The Ark of the Covenant: Where Heaven Touched Earth
The mercy seat was above the ark because mercy always covers judgment. The law inside the ark shows what is right and wrong, and the mercy seat over the law shows that God gives mercy to those who obey and repent. Once every year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place with fear and trembling and sprinkled blood on the mercy seat. He could not come at any other time because God set that one day to teach Israel that forgiveness comes through sacrifice, not through human pride or human choice. The priest could only come with blood because sin must be paid for, and blood was the symbol of life being given in place of the sinner. God used this once-a-year moment to teach how serious sin is and how deep His mercy is.
God appeared between the cherubim because this was the place that showed His throne on earth. In Heaven, His throne is surrounded by living creatures that worship Him, and the two golden cherubim on the ark were a picture of that heavenly throne. When God spoke to Moses, it was from that place, so Israel would know that the law and the mercy came from His own presence. When the ark went before Israel in the wilderness, God’s presence went with them. When the ark entered the Jordan River, the waters stopped. When the ark was carried around Jericho, the walls fell. The ark showed that God was with His people, guiding them, judging them, and protecting them.
Only the high priest could enter before the ark once a year because the Most Holy Place was the center of God’s holiness on earth. Anyone else, or even the high priest on any other day, would die because the presence of God cannot be taken lightly. This taught Israel to fear God in the right way, with respect and awe. It also taught them that only a mediator could stand between God and the people, because no one can approach God directly in their sin.
Everything about the ark points to God’s holiness, God’s law, God’s mercy, and God’s presence with His people. The wood and gold show life covered with purity. The law inside shows God’s righteous standard. The mercy seat shows forgiveness. The cherubim show worship. The sprinkled blood shows cleansing. And the cloud of glory that filled the tabernacle shows that the God of Heaven was truly dwelling among His people.
