The Wings Over the Mercy Seat

The Wings Over the Mercy Seat. 

“Whoever dwells in the secret shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord Yahweh, ‘You alone are my refuge and my fortress! You alone are my God in Whom I trust!’ … He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings (‘kanaph’) you will find refuge. His truth will be your protective shield; His faithful promises are your armor and sure defense.” (Ps. 91:1-4).

Kanaph: The Hebrew word for “wings” used over 100 times in the Hebrew Bible which has a variety of meanings, often giving us a picture of God in action or revealing for us aspects of God’s character… the literal wings of a bird; the corners of a prayer shawl; the outer extremities of a garment; the outstretched wings of angels; the protective presence God as a refuge and shelter; the glorious rays coming out of the sun; the sudden swooping presence of judgment; the strength of God to rescue and deliver from danger.

Under His Wings: Two Levels of Understanding. On the one hand, one of David’s favorite phrases in his psalms was to picture himself “under the wings” of the Lord, hiding “in the shadow of His wings,” like a fledgling bird resting within the refuge of God’s protective presence, as if God was a mother bird providing shelter. On the other hand, many scholars of the Hebrew Bible take this phrase, especially here in Psalm 91, in another direction, in a way that highlights God’s character of mercy. The “wings” in this Psalm could also be referring to the wings of the golden cherubim over the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant in the tabernacle’s Holy of Holies. The “secret shelter of the Most High” could be taken as a reference to that Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle that was always hidden from public view, the secret place reserved for conversations between Moses and Yahweh, and for the one day a year when the high priest would enter that sacred space.

Between the Wings of the Cherubim. “The golden cherubim shall spread their wings above, overshadowing the Mercy Seat with their wings, their faces to one another; downward toward the Mercy Seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. With their wings above it, they will protect it… There I will meet with you, and from above the Mercy Seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the Ark of the Covenant, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.” (Exodus 25:17-22).

Cherubim are those mighty and fearsome winged creatures created by God in heaven before the world began, who serve as God’s ministering angels and represent His invisible presence and authority. Cherubim were the traditional guardians of holy places, and they were highly important angel servants of Yahweh found throughout the Bible:

• Whose images were embroidered into the beautiful blue, purple and scarlet curtains of the Tabernacle (Ex. 26:1) and the holy veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, guarding the entrance to the Holy of Holies much like when they fiercely guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden with flaming swords (Genesis 3:24);
• Whose golden images spread their wings over the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies where God spoke to Moses (Ex. 25:18; Numbers 7:89). Their wings completely stretched over the Mercy Seat until they touched. The human faces of these two golden angels are facing each other but looking downward in reverence and awe;
• Whose two towering sculpted images dominated the inner sanctuary of the Jerusalem Temple, made of olivewood and covered in gold, reaching seventeen-and-a-half feet high and with a wingspan of the same length (1 Kings 6:23);
• Whose images represented the presence of Yahweh in Solomon’s Temple, and were seemingly everywhere…. Engraved on the walls, carved onto the doorposts and into the doors as well (1 Kings 6);
• Featured as main characters accompanying God’s glory and flanking His throne in the fantastic, heavenly visions of Ezekiel; the four cherubim each had four faces and four wings, with wheels within wheels that allowed them to flash back and forth like lightning. The other-worldly bodies of the cherubim were covered with eyes. They held flaming coals of fire between them  (Ezekiel 1 and 10);

MERCY: God’s will to satisfy all mankind with His goodness; to strongly desire what is best for someone, especially for those in need; to graciously treat someone in distress with compassion, especially when one could ignore that needy person if he wanted; to have a readiness to show practical love to someone in any type of trouble or need; to have an eagerness to put  love into action; to personally relieve the suffering of someone; to demonstrate an act of good will towards someone who needs it; to show a lovingkindness that is way beyond the call of duty; to demonstrate to a complete stranger the same type of compassion one would reveal to a friend or family member. Mercy is the most active aspect of Love, which also includes Grace and Compassion.  These three aspects of Love are distinctive, but each is a part of the other. Grace is full of compassion and mercy; compassion is full of grace and mercy; mercy is full of grace and compassion. Grace: God’s welcoming face of God’s favor and acceptance to the undeserving; Compassion: the willingness to reach out and suffer with another and bear that person’s burdens; Mercy: the actual doing of the love that grace and compassion has started; Love-in-Action.

