Tag: Exodus

The Mercy Seat

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“And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.” John 20:12

The morning after the high Sabbath had come.  Certain women, of whom Mary Magdelene was one, approached the tomb of their beloved Savior, intent on properly honoring Him with the spices they brought for His body.

Upon arrival at the tomb, the object of their desire for coming was not there.  The body of Jesus, whom they wanted to pay homage to, was gone.

They felt the earthquake, they saw the angel that sat upon the stone that had been rolled from the door of the tomb, and they heard his words: “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay,” (Matthew 28:5, 6).

The women were entrusted to share the news with Jesus’ disciples, but one had come back.

Mary, whose encounter with Jesus freed her life of demonic oppression (Mark 16:9), needed to take a deeper look into the tomb, and what she saw may have reminded her of God’s presence and work among His people: “But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain,” (John 20:11, 12). 

Not being a high priest, or any priest for that matter, and never seeing it for herself, but hearing stories of what it may have been like, I wonder if she pondered this question in her heart, “Is this what the mercy seat was like?”

The Mercy Seat in the Old Testament

The book of Exodus describes the meticulous instructions and care to follow on the building of everything regarding the Tabernacle as prescribed by God, including the mercy seat: “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.  And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.  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,” (Exodus 25:17-19).

This is the sacred place of which God said, “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…” (Exodus 25:22). 

This is the place of atonement, where the high priest would enter with the blood of animals once a year for the sins of the people.

The Mercy Seat in the New Testament

But when Jesus died on the cross, that protocol had been done away with.  The old covenant had been replaced by the new: “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom…” (Matthew 27:50, 51).

The way that only one man could enter once a year (Hebrews 9:6) had now been opened for all who would believe: “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; 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,” (Hebrews 9:11, 12). 

Whether or not what she saw reminded her of that ancient ark, what she saw was the sure sign that the price had been paid once and for all.  Not only for her sins but for the sins of the world (John 3:16) if they would only believe: “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us… but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself,” (Hebrews 9:24, 26b). 

What Jesus’ Fulfillment Means to Us

Mercy, by definition, is God not giving us what we deserve.  We deserved the penalties.  We deserved the price that was extracted through His holy sacrifice.  When He laid down His life, He did so for us, not Himself.

Now, all hindrances are removed.  All excuses, as they say, are nailed to the cross.  Believers far and near have no reason, like Mary, to draw near in complete faith: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;),” (Hebrews 10:19-23). 

Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthian church, called God, “The Father of mercies” (2 Corinthians 1:3), and rightly so.  Just a glimpse into any of our lives would reveal how much His love and long-suffering nature have held, blessed, kept, provided, and more, despite our undeserving state.

And still today, mercy is available as we are invited not to draw near to the tomb, but to the throne: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16). 

Once the way was not as easily accessible, but now we are beckoned to come.  And not just come, but “come boldly.”  Jesus paid the price for our mercy.  The “new and living way” has been opened.

While the old mercy seat is gone, Jesus Christ has more than satisfied the atoning cost of the new covenant, establishing now, that through Him, is where we find the grace and mercy we need.

Friend, come boldly to Jesus Christ if you need mercy.

“And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.” Luke 1:50

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10

Text Free Image by Arnie Bragg from Pixabay

Every Morning | Pursuing God Daily

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Mornings capture us with a sense of new.  The freshness for what’s before us opens like a glorious flower that raises her petals to meet the sun’s rays.  Whether the pace of the new days starts out fast or slow, there is a certain level of invigoration that permeates the atmosphere.  It says life is here, meeting us again as we open our eyes and arise.  What we see before us we have not encountered before.  This moment in time, with the grace and mercy that comes with it, is unused. 

I grew up during a time of hand-me-downs and leftovers.  It was not an unheard-of concept to rely on things that were previously used by another or putting aside portions of a meal that remained for later use.  “Waste not, want not,” is often what people would say.  It was frugal living before frugal living became popular.  We are seeing a resurgence of its popularity due to the current economy that is calling people’s attention to rethink how they approach money, life, and their stuff.

