Sunday, September 21, 2025
“Lord, I believe Thy precious blood, Which at the mercy seat of God Pleads for the captives’ liberty, Was also shed in love for me.
“Lord, I believe, were sinners more Than sands upon the ocean shore. Thou hast for all a ransom paid, For all a full atonement made.”
After God set the Israelites free from slavery in Egypt, He instructed them to make an ark, a sacred chest, as a symbol of His presence among them. The ark held a jar of manna, the stone tablets of the Law, and Aaron’s staff that blossomed—a sign showing him to be God’s chosen high priest. Golden statues of two mighty cherubim with outstretched wings overshadowed the cover of the ark. The cover was called the mercy seat, a name designating the ark’s golden cover as the place or throne of atonement. It was the place of mercy for sinners, the place of reconciliation where God came to speak with His people. The Lord said, “There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel” (Exodus 25:22).
The cover of the ark was called the mercy seat, the throne of atonement, because this meeting with God could not take place apart from the blood of sacrifices offered to atone for sin. As Scripture says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22b). The high priest approached the ark on one day of the year, the Day of Atonement, and only after sprinkling the mercy seat with the blood of sacrificed animals. The blood of those sacrifices, done repeatedly year after year, atoned for the sins of the high priest and the sins of the people.
From that place of atonement and reconciliation, the mercy seat sprinkled with blood, God spoke to His people, but now “in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:2a). The sacrifices of ancient Israel pointed ahead to one final sacrifice. Jesus, the Lamb of God, has been sacrificed for our sins, a sacrifice that does not have to be repeated year after year. Through His one-time sacrifice, Jesus atoned for the sins of the world. As our hymn proclaims, we believe that the precious blood of Jesus our Savior, which “at the mercy seat of God pleads for the captives’ liberty, was also shed in love for me.” Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven and we have peace with God. The cross of our Savior is the place marked with blood, the place of atonement where God, in Christ, reconciled the world to Himself.
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, Lamb of God, I believe that Your precious blood was shed for me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness,” which is number 563 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions: