A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of November 16-20, 2020
Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
Hebrews 9:5
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:12-14
MONDAY
What is the mercy seat? What was and is its significance to us? Where did the mercy seat originate? In order to answer this, we must look into several passages in the book of Exodus. In chapters 26, 30, 35, & 37 we see God’s instructions to Moses to replicate the things that he saw in heaven. Moses was to assemble the tabernacle as a meeting place for man and God, but it had to be after the pattern of heavenly things. This idea that God had allows Him to have an earthly dwelling place. He wants to meet with us on His terms, under His conditions because He is God. This mercy seat, then, represents the throne upon which God sat. If He will dwell on earth as He does in heaven, then He must have heavenly surroundings.
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: Psalm 21:4 ~ He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—length of days forever and ever.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
November 16: 1 Chronicles 7-8, Hebrews 11, Amos 5, Luke 1:1-38
November 17: 1 Chronicles 9-10, Hebrews 12, Amos 6, Luke 1:39-80
November 18: 1 Chronicles 11-12, Hebrews 13, Amos 7, Luke 2
November 19: 1 Chronicles 13-14, James 1, Amos 8, Luke 3
November 20: 1 Chronicles 15, James 2, Amos 9, Luke 4
November 21: 1 Chronicles 16, James 3, Obidiah, Luke 5
November 22: 1 Chronicles 17, James 4, Jonah 1, Luke 6
TUESDAY
Under the Levitical priesthood, the priest sprinkled the blood of a sacrificial animal on the mercy seat to atone for man’s sin. This allowed God to not look at man’s sin anymore, but to acknowledge that a substitute had been made, thus covering the sin. This sacrifice was done once every year. The law was our schoolmaster, or teacher. This teacher allowed us to know how sinful we were, and that we needed a Savior, or someone whose blood would not only cover our sins, but cleanse us from all unrighteousness, making us holy and righteous before God. The mercy seat becomes a place of promise when Isaiah prophesies that the Savior would be born and save us from our sins.
WEDNESDAY
The eternal blood is on the mercy seat. Jesus Himself offered His own blood for us as in atonement for sin (Hebrews 9:12-14). This is why we are commanded to come boldly to the throne of grace that we may find mercy and grace to help in time of need. Jesus’ blood makes us righteous. We no longer have fear in approaching God. We are a royal priesthood. The Levitical priests could only approach with fear, ministering with bells and pomegranates on their hems (to signify they were still alive and had not been killed by the glory). The glory that the cherubim reflected would have killed any priest who was unholy. Thanks be unto God that we are a new breed of priests. We are truly holy unto the Lord because of the blood of Christ.
THURSDAY
God’s throne is established in mercy (Isaiah 16:5). Mercy is the cornerstone of the throne of God. His mercy endures forever. The two cherubim that covered the mercy seat faced each other; one at one end, one at the other end. They were able to enclose the throne of God in His glory. Since glory was over the mercy seat, this signified that God is able to give extreme mercy to those in need. Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. There is abounding grace at the mercy seat for all who are in need. There is no reason for us to hold back from approaching God with a pure heart. His glory covers the mercy seat because His throne is established in mercy for the purpose of giving mercy to all who come to Him by Christ.
FRIDAY
At the mercy seat we are judged by God’s word. Under the old covenant, the Ark of the Covenant contained the testimony (or commandments) of God to Moses. This indicated that the law was not to depart from the people. They were judged according to God’s standard; they were kept by that same law. When the law was broken, they were judged at the mercy seat by the same law. The yearly offering of blood satisfied the law, but did not atone for their sin nor did it provide righteousness. Only the blood of Jesus is able to save to the uttermost and administer the mercy of God.