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Romans 3:25 The Mercy Seat

Exodus 25:1-22
No sooner had Paul concluded his open-and-shut case, proving the guilt of both Jew and Gentile, than he
showed that the Judge, God, had overturned the ruling. An Advocate had entered the courtroom, to plead
with the Judge for mercy on behalf of these convicts and based on the work of the Advocate for them, the
guilty were acquitted of all the charges against them and were set free.
This is the work that Christ Jesus, has done, to justify men; to free them from sin, as their Advocate; His
work of redemption. But that freedom came at a price; and what was that price? Christs precious blood.
This Advocate gave His own life, for the sake of those He was determined to free. And it was the only way
for them to be made free; for only the blood of Christ was sufficient to satisfy Gods justice, concerning sin.
But in order for Gods justice to be satisfied concerning your sin, what must you do? You must take that
Advocate, as your Advocate. And how do you do that? By faith. You must completely trust your case into
the hands of Christ, and rely entirely on His sufficiency to justify you, before the Judge.
Now, if you found that you were continuously trying to justify yourself before God, in your heart, or by
your works, is it likely that you have really trusted into Jesus, to justify you? No.
And if you havent trusted in Jesus to justify you, then you are still in your sins. You come up short of the
glorious purpose that God has intended for you to become a glorified son of God, a son of righteousness.
You are, instead, still a son of disobedience, because you havent obeyed the truth that is in Christ Jesus.
And as such, you are destined for destruction; everlasting ruin.
But its not too late. The Advocate still avails Himself to you He avails Himself to you, right up until
your appointment time, with Death.
So before you have to go for your appointment before it is too late take Christ Jesus as your Advocate.
Put your humanly-hopeless case into His hands give your soul into His possession so that He can free
you, and give you a know-so hope, a forever Life with Him, in glory. Its what He always intended for you
you just have to take Him up on it.
When Paul spoke in his letter to the Roman assemblies about Gods justice being satisfied concerning sin
(3:25), he used a very striking illustration, in his choice of the word propitiation. Literally, that Greek
word means mercy seat.
Paul was likening Christs redemption of men by His blood to the mercy seat, as the place and the way in
which God can extend His mercy to men, to justify them. In fact, the mercy seat was a type a symbolic
picture of Christ which was fulfilled in His sacrificial death.
We touched upon the mercy seat last week, but in order to more fully appreciate what Paul is saying, we
need to pay a visit to the OT. This week, were going back to the book of Exodus, where the LORD gives
instructions to Moses for the making of the mercy seat symbolically, the place that the LORD will extend
His mercy to men thats Christ in His person.
Next week, well be looking at the book of Leviticus and Hebrews at the Day of Atonement where we
will better understand the way that God extends His mercy to sinners thats through the work of Christ.
So turn back to the book of Exodus, chapter 25.

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At the tower of Babel, the nations had rebelled against the LORD God; they had exchanged the truth of God
for the lie that they could be like God (Gen 3:5) and chose to make a name for themselves; worshiping
themselves, created beings, rather than their Creator (Rm 1:25, Gen 11:1-9).
Since the nations had rejected Him, the LORD God had to set them aside for a time; and during this period,
He made a nation for Himself, from one man who was willing to believe Him for His Christ Abraham.
The LORD God intended His nation, Israel, to enlighten the other nations to hold out the light of truth
concerning Christ to them so that others could come to the light, and be made sons of light.
Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac, Jacob. The LORD God had taken the family of Jacob down into Egypt, and
grew them into a nation, in the land of Goshen. And once they were fully formed, the LORD God delivered
them from Egypt, birthing them through the waters of the Red Sea, through the Redeemer-Deliverer,
Moses.
But this was only a physical birth. Israel was a nation of flesh men. In order to become sons of
righteousness, and to fulfill Gods purpose for them, as a witness to the other nations, Israel needed to
become regenerate they needed to be born again, through the Coming One; their Messiah. Jesus would
be the Lamb of God, who would take away the sin of the world including Israels sin so that they could
become righteous.
The sufficiency of the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of the world was not limited by time He was the
Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8); with God, it was always as good as done. But
the fullness of the time had not yet come, for God to send His Son; and so, in order for Israel to be given
what they must understand, in order to be saved, God preached the gospel to them in types; prophetic
pictures of His Christ.
Some of these types were given to Israel through their experiences; the redemption in the Passover, the
deliverance through the Red Sea, the bread from heaven manna, the water from the stricken rock.
But the most detailed types were provided through the ceremonial Law, given to Israel through the
tabernacle, and its service the priesthood, and the sacrifices they offered on behalf of Israel. The
tabernacle provided Israel with an elaborate portrait of her Messiah, and the work He would do on her
behalf and for all mankind. The tabernacle was a picture of Christ, in His first coming to the earth.
The LORD God had instructed Moses concerning the building of the tabernacle. Do you remember where
the LORD gave Moses these instructions? Up on Mount Sinai. Do you remember when the LORD gave the
instructions to him? It was after the LORD had offered Himself to His people to be a husband to Israel
on the basis of the eternal covenant, through His Christ.
But the people had rejected the LORDs personal offer to them. They didnt want to be personal with God;
they wanted to keep their distance, afar off so they could do as they pleased.
So instead of believing God, for what He was doing for them in Christ, they opted to do for God; serving
Him, doing His will; keeping His commands. As they said: All that the LORD has said, we will do, and be
obedient (Ex 24:7).We have seen the same thing in Romans men thinking they can justify themselves
before God, through their own good works.

