Mercy Over All His Works

October 7, 2015

My morning Bible reading took me to Exodus 25, where God instructs Moses in the construction of the Ark of the Covenant. In verses 21-22 we learn that the tablets of the Law were to be placed inside the ark, then the mercy seat, a golden lid crowned with figures of cherubs was set on top. "I will meet with you there, and will commune with you from above the mercy seat..."

It is common for Christians to speak of God's love when talking about salvation, ignoring the biblical doctrine of the wrath of God. This morning I read an article in which the author supposes that the reason for this is that we think of God's wrath as petulance. We experience human anger and cannot see how it has any place in the character of God. The problem with this reasoning is that it sets human anger as the touchstone, imagining that God's anger must be similar to ours. It's not. God is angry over sin's destructiveness, mutilating and corrupting everything he once pronounced good.  

St. Paul tells us that the Law was never intended to be a means of salvation apart from it's purpose of revealing to us our need for a Savior. The image of the tablets of the Law covered by the mercy seat is an illustration of what God has done for us in Christ. The Law hasn't disappeared, but it is covered by the mercy of God, and it is in the place of mercy that he meets us. This is Good News indeed! The Law pronounces us guilty, but in his mercy, through the blood of the Lamb that is sprinkled upon the mercy seat, God meets with us, forgiving our sin and pronouncing us righteous not because we kept the Law, but because Christ did, then died in our place, rising in new life which he bestows on all who believe. It sounds incredulous, but it is the foundation of our faith, the source of our confidence, the silencing of all accusation, the hope of our future. I am grateful tonight for this illustration I found this morning, and for the time I had meeting with my God above the mercy seat that covers every violation of the Law I've ever done.