Exo 25:17-18 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. “And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
The ark of the covenant was believed to be the most holy altar of Yahweh. The ark was designed to be a symbol of the presence of God in the midst of his people. The most unique thing is that it was to be made of Acacia wood. The acacia wood was a hardwood, scratch resistant and known for it’s durability and overlaid with pure gold.
The real significance of the ark of the covenant was what took place involving the lid of the box known us the ” seat of mercy ” or the “mercy seat”. It was here the high Priest entered once a year – where the ark was kept and atoned for his sins and the sins of the Israelites . The priest sprinkled blood of a sacrificed animal onto the mercy seat to appease the wrath of God for past sins committed.
The mercy seat was a symbol foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice for all our sins – the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for the remission for our sins. As believers, we no longer look at the ark but to the Lord Jesus Himself for help. Whenever we are in need, we should come bravery before the throne of our merciful God. There, we will be treated with undeserved grace and we will find help. Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Further readings:
Exo 26:34
Lev 16:2
Heb 9:5-12
🙏 Blessed day 🙏