-- And he made a mercy-seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
Exodus 37 has already described the chest; this verse turns to its lid — a slab of solid gold with no wood inside, matching the ark's length and width. Why gold alone, why those measurements, and why call a lid a seat of mercy?
The ark below was wood overlaid with gold. Its lid was different, and commentators link that difference to one question: who must be satisfied here?
The mercy seat formed the lid of the ark, and it was of pure gold without wood. When we reach Leviticus 16, we learn that once a year the blood of atonement was sprinkled on the mercy seat. That is how propitiation was brought about. Now while it is man who needs to be justified, redeemed, reconciled, it is God who must be propitiated. The claims of His righteousness and holiness must be met. That, we believe, is why nothing but pure gold went into the mercy seat. The gold pictures God in holiness and righteousness.
The word "pure" is not decoration. It rules something out:
The word "pure" is there to show that there was no alloy in it. Nothing is mixed with what must meet the demands of divine glory. It reminds us that no human thoughts can intrude where "all this is from God" (2 Corinthians 5:18). His word, His will, His glory alone can prevail — though in His infinite patience it may seem otherwise for a time.
The English name has shaped how we read the object, but the Hebrew word points elsewhere — and the contrast with the ark itself is striking.
The word is not literally "mercy seat," but "covering." In the ark, you will remember, there was no mention of a covering. Our ever-blessed Lord needed none; all was open to His Father's eyes, and He delighted to have it so. Into the pure depths of that perfect heart Omniscience could look and see nothing but what answered to the divine will. Only such a One could be the basis of a divine "covering" for those who needed it.
Gold sat above; the law sat inside. Read together, they point to one person — and the New Testament names Him.
Gold is the emblem of what is divine — of divine righteousness. Put it together with the testimony inside the ark, and you have human and divine righteousness combined. The testimony points to the law — human righteousness — which was in the heart of Christ (Psalm 40). The gold points to God's righteousness, which is also displayed in Him. The mercy seat is therefore in a special way a picture of Christ. The apostle in fact applies the term directly to Him. He says we are "justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation" — a mercy seat, literally — "by His blood, to be received by faith."
(The verse quoted is Romans 3:24–25.)
Lid and ark share the same length and width. One writer reads that equality as a measure of grace.
What these two measures mean in themselves is not clear. But ark and mercy seat are alike in size, and that is full of importance. The grace of God flows out from His own eternal love. Yet it is founded in righteousness on Christ and His work, just as the mercy seat rests on the ark containing the law. But that grace is also the whole size of Christ; it is no partial blessing. It is a whole Christ, all that Christ is to God.
Two metals in the tabernacle stood for two sides of God's righteousness. Once a year, blood came onto the golden one.
Fine gold pictured the righteousness God is in Himself, as brass pictured the righteousness He shows as judge. So on the great day of atonement, the blood of the victim was sprinkled on the golden mercy seat. In picture form, that act declared that the claims of Jehovah's righteous nature were glorified by it. And the blood sprinkled seven times in front of the mercy seat showed that this laid a foundation for communion with Jehovah.
God's mercy cannot set His righteousness aside. So where could the two ever meet?
God's mercy could only rest on a pedestal of perfect righteousness. Grace must "reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:21). The only proper meeting place between God and man is where grace and righteousness meet and agree perfectly. Nothing but perfect righteousness could suit God, and nothing but perfect grace could suit the sinner. But where could these attributes meet in one point? Only in the cross.
- Gold — no wood, no alloy: what covers must answer God's own holiness, because it is God who must be propitiated.
- Covering — the Hebrew name means covering; the ark needed none, and only One who needed none could become one for those who do.
- Measure — lid and ark match exactly, so the grace offered is the full size of Christ, not a partial blessing.
- Blood — once a year it touched that gold, met the claims of righteousness, and opened the way to communion.
- Meeting — at the cross righteousness and grace agree, and there God and the sinner can meet.
