Question 1

What is the mercy seat that is made of pure gold in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The mercy seat is the solid gold cover that sat on top of the ark. The ark held the tablets of God’s law, and the mercy seat was set right above them. It was not a chair for people but the place where God promised to meet with his people. Here God showed that, although his law exposes sin, he also provides mercy. From this place he would speak, accept the sacrifices brought by the priest, and show that he forgives. It is a picture of God coming near to his people in mercy, not in destruction.

Question 2

Why were cherubim placed on the two ends of the mercy seat?

Accepted Answer

The cherubim were placed on each end of the mercy seat to show that God’s presence is attended by holy angels. They were made out of the same gold as the mercy seat, beaten out in one piece, which shows how closely they belonged to this place of mercy. Their position on both ends, facing inward, suggests a watchful, honoring posture toward God’s presence. It shows that heaven itself is involved in the worship of God and in this meeting place where he draws near to forgive and to bless his people.

Question 3

What is the meaning of the cherubim spreading their wings over the mercy seat?

Accepted Answer

The cherubim spread their wings upward and covered the mercy seat, forming a kind of shelter over it. This shows both honor and protection. The wings mark this spot as holy and set apart. Their faces look toward each other and toward the mercy seat, as if their whole attention is fixed on what God is doing there. It is a picture of how the unseen world is focused on God’s work of mercy. For Israel, it reminded them that the place of forgiveness and meeting with God was surrounded by his glory and guarded by his power.

Question 4

What does this passage teach about God’s presence with his people?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God chose to be present among his people in a very specific way. He dwelt “between the cherubim,” above the mercy seat, over the ark that contained his law. That tells us he is both holy and near. His law in the ark shows his pure standards. The mercy seat above the law shows that he provides a way for sinners to be received. The cherubim around him show his glory and majesty. So God is not distant or careless. He is holy, but he also makes a way for people to draw near through the way he has appointed.

Question 5

Why is the mercy seat connected to the idea of a mediator?

Accepted Answer

The mercy seat was the place where a mediator came between God and the people. The high priest would come once a year with blood and sprinkle it on the mercy seat. This act showed that someone had to stand in the middle, bearing the cost of sin, so that the people would not face judgment. The law inside the ark showed their guilt, but the blood on the mercy seat showed a covering. This points to the truth that people cannot fix themselves. They need someone to go before God on their behalf so they may be forgiven and welcomed.

Question 6

How does the ark with the law inside relate to the mercy seat above it?

Accepted Answer

The ark held the tablets of God’s law, which revealed what is right and wrong. On its own, that law condemned every failure. The mercy seat, made of pure gold, covered the ark and its contents. This picture shows that, while God’s law is real and cannot be ignored, he also provides mercy that covers guilt. When the appointed sacrifices were brought, God met his people at the mercy seat, not at the bare law. It teaches that God does not set aside his standards, but he deals with them through mercy rather than leaving people under condemnation.

Question 7

What does this passage show about the character of God?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows God as both holy and merciful. He is holy because his presence rests above the ark that holds his law, and because he is surrounded by cherubim, heavenly beings that honor him. At the same time, he provides a mercy seat, a place where sin is dealt with and fellowship with him is restored. He takes sin seriously, yet he also makes a careful, costly way for people to be brought near. He pays close attention to obedience in how the tabernacle is made, which shows he cares about how he is approached and worshiped.

Question 8

Why is it important that everything was made exactly according to God’s pattern?

Accepted Answer

The careful description reminds us that God’s instructions were not suggestions. The craftsman did not invent his own design but followed what had been given. This shows that people do not decide for themselves how to come to God. He sets the way. It also shows that God notices and remembers faithful obedience in detail. The exact making of the mercy seat, cherubim, and ark was part of how God would live among his people. Their careful obedience was a sign that they respected his holiness and trusted that his way of mercy was the right way.

Question 9

How can this passage about the mercy seat apply to me today?

Accepted Answer

Even though we do not worship at a physical mercy seat now, the picture still speaks to us. It reminds us that God is holy and that his standards are good and unchanging. At the same time, it shows that he comes near to people through mercy, not by ignoring sin but by providing a way for it to be covered. This challenges us to take both his holiness and his kindness seriously. It calls us to come to him the way he provides, to trust his mercy, and to keep his words close in our hearts, as the law was kept in the ark.

Question 10

Why might this detailed description feel repetitive, and why is it repeated?

Accepted Answer

The description can feel repetitive because it goes over the tabernacle items in detail more than once. But this serves a few good reasons. The people of Israel could not enter the most holy place, so these words helped them picture what they could not see. It also shows that everything was made exactly as God had said, with nothing changed or forgotten. This underlines how serious God’s directions are and how careful his people should be in obeying. The repetition also helps sink these truths into the mind, since important things often need to be heard again.

Exodus 37:6

¶ And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

The Mercy Seat

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Exodus 37:6

¶ And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

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The Mercy Seat

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