A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 25.
When he got to his cubicle and logged into the computer, the first email that caught his eye was from the boss.
Come by and see me when you get in.
Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good. Now what? What did I do? What did I forget to do? Should I just clean out my desk?
But it was a different kind of meeting. It was all about a a great annual review, a promotion, and a raise.
In a flurry of instructions about building a tabernacle and an ark, God gives Moses this instruction:
“You shall make an atoning cover of pure gold…Then you shall put the atoning cover on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. There I will meet with you (Exodus 25:17,22).
Another expression for “atoning cover” is “mercy seat.” God would come and meet with his people from a place of mercy.
This is huge. As David will later sing, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8). The gold-covered lid for the ark, topped by two angels, was a visual statement of this truth. The condemning law of God, tablets inside the ark, was covered or “atoned” for by the mercies of God. Ultimately, that mercy would be seen at the cross, where the death of Jesus covers sin.
Now that I think about it, once the ark was placed in the holiest place of the tabernacle, no one but the high priest ever got to see it. When it was time to travel, the ark was covered in blue cloth. But everyone knew about it. The craftsmen made everything according to specifications. And then the cloud of God’s presence filled the tabernacle, it was an awesome and reassuring sign of his presence and mercy.
Waite for it... 