But for the children of Israel, there was one thing that God didn’t want them to rethink, and that was their faith and trust in Him.  Even though they were relatively new on their exodus journey from Egypt, God taught them a lesson He hopes will last a lifetime – they can put their confidence in His commands, in His promises.  They had no reason to doubt God’s goodness.

So, when the need for food arose, He instructed Moses on what the people should do: “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no,” (Exodus 16:4). 

Further reading gives us a bit more details:

  • Vv. 11, 12 says, “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God” (emphasis added).
  • V. 15 explains, “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.”
  • And in v. 19, Moses instructed them to “Let no man leave of it till the morning.”

Every morning, when they opened their eyes, they were expected to walk by faith, depending on their daily provisions from God’s holy hand.

When they chose not to rely on God and to take matters into their own hands, and to keep some behind so that they wouldn’t have to worry about the next day, “it bred worms, and stank” (v. 20).  When they decided they couldn’t trust God and believe that He would provide for their tomorrows, their personal, human efforts deteriorated right before their eyes.  Instead of being beautiful and nourishing, it became something that was disgusting and unpleasant.

There are a lot of things we can be frugal with, but faith isn’t one of them.  Jesus, in the Lord’s Prayer, called us to pray for “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).  Every morning we are reminded of our need for God, to pursue Him more, and again.  As a tummy rumbling for morning nourishment, we are drawn to come to Him and be spiritually satisfied.  We are leaning on the Father every single day for His holy provision: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.  The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him,” (Lamentations 3:22-24). 

Every morning we get to reestablish our love for Him, reestablish our commitment to Him, and walk in His faithfulness another day.  We get to come to Him, seeking our “manna” for the day, reaffirming He is our source.  He is our God!  He is our Portion (compare Jeremiah 51:19; Psalm 16:5; 73:26).  He is the place where we not only find our holy sustenance, but it is where we trade the wrongs for what is right.  It’s where we exchange the ashes of this life for the beauty of who He is.

“Every day” the children of Israel were commanded to go look for what God had for them.  Every morning, their expectation and hope were to be on God alone.  He, then, supplied their needs (Philippians 4:19) and sustained them for the day’s journey.

If your days seem limp and powerless, lacking the inspiration and sustenance for this time we live in, draw nearer to your daily Portion.  Every morning partake of the Bread of Heaven so that your life may be properly fed.

In your pursuit to be properly fed, do as the children of Israel were instructed:

  1. Come daily.  Every morning the promise of bread awaited them, but they were the ones who had to put in diligent effort to rise and go get it.
  2. Gather what was needed.  Every family was allotted a certain amount so they lacked nothing of all God’s provisions.  Don’t cut your time and opportunity short when you come to the Father.  The Bible says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13.  Wholly, go after your portion so that you lack nothing of all God has for you.  Stay before Him and gather what is necessary for the day’s journey.
  3. Come back tomorrow and do it again.  And the next day, and the next day, and so on.  This is a life of longing – a life that refuses to go unsatiated.  “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God,” (Psalm 42:1).  Drawing nearer to God is to be our daily desire. He is our holy pursuit. Daily I am unsatisfied in my soul if I don’t come to Him and fill my appetite upon Him who is “I AM THAT I AM,” (Exodus 3:13). 

The promise still remains: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled,” (Matthew 5:6). 

Every morning, come and be filled.    

“Difficult days don’t have the final say. God does!”

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Do you ever feel like you seem to be doing everything you know to be good and right, and yet, more trouble seems to knock on your door?  You’re doing what is expected and what you believe you are called to do, but things just don’t seem to pan out the way you planned and difficulty follows?

It’ not unheard of for steps of faith to be met with challenges or moving into where you feel God leading to suddenly see trouble rear its ugly head, and/or even increase.

I was reminded of this as I read through the book of Exodus.  The children of Israel had been in bondage for over four hundred years and God was ready to deliver them.  He sent Moses to Pharaoh as the lead man on this deliverance project and demanded that he let His people go.

Rather than heed God’s demand given through Moses, Pharaoh ridiculed, saying, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2).

To make matters worse, Pharaoh’s stubborn attitude toward God and His people didn’t stop there.  As a slap in the face, he increased the burden of their work and made their daily toil even harder and more difficult then it had previously been.

Moses was taken aback by this and even took his concerns to God saying, “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all,” (Exodus 5:23).

