Exodus 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.
Exodus 25:17
This verse prescribes the mercy seat (the atonement cover) of pure gold, measuring two cubits by a cubit and a half. The mercy seat sits atop the Ark and becomes the focal point of atonement rituals. In the tabernacle’s layout, the mercy seat is the space where God’s presence meets humanity symbolically, and where offerings and atonement rites point toward reconciliation with God.
The mercy seat is central to the biblical understanding of atonement and divine mercy. It embodies the idea that sins require costly sacrifice and that reconciliation arises through God’s gracious action. The golden covering also prefigures Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, the once-for-all atonement the New Testament presents as fulfilling the law’s demands. In the Old Testament, the mercy seat is the throne from which God meets His people; in Christ, we see the fullness of that encounter.
For today, the mercy seat invites us to approach God with gratitude for mercy and to seek reconciliation where there is brokenness. It reminds us that forgiveness has a cost and that God desires intimate relationship. Practical step: regularly confess sins, seek reconciliation with others, and celebrate grace with a worshipful heart. In family life, this can translate into humbly managing conflict and choosing costly, reconciliatory actions over punitive ones.
Cross-References
- Leviticus 16:14-15 (the Day of Atonement and the blood on the mercy seat)
- Hebrews 9:5 (the mercy seat as a symbol of Christ’s priestly work)
- Romans 3:24-25 (justification by grace through faith)