1. “Eleos” = The Greek word for Mercy in the New Testament, usually translated mercy, pity or compassion. Eleos is derived from the word for olive oil, and so is understood in the context of something healing, soothing, comforting. Eleos is a noun, but it is often used as a verb with the word eleeson, with phrases like “Have mercy on me!” The actual translation with that phrase is “Mercy Me, Lord!”
2. “Chanan”= Hebrew word for mercy in terms of gracious, generous, joyfully compassionate, quick to forgive and quick to show favor, especially to someone who is in need. Verses with “chanan” in it are Exodus 34:6, Ps. 86:15, Ps. 103;8, and 2 Chronicles 30:9.
3. “Rachem”= Hebrew word for mercy rooted in the “womb,” a tender compassion that is warm and affectionate, a strong desire to relieve suffering and cherish the sufferer. It has been said that this word for God’s mercy implies a tender, protected place where life springs forth, and that living in God’s mercy is to live in the womb of God’s love. Passages with “rachem” include Isaiah 14:1, 30:18, 49:15 and 60:10; Jeremiah 12:15 and 3:20; and Lamentations 3:32; Ps. 106:46.
4. “Hesed”= Hebrew word for mercy that is often translated as lovingkindness, indicating a steadfast love, a compassionate faithfulness and loyalty to covenant love. It is used 26 times in the classic Psalm 136 in order to focus on God’s continued and unwavering forbearance and patience because of His faithful lovingkindness, His remaining true to his promises out of sheer love. “Hesed” is used over 120 times in the book of Psalms alone, but here are a few passages:  107:1 and 43; Ps. 108:4; Ps. 98:3.

The Mercy Seat. It is telling that God instructed Moses to make the gold lid on the Ark of the Covenant to be called the Mercy Seat, the “Kaporet,” situated between two cherubim in the Holy of Holies (Numbers 7:89). Yahweh demanded that the cloud and fire of His Presence be identified with His mercy. The weight of God’s glory rested on the Mercy Seat, where it always rests. The kaporet was the gold lid, also called the atonement cover, over the Ark of the Covenant, God’s Testimony. The Mercy Seat was in the center of the Holiest Place, which was in the center of their camp, and so the Mercy Seat was literally the center of everything in the wilderness journey. The Mercy Seat was the center of everyone’s attention, and mercy was the very pinpoint of the center. When God revealed His mercy, whether through manna, quail, permanent clothing, or during Yom-Kippur, it is like the king in all His glory. “Once a year on Yom-Kippur, in the Tabernacle’s most sacred place, the Holy of Holies, the high priest would enter and drench the Mercy Seat with the blood of the animal sacrificed to make atonement for the people. This is the physical place where Yahweh met the high priest and where He forgave the sins of the people of Israel. The Mercy Seat prefigures the eternal mercy, grace and hope that alone came through Jesus the Messiah, through His shed blood, making atonement once and for all, placing the weight of humanity’s sins on Him.” (notes from the Complete Jewish Bible, Dr. David Stern). Directly above the Mercy Seat, God chose to present Himself, letting His voice be heard by Moses or the high priest. Yahweh identified Himself with mercy by His choice of resting place, sitting on His royal throne of Mercy. The kaporet was not an impressive royal throne of power. Yahweh’s power was exercised in His mercy. God’s mercy was what His power looked like, and His glory is reflected in His will of mercy. In so many ways, the Mercy Seat was a foreshadowing of the Cross, drenched in the blood of the sacrifice of Jesus to cover over, to conceal, to atone for the sins of the people. On His Cross, we see Jesus on our Day of Atonement. The Mercy Seat and the Cross revealed a judgment of mercy. St. Paul brought this together in his letter to the Romans, “God put Yeshua (Jesus) forward as the kapparah (atonement) for sin through His faithfulness in respect to His bloody sacrificial death…” (Romans 3:25-26).

