And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 18And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. 19And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 20And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. 21And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 22And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
—Exodus 25:17-22
One of the most instructive and beautiful symbols of God’s word is the cherubim. Taken in connection with the ark and the mercy seat, both of which are intended by the Spirit of God to represent the Lord Jesus Christ, they bring before us the glory of the Church. They are the representatives of the Church of God in its glorified state. They bid us look at them and see, through them, what we ourselves shall shortly be. They are calculated to draw our hearts upward, and make us long for that time when “we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” It is a “blessed hope” a glorious prospect! May the Lord the Spirit direct our minds and hearts to understand this precious portion of His word!
We are told, in the first place, the material of which these cherubim were made. “As many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the Lord.” Of this gold the cherubim were made; “of beaten work shalt thou make them.” There was thus a threefold work in the preparation of these glorious bodies. The gold was first cast into the furnace. All the pieces, which had previously formed separate and distinct parts, were thus melted into one piece. How beautifully does this present us with the oneness of God’s people! No longer are they isolations, widely apart, having no connection one with another. They are, by the furnace of the cross into which the Saviour was cast, melted into one glorious piece. They become united to Him and to each other. There they become one lump in Christ. They are members one of another. The cross binds them together with indissoluble ties. “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.”
Not only so, but the fire purified the gold of the cherubim from its dross. Thus does the Church become purified by the work of Christ on the cross. In that furnace she is baptized “the blood of Jesus Christ…cleanseth us from all sin.” There she is purified from all her uncleanness. There she is washed whiter than snow. From that fountain she steps up to the throne, “all glorious within;” she has not spot or winkle. She leaves the dross behind, and is “complete in him.” But not only does the Church become one in Christ, not only purified, but also beaten; “of beaten work shalt thou make them.” Stroke after stroke was to fall upon this melted and purified gold. Thus was the fine gold to be shaped and molded, so as to become meet for the glory within the veil. Nor were these strokes random ones. Each one came from the hand of a Bezaleel, a wise hearted man, filled with unerring judgment and Divine wisdom. Every stroke laid upon it was molding and fashioning the fine gold giving it the expression, figure and lineament of countenance, the grace and plumage, which was to appear within the veil.
So it is now with God’s people, of whom these cherubim were the symbol; stroke after stroke of sorrow and trial falls upon them in this world. Wave after wave rolls over them, so that they exclaim in bitterness of heart, “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.” Yet there is no accident, no mistake, no random stroke. Each one comes from a wise hearted One-One full of wisdom, and yet full of love. Each one is part of a great and glorious process. It is giving grace and fashion and shape to the soul, and preparing it to shine in glory within the veil. It is molding and fashioning the blood bought one, so that, like the cherubim within the veil, he may bear the cloud of Divine glory that shall rest upon him in the morning of resurrection and throughout the countless ages of eternity.
Another truth brought before us in this symbol is the oneness of Christ and His people; “even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims.” The mercy seat and the cherubim were thus made out of the same mass of gold; so Christ and His people are one. They are “partakers of the divine nature.” The same strokes fell upon Him as fall upon them. They pass through the same furnace, the same path of tribulation to them as to Him. One process prepares them both for the same glory.
But how sweetly does this remind us of the Saviour’s sympathy! As the cherubim were made out of the same piece of gold as the mercy seat, every stroke on the one vibrated through the other. Thus the Lord Jesus is touched with a feeling of our infirmities. Do the strokes of the hammer fall on the Lord’s weak ones at Damascus? Immediately a voice is heard from heaven, “why persecutest thou me?” “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” “I have Surely seen the affliction of my people…I know their sorrows.” Oh, how does the oneness of the cherubim and the mercy seat, in being formed out of the same piece of gold, reflect this precious truth!
We next learn the position of these cherubim. “And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.” They were to stand on the ends of the mercy seat, and thus teach us that the Church has her foundation in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the true mercy seat and on Him she is built. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Not only do we see the true resting place of the Church, but as these cherubim stood at each end of the mercy seat and looked down upon it, they gazed upon the whole length and breadth of it. The eye dwelt on the full range of blessings which that mercy seat contained. So is it with the Church. As she stands on that solid foundation she feels that every blessing is hers; the height and depth, the length and breadth of that love which passeth knowledge is underneath here. She is blessed “with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” There is not one spiritual blessing which is not hers. Standing on that glorious rock, she exclaims with the apostle, “all things” are mine. “Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”
“And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.” The outstretched wings over the mercy seat thus formed a kind of chariot, on which the cloud of glory, the vehicle and symbol of God’s presence, rested as we find it in the twenty-second verse, “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat.” One striking truth, however, is presented in the words, “their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.” We are thus taught that the mercy seat is the great object of adoring wonder and praise and that though their gaze is fixed upon it, it does not hinder them from looking on each other. So will it be in resurrection glory. Christ shall be the great theme of adoration and praise throughout eternity. We shall gaze with rapture upon His matchless beauty and yet behold each other with delight and joy. We shall behold His glory beaming from the countenances of those we love; “in thy light we shall see light.” The joys and friendships of this world shall be renewed in His presence, without their sins and sorrows, their shadows and clouds, their infirmities and failings. Even now we “look one to another” just in proportion as we look to the true mercy seat-Christ Jesus. We “look one to another” and recognize His image. We love as brethren. We have one Father and God, one glorious home on high, one eternal bond that has bound us forever. The more we turn our “faces…toward the mercy seat” the more our “faces shall look one to another.”
