A Picture of Mercy

[0:00] A Pastor's Reflections. A Picture of Mercy. Exodus 37, 9. And the cherubims spread out their wings on high,! and covered with their wings over the mercy seat,! with their faces one to another.

[0:15] Even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims. Psalm 36, 7. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

[0:28] Matthew 23, 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!

[0:42] While we are not to make an idle or visual representation of God, that does not mean that God is not very visual in conveying his word and his truth. While we do not know what God looks like, we have been shown what God is like.

[0:57] God uses many visual word pictures to convey meaning and understanding. God keeps his word very simple, very real, but also very true.

[1:09] In Exodus 37, we are given a running account of the construction of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was the place where Israel was to meet with God, but it was also a very real and very visual representation meant to convey who God was in his relationship with man.

[1:27] God puts before man not only his truth, but the ability to understand his truth. God chose a tabernacle to convey to man the truth that God desires to dwell among his people.

[1:40] And God chose the mercy seat upon the ark to convey the idea that man does not need to fear that God is among them. At the very heart of the tabernacle, God chose to convey mercy.

[1:54] In Christ, you and I also have the opportunity to come under God's wings of mercy, as it were. God has placed before all of man the very simple, very real, but also very true reality of the gospel.

[2:10] God has used the cross to convey a very real and very visual representation of who God is in his relationship with man. Just as Israel would have the opportunity to choose whether they would come under the wings of mercy of the God of the tabernacle.

[2:29] So God has given all men the opportunity to come under the mercy of the cross. Psalm 57.1 Only God can choose how he will represent himself to man.

[2:56] But only man can choose if he will place his trust in the God who conveys himself in mercy. Father, thank you that you have not left us to guess what you are like.

[3:09] Thank you that in Jesus, not only did you tabernacle among us, but you have left us no doubt of what you are like. Thank you that in Christ, we have a perfect representation of what the heart of God is like.

[3:23] Full of mercy. Amen.