In Other Words: We can rest assured in peace as we dwell over the Mercy Seat, between the wings of the Most High God. In the shadow of the Almighty and Merciful One, our sins have been forgiven, and we can find eternal shelter within God’s acceptance. We find a true spiritual refuge as we stand beneath the wings that overshadow the Mercy Seat. The wings of the cherubim remind us that the Cross is our fortress and shield against judgment. We can stand forgiven between the wings that keep us safe in His merciful presence.

Thoughts on God’s Mercy:

1. “Without the word ‘mercy,’ the Bible is a dead book in which there is no revelation of God at all.” (Rex Andrews, What the Bible Teaches about Mercy);
2. “The root of all of God’s activity in this world, beginning even with the world’s creation, is Mercy.” (Rev. P. H. Reardon, Christ in the Psalms);
3. “Mercy is the cause and reason of all that God does. God does nothing, absolutely nothing, except as an expression of His Mercy.” (Rev. Reardon);
4. “His Mercy stretches out to both extremes of infinity. All we will ever discover of God will be the deepening levels of His great, abundant, overflowing, rich, endless Mercy.” (Rev. Reardon);
5. “When we deal with God, everything is Mercy. Everything else that can be said of God is but an aspect of His Mercy.” (Rev. Reardon);
6. “‘For His Mercy endures forever’ lies under each line of Holy Scripture, and is the eternal song of the saints.” (Rev. Reardon);
7. “It is better to limit belief in God’s power than to dampen faith in God’s mercy. Between mercy and power, mercy takes precedence – and to the mercy of Heaven there is no limit.” (Rabbi A. J. Heschel, Heavenly Torah);
8. “Mercy is the defining explanation of everything that God has revealed of Himself. Mercy is the explanation of every single thought that God has with respect to us.” (Rev. Reardon);
9. “Mercy rather than justice is regarded as the outstanding attribute of God.” (Rabbi Heschel, A Passion for Truth);
10. “Beyond all mystery is the mercy of God. It is a love, a mercy that transcends the world, its value and merit. To live by such a love, to reflect it, however humbly, is the test of religious existence.” (Rabbi Heschel, God in Search of Man);
11. “The encounter with God’s Mercy, a celebration of God’s sustained and abundant Mercy, is the root of all Christian worship.” (Rev. Reardon).

Mercy is the Centerpiece of God’s Self-Identity. When at the base of Mt. Sinai, Moses asked God if he could see God’s glory. (Exodus 33:19). The Lord Yahweh responded by saying that He would pass before Moses, but he would not be allowed to see His “face,” only His backside. The Glory is too overwhelming for humans who are not equipped to experience a consuming fire quite yet. Yahweh told Moses that He will cause all His “goodness” to pass before Moses, and that in Moses’ presence He will pronounce His holy Name. Goodness is usually a synonym for mercy, because God’s goodness is revealed through His mercy. So Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to meet God at the top, and Yahweh descended in a cloud and stood there with Moses. Only God can accurately name Himself, and here we see the Lord pronouncing His sacred Name… “God passed before Moses and proclaimed, “I AM Yahweh! I AM Yahweh! A God who is compassionate (rachem) and gracious, longsuffering and slow to anger, abounding in mercy (hesed) and truth, preserving mercy (hesed) for thousands of generations, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin, but by no means clearing the guilty or allowing sin to go unpunished.” (Exodus 34:6-7). What a singular moment! The Almighty God, the Great I AM, describes His Name, His identity. He is revealing to Moses how He sees Himself in His Essence. What a turning point in history! The Lord of the universe chooses to reveal Himself in utter transparency to a human being! ‘You want to know what I am made of, Moses, the Lord is saying, then this is how I describe my character, these are my core attributes. Yes, I am the great LORD, and this is Me in a nutshell… rich in mercy, compassion, grace, forgiveness. That is truly who I am, Moses!’ At the very end of this historical self-description, God reminds Moses (and all of us) that He is Lord of a moral universe, that there is such a thing as right and wrong, and He has established an ultimate system of justice. God’s statement about justice and moral accountability, interestingly enough, seems to have been made in the context of mercy and forgiveness, of compassion and grace. So it appears that if God’s will springs out of God’s core character, His will must be mercy.