Discussion of yesterday devotional explained what the Mercy Seat of God stands for the people of the Old Testament spiritually. It is considered necessary to expatiate more on the Spiritual significance of the Mercy Seat of God in today’s devotional. The Hebrew word translated mercy seat in English, is kapporeth, a word that refers to a sacrifice that reconciles and leads to peacemaking. Once a year, the High Priest conducted a special ceremony of forgiveness and dedication of the Israelites at the mercy seat.
Even today, that annual event of special mercy seat services, called “Yom Kippur” (Day of Atonement), is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Its central themes are atonement (making things right) and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a day-long fast and intensive prayer. The Psalmist gave us a good concept of the Mercy Seat using poetic knowledge talking of Mercy and justice thus: “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven” (Psalms 85: 10 – 11).
Spiritually, and based on the Psalmist understanding of mercy in Psalm 85: 10 – 11; when we appear before the Mercy Seat, mercy and truth meet together through positive confession of sins. Then righteousness will be restored to us which brings into our heart peace. When after children of God faithfully admitted their sins or called errors since many hate hearing sins, truth is released and spring out on the earth. This causes God to look down on us and grant us righteousness expressed here by the Psalmist as “righteousness shall look down from the heaven.” By implication on this, it means any time people of God sincerely and genuinely appear before the presence of God (The Mercy Seat), they are causing truth to spring out on the earth; make it possible for righteousness and peace to kiss themselves on the earth and above all, making God looks down from heaven upon us with righteousness.
In another word, allowing us Christians appearing before God in attitude of appearing before the Mercy Seat causes God to rain justice upon the body of Christ, the people of the earth and intervening in our cases. We do this by appealing to Jesus Christ in confession and prayers of forgiveness; passing through the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. A very disturbing scenario is being played out by many Christians of this later generation regarding refusal to admitting they are sinners before God. Therefore, they think less about appearing before the altar in the churches, where God’s presence and Jesus Christ are; asking God for cleansing and forgiveness of sins._ The beloveth, seeing ourselves as never clean before God is act of humility as well as seeing ourselves as always very clean makes us proud people before God. The Bible says that our righteousness is like a filthy rag before God (Isa. 64: 6).
PRAYER:
HOLY FATHER, I admit today that I am not always clean and righteous before you. Give me the consciousness of knowing myself a sinner before you. This will increase my passion to appear before you, my Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit at your altar every day. I pray this in Jesus name.
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch