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The King's Mercy
Seat
There is a strong correlation between the color or metal, gold, and the
subject of kings and kingdoms. Among the furniture of the tabernacle is
the mercy seat. It was situated in the Most Holy Place and was sitting
on top of the Ark of the Covenant.
The mercy seat is described in the
following passage of scripture: Ex. 25:17 "And thou shalt make a mercy
seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof,
and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 18 And thou shalt make two
cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends
of the mercy seat. 19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other
cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the
cherubims on the two ends thereof. 20 And the cherubims shall stretch
forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and
their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the
faces of the cherubims be. 21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above
upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall
give thee. 22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with
thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are
upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in
commandment unto the children of Israel."
In addition, Aaron, the High Priest was to make an offering for himself,
his family, and the children of Israel and sprinkle the blood upon the
mercy seat: Lev. 16:11 "And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin
offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself,
and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which
is for himself: 12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of
fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet
incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil: 13 And he shall put
the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense
may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: 14
And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his
finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he
sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the
people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as
he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy
seat, and before the mercy seat: 16 And he shall make an atonement for
the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel,
and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he
do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in
the midst of their uncleanness. 17 And there shall be no man in the
tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in
the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for
himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel."
We draw the following conclusions
from the above passages of scripture:
1. The mercy seat sat upon the Ark
of the Covenant, which served as the foundation of the mercy seat.
2. There were two cherubims overshadowing the mercy seat and were an
extension of the mercy seat.
3. The mercy seat was situated within the Most Holy Place.
4. God met with the children of Israel through their representative
above the mercy seat.
5. Sweet incense was burned when the High Priest went into the Most Holy
Place and made the offering of the atoning sacrifice.
6. Only the High Priest could go in by himself to make the offering of
the atoning sacrifice.
7. The mercy seat was closely tied to the atoning sacrifice.
The mercy seat had the same length
and width measurements as the ark of the covenant. However, we are not
given any height measurement of the mercy seat. This teaches us that
God's mercy is without measure toward his people.
The mercy seat was closely tied to the atoning sacrifice. This teaches
us that while God is merciful, yet that mercy does not negate the
judgment of God. God's judgment of our sins had to be satisfied in order
for God's mercy to be extended to us.
The mercy seat was seated upon the
Ark of the Covenant. Christ is the Ark of the Covenant. There were three
things placed in the Ark of the Covenant for safe keeping: the covenant;
the bowl of manna; and Aaron's rod that budded. Similarly, Christ is the
keeper of the covenant of God. He lived by every word that proceeded
from the mouth of God (bowl of manna). He also is the resurrection from
the dead (Aaron's rod that budded). The covenant of redemption as stated
in Rom. 8:29, 30 is the foundation for God's mercy: Rom. 8:29 "For whom
he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he
called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also
glorified." God is merciful to us based on what he accomplished in
accordance with the above covenant.
Cherubims are used in the
scriptures as a figure of witnesses. There were two cherubims
overshadowing the mercy seat. These cherubims had their faces inward
toward the mercy seat. The Old Testament looks forward to God's mercy
and the New Testament looks back upon God's mercy through the atoning
blood of Christ.
The scriptures tell us that heaven
is God's throne and the earth is his footstool. The mercy of God is not
just extended towards us upon the earth, but it has its roots in heaven
itself. We will be housed in heaven's glory world as a result of the
mercy of God. Also, God's mercy is extended from heaven upon us here on
earth, while we live in this time world.
Christ being our representative on
the cross of Calvary, we have mercy through his atoning sacrifice and he
ever lives and makes intercession for us. Further, God speaks to us
through our Lord Jesus Christ through his tender mercy.
Only Christ could go into the Holy
Place to offer the atoning sacrifice upon the mercy seat: Heb. 9:11 "But
Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of
this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his
own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us."
The King's Garments
on the High Priest
There is a very close
correlation between the color or metal, gold, and the subject of kings
or kingdoms.
The garments of the
High Priest contained the colors, gold, purple, red, blue, and white.
We will discuss the various garments and their significance in separate
essays.
This may seem a little
strange that the color gold, which is associated with Kings, should be
found on the garments of the High Priest. Now we know that Aaron and
his sons were of the tribe of Levi, who could not be kings. Likewise,
those of the tribe of Judah from which the kings came could not be
priests. However, the Old Testament High Priests pointed us to one who
would be both a King and a High Priest.
The answer is found in
the following verses concerning Jesus Christ:
1. Ps.
110:4 "The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for
ever after the order of Melchizedek."
