Leviticus 16:14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
‘Mercy Seat’ was the golden lid placed on the Ark of the Covenant, with two cherubim at the ends to cover. It symbolized the throne of God where the Lord God was seated and dispensed mercy to man when the blood of the atonement was sprinkled there. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover (Hebrews 9:5a). The High Priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year with blood sacrifice and pleaded for the atonement of the sins of the people. The courtyard where the people stood was on the east side; hence the High Priest sprinkled the blood on the east side. In the New Testament, it was at the cross of Calvary that the blood of Jesus was poured out for our redemption. The Greek word for ‘mercy seat’ means ‘removal of sins’. In the Old Testament ‘mercy seat’ was the God’s throne where sins of the people were atoned and in the New Testament, the ‘mercy seat’ is at the Cross of Calvary.
No one was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies, touch or lift the golden lid on the Ark. When the ark was brought back from the Philistine territory, those who lifted the golden lid of the ark were struck down. But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord (1 Samuel 6:19). The metaphorical principle is that no one has the right to revisit our sins that have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus.
Hence we don’t have to resentfully retaliate or bitterly react to anyone who slanders or smears our reputation. The Lord will deal with those who try to lift the mercy seat and uncover a messy past. The Lord God will avenge. The Lord’s anger burnt against the envious siblings of Moses when they disparaged and debased him (Numbers 12:9).
The Mercy Seat:
1. Mediate: The blood of Jesus mediates on our behalf at the throne of God to obtain grace, mercy and forgiveness. The righteous Judge sees the blood of Jesus and not our mistakes.
2. Muzzle: The blood of Jesus muzzles the mouth of the ravaging enemy who is waiting to defame our reputation and destroy our prosperity, probity and pedigree. The devil’s mouth is muzzled by the blood of Jesus.
3. Mercy: The blood gives us the right to go to the ‘mercy seat’ of God’s presence in prayer.
The blood of Jesus has forgiven and covered our past and pettiness under the mercy seat. No one has the right to peep into or slander about our forgiven past.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Prayer: Precious Jesus, I will remain under the covering of your blood covenant and the protection of your mercy seat. Amen.
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