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So the LORD God gave the people His Law His righteous requirements, which must be kept perfectly, in
order to be justified by their own works. And, deceived in their hearts, the people thought they could keep
them. They entered into a blood covenant with the LORD God, based on their doing of the Law. The blood
signified that the penalty for breaking any part of the covenant was death.
The people did not know their own heart, but the LORD knew it. He knew that they could never obey all of
His righteous requirements.
But the LORD hadnt given the Law to Israel expecting that they would obey it. On the contrary, He gave it
so that they would have a knowledge of sin experience the reality of what was in their hearts that they
were lawbreakers; sinners just as we have learned in Romans (Rm 3:20).
The LORDs purpose was to cause Israel to see that they were sinners, deserving of death; to see that what
they needed was a Savior whom only the LORD could provide.
So it was after the people had entered into a blood covenant with the LORD, that the LORD invited Moses
back up on the mountain; for the LORD knew that the people would, in short order, corrupt themselves,
breaking the covenant they had made, and invoking Gods judgment of death. The time was now right for
the LORD to give Moses the ceremonial portion of the Law; that which would speak to Israel of the Savior,
whom God was providing.
Well begin at verse 1.
[Exodus 25:1-22]
v. 1-2 This offering to the LORD from the children of Israel was not compulsory; it was only to be freely
given by each one, out of the desire of his heart.
v. 3 the goats of that region had black hair. The goat hair would be woven into the curtains of a tent, and
was a figure of sin.
v. 4 fine linen came from the flax plant of Egypt; when woven, it was exquisite. In the tabernacle picture,
it signified righteousness.
V. 4-5 badgers skins were actually the skin of a marine animal, thought to be a sky-blue color. The color
was symbolic of heaven.
v. 6-7 Two onyx stones were fastened to each shoulder of the vest-like ephod, each bearing six names of
the sons of Jacob-Israel. The other stones were set into the breastplate, each one bearing a single name of
the twelve sons. Both were items of clothing worn by the High Priest; the sons of Israel were symbolically
borne on his shoulders and on his heart.
Now, did the children of Israel possess these materials? Yes, in great quantities; when the offering was
finally given, an overabundance was supplied (Ex 36:5-7). Where would they have gotten all of this?
From Egypt. Turn back to chapter 12. This is what happened following the last plague the death of all
the firstborn of Egypt.
[Exodus 12:33-36] The LORD had instructed Moses to have the people do this, before He ever sent this last
plague (Ex 11:1-2). The word plundered is used for the spoils of war. The LORD God had waged war
against the so-called gods of Egypt, and was the undisputed victor. To the victor go the spoils.

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[Return to Exodus 25]

