Hebrews 9:5 Commentary and Bible Study

The English word ‘cherubim’ is a transliteration from the hebrew. The singular hebrew word is cherub, the plural of which is cherubim, so that it is unnecessary, strictly speaking, to add the ‘s’ to form the English ‘cherubims’; it is already plural. The cherubim first appear in Genesis 3, where they are appointed to guard access to the tree of life after mankind has been expelled from the garden of Eden. From their role there and their place in the holy of holies we conclude that, like the seraphim, they are a high-ranking order of angels. Their task in keeping anyone from having access to the tree of life implies that they are appointed by God to enforce his law, his justice. They bar the way to life for all who are not entitled to it: that is, to all who do not come through the atonement provided by Christ. Moses was instructed to make two cherubim of gold with their wings touching and place them over the mercy seat (Exodus 25:18-20). Furthermore, images of cherubim were skilfully worked into the ten curtains that formed the walls of the tabernacle. They are referred to in Psalm 18:10, where David prophesies that the Lord ‘rode upon a cherub and flew; And he sped upon the wings of the wind’ (Psalm 18:10). Their presence in the holy of holies, and their placement with wings touching over the mercy seat, tells us that although they guard access to the tree of life, they are in full agreement with Jehovah’s exercise of mercy, for mercy has triumphed over judgment (James 2:13). The symbols of the tabernacle taught Israel that theirs was not like the pagan religions. The pagans were terrified of their gods when they offered little sacrifices of food. It was to placate the anger and fury, and the arbitrary ways, of their gods that they made their offerings. But the mercy seat and the two cherubim with wings touching over it, spoke of God's forgiving love. The father would say to his son, ‘There are these angels of helpfulness and kindness and glory; this is not a pagan religion. Ours is a religion of the one true God, who is a God who takes no pleasure in judgment, and death, and loss. Though he has to be the judge of all the earth and punish sin, yet he desires salvation and he is ready to be kind and to bless, to hear and answer prayers. The cherubims are there crowning the mercy seat.’Here was this inner part of the tabernacle, the holy of holies, which no Israelite had seen with their own eyes, but which they were all taught was there. Like heaven, it was something they believed in, but had never seen personally, and all the items in it represented aspects of God’s provision for a sinful people which enabled them to approach near to him.