And he made two cherubim of gold; of beaten work did he make them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat;
Exodus 37 records the making of the tabernacle's furniture. Here two cherubim of hammered gold rise from the two ends of the cover that lies on the ark. The details are small: how they were made, what they are, where they look. Commentators find in each one something about how God can be both Judge and Saviour.
The phrase translated "hammered work" points to a method of making. One writer sets that method against the way idols were made.
Much in the tabernacle was to be made of beaten work, Exodus 25:18, 31, 36, in contrast to "molten," as idols were often made. The cherubim and the mercy seat were to be beaten out of one piece, Exodus 37:7; the lampstand also was beaten work of pure gold, Exodus 37:17, 22.
One writer draws meaning from the material itself:
The vessel was entirely of gold, no wood. So, while it gives us some view of Christ, it would be a divine view rather than a human one. It presents God in Christ, just as the pure gold mercy seat is the expression of divine grace in Christ, who is the true mercy seat now.
The verse names these figures but never explains them. One writer traces their role across the Old Testament:
The cherubim, throughout the Old Testament, wherever they act, are connected with the judicial power of God, or are the executors of the will of that power.
Standing on the ark, which held the tablets of the covenant, they take up that role in relation to Israel:
They are the activity of the thing they are connected with, the executive. Viewing the ark as God's throne in Israel, they are the executive of government in Israel, ready to bless the man who keeps the covenant, or curse the man who breaks it. In this picture they speak of divine activity in making good the mercy to those who need it.
Exodus 37 retells what Exodus 25 commanded. One writer notices a detail added in the retelling:
If you compare these chapters with the earlier ones, you may find small added details. One is that both the cherubim were of one piece with the mercy seat. This shows that where the blood of sacrifice is, the demands of righteousness and of mercy are satisfied together.
At first sight, figures of judgment look out of place on the seat of mercy. One writer treats that very oddity as the point:
It may be thought that the cherubim standing on the ends of the mercy seat creates a difficulty. But I think there is singular beauty in Judgment and Mercy being combined as the basis of God's dealing with sinners. Notice especially that the faces of the cherubim were to be turned down towards the mercy seat — not towards the sinful being. So they always saw the blood which the mercy seat provided as the sinner's atonement. Judgment looks upon what Mercy provides and maintains.
Scripture never describes what a cherub looks like. It is careful, instead, about where they stand and where they look.
The form of the cherubim is not hinted at. Their shape is not what should concern us. Scripture notes their position and attitude with care, and these are what should occupy us. Occupying the two ends of the mercy seat, they formed, as it were, the sides of the throne. They faced each other — they were in unison. Their faces looked down upon the mercy seat, not at man, not outward to the world, not upward to heaven... Inside the ark were the tablets of the law. But the gaze of those who carry out God's judgment read the work of God in atonement for man, not His commands of obedience from man.
The space between the two figures became the place where God spoke to Moses. One writer reads that as a picture of how God speaks now.
He received these divine messages in the immediate presence of God, within the veil, from the throne of God between the two cherubim. The voice of God gave him the instructions He wanted passed on to His people. Here again we have a beautiful picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom, as we read in Hebrews 1, the voice of God has reached us. Greater than Moses indeed, for through this wonderful Person God has spoken as Son.
- One piece. The cherubim were not attached to the cover. They were hammered from the same gold, so judgment and mercy cannot be pulled apart.
- One metal. Beaten gold, with no wood and nothing molten, sets this vessel apart from the way idols were made. It gives a divine view of Christ rather than a human one.
- One office. Wherever cherubim appear in the Old Testament, they carry out God's judicial power. They stand ready to bless the covenant-keeper or curse the covenant-breaker.
- One direction. Their faces look down at the cover, not out at the sinner — judgment studying the blood that mercy provided.
- One voice. From the space between them God spoke to Moses, a picture of God now speaking to us in His Son.
one cherub at the end of one side, and one cherub at the end of the other side; out of the mercy-seat he made the two cherubim at the two ends thereof.
