ence of God among the sinless angels. | the Cherubim do actually in their true Why then should we assign to them, intent represent human beings instead however much we love them, and prize of angels, is a conclusion to which we their kind offices, a symbol so pre- seem to be brought irresistibly by the eminently appropriate to ourselves? chain of scriptural induction in the Until therefore we are convinced on foregoing remarks; and if it should solid grounds of the untenableness of still remain problematical in the mind our position, and pointed to some pas of the reader on what grounds a device sage of holy writ expressly affirming so strikingly angelic should have been or clearly implying, that the Mosaic adopted to represent a human reality, Cherubim were emblems of angels, we we do not hesitate to suggest that the shall hold them to be representatives of true clue is to be found in the fact, that human beings, and of no others. the cherubic symbol, in its ultimate scope, pointed forward to that condition of regenerate, redeemed, risen, and glo sumed an angelic nature. Our Savior declares of the happy sons of the resurrection that they shall neither marry nor be given in marriage, but shall be as the angels of God in heaven; and when John fell down before the revealing angel of the Apocalypse, and was about to worship him, he was met by the rebuke, 'See that thou do it not; for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book.' Such, we doubt not, is the final destination of the children of God in that future economy to which the eye of faith looks forward; and in the mean time, if the visions of the prophets should portray the scenes of that coming dispensation, where the actors were to be truly men in their post-resurrection natures, how should such actors be symbolically represented but by angels? The Cherubim then may be considered as representatives of angels, so far as angels themselves are representatives of men; but, in our opinion, no farther. At the same time we find no difficulty in admitting, in perfect consist ency with this theory, that the Cheru-rified men, when they shall have asbim were popularly regarded by the ancient Jews, as they still are by modern Christians, as a current designation of some portion at least of the angelic order of beings. Nor do we doubt that Peter, in saying that the things of redemption were things 'which the angels desired to look into,' had direct allusion in his own mind to the position of the Cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant, which stood as if intently poring upon the mysteries couched under both it and the surmounting Glory. Angels usually appeared as winged messengers; and wings were a striking appendage of the Cherubim. Angels too were always considered as a race of beings abiding near to the Divine Presence in heaven, and as an accompaniment of the Shekinah, whenever and wherever it appeared; the Cherubim, also, in their relation to the Cloud of Glory, were regarded as a materialized representation of this great fact, and the Holy of Holies in which they stood was dimly conceived of as a type of heaven. Under these circumstances it was natural that the idea of angelic beings should attach to the symbol, and that this idea should be tradition-ed, it only remains to make use of this ally perpetuated, at least until a more rigid research into the nature and genius of the symbolical language should bring to light its genuine import. That If then our main position in regard to the representative character of the Cherubim, may be considered as establish proof by way of explication of the strange, anomalous, and, we had al most said, monstrous, diversity of forms and faces of which the symbol was composed. Were the Cherubim menmen standing in covenant relation with God-men possessed of renewed spiritual life, and thus enjoying the divine favor-then may we not conclude, that this unique combination of forms represents some marked and definable attributes in the character of those whom the symbol adumbrates? What then are the distinguishing traits in the character of the people of God, which may be fitly represented by emblems so unique? How shall the hieroglyphic be read? The face of the Ox reminds us of the qualities of the ox, and these, it is well known, are patient endurance, unwearied service, and meek submission to the yoke. What claims has he to the title of a man of God who is not distinguished by these ox-like attributes? The Lion is the proper symbol of undaunted courage, glowing zeal, triumph over enemies, united with innate nobleness, and magnanimity of spirit. The Man, as a symbol, we may well conceive as indicating intelligence, meditation, wisdom, sympathy, philanthropy, and every generous and tender emotion. And, finally, in the Eagle we recognise the impersonation of an active, vigilant, fervent, soaring spirit, prompting the readiest and swiftest execution of the divine commands, and elevating the soul to the things that are above. bols which we yet know in the main to be possessed of meaning. In adverting, however, to the symbolical import of the straight forward