The mercy seat was placed on the Ark of the Covenant because it represented the place of atonement and God’s throne of grace among His people. Positioned above the Ark, which contained the tablets of the law, the mercy seat covered the law symbolically, showing that forgiveness comes only through God’s provision.
Exodus 25:21–22 explains:
“You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony.”
The mercy seat was made of pure gold and flanked by two cherubim, signifying God’s holiness and the heavenly reality it represented. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sin offering on the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:14–15), satisfying God’s justice and covering Israel’s sins for another year.
The placement of the mercy seat above the law conveys a vital truth: while God’s law reveals His righteousness and condemns sin, His mercy provides a way for sinners to be reconciled. Atonement came not by removing the law but by covering the guilt through the shedding of blood.
This points forward to Christ, our true mercy seat. Romans 3:25 says:
“Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith.”
The word “propitiation” here refers to the mercy seat. In Jesus, God’s justice and mercy meet perfectly. The mercy seat atop the Ark foreshadows the gospel, teaching that salvation comes only through God’s appointed means, the blood of Christ applied by faith.
