Summary:
What is God’s footstool according to the Bible?

1. Earth is God’s footstool: this helps us understand He is ruler of all
2. Mount Zion is God’s footstool: let us therefore come near and worship Him often!
3. The ark of the covenant is God’s footstool: let us receive and keep His words of grace in our hearts

The Bible has many mentions of the word ‘footstool’. Why does God need a footstool? To understand that, we have to look at the Bible. We humans have footstools too. Footstools allow us to sit comfortably while on the sofa. In western countries, footstools help their feet retain heat by keeping it off the cold floor. Musicians such as classical guitarists also use footstools to be in a better position to play wonderful music. But the footstool of God is different from men; it has profound teachings behind it. Let us look at what God’s footstool is from the viewpoint of the Bible.

1. Earth is God’s footstool; this helps us to understand God is the ruler of all

Isa 66:1
God says, “Heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool.” There’re many instances in the Bible when ‘footstool’ is used figuratively. There’s only once it’s used literally. What is prophet Isaiah trying to say here? He tries to express the powerful nature of God; that God is the ruler of the world and that He is almighty. We can imagine the scene: God is sitting in heaven on the throne, and His feet reached the earth where it is His footstool. It depicts how He is the ruler of all creation. There is a Chinese saying: “I’m a man who supports the heavens while standing firm on the ground.” This isn’t literal but it’s usually said by someone to gain acknowledgment from others or to say he doesn’t change easily. However, we know people often change. But when we use this to describe God, it is true! God is indeed someone who holds heaven while standing firm on earth, because He’s God almighty. There’s nothing in heaven or earth that’s out of His control. The heavens and earth are supported by God. In Genesis, God was able to separate the heavens and earth. His power is through it all and His nature remains the same.

Why did Isaiah record God saying, “Heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool” in Isa 66:1? Because the people didn’t fear God and went against His word. So the prophet spoke these warnings to them to repent and turn back to God; that only God was their sure source of reliance. The background of the prophet Isaiah was that the Southern kingdom Judah was facing threat from other countries. But King Ahaz did not fear God. The people didn’t worship God but idols instead. They had forgotten the covenant God made with them. They turned and betrayed God instead.

Isa 7:14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Prophet Isaiah told the king of Judah he could ask a sign from God as he was facing the threat of Syria and Israel. But instead he turned to Assyria for help. He could only see the external threats and not the help they could ask of God. They worshipped idols and were unwilling to seek God’s help. Even though the sign of Immanuel (meaning: God with us) was given, he still did not believe God and sought the king of Assyria for help instead. Later, the kingdom of Judah was also destroyed and taken captive to Babylon. Before the kingdom was destroyed, prophet Isaiah said clearly the earth is God’s footstool, which tells us that all kings, generations and dynasties are under God. No kingdom lasts forever. Christians must remember this. Only faith lasts forever.

Thousands of years of the history of Christianity has passed. How many great kings cease to exist already? The Bible reminds us that men shouldn’t rely on kings and princes, for their breath will also come to pass.

Psa 29:10
“The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, And the Lord sits as King forever.”

Even though there is a flood, God will still be seated as king. A flood is a huge disaster to humans. But despite the flood, God is still seated as king. It shows how firm God is; He has the power to face all kinds of storms that come.

The earth is the footstool of God. As long as we believe and rely on the Almighty, no one can harm the people of God. Let us understand we need to fear God today. The Israelites’ history reminds us that as people of God, we must not sin and offend God. On the other hand, no matter what kind of trouble we face today, keep our faith in God who’s the ruler of heaven and earth, because He can never be shaken. Whoever relies on Him can also never be shaken, unless we give up on our faith in Him; unless our hearts are already shaken.

The footstool of God reminds us that we face many challenges while living in this world. There seems to be no end to the pandemic. Countries who seem to have brought it under control lose control again. Some of us have lost our jobs. Some of us have fallen ill. But let’s continue to believe God knows all things and is in control of all. He is seated enthroned in heaven and in control of everything on earth. Let us believe that He will take care of us; let us not have our faith shaken. When we know how to fear Him, worship Him and believe in His almightiness, then we won’t be disheartened by whatever we face. Neither would we go and seek help from others, offending Him.

2. Mount Zion is the footstool of God, the church and our bodies are the temple of God; come near to worship Him often

Isa 60:13
“The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together, To beautify the place of My sanctuary; And I will make the place of My feet glorious.”

The place God sets His feet shall be glorious.

Lam 2:1
“How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion With a cloud in His anger! He cast down from heaven to the earth The beauty of Israel, And did not remember His footstool In the day of His anger.”

Zion is the footstool of God. The holy temple is where God rests His feet. What it tells us is that it’s a place where God abides. God is not only high up in heaven looking down on us. He has chosen Mount Zion, the holy temple, to abide with people; from the Immanuel (God with us) Isaiah prophesied about, to the place where God is glorified - the holy temple. But Israel did not remember His footstool. Because they didn’t heed His words, the holy temple was destroyed. The prophet and the people could only weep. It was originally the place God rested His feet; it was in Jerusalem where God abided. But now God wasn’t willing to rest and abide in that place anymore. Since God wasn’t willing to rest in that place, His people could no longer rest too. When we come to the place God abides - His footstool - we must always take the opportunity to worship Him and seek His abidance.

Psa 99:5
“Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His footstool— He is holy.”

