Do you have ….

You become seriously DIS-EASED. It’s life-threatening. You don’t have insurance. It was too costly. Hearing of your dire situation, someone steps in to pay whatever the costs … no fine print! That’s called MERCY!

Adam and Eve became DIS-EASED! However, they couldn’t afford the costs of health care. No one can ever pay God a ransom for his life. The price to be paid for his soul is too costly. (Psalm 49:7-9)

In the ancient world, the king of an empire sat on an ornate throne that symbolized supreme power and authority.

God said, ‘I want them to build a special Tent where I can live among my people.’ (Exodus 25:8)  Furthermore, He instructed Moses:  Make a THRONE OF MERCY. (Exodus 25:17) NOT a throne of supreme power and authority but one of MERCY!  

THE God who made that sits on a THRONE OF MERCY!

For Jews, Yom Kippur is the most solemn of holy days. The Hebrew words are Yom meaning Day and Kippur meaning COVERING. Hence, the “Day of Covering“!

Aaron will kill the lamb as the sin gift for the people. He will bring its blood inside the curtain. He will put it on the MERCY-SEAT. Thus, [the lamb] will pay for the sins of all the people of Israel. (Leviticus 16:14-16)

Because of His UNLIMITED MERCY (Isaiah 63:7), the Creator stepped in to provide COVERAGE! The Lord God used animal skins and made some clothes for the man and his wife. Then he put the clothes on them. (Genesis 3:21) What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are COVERED-OVER!  (Psalm 32:1)

The fact is, it was our pains he carried—our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. It was our sins that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that MADE US WHOLE. Through his bruises, WE GET HEALED. We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way. God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him. (Isaiah 53:3-10) Through his passion and death, Jesus carried away the essential sickness of the human heart. (Brennan Manning, Reflections for Ragamuffins)

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21) God commenced his healing restoration here. It is the SEED of the entire Gospel message!