So the LORD was instructing Moses to have the children of Israel offer back to Him what He has really
provided for them, in the first place. And when the request was later put to them which happened to be
when they were feeling the twinges of remorse, over their sin they zealously responded, giving more than
enough. They freely gave back what the LORD had given to them; but they still did not give Him their
hearts.
v. 8 This is what the LORD was purposing for the children of Israel to do, with these materials; to build a
place where the LORD would dwell among His people. This would be a sanctuary a sacred place; a holy
dwelling, for holy God. Is this a God who is afar off (Jer 23:23; Ps 148:14)? No; the LORDs desire is to be
with His people, even in them; in their midst.
v. 9 This dwelling is further qualified here as a tabernacle; essentially, a tent. This was a temporary
dwelling place something that could be taken down, and put up, place to place so that wherever the
people went, the LORD could go with them; continuing to always be present, in their midst.
The LORDs tabernacle, His sacred dwelling place, and its furnishings, its contents, were to be made
according to a very set pattern it was to be made just so, as it says here and the LORD showed this
pattern to Moses.
Why was the LORD so exacting, as to how His sanctuary was made? We find the answer within the meaning
of the Hebrew word for pattern. The idea is of something built according to a plan, and it refers to an
image patterned after something else.
The tabernacle had to be built very precisely, according to the LORDs specifications, because in type, it was
an image of the LORDs Christ, as the Savior. The tabernacle was to show the children of Israel the way in
which sinful men could draw near to a holy God; through the One who God was sending as the Savior.
Each and every thing in the tabernacle from the materials, to the dimensions, to the way in which each
thing was made, to the structure and function of each part, even its location and orientation was a
reflection of the person and work of Jesus, in His first coming to the earth; an elaborate pictorial prophecy
concerning Him.
And it was given to Israel, from their beginnings as a nation, that they might understand in their very being
the One who was coming to put away their sin; so that they could dwell with God, even as He desired to
dwell with them: I will be their God, and they shall be My people (see Ez 37:26-28).
So Moses was to make the tabernacle just so, according to the pattern which the LORD showed him, which
is what the LORD begins to relate next. The pattern this picture of Christ is given from the LORDs
perspective. It begins with the contents of the innermost part of the sanctuary representing the inner
being of Christ and works its way to the outer court representing the body of Christ.
In his gospel, John said that Jesus is the Word who became flesh, and dwelt among us (Jn 1:14) the
word dwelt also can be translated tabernacled. The second person of the Godhead came and dwelt on
the earth in a temporary tent of flesh, tabernacling in the midst of His people. The pattern that God gave to
Moses here foretells His story of redemption, so that Israel could know their Savior before He ever came.
For the sake of our study in Romans, we will only be looking at the furnishings in the innermost part of the
sanctuary; the Holy of Holies showing the very heart of Christ.

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v. 10-16 The first furnishing that the LORD gives a pattern for is an ark. The word ark simply means box
or chest. The same word is used for Josephs coffin (Gen 50:26). Thats a place of death.
A cubit was considered to be about 18 inches, so the ark was a rectangular box that was a little less than 4
feet long, and a little more than two feet wide and deep; not very large. And what was the ark built out of?
Acacia wood.
This wood is from a tree that flourishes in the driest of conditions, such as one would find all over that
region of the world; and it was the only good wood to be found in the wilderness. Acacia wood was known
for its hardness and its incorruptibility.
That wood, of which the ark was built, was plated on both the outside and the inside with gold. That means
the wood was completely covered with the gold. And the ark had a molding of gold, all around its top
edge. I much prefer the KJV for this word: crown. We see the two ideas together in the term crown
molding. So the ark had a crown around the top edge.
The ark also had cast gold rings at its corners, through which poles were inserted. The poles were made of
acacia wood, overlaid with gold, just like the ark as if a part of it. What would these poles have been
used for? For transporting the ark. There are two ideas here; that wherever the children of Israel went, the
ark went with them; and that they must not touch the ark itself; it was sacred.
As mentioned, the LORD is giving the pattern for the tabernacle from His perspective; from the inside, out.
The ark, with the mercy seat, was the only furnishing in the innermost part of the sanctuary the Holy of
Holies. As such, the ark represents the throne of God; and the Holy of Holies, Gods home the highest
heaven.
Gold, that most precious and luminous of metals, speaks of deity. The entire sanctuary was built of acacia
boards covered with gold so in the Holy of Holies, gold-covered boards surrounded the gold-covered ark,
constantly reflecting its glory.
But there was no external source of light in the Holy of Holies; no window, no lamp. So how could the
glorious gold be seen? The presence of the LORD dwelt in the Holy of Holies; as we will see, above the
mercy seat on the ark (v. 22). The outshining of His glory, known as the shekinah, was the light of the Holy
of Holies and the gold continually reflected it.
There was only one way into the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, the first space in the sanctuary. But
there was a veil between these two spaces in the sanctuary, dividing them; essentially, a separating screen.
The veil was a boundary that meant no access; for the ark behind the veil was Most Holy (Ex 26:33).
The ark represented Gods throne in heaven; but in the tabernacle, it was set upon the earth. There was no
floor to the tabernacle; the ark was always set on bare ground.
The ark, representing Gods throne, is a type of Christ as the representative of Gods authority on the
earth; Christ is the seat of His rule. And Gods rulings are absolutely just, for He is utterly holy and
righteous. Gods throne then, is a seat of judgment.
The acacia wood of which the ark was made pictures the humanity of Christ. Remember acacia wood was
virtually incorruptible, the only good wood found in the wilderness. Here is the root that came out of the
dry ground of the nation Israel (Is 53:2); Christ, as the incorruptible Son of Man, in His sinless perfection.

