Do we approach God on our own terms, or do we trust the way He has provided for sinful people to draw near to Him?
Key Verse
“There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you.” — Exodus 25:22 (NASB)
Background Context
In Exodus 24, Israel formally entered into covenant with YHWH, and Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive further instruction. In Exodus 25:1–9, God called the people to willingly contribute materials for a sanctuary because He desired to dwell among them.
Now in Exodus 25:10–22, YHWH begins describing the tabernacle itself, starting not with the outer structure but with one of its most important objects: the Ark of the Covenant.
The ark would eventually stand in the Most Holy Place. Inside would be the testimony God gave Moses. Above it was the kapporet, commonly translated mercy seat or atonement cover, overshadowed by two cherubim. It was there that YHWH promised to meet with Moses and speak to His people.
(Continued and expanded after scripture.)
Ark of the Covenant
10“They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. 11“You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. 12“You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. 13“You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14“You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. 15“The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. 16“You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.
17“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. 18“You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19“Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. 20“The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. 21“You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. 22“There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.
Reflection on Exodus 25:10–22:
The detail in God’s instructions is immediately noticeable. The ark was to have specific dimensions, be made from acacia wood, covered with gold, equipped with rings and poles for carrying, and constructed according to the pattern YHWH gave Moses. Even the poles were to remain in their rings. Israel was not being invited to design God’s dwelling place according to whatever seemed meaningful to them. The God who desired to dwell among them also determined how He was to be approached.
Inside the ark, Moses was to place “the testimony which I shall give you.” God’s covenant instruction stood at the center of Israel’s relationship with Him. The God who rescued Israel also taught them how His redeemed people should live. As we have seen throughout Exodus, grace and obedience were never intended to compete with one another. YHWH redeemed Israel first, and the people He redeemed were then called to walk according to His ways.
But above the testimony was something especially significant: the mercy seat. Later, in Leviticus 16, we learn that on the Day of Atonement the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place and sprinkle sacrificial blood on and before this mercy seat. God’s righteous standard had not disappeared, nor was sin simply ignored. Instead, YHWH Himself provided a means of atonement so that sinful people could remain in covenant relationship with a holy God.
This points us toward what God would ultimately accomplish through Yeshua. Hebrews 9 connects the tabernacle, the ark, the mercy seat, and the sacrificial system with Messiah’s greater work. Yeshua did not enter an earthly sanctuary with the blood of another sacrifice; He entered through His own blood, obtaining eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11–12). What the tabernacle pictured repeatedly, Yeshua accomplished in a far greater and lasting way.
That makes God’s statement in verse 22 particularly beautiful: “There I will meet with you.” The purpose of all these instructions was not simply religious ceremony. YHWH wanted to dwell among His people and communicate with them. Yet because He is holy and humanity is sinful, He provided the way for that relationship to be possible.
There is an important lesson here for us. We sometimes want God on our terms. We want His presence without His holiness, His mercy without repentance, or relationship with Him while retaining the right to decide for ourselves what obedience should look like. Exodus does not allow us to separate these things.
At the same time, we should not miss the tremendous grace in the passage. The holy God did not simply tell sinful people that they could never approach Him. He provided the way for them to come near.
Yeshua later said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). We do not have to invent a path into God’s presence or wonder whether our efforts are good enough to get us there. God Himself has provided the way.
We do not make God accessible by approaching Him however we choose. We draw near because He has graciously shown us how—and ultimately provided that way through Yeshua.
Application
- Approach YHWH according to what He has revealed in His Word rather than reshaping worship and obedience around personal preference.
- Take God’s standards seriously while remembering that His mercy does not ignore sin—He has provided atonement for it.
- Place your confidence in Yeshua rather than your own goodness as the basis for drawing near to God.
- Remember that God’s desire is relationship: the holy God who tells us how to approach Him is also the God who says, “There I will meet with you.”
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You that although You are perfectly holy, You have provided a way for sinful people to draw near to You. Help me never to treat Your holiness casually or attempt to reshape Your ways according to my preferences. Thank You for the mercy You have shown and for the redemption You have provided through Yeshua. Teach me to walk faithfully according to Your Word and to treasure the extraordinary privilege of knowing You and living in Your presence. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.
Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.