We see this truth confirmed by a similar view of the seraphim, in the sixth chapter of Isaiah. There the redeemed in glory are again symbolized by these glorious beings. As they gaze upon the Lord Jesus, sitting on His throne of glory, we are told “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts.” Yes, even now, where Jesus is the subject, though we may differ widely in other matters, we still cry one to another. Our praise is one. Our joy is one. Our hearts’ resting place is one. There is no discordant note. The same cry goes forth from the lips of one as from another, “Holy, holy, holy,” “Worthy is the Lamb.”
But again. The mercy seat and the cherubim were to be forever united. How forcibly we are reminded of the beautiful words of our Lord, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory.” Yes, precious Saviour, sin defiled, and ruined, and helpless though we are, Thou canst not do without us! That home would be no home to Thee, were Thy blood bought ones not with Thee. O, wondrous love! O, deepest mystery! And that time is at hand. We shall soon “ever be with the Lord.” The cherubim and the mercy seat shall be manifested as one, never to be seen apart. Lord, hasten that glorious consummation! Thy people sigh and cry for Thy return! Creation groans and travails! Oh, come quickly, Lord, and take the kingdom for Thine own!
“And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony.” The testimony of two men is true and these two cherubim were witnesses to the mercy seat. They show us that the redeemed in glory will be witnesses, throughout eternity, to God’s faithfulness, love and mercy. As they gaze upon the abyss from which they have been rescued, they will sing a louder song and strike a sweeter chord on their golden harps. They will bear witness to His grace that rescued them, His love that followed them through life, His faithfulness in preserving them hour after hour. Oh, how will these notes of praise resound through the courts of glory! How loud will be the song to the riches of God’s grace!
Let us look at one more truth taught by the cherubim. They were carried forward by the Levites through the wilderness under the guidance of the cloudy pillar. The holy furniture, when it was thus carried forward had two coverings. The inner one was the beautiful veil. Its outer was the covering of badger skins. The inner, or hidden one, was of beautiful workmanship. The outer and visible one was the rough and unsightly coverings of the badger skins. How beautifully did that tabernacle, in its passage through the wilderness, fore-shadow the Man of sorrows in His journey through this world! The outward eye fell on Him, and exclaimed, “he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” Outwardly He was as the tabernacle covered with the badger skins. Those who would see the beauty and glory must go within the tabernacle and must look at Jesus with the eye of faith. They must be led to Him by the Spirit of God. They must leave the world outside and gaze upon the riches of His grace within the veil. Without, there is the “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Within, there is the beauty and glory of the Son of God; the peace, the joy, the gladness of heart, the royal robes and the kingly crown, which they shall wear who tread the courts of the Lord’s tabernacle as it passes through the wilderness.
O, reader, have you gone within or are you only gazing upon Christ at a distance? Have you gone within? Have you seen His beauty and glory? Is Christ precious to your heart? What is Jesus to you now? O, sinner, enter within and see for thyself what a glorious Saviour Jesus is! O, Christian, enter within, live within! Press nearer and nearer to God. If for a moment thy sinful heart lead thee out; oh, stay not there! Get back as quickly as possible. Get back again through the sprinkled blood. Get back from the world’s hollow laughter, from the world’s false glare and glitter, from the poisonous atmosphere that broods over it. Get back within the veil as quickly as thou canst and when the Lord shall come may He find thee there, hidden in the clefts of the Rock of ages. May this be thy portion now and then for Jesus Christ’s sake!
Lord, the waves are breaking o’er me and around,
Lord, the night is closing round my feeble bark;
How shall I encounter its watches, long and dark?
Sadly worn and shattered by many a billow past,
Can I stand another rude and stormy blast?
Ah! the promised haven never may attain,
Sinking and forgotten amid the lonely main.
Enemies around me, gloomy depths below;
Loose the cable, let me go!
Lord, I would be near Thee, with Thee where Thou art,
Thine own word hath said it, ‘tis better to depart;’
There to serve Thee better, there to love Thee more,
With Thy ransomed people to worship and adore.
Ever to Thy presence Thou dost call Thine own;
Why am I remaining, helpless and alone?
Oh! to see Thy glory, Thy wondrous love to know!
Loose the cable, let me go!
Lord, the lights are gleaming from the distant shore,
Where no billows threaten, where no tempests roar;
Long beloved voices calling me I hear,
Oh! how sweet their summons fall upon my ear!
Here are foes and strangers, faithless hearts, and cold;
There is fond affection, fondly proved of old.
Let me haste to join them; may it not be so?
Loose the cable, let me go!
Hark, the solemn answer! hark, the promise sure,
‘Blessed are the servants who to the end endure!
Yet a little longer, hope and tarry on;
Yet a little longer, weak and weary one!
More to perfect patience, to grow in faith and love;
More my strength, and wisdom, and faithfulness to prove:
Then the sailing orders the Captain shall bestow,
Loose the cable, let thee go!
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