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And that wood was entirely overlaid with gold; for from His innermost being throughout all of His
thoughts, feelings and desires, Christ is also Deity; He is God, holy and righteous in His essence.
The two materials distinct, unmixable, but inseparable and so, the God-man; fully God and fully man.
And all the room spoke of His holy separation, as Deity; dwelling in the light the shekinah which no
man can approach unto (1 Tim 6:16, KJV).
In verse 16, the LORD instructed Moses that he was to put into the ark the Testimony which the LORD
would give him. This refers specifically to the two tablets of testimony, the Ten Commandments Gods
testimony to Israel, representing the covenant of the Law, as a whole.
There were two other objects that were eventually placed into the ark. The LORD instructed Moses to have
Aaron, the High Priest, put an omer of manna in a golden pot, and to lay it up before the LORD, to be kept as
a testimony to the future generations of the children of Israel so that they might see the bread with which
the LORD fed them in the wilderness (Ex 16:32-36). The manna in the ark never corrupted.
And the author to the Hebrews tells us the final object in the ark: Aarons rod that budded (Heb 9:3-4),
which well discuss shortly.
The objects in the ark bear witness to its significance as the seat of Gods judgment. Each of the objects in
it was a testimony to Gods righteous judgment on sin which is death.
You may remember that the stone tablets that were placed in the ark representing the covenant of the Law
were actually the second set. Do you remember what happened to the first set? Moses broke them.
Why? Because while Moses was up on the mountain receiving the pattern for the tabernacle, the people
committed a most heinous sin.
They took their golden earrings tokens of their slavery in Egypt and requested that Aaron make them
into an idol. He actually molded them into the image of a calf which they blasphemously called by the
LORDs holy name, expecting this lifeless idol to lead them! The calf was patterned after their gods in
Egypt. Although the people had come out of Egypt, they still had Egypt in their hearts.
The breaking of the first set of tablets by Moses showed that the people had broken the covenant they made
with the LORD, based on the Law. Remember, that was a blood covenant, conditioned upon their obedience.
And what is the penalty for breaking a blood covenant? Death. The sword of Gods justice took the lives
of the ones who persisted in their rebellion, and about 3000 fell that day (Ex 32:1-29).
The manna also bore testimony to Gods righteous judgment. The LORD had indicated that the manna was
His provision for the people, but that it was also a test, to know what was in their hearts; would they keep
the LORDs commandments or not (Deut 8:2-3)?
Moses had instructed them concerning the manna, saying this is the bread that the LORD has given you to
eat (Ex 16:15). Yet time and again they despised the LORDs provision (Ex 11:6), even calling it worthless
bread. So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, which bit them; and many of the children of
Israel died (Num 21:4-9). Again the judgment on the rebels was death.
The last object in the ark was Aaronss rod that budded. This also testified of a judgment against certain of
the children of Israel Korah and company who rebelled against the LORDs authority.

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Korah was Levite, whose family was responsible for the tabernacle service. But Korah wanted more he
aspired to the priesthood.
Now, according to the command of the LORD, only a son of Aaron could be a priest. Nevertheless, Korah
and his companions challenged Moses over the authority of Aaron, claiming anyone in the congregation
could minister as priest.
So the LORD judged Korah and those who followed him; the earth swallowed up the ringleaders, and fire
consumed their followers. And when the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron over the
deaths, the LORD judged them as well with a plague. In all, about fifteen thousand people died.
Then the LORD reaffirmed His choice of Aaron for the priesthood. Each of the heads of the tribes of Israel
was to write their name on their rod the rod representing their authority, over their tribe. The rods were
placed by Moses in the tabernacle. The LORD said that the rod of the man whom He chose would blossom.
The next day, it could be seen that Aarons rod had put forth buds, and blossoms and even yielded ripe
almonds a dead stick, that had reproduced abundant life. In this way, the LORD confirmed the authority of
Aaron in the priesthood. And the LORD had Moses put Aarons rod that budded in the ark, as a testimony
against the rebels (Num 16-17).
Following this incident, the children of Israel said, Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! Whoever even
comes near the tabernacle of the LORD must die. Shall we all utterly die? (Num 17:12-13). Clearly, they
recognized that the ark of the testimony was the seat of Gods judgment; and the judgment on sin is death.
But the ark was not just a box. It had a cover.
v. 17-21 the ark, with its mercy seat, was always considered as a single piece of furniture; the only
furnishing in the Holy of Holies. The mercy seat, covering the ark, was the complete aspect of Gods
throne. Scripture says that the LORD dwelt between the cherubim, meaning His presence His glory
abode there above the mercy seat (1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; Is 37:16).
The word for mercy seat here in the Hebrew is the equivalent to the Greek word that Paul uses in Romans
chapter 3 translated propitiation. In fact, in Septuagint the Greek translation of the OT uses that same
word, in the Greek here. The word means both covering and propitiation the place where Gods justice is
satisfied.
Did you notice the dimensions of the mercy seat? A length and a width are given; the height is not
specified. How do the length and the width compare to those of the ark (v. 10)? They are exactly the same.
That means that the mercy seat wouldnt fall into the ark, would it? Nor would it overlap the ark,
encroaching on its perfection. The mercy seat would just rest on top of the ark; meeting it, perfectly.
Now, you may think, what about when the Levites transported the ark? Wouldnt the mercy seat fall off?
No; it was completely secure. Thats what the gold crown on the ark was for (v. 11). The crown molding
went all the way around the upper edge of the ark. This held the mercy seat securely in place; it was
always perfectly covering the ark.
The mercy seat was made out of one piece of pure gold. The two cherubim were beaten right out of that
single piece; one at each end of the mercy seat. And their wings extended overhead, toward one another,
covering the mercy seat.