Earlier in Exodus, God gave Moses the pattern for the ark and its golden lid. Exodus 37 reports the work being done, and here two golden figures stand at the ends of that lid — "of one piece" with it, not made separately and fastened on.
One writer points out that this second account is not plain repetition. It adds something.
Exodus 37. Compare these chapters with the earlier chapters and you may find small added details. One is that both the cherubim were of one piece with the mercy seat. This shows that where the blood of sacrifice is, there the demands of righteousness and of mercy are satisfied together.
These figures are not decoration. In the Old Testament they appear wherever God acts as judge.
Throughout the Old Testament, wherever the cherubim act, they are connected with the judicial power of God. Or they are the ones who carry out the will of that power.
Another writer sets them at the ark as God's throne, where two outcomes are possible.
They are the activity of whatever they are connected with — the ones who carry things out. Viewing the ark as God's throne in Israel, they carry out the government of Israel, ready to bless the man who keeps the covenant, or curse the man who breaks it.
There is no wood under the gold here. The cherubim and the lid they stand on are gold all the way through, and that points to where mercy comes from.
Two cherubim of beaten work — "rounded" is the literal sense — were made, one on each end of the mercy seat, of one piece with it, and of pure gold, their wings stretched out, their faces towards each other and towards the mercy seat... In the line of illustration we are following now, they speak of divine activity in making good the mercy to those who need it. God Himself (gold only, no wood) must be the power of His own love into a sinner's heart. Faith is His gift. But the cherubim and the mercy seat are inseparable. God does work rich blessing. The grace is His, its bestowal is His, and its duration is as its source.
The method matters too, not just the material. Hammered work stood in contrast to the casting used for idols.
Much in the tabernacle was to be made of beaten work, Ex. 25:18, 31, 36, in contrast to "molten," as idols were often made. The cherubim and the mercy-seat were to be beaten out of one piece, Ex. 37:7: the lampstand also was beaten work of pure gold.
The tables of the law lie under the lid. On top of it, once a year, is the blood of the sacrifice. Which one holds the cherubim's gaze?
There were two of these figures upon the mercy-seat, and this would suggest a competent witness to God's holiness, righteousness and goodness. It is as though they were gazing in wonder and worship upon the cover of the ark, the mercy-seat. This, as we have seen, covered the tables of the law; so it was not at these the cherubim were gazing... But it is the blood upon the mercy-seat that fixes the gaze of these ministers of justice and judgment. This is the blood of the sacrifice, sprinkled there on the great Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:14). The blood speaks of judgment already visited upon the Substitute, and it arrests the adoring gaze of these holy servants of God.
One piece of metal holds both judgment and mercy. That settles how a sinner may come near.
The cherubim formed part of the mercy-seat. They are symbols of the divine attributes, and so of judicial power. But God has been glorified by the blood on the mercy-seat. So all His attributes are in harmony, and all of them act on behalf of believers... The cherubim now favour the giving of mercy to all who approach trusting in the value of the blood. Blessed truth! All that God is, is against sin, and now all that God is, is for the believer. The blood upon the mercy-seat has wrought this mighty change.
- One piece. This chapter adds a detail: justice and mercy come out of a single block of gold. Where the blood of sacrifice is, "the demands of righteousness and of mercy are satisfied together."
- One source. Gold only, no wood. The grace is God's, the giving of it is His, and it lasts as long as its source does.
- One method. Beaten, not molten — shaped by hammer blows, unlike the cast idols of the nations.
- One direction. Both faces look down at the blood, not at the law underneath: judgment already fell on the Substitute.
- One result. All God's attributes are now in harmony. All that God is stands against sin, and all that God is now stands for the believer who trusts the blood.
And the cherubim spread out [their] wings over it, covering over with their wings the mercy-seat; and their faces were opposite to one another the faces of the cherubim were [turned] toward the mercy-seat.
