The Holy’s Dwelling Place

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Psalm 99:1  NKJV

“He dwells between the cherubim;”

1.      The cherubims. These were figures, or representations of angels, inclining their faces one towards the other, and touching one another with their wings. Ex 25:18. The use of these was to cover or overshadow the mercyseat with their wings, Ex 25:20, and from this seat God used to speak unto Moses, Ex 25:22; Nu 7:8-9. Which may be applied unto Christ, whose mediation was signified by the mercyseat; whence it is said, that he is a propitiation or covering mercyseat, Ro 3:25 1Jo 2:2 4:10, because by his obedience all our unrighteousness is covered. Thomas Wilson(-1621), in "A Complete Christian Dictionary, "1678.

2.      The Lord's people do not worship an unknown God, they know who he is, and where to find him; to wit, in his ordinances, on the throne of grace, reconciling himself to the world in Christ: He sitteth between the cherubims. David Dickson.

The Treasury of David, Vol. IV, C.H. Spurgeon, page 390

The Christian’s activity in worship is determined by his understanding of God.  His worship will always be about what he understands as primary.  If the holy Triune God is first, then He will be the sole object of worship.  If the one who worships seeks to satisfy himself the result will be some kind of personal experience.  There is a defining distinction.  One comes to worship to “get” or to “give”.  The true worshiper comes to “give”.

Exodus 25:18-22 describes the cherubim and their place in the holy place of worship.  Exodus 25:20 is the statement of the perpetual contemplation of the cherubim.  They are set before us that we understand, throughout all ages, the mercy seat is the supreme object of their concern.

Isaiah, in chapter six, tells of their activity, their concern, and their message.  Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty.  The whole earth is filled with His glory.  It is enough for us to know this information. 

We are further informed in John 12:41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.  We know the mercy seat is the single object of the cherubim’s interest.  We know the occupant of the mercy seat is the pre-incarnate Christ.

We can now say our worship of the Holy Triune God is directed, as was the cherubim in Isaiah, to Christ.  He who is the “image of the invisible God” is to be the object of our worship because in Him “all the fullness of the God-head dwells”.

There is a further bit of information on this matter in I Peter 1:12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.  These inquiring angels, it seems, have either a great mystery to interest them, or a truly wondrous subject to study.  We do well to appreciate the depth of the wonder that is their study, the preached gospel.

Worshipers are those who have heard and believed “the glorious gospel of Christ”.  They alone are alive to all the wonders of the mercy and grace of God revealed in the mercy seat where the Son of God dwells.

No worship will truly satisfy God or the worshiper but that which finds completion in the object of worship.  The subject is of consequence only as he finds himself among the myriads of saints and angels described in Rev. 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

To be continued…