Holy Spirit resides in us, He fills our heart with living Word of God (Golden pot of manna) and He pour out love of God (Romans 5:5). Glory of God shining in us (2 Cor 3:18) The Shekinah the visible presence of God overshadows us. Whenever we approach God in prayer, we shed tears of joy, our heart fill with praises. While we praise our God, God is descending in clouds of praises, there we hear and speak with God.

Disciplined prayer life keeps our body in God’s presence as temple and this way that we built the Ark of covenant within us.

If you do not have real communion with God then you do have reason that Christ is not in your first place, not honoring God, you are seeking worldly things, and you are far away from God.

Salvation is the hidden treasure [Mathew 13:14]. Receive this salvation and workout our salvation fearfully Considering all other profitable things a loss. [Phil 3:8, Isaiah 55:1; Rev 3:18]

Due to this mercy seat we come near God.

Mercy prevails over LAW. If we submit ourselves to God as pleasing sacrifice, we can be in communion with God all the time, as Immanuel “God is with us” now in our Spirit making us HIS temple.

We really need to Thank God for HIS abundant unchanging mercies.

Halleluiah. GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST.

The Destiny and Identity of God’s People

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Exodus 19:5-6

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Almighty God delivered Israelites from the bondage of slavery in Egypt and brought them to the Mount Sinai. They camped under the mount and God revealed Himself and taught them who these God’s children are. There is lot of difference between how this world sees us and how does God see us. Even in the life of Joseph we see that his father Jacob’s household who were shepherds came to Egypt, were not respected by the Egyptians.

Similarly, the world may look down upon Christians or sometimes we ourselves think inferior about ourselves, but God wants us to know how we are seen by Him.

Let’s go through some verses which reveal us this.

1.The armies of the Lord

Exodus 7:4 But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

Here we see God addresses Israelites as ” My armies”

Exodus 12:41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

Here as “armies of the Lord”. God looks at us as a mighty Army, so we just need to obey Him instantly just as a national army obeys its commander.

Gen 47:4 So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp.”  In heaven God has armies of angel but in earth we are the armies of God.

Are we army or are we coward?

Eph 6:10;11 says we need to wear the armor of God to fight against the principalities and overcome the powers of darkness. Yes, the army of God must be ready to fight the enemy wearing the armor of God.

Zechariah 9:8 God camps around His army to watch over them. Isaiah 47:4 God of army or Lord of hosts.  Joshua 5:13;14;15 Lord God is the commander of the army. God doesn’t leave us alone but walks ahead of us as the commander. Exodus 13:21;22 God goes ahead of us and breaks the obstacles. Exodus 14:19- Also God protects HIS ARMY front and back from the army of Pharaoh.  Ex. 2 Chronicles 13:12 God himself is with us as our head.

2.A Special Treasure.

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.  Exodus 6:7; Titus 2:14, 1John 3:1 All these verses we see how much God loves us and calls us HIS own people who are bought for good deeds through The precious blood of HIS only begotten son Lord Jesus.

3.The kingdom of priests.

Exodus 19:6 ,1 peter 2:9– we are Royal priesthood who always stand in front of God.

Stand between people and God pleading and interceding. Always giving praises to God.

4.The First Born

Fourthly, God addresses Israelites as HIS firstborn, who is eligible for double portion blessings

Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. God considers us as heirs in the line of Lord Jesus and our dwellings place is in heaven. (Phil 3:20; Col 1:15, Gal 3:26)

We are only sent to this world temporarily to fulfill God’s purpose and then we will be taken back to heaven.

So, we need to lead a very disciplined life. We have divine Father, if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Since we do have such privileges, we ought to well-disciplined and having of good moral culture.

5.The Holy People.

Exo 19:6 God calls us HIS Holy People.

God lets the people fast for 3 days to purify themselves before HE could give them commands in exodus 20.

HE is a Holy God. Moses 19: 23,24 warns people not to come near the mount.

Exo 20: 18-20 Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, people trembled with fear. Now all the people witnessed the thundering, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”

God revealed Himself literally because i) to test the people ii) they do have God fear iii) so they don’t sin.

Today this magnificent God Holy Spirit dwells in our body. 1 Cor 3:16;17. We are the temple of God.

Many don’t have fear of God as they don’t know themselves nor know their God. Eze 43:12- says Holiness is the law of the temple. So after being redeemed by the blood of Christ and taken baptism and our names written in the book of life, we are now the children of The most High God and God’s Spirit lives in us.

So how fearfully we need to live a holy life as we are HIS Holy People. (Heb 10:19)

Let’s always remember and worship God.

Halleluiah. Amen.