2. Heb.
5:6 "As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after
the order of Melchisedec."
3. Heb.
7:17 "For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of
Melchisedec."
4. Heb
7:21 "(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an
oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou
art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)"
Plainly, we are taught
that Christ is not a High Priest after the order of Aaron, but a High
Priest after the order of Melchisedec. The order of Melchisedec is
explained to us in the 7th chapter of Hebrews: Heb. 7:1 "For
this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met
Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To
whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by
interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem,
which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made
like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually."
We notice that
Melchisedec was both a priest and a king. His name meant King of
righteousness and he was king of Salem, or King of peace. Christ is a
priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. This makes him both
High Priest and King. He truly is King of Righteousness and King of
Peace. Similarly, that he is our High Priest is set forth in the
following verses:
1. Heb.
2:17 "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."
2. Heb.
3:1 "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;"
3. Heb.
4:14 "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession."
4. Heb.
4:15 "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin."
5. Heb
7:26 "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the
heavens;"
The King's Targets
and Shields
1 Ki. 10:16 "And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold:
six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. 17 And he made
three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one
shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon."
The target is a body
shield to protect against arrows and spears. The shield mentioned above
is used to protect in hand-to-hand combat. According to the scriptures
a pound of gold is equal to one hundred shekels. Thus, the target was
made of six pounds of gold and the shield was made of three pounds of
gold. That is a lot of gold and is of much value.
These were the king's
targets and the king's shields. Therefore, the armour of the king is of
great value.
Our King (Jesus
Christ) has provided for us the armour we need to be good soldiers of
Jesus Christ. We are to fight the good fight of faith. While we walk
in the flesh, yet our warfare is a spiritual warfare and our armour is a
spiritual armour: 2 Cor. 10:3 "For though we walk in the flesh, we do
not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all
disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." From this we gather
that our spiritual armour is mighty through God.
Our armour is listed
for us in Ephesians chapter six: 6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong
in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour
of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you
the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore,
having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate
of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the
gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye
shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that
I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel."
This armour is
designed so that we may stand against the wiles of the devil and that we
may be victorious against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness
in high places. How could we have a more valuable and durable armour
than this armour that our king has provided for us. Furthermore, 1 Pet.
1:7 speaks to us of the great value of a single piece of our armour: 7
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold
that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise
and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."
King Solomon's armour
was of gold. King Jesus' armour is greater in value than King Solomon's
armour. Thanks be to our King who has provided for us such armour that
is of so great a value and of such great usefulness that we may fight
victoriously in our daily battles against our enemies.
The Kings
Throne
There is a strong correlation in the scriptures between the color or
metal, gold, and the subject of kings or kingdoms.
When Solomon and the children of Israel built the king's house, they
made a throne of ivory overlaid with gold:
1. 1 Ki.
10:18 "Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it
with the best gold."
2. 2 Chr. 9:17 "Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and
overlaid it with pure gold."
There are different thrones that the Lord is said to sit upon in the
scriptures. First, there is the throne of judgment:
1. Ps. 9:7 "But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his
throne for judgment."
2. Ps. 89:14 "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne:
mercy and truth shall go before thy face."
3. Ps. 97:2 "Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and
judgment are the habitation of his throne."
4. Pro. 20:8 "A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth
away all evil with his eyes."
5. Is. 9:7 "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be
no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and
to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for
ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."
6. Is. 16:5 "And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall
sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking
judgment, and hasting righteousness."
The second
throne that the Lord sits upon is the throne of glory:
1. Jer.
14:21 "Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne
of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us."
2. Zec. 6:13 "Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall
bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be
a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them
both."
3. Mat. 19:28 "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye
which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall
sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
4. Mat. 25:31 "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the
holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:"
5. Rev. 4:9 "And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to
him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,"
6. Rev 5:13 "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth,
and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be
unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and
ever."
The third throne is the throne of grace: Heb. 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."
The fourth
throne is the throne of mercy:
1. Pro.
20:28 "Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by
mercy."
2. Is. 16:5 "And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall
sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking
judgment, and hasting righteousness."
All of
these thrones are manifest as one throne in the 4th chapter of the book
of Revelation: Rev. 4:1 "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was
opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a
trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show
thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the
spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the
throne. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine
stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like
unto an emerald. 4 And round about the throne were four and twenty
seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed
in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. 5 And out
of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there
were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven
Spirits of God. 6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like
unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the
throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 7 And the first
beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third
beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they
were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9 And
when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on
the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10 The four and twenty elders
fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth
for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou
hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created."
