The Day of Atonement. The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering” (16:2-3). Aaron could not go into the Holy Place, into the presence of God, alone. He must bring a sin offering with him. Similarly, we have no standing to go alone into the presence of God. In our sinfulness, we have to say, we would not wish to face a holy God alone. But, also similarly as with Aaron, we do not go alone: “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19-20). We have one who stands in for us and pleads our case, as John writes, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1-2). What joy is ours to know that we have one who goes before us and is our advocate!
From every stormy wind that blows,
From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat:
'Tis found beneath the mercy seat.
There is a place where Jesus sheds
The oil of gladness on our heads;
A place than all beside more sweet:
It is the blood-bought mercy seat.
Ah! there on eagle wings we soar,
Where sin and sense molest no more;
And heaven comes down our souls to greet,
And glory crowns the mercy seat. -- Hugh Stowell (1828)
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