His Mercy Is More

…The faces of the cherubim were looking toward the mercy seat. Exodus 37:9 csb

A ship at sea can be powerful, well-built, and fully equipped, but if it’s pointed in the wrong direction, it will never reach its destination. Even being just a few degrees off course might not seem like much at first, but over time it leads the ship miles away from where it needs to be. That’s why sailors constantly check their bearing, realigning themselves with true north, using the stars to accurately face the right heading. 

In the same way, the cherubim over the mercy seat were fixed, facing the place where God’s mercy was revealed. They weren’t turned outward to be distracted; they were oriented toward the very presence of God’s throne. It was at the mercy seat that God’s presence descended and provided mercy to His people. The cherubim served as an image for Israel to look to where they were facing, the throne of God. It is there at the mercy seat the blood of the sacrifice would be sprinkled, and God would provide atonement (covering) for the nations sins. Forgiveness could come from nowhere else.

The world attempts to draw us in, promising to cure whatever is plaguing us. But you will be off course, lost, never reaching your destination if you seek covering from the world.  The author of Hebrews makes the case for Christ that He is the One to whom we must look. It is at the throne of Christ on which we are to fix our gaze. At His mercy seat, we find not only answers, but forgiveness and grace. No one else is coming to save us He is it, and He has already come providing atonement for our sins. Some, perhaps even you, feel you cannot come to God because of your sin. You think it’s too great and God can not forgive. It is for that great sin Christ died to cover! Therefore, Hebrews 4:16 tells us “to approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

It is to the mercy seat that we run when life knocks us off course. It is to the mercy seat that we go when we feel lost and without hope. It is to the mercy seat that we run when we have sinned, erred, and need forgiveness. Because of Jesus’ completed work on the cross of Calvary, we can not only come to Him, but run to Him! It is there that we find mercy and grace meeting us in our time of need.

Agape,
Frank