The Kings Footstool
There is a
very strong correlation in the scriptures between the color or metal,
gold, and the subject of kings or kingdoms.
When Solomon and the
children of Israel were building the temple and the king's house,
closely associated with the King's throne was a footstool: 2 Chr. 9:18
"And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold,
which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting
place, and two lions standing by the stays:" Notice that the steps and
the footstool of gold were fastened to the throne. This
certainly indicates a very strong correlation between the throne and the
footstool of gold.
It is important that
we remember that the footstool was made of gold. This
will guide us in the following study of the use of the footstool in the
scriptures.
In a previous study we
noted that the throne of King Jesus included a throne for judgment, a
throne for glory, a throne for grace, and a throne for mercy. The
footstool by its very nature is the place where the king rests his feet
while upon the throne.
The following verses
give us the location of both the throne and the footstool of our King
Jesus:
1. Is.
66:1 "Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my
footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the
place of my rest?"
2. Acts
7:49 "Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye
build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?"
The throne of King
Jesus is located in heaven and the footstool of King Jesus is located in
the earth.
The footstool is also
said to be the place of worship:
1. Ps.
99:5 "Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is
holy."
2. Ps.
132:7 "We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his
footstool."
Next, there was a
prophecy mentioned several times that Christ would make his enemies his
footstool:
1. Ps.
110:1 "A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my
right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."
2. Mat.
22:44 "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I
make thine enemies thy footstool?"
3. Mark
12:36 "For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my
Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy
footstool."
4. Luke
20:43 "Till I make thine enemies thy footstool."
5. Acts
2:35 "Until I make thy foes thy footstool."
6. Heb.
1:13 "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right
hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?"
7. Heb.
10:13 "From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool."
Remember that the
footstool that Solomon and the children of Israel built was made of
gold. In contrast, in the above seven verses The King's enemies are
said to be made his footstool. Furthermore, the footstool is connected
with the worship of King Jesus. We ask ourselves, "How can these things
be?" The answer is found in identifying the enemies under consideration
and how they are made the footstool of Christ. The enemies are
identified for us in the following passage of scripture: Rom. 5:6 "For
when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet
peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much
more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only
so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we
have now received the atonement."
In this passage of
scripture, the people of God were once his enemies, but they were
reconciled to God by the death of his Son. At the throne of judgment,
our sins were judged in the person of Jesus Christ and we were
reconciled to God. This all took place because Christ also sits on the
throne of grace and he manifest his mercy at the mercy seat. At the
throne of glory, Christ has glorified the people that he reconciled.
Further, Rev. 1:5, 6
shows us that Christ made those he reconciled kings (gold) unto God:
Rev. 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.
Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
We make the following
conclusion that the elect of God were his enemies, but are reconciled to
God through the blood of his Son. They are no longer enemies, but are
now the golden footstool of God and are kings and priest unto him. As a
part of the golden footstool we worship the King upon his throne for his
wonderful works unto us.
The King's Drinking
Vessels
In the scriptures
there is a strong correlation between the bible color or metal, gold,
and the subject of kings and kingdoms.
The kings drinking
vessels are mentioned in the following verses of scripture:
1. 1 Ki.
10:21 "And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the
vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none
were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon."
2. 2 Chr.
9:20 "And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all
the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold:
none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of
Solomon."
3. Est.
1:7 "And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being
diverse one from another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to the
state of the king."
4. Dan.
5:22 "And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart,
though thou knewest all this; 23 But hast lifted up thyself against the
Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before
thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk
wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of
brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the
God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou
not glorified:"
It would appear from
above that the King's drinking vessels were used primarily for drinking
wine.
It also stands to
reason, that King Jesus has drinking vessels. These vessels are
presented to us in the New Testament. Common sense tells us that a
drinking vessel is filled with wine and then wine is drunken from the
vessel. We are admonished in Eph. 5:18 "And be not drunk with wine,
wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." Wine is frequently
associated with the Spirit in the scriptures. In this verse we are
admonished to be filled with the Spirit and not with wine. Thus we see
that we are to be filled with the Spirit. Further, God's believing
servants are said to have rivers of living water flowing out of their
belly: John 7:38 "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake
he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the
Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet
glorified.)" Thus, the rivers of living water flowing out of the
believers are spiritual waters.
An example of a vessel
used of God to pour out the gospel truths is Paul: Acts 9:15 "But the
Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to
bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of
Israel:"
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