Mercy Study #2

Exodus 25:10-22

"Use acacia wood and build an Ark forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. Cover the Ark inside and out with pure gold, and put a gold strip all around it. Make four gold rings for the Ark and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. Then make poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the Ark, and use these poles to carry it. These poles must always stay in the rings of the Ark. Do not take them out. Then put in the Ark the Agreement which I will make with you. Then make a lid of pure gold for the Ark; this is the mercy seat. Make it forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide. Then hammer gold to make two creatures with wings, and put one on each end of the lid. Attach one creature on one end of the lid and the other creature on the other end. Make them to be one piece with the lid at the ends. The creatures' wings should be spread upward, covering the lid, and the creatures are to face each other across the lid. Put this lid on top of the Ark, and put in the Ark the Agreement which I will make with you. I will meet with you there, above the lid between the two winged creatures on the Ark of the Agreement. There I will give you all my commands for the Israelites.

This doesn't have anything to do with mercy directly, but the mercy seat is the lid that went on top of the Ark. It was also called the place of atonement. I thought this was pretty cool, so I decided to add it to this study.

Atonement: satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends.

Exodus 33:18-20

Then Moses said, "Now, please show me your glory." The Lord answered, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will announce my name, the Lord, so you can hear it. I will show kindness to anyone to whom I want to show kindness, and I will show mercy to anyone to whom I want to show mercy. But you cannot see my face, because no one can see me and live.

What is interesting is how mercy and love can be used in place of mercy. And it is true. God can show love to whomever he wishes. But can you think of what it would be like if God didn't show love? I think that love is available to whomever wishes to have it, you just have to invest in it. Mercy and love and kindness are always there for you, you just have to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Which brings me back to why am I having these quiet times anyway? Why am I doing this? I pray that I am drawing closer to God by doing so... Johnny OUT.