The Mercy Seat

Exodus 25:17-22

I want to do a complete Bible study on the mercy seat. We’re going to learn everything the Bible tells us about the mercy seat. The Bible is the one and only source of truth for this church. So, when we study the mercy seat throughout the Bible, we will come to a complete understanding.

We don’t need anything or anyone else to teach us something different about the mercy seat. When we search the Scriptures for mercy seat, what do we find? We find 27 matches in 23 verses.

27 Total Matches for Mercy Seat and Mercyseat

You will notice that mercy seat, two words, is matched 26 times in the entire King James Bible. And mercyseat, one word, is in the Bible once. Mercy seat, two words, is used in the Old Testament. Mercyseat, one word, is used in the New Testament.

We see the Old Testament has 22 matching verses. The New Testament has 1 matching verse. The Book of Exodus talks about the mercy seat the most with 16 verses, followed by Leviticus with 4, and then 3 books tied with 1 verse each: Numbers, 1 Chronicles, and Hebrews.

So, there are only 23 total verses in the Bible with information about the mercy seat. We’re going to study these. In the 23 total verses, there are 27 matches for the mercy seat. Here are all the chapters in the entire Bible with matches for mercy seat. I also included the context for each chapter or what’s happening in each of those chapters.

Table Showing the Matches for Mercy Seat and Context

Chapter	Word Matches	Context
Exodus 25	7	Instructions for the Tabernacle
Exodus 26	1	Instructions for the Tabernacle
Exodus 30	1	Instructions for the Tabernacle
Exodus 31	1	Instructions for the Tabernacle
Exodus 35	1	Instructions for the Tabernacle
Exodus 37	4	Making of the Tabernacle
Exodus 39	1	Tabernacle Completed
Exodus 40	1	Tabernacle Completed
Leviticus 16	7	The Day of Atonement
Numbers 7	1	God Speaks to Moses
1 Chronicles 28	1	David Gives Solomon Patterns
Hebrews 9	1	The First Covenant

Again, this is how to study the Bible. Study topics for yourself throughout the entire Bible. The Bible is the source of truth. Not all these other people, preachers, pastors, and groups. Not these movements. Not these denominations. Not a Baptist confession. None of those things. We first go to the Bible, and we see what God says.

Once you know everything the Bible says about a topic, then you can go listen to someone and see if they tell you the truth. Don’t allow anyone to add stories and fairy tales to the words of the Bible. It doesn’t matter how great you think they are, always trust the Bible.

The New Testament Only Has One Verse With Mercyseat

So, with that said, you can see all the chapters there and the context for each. There’s only one verse in the entire New Testament about the mercy seat, and I want to show you that one first. When people make up all these new things about the mercy seat in the New Testament, you’ll know that those things are fairy tales. Here’s the only verse in the New Testament, verse 5.

I’ll read verses 3 through 5, but look for mercyseat in verse 5.

Hebrews 9:3-5
And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;  4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;  5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

“And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat.” And what dies it say right after that? “Of which we cannot now speak particularly.” The Bible isn’t going to tell us any more about the mercy seat. And that’s it in the entire New Testament concerning the mercy seat.

There is no Scripture saying that Jesus ascended into heaven after rising from the dead, with his physical blood, and sprinkled that blood on the mercy seat. I am showing you all the Scriptures about the mercy seat in this Bible study today.

The First Verse in the Bible With Mercy Seat

Let’s go to the first verse in the Bible that speaks about the mercy seat.

Exodus 25:17-19
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.  18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.  19 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 25:20-21
And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.  21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

Exodus 25:22
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, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

There’s the first seven occurrences of the word mercy seat in the Bible. Thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold. We see the materials used. We see the dimensions. We see cherubims of gold. The wings of the cherubims will cover the mercy seat. The mercy seat is upon the ark.

The Reason for the Mercy Seat on Earth

What’s the reason for the mercy seat? In verse 22, right there, God says: “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat.” God is going to come to meet Moses there. God is speaking to Moses directly here. “Of all thing which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”

God is giving Moses the instructions to build the worldly mercy seat. That’s 7 of 27 instances of the word, mercy seat, so far in the Bible. The instructions continue in Exodus Chapter 26.

Exodus 26:34
And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.

The mercy seat is located within the most holy place. That’s 8 of 27.

Exodus 30:6
And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

This is speaking of the altar of incense.  It will be placed before the mercy seat where God meets with Moses. “Where I will meet with thee.” That’s 9 of 27 matches so far. What else do we see in the Bible?

Instructions to Build the Mercy Seat and the Builders

Exodus 31:7
The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,

This is God speaking to Moses telling him that he is giving him Bezaleel and Aholiab to build the tabernacle and everything in it including the mercy seat. There’s 10 of 27 matches.

Exodus 35:10-12
And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded;  11 The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,  12 The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering,

In Exodus 35, the people are to bring offerings to help with the construction of the tabernacle, which includes the mercy seat. And the people brought offerings of gold to build the mercy seat. There’s 11 matches of 27 matches. Keep in mind what you’ve seen so far about the mercy seat.

Exodus 37:6-7
And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.  7 And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;

Exodus 37:8-9
One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof.  9 And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.

The Mercy Seat is Made According to Instructions

In Exodus 37, Bezaleel makes the mercy seat according to the instructions given to him. We see 4 more matches in those Scriptures for mercy seat. That’s 15 total matches of 27.

We’re seeing the instructions to build the mercy seat, the mercy seat is where God meets them, people giving offerings to build the mercy seat, and then the building of the mercy seat. That’s what we’ve seen so far.

Exodus 39:35
The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat,

In Exodus Chapter 39, the tabernacle is complete. It’s built. The mercy seat is finished being built. That’s 16 of 27 matches.

Exodus 40:18-20
And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.  19 And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.  20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:

And now the tabernacle and everything within is being setup for the first time. The mercy seat is put above the ark as God commanded Moses. That’s the end of Exodus. The tabernacle is ready. Remember to be memorizing how many chapters are in each book of the Bible. This helps you to remember where you are in the Bible.

The Tabernacle and Mercy Seat Are Completed

Exodus Chapter 40 is the last chapter in the Book of Exodus. The tabernacle is complete. That’s 17 of 27 matches for the word mercy seat within the entire Bible.

Now we move to Leviticus Chapter 16 which we went over in great detail in the Bible Study titled, “What Happened on the Day of Atonement?” Let’s look at just the verses in Leviticus 16 with the word mercy seat.

Leviticus 16:2
And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

Aaron, the high priest, is only going to come into the most holy place once per year. The most holy place, if you remember from earlier, is where the mercy seat is located. This is where God will appear. “For I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.” That’s 19 of 27 matches for mercy seat.

Leviticus 16:13
And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

God Appears Over the Mercy Seat

The cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat. Why? Because God appears there. If Aaron, or anyone, looked directly at God, they would die. “That he die not.” The cloud of incense would cover the view of the mercy seat. That’s 20 of 27 matches.

Leviticus 16:14
And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

Aaron takes the blood of the bullock and sprinkles it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. This blood is for Aaron and his house. This is to make an atonement for the worldly mercy seat to cleanse it. God is going to come visit them there and it needs to be made clean.

We studied this in several of the past Bible studies. We clearly showed the reason for sprinkling blood on the mercy seat. To cleanse it. There 2 more occurrences of mercy seat there. That gets us to 22 of 27 matches.

Leviticus 16:15
Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

Blood is Sprinkled on the Mercy Seat to Cleanse It

This blood is for the people. This is sprinkled upon the mercy seat to cleanse it because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel. This mercy seat is located on earth. There’s 2 more matches in that verse. That gets us to 24 out of 27 matches. That’s it for Leviticus Chapter 16. There are only three more occurrences in the entire Bible.

Numbers 7:89
And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.

Moses goes into the tabernacle and God speaks to him there from off the mercy seat. God is giving Moses instructions for lighting the lamps, the consecration of the Levites, and the age and time of their service. The mercy seat is there for God to come and speak with them. The mercy seat is there for the Day of Atonement, which is a fall feast.

That’s 25 of 27 matches. The next is found in 1 Chronicles Chapter 28.

1 Chronicles 28:11-12
Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,  12 And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:

David makes Solomon king in 1 Chronicles Chapter 23. David knows Solomon will be building the temple. David gives Solomon the instructions. He gives him instructions of the place of the mercy seat. That’s 28 out of 29. We already looked at the last one in the New Testament, but let’s look again and read a little more.

The Earthly Mercy Seat Was Worldly

Hebrews 9:1-3
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.  2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.  3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

Hebrews 9:4-5
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;  5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

Let me repeat. “And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.” We cannot now speak particularly.

Now, listen, that’s it for the mercy seat in the entire Bible. That’s all 27 matches for mercy seat in 23 verses within the King James Bible. There is no story about Jesus ascending into heaven on the day he was resurrected from the dead with his blood. There is no Scripture that says he sprinkled his physical blood on the mercy seat.

We’ve been over in detail why blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat in Leviticus Chapter 16. You can go back and listen to those sermons.

Everything You Need to Know About the Mercy Seat

The mercy seat, on earth, was instructed to be built by the children of Israel for God to come and appear to them. Blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat once per year, two separate times. One to make an atonement for the high priest and his house. And two for the children of Israel.

The sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat was to cleanse the mercy seat on earth.

The mercy seat on earth needed cleansing because the children of Israel were sinners. The mercy seat was built with their hands and was located within the camp of an unclean people. The people were sinners. So blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat to cleanse the mercy seat.

The things in heaven do not need cleansing. The mercy seat in heaven doesn’t need cleansing. The place where God sits in heaven doesn’t need cleansing.

I wanted to go through this Bible study showing you everything the Bible says about the mercy seat. If you hear something else, question it. In the New Testament, right there in Hebrews Chapter 9, the Bible says about the mercyseat: “Of which we cannot now speak particularly.”

But there’s a lot of people out there saying things about the mercy seat that isn’t in the Bible. Be careful what you teach and preach. Warning: do not add to the word of God.

Always Beware of Doctrine Being Taught

We have to question everything that’s being taught to us. If you know the Bible, you’ll know if someone is teaching something that isn’t there. When I first heard the teaching of Jesus sprinkling his blood on the mercy seat on resurrection day, I was puzzled. That was many years ago.

I didn’t remember reading anything like that in the Bible. So I went to the Bible and searched the Scriptures.

Acts 17:11
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Search the Scriptures and see if these things are so. “Whether those things were so.” When I preach something, your job is to search the Scriptures and make sure it is so. When you search the Scriptures, this helps you.

Jesus, within the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, and Luke asks this question: “Have ye not read?” When I heard the preaching of the physical blood of Jesus being sprinkled on the mercy seat in heaven on resurrection day, I said: “I haven’t read that.” And I haven’t. It’s not in the Scriptures. We have to stick to the Scriptures.

Romans 12:9
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Cleave to that which is good. The Scriptures are good. Man is not good. Lies are not good. Truth is good. Let’s stick to the Holy Bible. Let’s cleave to the word of God. And let’s hate or reject anything that gets away from the word of God.

Let’s pray.