Times like these can be confusing and hard to take in, but as I kept reading there are some very encouraging words God spoke directly to Moses during those difficult days that I believe can help us too if we apply it to our own circumstances.  From those beautiful, God-inspired sentiments, I have gleaned a few “remembering” points for us to hold on to.

  1. Remember, God has a plan. “Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land,” (Exodus 6:1). What we “see” is not what God sees.  Our view of even our own circumstances is limited to the here and now.  But God sees the past, the here and now, and the plan coming to fulfillment in the future.  While we struggle to get through the day to day, God already knows the end from the beginning and everything He is pushing us for and leading us through is that one day we will get to experience the end of that plan that He already sees.
  2. Remember who God is. “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty…” (Exodus 6:2-3). God knows who He is, but we are the ones that need reminding who we are dealing with – or rather, who it is that is dealing on our behalf.  God is God all by Himself.  He exists of Himself.  He is Creator and Originator of all.  He is the “high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy…” (Isaiah 57:15).  He is our eternal God who reigns forever and ever (Exodus 15:18) and we must remember that it is this same, powerful and wonderful God that is with us even on the days when it seems like trouble is running rampant.
  3. Remember, God is in a covenant relationship with His people. “I have established my covenant with them…” (Exodus 6:4; compare Psalm 105:8-11). God’s covenant covers so many things for His people (i.e. they would increase, and the land of Canaan would be theirs).  When God binds Himself to an oath and says He’s going to do something, He’s going to do it (see Isaiah 54:10).  The process to get there may not look like we envisioned, but in a covenant, God is covering and protecting what He said for His people, and it shall come to pass.  And, because we are in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, we too are now in a covenant relationship where God has us covered as well (see Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:15).
  4. Remember, God sees and hears what you are going through. “I have also heard the groanings of the children of Israel…” (Exodus 6:5).  The hairs of your head are numbered (Matthew 10:30).  You are of great value to God (Luke 12:7).  And, you are incredibly loved by God.  You are never far from God’s thoughts (Psalm 40:5).  With that being said, God sees, and God hears.  Sometimes the wait is long (they waited over four hundred years), but God is not oblivious to your plight and what you’re dealing with.  God is very much mindful and attentive to the goings on in your life.  He is genuinely concerned with the things you are concerned about and just because we don’t see Him immediately moving to remedy the troublesome situations doesn’t mean He’s not behind the scenes working it out.
  5. Remember, God’s promises will never fail. “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.  And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord,” (Exodus 6:6-8).  Now, this one is quite extensive and with good reason.  In the above verses, we find several “I will” statements of God.  These are imperative because with God’s “I will” statements there is always a fulfilling of what He said He would do.  That’s crucial to our faith and even in our ability to hang on in there when days just don’t seem to be working out for us.  Every single thing He promised the children of Israel during that time came to pass and later, Joshua was able to say, “There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass,” (Joshua 21:45).  We must believe that when God gives us a promise, in the same way He did for those back then, He will do it for us too.  Yes, there will be hard times – sometimes harder than some will ever know, but we have a God who is not only in charge of everything we are facing, but He is also in charge of everything we have been promised and He is the only one that can bring those promises to pass.

Difficult days, we’re all sure to experience them from time to time but all does not have to feel at a loss.  Listen to the encouragement that God gave to Moses and hold on to those words.  Let what God says on the matter overrun what your circumstances, people, or even the things we tell ourselves about the matter.  Surely, what He has to say is more powerful and helpful to help get us through even the most adverse of times.

Through it all, we know the end of their story was a success.  God did everything He said He would do and the people were freed from a life of servitude and bondage, proving difficult days don’t have the final say.  God does!

“Difficult days don’t have the final say. God does!”

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Do you ever feel like you seem to be doing everything you know to be good and right, and yet, more trouble seems to knock on your door?  You’re doing what is expected and what you believe you are called to do, but things just don’t seem to pan out the way you planned and difficulty follows?

It’ not unheard of for steps of faith to be met with challenges or moving into where you feel God leading to suddenly see trouble rear its ugly head, and/or even increase.

