exodus 25 and 26

Read Exodus 25 and 26 at Bible Gateway.

The Hebrew paragraph divisions for today’s chapters are:

Exo 25:1-9 {s} The offering commanded to build the Tabernacle
Exo 25:10-22 {p} The pattern for the ark of the covenant
Exo 25:23-30 {p} The pattern for the table of showbread
Exo 25:31-40 {s} The pattern for the golden lampstand
Exo 26:1-14 {p} The pattern for the curtains and coverings of the Tabernacle
Exo 26:15-30 {s} The pattern for the frame of the Tabernacle
Exo 26:31-37 {s} The pattern for the veil + placement of ark, table, lampstand + screen

“And 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.” Exo 25:17

What is a mercy seat? In these blueprints for the Tabernacle which YHVH is giving to Moses, it was the golden cover for the ark. The ark is called the ark of the Testimony or the ark of the Covenant, because inside the ark, Moses was to place the two stone tablets upon which God had written with His own hand, the Ten Commandments. The covenant God had made with Israel, was that they would be His special treasure, His holy nation and kingdom of priests, as they kept His commandments. The mercy seat would have the golden cherubim of one piece with it, whose outstretched wings would cover the seat.

“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.” Exo 25:22

The tabernacle is to be built so that God Himself will have a sacred place to dwell among the children of Israel. The place of His presence, then, is above this mercy seat.

“Mercy seat” in Hebrew is kapporeth, Strong’s H3727. It is from the primitive three letter root כָּפַר, kaph + pey + resh. In the ancient Hebrew pictographs, the kaph was the open palm, so also open or allow. The pey was the mouth, so also edge or wound (as an opening of the body). The resh was the head of a man, so also man, head, first, top. Remember that the father covered his son’s head with his open palm when transferring the blessing of the firstborn? The picture the ancient Hebrew pictographs are painting, then, of the mercy seat, is of covering the wound of man. The Lexicons say it means to cover over or to make atonement. I cannot help but think of Noah’s two sons, who “covered over” their father’s nakedness and so preserved his honor and dignity. And whenever I think of Noah’s two sons doing that, I cannot help but think of Pro 17:9, “He who covers a transgression seeks love.”

We learned in a study in Matthew a few years ago, that Jesus told His disciples that since the Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses, that they were to do as they say, but not as they do. We learned that ‘sitting in the seat of’ was a Hebrew idiom which meant the place of authority. And this is why kingdoms have thrones upon which the king sits. When a king sits upon his throne, he is wielding that kingdom’s authority.

I always wondered why the lid of the box or ark, was called a seat. The Hebrew dictionary says of kapporeth, that it was considered the throne of God – the seat of His authority. That is why it is a mercy seat, and not a mercy lid. Isn’t it something, that what was to be inside the ark, were the tablets of the Testimony containing the Ten Commandments, the Law or Torah of God which we are to obey, which makes us a holy nation in the face of all the other unholy nations? And covering over the Law, and by implication the transgressions of it, is the mercy of God! God covers over our transgressions of the Law with mercy, because He is seeking love! The mercy, moreover, comes from the throne of His authority, just as the Law comes from the throne of His authority! This is the gospel of grace, that we have been taught is not preached from the Hebrew Scriptures, but that is not so!

The strong theme, then, is:

Exo 25:1-22 {s+p} The place of God’s presence is on the Mercy Seat, in the Most Holy Place

For further reading:
The Tabernacle (Introduction) – Brad Scott
To read the entire series on the Tabernacle, which I recommend, please go to this table of contents page, scroll down to Tabernacle, and read each successive teaching.