The author of this psalm tells us to worship at God’s footstool. Today we are often able to draw near to God to come to church to worship Him. Of course we are temporarily unable to because of the COVID-19 situation. But we know God is omnipresent and so we can worship Him anywhere. Nevertheless, coming to church to worship Him is really very different. Let us continue to pray that we may be able to come to His footstool to worship Him. Last time we could come to church for service anytime. Did we esteem it? People often only cherish what they have lost. Only after arguing, after losing something, do we miss something. God never forgets us. He is Immanuel - God with us - He will abide with us. But we don’t esteem His presence, just like the people then. The temple was right before them then but they didn’t esteem it. When they were taken captive to Babylon, they could only mourn. Today we are the spiritual Mount Zion, the temple and footstool of God. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit too. Do we often desire to worship our God? Have we neglected worship? Let us once again be determined to draw nearer to Him and worship Him. Men are forgetful. A forgetful man will lose his alertness. The power of God abided with the people of the Old Testament days, yet we find it strange they forsake God even after witnessing His power. Actually it’s the same today. The Holy Spirit is Immanuel - God with us. The word of God is with us. Yet we see people forsaking God. Whether at home or in church, rely on the Holy Spirit. We should not only listen to sermons, read the Bible and meditate on His word; when we worship God, one purpose is to learn the word of God too.

3. The ark of the covenant is God’s footstool; receive and keep His words of grace in our hearts

1 Chron 28:2-3
“Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it. But God said to me, You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.’”

David had the heart to build the house of God for the Lord. The ark of the covenant was placed in the tabernacle at that time. David wanted the ark of the covenant - the footstool of God - to be given a better place of rest. But God did not allow him. Nonetheless, David prepared materials for his son to do so.

Why is the ark of the covenant the footstool of God?
Exo 25:20-22
“And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 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, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.”

God is God almighty who doesn’t live in a temple made of human hands. Because He wants to give men mercy, wants to abide with men, and deliver His words to men, He instructed Moses and the people to build the tabernacle in the ark. Above the ark was the mercy seat which shows God is in heaven giving mercy to people on earth. In front of the mercy seat is the footstool of God. This was the place God wanted to meet people; it was where God told Moses His messages. Inside the ark of the covenant are 2 stone tablets where the 10 commandments are written. If men is able to come before the footstool of God, they receive mercy and life. If they forsake the word of God, they forsake life. The purpose of the 2 tablets that have the 10 commandments written on them is evidence of the covenant of God.

Exo 32:15-16
“And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.”

Moses went up Mount Sinai and returned with the 10 commandments on two tablets. It was personally written by the finger of God. Note that the tablets were written on BOTH sides. This is different from how we usually imagine it (which is influenced by children’s books and even replicas in Bible shops).

Let us try to understand the word of God. The ark of the covenant is the footstool of God. It’s the place the word of God is given; where mercy is given. When we talk about the ark of the covenant, we may wonder where it is today. Based on 2 Kings 25:8-9, 13 which describes the captivity of Judah: The temple was destroyed. The people taken away captive. The ark? There was no mention of it but it was likely taken too and its whereabouts are unknown.

Jer 3:16
“Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.”

Jeremiah prophesied the ark would no longer be talked or thought about anymore. Why? Because the people had forgotten the word of God. The ark of the covenant was originally the footstool of God where God speaks. Why was it taken away? Because the people of Israel - from the kings to the common people - didn’t put the word of God in their minds. The ark of the covenant seizing to exist meant God didn’t abide with them anymore. The ark of the covenant was where God administered mercy.

The word of God needs to be written on the tablets of our hearts. Only then will we not forget the word of God and lose the grace of God.

Jer 31:31-33
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Although God judged the people, He’s still a merciful God. He said He would make a new covenant with them which would be written on their hearts.

2 Cor 3:3
“clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”

Paul told the Corinth believers that the spirit of God had been written on their hearts. We, believers in the New Testament era, have the word of God written on our hearts. The people in the Old Testament went against God because their hearts were of stone. But the Holy Spirit has come to give us hearts of flesh.

Eze 36:26-27
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

The prophet told the people that even though they were taken captive, they would still have grace. The temple was rebuilt! But there was even greater grace to come. God wants to put His spirit in us so we have a heart of flesh. A heart of flesh is able to feel. It’s a heart that has life. The hearts people of the Old Testament era had were hard and didn’t have life. That’s why Peter says we are spiritual stones that build the church up. They have life. The word of God has life and is carved onto our hearts.

Since God loves us so much; since Jesus died for us, rose to heaven and poured the Holy Spirit down, remember that He will come again. The ark of the covenant is where God gives mercy; it’s the footstool of God. But it’s also judgement. If we are careless and don’t keep the commandments of God, then the covenant we make with God will be no more. Just like the people in the Old Testament.

Rev 11:19
“Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.”

Revelation shows us a vision of the last days. Wasn’t the ark lost? Yes. But the spiritual ark of the covenant exists. The image here was just like what happened on Mount Sinai. God spoke from the mountain. There were lightnings, thunderings, earthquakes and great hail. But this wasn’t viewed as grace by those who don’t keep the commandments of God. It was judgement upon them.

Heb 12:18-22
“For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,”

After believing, if we don’t keep His commandments, we will be judged too. Judgement begins in the house of the Lord. As we are before the ark of the covenant - the footstool of God - let us keep His commandments and live an obedient life.

Conclusion

The footstool is used in a figurative sense in many places of the Bible. Heaven is His throne and earth is His footstool. Let us believe in His power. Let’s not have our faith shaken. Mount Zion is also the footstool of God. The church and our bodies are the temple of God. Come near to worship Him often. The ark of the covenant is also God’s footstool. Let’s often receive His words of grace. Keep His words in our hearts. It’s man’s duty to keep His commandments. Whatever men do in this life will be judged by God.