motion of the Cherubim, we have perhaps a more explicit warrant of the Scriptures for our explication. In speaking of this peculiarity, Ezekiel says, 'They went every one straight forward; whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not as they went.' Their locomotive progress was directly and undeviatingly forward. They turned neither their faces, nor their wings, nor their bodies. There was no digression, regression, wandering, or circuitous wheeling in their movements. In the direction in which their eyes or faces were fixed, their progress tended. Is it not then a rational supposition that by this is indicated that steady and undeviating course of obedience, that determined adherence to the right ways of the Lord, from which the faithful are not to be seduced? Is not rectitude the prevailing tenor of a good man's life, and is not his course onward, according to the Apostle's motto, 'forgetting the things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.' Again, let the following passages be noticed in this connexion. Prov. 4. 25-27, 'Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.' Ps. 125. 5, 'As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity.' Heb. 12. 13, ‘Make straight paths for your feet lest that which is lame be turned out of the way.' Thus plainly are we taught the teach We admit the affixing of these interpretations to be in a great measure arbitrary, and we hope they may be rejected or improved upon, according as the evidence for or against them may weigh in the mind of the reader. They certainly mean something; they have not been adopted without wise reasons; and we would wish to fix upon such a solution as shall carry with it the highest intrinsic probability. In the nature of the case, much must be left to the private judgment, perhaps we mighting of the rectilinear course of the Chesay fancy, of expositors in tracing anal- rubim, i. e. of the people of God. ogies and assigning meanings to sym Upon the various other items of the shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy-seat. 19 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. 20 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. • 1 Kings 8. 7. 1 Chron. 28. 18. Hebr. 9.5. prophet's description of these visionary in contradistinction from being hollow creations, it will scarcely be necessary inside, or made of wood overlaid with in this connexion to enlarge. Sufficient gold. Besides, it must be evident to the has probably been said to establish our slightest reflection that such a mode of main position, that the Cherubim of the construction is utterly beyond the art Scriptures are a symbol of holy men, or power of man; it must have been noand not, primarily, of holy angels. The thing short of a miracle. The cherubic importance of this clue to the mystic figures were doubtless either cast in a device will be obvious to every reader, mould or sculptured by the engraver's and will no doubt justify the adaptation tool, as the Greek renders the word, and of our figure to Ezekiel's rather than then permanently attached by soldering to Moses' description. We could not to either extremity of the Mercy-seat. otherwise so well have expanded our 19. Of the mercy-seat shall ye make remarks in the form of a systematic the cherubims, &c. A marginal readinquiry into the genuine scope and de-ing, designed to be explanatory of this, sign of this extraordinary symbol, of is here given, which rests upon no suffi which Josephus says, 'They (the Cherubim) are flying creatures, but their form is not like to that of any of the creatures which men have seen; though Moses said he had seen such beings near the throne of God.' The field of investigation, however, in reference to this sacred hieroglyphic is but just entered, and the most enriching results still await the future explorer.-We now return to the material construction of these mystic appendages of the Ark. Of beaten work shalt thou make them. Heb. p mikshah, hard work shalt thou make it. Gr. xpvooropevra, golden-turned-work. This is generally explained as importing, that the Cherubim were to be beaten out with the hammer from the same solid mass of gold with the Mercy-seat, but no such meaning can be gathered from the genuine sense of the original. The term Hp mikshah, from p kashah, to be hard, implies simply that the materials of the Propitiatory and the Cherubim were to be of solid massive gold cient authority, viz., 'of the matter of the Mercy-seat.' The meaning is simply, that when finished the Cherubim should be seen shooting up from the ends of the Mercy-seat, not that they should be continuously fabricated out of the same mass by a process of beating, which in the nature of the case was absolutely impossible. Of this any man may be convinced who shall take the most plastic and malleable piece of lead, and, with no other instrument than a hammer, endeavor to work it into the shape of a human head or body, or that of a bird or beast, much more into the complex configuration of the cherub. The common interpretation of this passage respecting the formation of the mercy-seat and the Cherubims has been derived from the groundless conceits and puerile glosses of the Rabbinical critics, who wished to multiply as mnch as possible the number of miracles pertaining to their economy. 