The account of the ark ends with a posture, not a measurement: two gold figures, wings spread, faces turned in and down. What are these cherubim, and why does the record stress where they were looking?
They first appear at the gate of Eden. One writer traces them from there to the tabernacle, and reads the gold and the blood as a pair:
God placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life when Adam and Eve were driven out. This suggests that they are the ones who carry out God's judgments. We find them in no other connection. In the tabernacle two cherubim of gold stood at the two ends of the mercy-seat. They looked inwards and downwards. Their gaze rested on the slab of pure gold, the mercy-seat stained with the blood of the sin-offering. The pure gold symbolized what righteousness demands; the blood on it showed that the demand had been met.
Scripture never describes what a cherub looks like. What it does record, twice in this one verse, is where the faces point:
The form of the cherubim is not hinted at. Their shape is not what we are to be concerned with. Scripture is careful to note their position and posture, and these are what we are to think about. Occupying the two ends of the mercy-seat, they formed, as it were, the sides of the throne. They faced each other — they were in unison. Their faces looked down on the mercy-seat, not at man, not outward at the world, not upward to heaven. The glory of the throne was what they gazed at. They looked down on the covering — the covering that once a year received the sprinkled blood of atonement. Inside the ark were the tablets of the law. But the gaze of those who carry out God's judgment rested on God's work of atonement for man, not on His commands of obedience from man.
Two figures of judgment standing on a seat of mercy could look like a contradiction:
It may be thought that the cherubim standing on the ends of the mercy seat creates a difficulty. Yet there is rare beauty in the way Judgment and Mercy are joined as the basis of God's dealing with sinners. Note especially that the faces of the cherubim were to be turned downwards towards the mercy seat — not towards the sinful being — so that they always saw the blood which the mercy seat provided as the sinner's atonement. Judgment looks upon what Mercy provides and maintains.
The two figures were not ornaments set on the lid; they belonged to it:
The cherubim formed part of the mercy-seat. These are symbols of the divine attributes, and so of judicial power. But the blood on the mercy-seat has glorified God, so all His attributes are in harmony, and all of them now act for believers... The cherubim therefore favour the showing of mercy to all who come trusting in the value of the blood. Blessed truth! All that God is, is against sin, and now all that God is, is for the believer.
Another writer hears an echo of this posture in the New Testament:
We see them here with their faces turned toward the mercy-seat, and their wings hovering over it. Their posture recalls 1 Peter 1:12, "things into which angels long to look." It is as though they were gazing in wonder and worship at the cover of the ark, the mercy-seat... But it is the blood upon the mercy-seat that fixes the gaze of these ministers of justice and judgment — the blood of the sacrifice sprinkled there on the great Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:14). The blood speaks of judgment already carried out on the Substitute, and it holds the adoring gaze of these holy servants of God.
The cherubim in Solomon's temple faced the other way. One writer reads the change of direction as a change of message:
When the ark was brought into the temple, the wings of the cherubim looked out toward the house. They did not look "inward" — that is a mistake in some translations — but really looked outward. In the tabernacle, by contrast, the cherubs looked at the blood on the mercy seat. That took up all their attention. The cherubim were the emblems of God's judicial authority... Righteousness now is so perfectly satisfied that it has no other task than to proclaim the greatness of the victory that Christ has won for us.
- Sword. The cherubim first guarded Eden as those who carry out God's judgments. That is the role they bring to the ark.
- Silence. At the ark their faces turn in and down: not to man, not outward to the world, not upward to heaven.
- Sprinkled. The blood on the golden lid holds their gaze. The gold shows what righteousness demands; the blood shows the demand met.
- Satisfied. That blood has glorified God, so His attributes are in harmony. All that God is stands against sin — and all that God is now stands for the believer.
- Seen. Angels long to look into this. In Solomon's temple the cherubim face outward: righteousness has nothing left to do but proclaim Christ's victory.