I was reminded of this as I read through the book of Exodus.  The children of Israel had been in bondage for over four hundred years and God was ready to deliver them.  He sent Moses to Pharaoh as the lead man on this deliverance project and demanded that he let His people go.

Rather than heed God’s demand given through Moses, Pharaoh ridiculed, saying, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2).

To make matters worse, Pharaoh’s stubborn attitude toward God and His people didn’t stop there.  As a slap in the face, he increased the burden of their work and made their daily toil even harder and more difficult then it had previously been.

Moses was taken aback by this and even took his concerns to God saying, “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all,” (Exodus 5:23).

Times like these can be confusing and hard to take in, but as I kept reading there are some very encouraging words God spoke directly to Moses during those difficult days that I believe can help us too if we apply it to our own circumstances.  From those beautiful, God inspired sentiments, I have gleaned a few “remembering” points for us to hold on to.

  1. Remember, God has a plan. “Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land,” (Exodus 6:1). What we “see” is not what God sees.  Our view of even our own circumstances is limited to the here and now.  But God sees the past, the here and now, and the plan coming to fulfillment in the future.  While we struggle to get through the day to day, God already knows the end from the beginning and everything He is pushing us for and leading us through is that one day we will get to experience the end of that plan that He already sees.
  2. Remember who God is. “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty…” (Exodus 6:2-3). God knows who He is, but we are the ones that need reminding who we are dealing with – or rather, who it is that is dealing on our behalf.  God is God all by Himself.  He exists of Himself.  He is Creator and Originator of all.  He is the “high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy…” (Isaiah 57:15).  He is our eternal God who reigns forever and ever (Exodus 15:18) and we must remember that it is this same, powerful and wonderful God that is with us even on the days when it seems like trouble is running rampant.
  3. Remember, God is in a covenant relationship with His people. “I have established my covenant with them…” (Exodus 6:4; compare Psalm 105:8-11). God’s covenant covers so many things for His people (i.e. they would increase, and the land of Canaan would be theirs).  When God binds Himself to an oath and says He’s going to do something, He’s going to do it (see Isaiah 54:10).  The process to get there may not look like we envisioned, but in a covenant, God is covering and protecting what He said for His people, and it shall come to pass.  And, because we are in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, we too are now in a covenant relationship where God has us covered as well (see Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:15).
  4. Remember, God sees and hears what you are going through. “I have also heard the groanings of the children of Israel…” (Exodus 6:5).  The hairs of your head are numbered (Matthew 10:30).  You are of great value to God (Luke 12:7).  And, you are incredibly loved by God.  You are never far from God’s thoughts (Psalm 40:5).  With that being said, God sees, and God hears.  Sometimes the wait is long (they waited over four hundred years), but God is not oblivious to your plight and what you’re dealing with.  God is very much mindful and attentive to the goings on in your life.  He is genuinely concerned with the things you are concerned about and just because we don’t see Him immediately moving to remedy the troublesome situations doesn’t mean He’s not behind the scenes working it out.
  5. Remember, God’s promises will never fail. “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.  And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord,” (Exodus 6:6-8).  Now, this one is quite extensive and with good reason.  In the above verses, we find several “I will” statements of God.  These are imperative because with God’s “I will” statements there is always a fulfilling of what He said He would do.  That’s crucial to our faith and even in our ability to hang on in there when days just don’t seem to be working out for us.  Every single thing He promised the children of Israel during that time came to pass and later, Joshua was able to say, “There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass,” (Joshua 21:45).  We must believe that when God gives us a promise, in the same way He did for those back then, He will do it for us too.  Yes, there will be hard times – sometimes harder than some will ever know, but we have a God who is not only in charge of everything we are facing, but He is also in charge of everything we have been promised and He is the only one that can bring those promises to pass.

Difficult days, we’re all sure to experience them from time to time but all does not have to feel at a loss.  Listen to the encouragement that God gave to Moses and hold on to those words.  Let what God says on the matter overrun what your circumstances, people, or even the things we tell ourselves about the matter.  Surely, what He has to say is more powerful and helpful to help get us through even the most adverse of times.

Through it all, we know the end of their story was a success.  God did everything He said He would do and the people were freed from a life of servitude and bondage, proving difficult days don’t have the final say.  God does!