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The cherubim were to face each other, but they were not looking at each other. What were they looking at?
They were looking at the mercy seat; their faces gazed down toward what they were covering, with their
wings.
The Hebrew word for covering here implies protection. The cherubim were said to be the guardians of
the throne of God. Here we see them watching over the mercy seat, as Gods ministers, carefully guarding
over the One of whom the mercy seat prophetically speaks, until the fullness of time, when He comes.
For the mercy seat is also a type of Christ as our propitiation, and therefore, our reconciliation with God.
At the mercy seat we see the fulfillment of the plan of God, for mankind so carefully kept by God down
through the ages, for man; which we can see all the way back to the garden of Eden, where the cherubim
guarded the Way to the Tree of Life (Gen 3:24).
Like the mercy seat, Jesus was perfectly fitted to cover Gods judgment concerning sin. As God, Jesus had
the ability to accomplish the salvation, through the power of an endless life (Heb 7:16). And as a man,
Jesus had the power to lay down that life (Jn 10:18), as the substitute for mankind. And Jesus was not just
able He was willing to do it for loves sake (Jn 15:13).
In the mercy seat, we see Jesus, enabling God to cover His judgment with His mercy and in so doing, the
articles in the ark take on a new, fulfilled meaning.
There are the tablets of testimony the covenant of the Law reflecting the perfect obedience of Jesus,
even to death on the cross. And there is the manna showing Jesus as the incorruptible Seed, whose
sinless body did not corrupt in the grave. And finally, there is Aarons rod that budded Jesus, the rod of
Gods authority, who brought life out of death resurrection. In the death, burial, and resurrection of
Jesus, the place of judgment has become the place of mercy.
But how merciful will God be? How far does that mercy extend, and for how long? The crown, on the ark,
gives us the answer. It is the crown that held the mercy seat on the ark, securing it. The crown went all the
way around the top of the ark it had no end. In that crown, we see that Gods mercy is secured forever in
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
It was when Jesus willingly took a different crown on His brow, that mercy was secured for us. What
crown was that? The crown of thorns.
In Scripture, thorns are emblematic of sin. This goes back to the garden; after Adam brought sin into the
world, the ground began to bring forth thorns and briars (Gen 3:18).
The placing of the crown of thorns on the head of Jesus portrays Jesus as the sin offering, in the stead of
men. In the Levitical offerings, the priest would symbolically lay his hand on the head of the sacrificial
goat, showing him to be the substitute, putting upon him the sins of the people.
The crown of thorns on the head showed forth Jesus being made sin for us; and in taking our death penalty
in our stead, He forever secured mercy over the judgment of God, for our sins. His mercy endures forever
(Ps 136). That crown of thorns became a crown of gold for us.
v. 22 The mercy seat was the place that the LORD designated for meeting with Moses, concerning the
children of Israel; the word for meeting here means appointed time. Moses was the mediator between
God and the people, and as such, represented Christ.

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At the appointed time, Christ did meet with God, at the mercy seat where He reconciled the world to
Himself (2 Cor 5:19). And because of that meeting, all are now invited to enter directly into the presence
of God, and to meet with Him. That invitation is extended to men through the gospel. And the place of the
meeting is always the same; at the mercy seat Christ.
Next week: Lev 16; Heb 9. Finish reading Rm 3.