(4) The need for mercy on God's terms – The Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant was a chest covered with gold to keep the stone tablets of the law in. On top was a cover of gold called the mercy seat and on each end of the cover were gold cherubim.
Together these symbolic objects represented the only conditions whereby God would live with His people.
Hebrews 9:4 tells us that the Ark contained the tablets of the law, a golden pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. These things are to remind us of the value God puts on His principles (Deuteronomy 28), on the persons who speak in His behalf(Numbers 16 and 17) and on His daily provision (Exodus 16).
The tablets of the law given to Moses remind us that God is a God of principle. His laws tell us all we need to know about His desires and character; they define His expectations of us and make the reasons for His actions clear. His words show His desire to bring us into a relationship with Himself.
The Bible reminds us that just who God is, is reflected in His teaching and that to reject His teaching is to reject God. (I Thessalonians 4:3-8) And God allows us the freedom to do that, but when we do, we not only break the laws of God – they have broken us.
The higher purpose of the law is discovered in such brokenness. Meditating on the laws of God we see what is right about God and what is wrong with ourselves. By taking God's laws seriously we see the necessity of the truths of sacrifice, purification, dependence and mercy, all illustrated in the tabernacle.
Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest sprinkled the blood of a sacrificed animal on the mercy seat. The symbolism here is that God showed us He would live among His people on the basis of mercy. He already knew His people would break His laws and sin against His ways, doubt His provision of life's necessities, and ignore His leaders and prophets.
And they did. Our forefathers resisted the prophets, complained about what God had provided for them, got tired of the manna, tired of God's laws and tired of those God chose as their leaders.
We do the same thing when God's provisions become old to us and our appreciation dwindles, and when we resist His servants. Yet He still provided the blood on the mercy seat for us when the Lamb of God fulfilled the sacrifice of Israel's bulls and goats.
The cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant also point out God's mercy. The eyes of the cherubim were to look down on the atoning blood on the cover of the Ark. The guardians of God's holiness were now to look on the blood of God's atoning sacrifice rather than on the sinner.
The Ark of the Covenant was a chest covered with gold to keep the stone tablets of the law in. On top was a cover of gold called the mercy seat and on each end of the cover were gold cherubim.
Together these symbolic objects represented the only conditions whereby God would live with His people.
Hebrews 9:4 tells us that the Ark contained the tablets of the law, a golden pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. These things are to remind us of the value God puts on His principles (Deuteronomy 28), on the persons who speak in His behalf(Numbers 16 and 17) and on His daily provision (Exodus 16).
The tablets of the law given to Moses remind us that God is a God of principle. His laws tell us all we need to know about His desires and character; they define His expectations of us and make the reasons for His actions clear. His words show His desire to bring us into a relationship with Himself.
The Bible reminds us that just who God is, is reflected in His teaching and that to reject His teaching is to reject God. (I Thessalonians 4:3-8) And God allows us the freedom to do that, but when we do, we not only break the laws of God – they have broken us.
The higher purpose of the law is discovered in such brokenness. Meditating on the laws of God we see what is right about God and what is wrong with ourselves. By taking God's laws seriously we see the necessity of the truths of sacrifice, purification, dependence and mercy, all illustrated in the tabernacle.
Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest sprinkled the blood of a sacrificed animal on the mercy seat. The symbolism here is that God showed us He would live among His people on the basis of mercy. He already knew His people would break His laws and sin against His ways, doubt His provision of life's necessities, and ignore His leaders and prophets.
And they did. Our forefathers resisted the prophets, complained about what God had provided for them, got tired of the manna, tired of God's laws and tired of those God chose as their leaders.
We do the same thing when God's provisions become old to us and our appreciation dwindles, and when we resist His servants. Yet He still provided the blood on the mercy seat for us when the Lamb of God fulfilled the sacrifice of Israel's bulls and goats.
The cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant also point out God's mercy. The eyes of the cherubim were to look down on the atoning blood on the cover of the Ark. The guardians of God's holiness were now to look on the blood of God's atoning sacrifice rather than on the sinner.