20. Covering the mercy-seat with their wings. Gr. συσκιάζοντες εν ταις πτερυξιν 21 P And thou shalt put the mercyseat above upon the ark; and 4 in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 22 And 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. t 23 ¶ Thou shalt also make a table of shittim-wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit P ch. 26. 34. 9 ver. 16. r ch. 29. 42, 43. & 30. 6. 36. Lev. 16. 2. Numb. 17. 4. s Numb. 7. 89. 1 Sam. 4. 4. 2 Sam. 6. 2. 2 Kings 19. 15. Ps. 80. 1. & 90. 1. Isai. 37. 16. t ch. 37. 10. 1 Kings 7. 48. 2 Chron. 4. 8. Hebr. 9. 2. avtwv etɩ tov iλaornpiov shadowing over the propitiatory with their wings. This word 'shadowing,' instead of 'covering,' is adopted by the apostle, Heb. 9. 5, "Over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy-seat; where it is to be noted that the phrase 'cherubims of glory' might perhaps be rendered cherubims of the glory;' i. e. the glory of the Shekinah, the luminous splendid appearance which was visibly enthroned between them, the mystery or substance of which is disclosed to us in the visions of the Apocalypse, ch. 5, where we learn that the symbol of the divine glory dwelling between the Cherubim was the hieroglyphic of the Son of God dwelling in the midst of his redeemed people, receiving their adorations and bestowing upon them the tokens of his complacency. - Shall look one to another. Heb. 13 ish el ahiv, a man | to his brother; a common Hebrew idiom for expressing the idea of our version. 22. There I will meet with thee. Heb. 73797 nöadti leka sham, I will convene with thee there. Gr. yvwo0nonpai σoi exɛilev, I will be known to thee there. Chal. 'I will appoint my Word to the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. 25 And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand-breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. 26 And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. 27 Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. 28 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim-wood, and overlay them thee there.' That is, on the mercy-seat, between the cherubim. Here the visible Glory of Jehovah was to reside and to give audience, as a sovereign on his throne, having the ark as his footstool, as it seems to be termed, Ps. 99. 5— 132. 7. From the same root with 37 nöadti, viz. yäad, to meet by appointment, comes 7 möad appointed meeting or convention, whence the Tabernacle is called ohel möad, tabernacle of Convention. See Note on Ex. 33. 7. THE TABLE OF SHEW-BREAD. 23-28. Thou shalt also make a table, &c. This part of the sacred furniture keeps up still farther the analogy with a royal palace, to which we have before adverted as pervading the entire structure of the Tabernacle. Yet a purely spiritual drift is at the same time sufficiently discernible in the typical aliment with which it was provided, and which pointed to the nourishment of the soul, and not of the body. As to the table itself, it was constructed of the same material with the Ark, viz. shittim-wood overlaid with gold. It was also furnished with rings or sta with gold, that the table may be borne with them. 29 And thou shalt make u the u ch. 37. 16. Numb. 4. 7. ples, through which were passed the staves by which it was carried, in the same way as the Ark. These staves, however, did not remain in the rings when at rest, like those of the Ark, v. 15, but were, as Josephus informs us, removed, that they might not be in the way of the priests in their weekly ministrations at the table. The table was inferior to the Ark in breadth by half a cubit; but it was of the same height, and stood lengthwise, east and west, at the north side of the Holy Place. From the obscurity of the ancient terms there is some difficulty in determining with precision the details of its form; but what we seem to learn from the text is, that the platform or surface of the table had its edges faced with a perpendicular border, or enclosure, somewhat resembling a window-frame before it is inserted into the wall of a building or the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. sashes put in. This border was to be of a hand's breadth and ornamented on its upper and lower edge with a beautiful golden cornice or moulding, which is here also, as in the case of the Ark, called a 'crown.' The upper rim of the border rose of course somewhat above the superficial level of the table, and was well adapted to prevent what was deposited thereon from falling off. The Table, as seen in the Arch of Titus at Rome, on which the spoils of the Tem ple are represented, shows but very little of the ornamental work described in the text; but this, it is supposed, was not the Table of the Tabernacle. It is generally agreed that this was among the spoils carried away by Nebuchad nezzar, and that when the Jews were restored to their own land, they made a new Table. The view given in the cut is deduced from the text. |