They stood East of Eden. The cherubim had been stationed by God to guard the way to the tree of life with a flaming, whirling sword. They were guardians to the throne of God. The cherubim were a protective bearer of God's holines. When God made a way for us to eat of the tree of life and come boldly to His throne the angels desired to look into these things.
When God sent His angels with a message to men it often resuled in the one who received the message being filled with fear. But when Elisha's servant was afraid of the army and the horses and chariots that surrounded them Elisha prayed that the man's eyes would be opened. "Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."(2Kings 6:17) The angels of God were more fear inspiring than any army of men. These angelic beings, who caused fear in the hearts of men, longed to look into the salvation God had prepared for those who had been created lower than themselves.
"The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. "(Psalm 99:1) The cherubim had been with Jesus in His preincarnate state. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. And then they came to minister to him after he had been tempted in the wilderness by a fallen angel. They were there in the garden to minister to their Lord the night before he gave his life as a sacrifice for sinful men. These same angels longed to look into this gospel that had been sent down from Heaven.
When man sinned God drove him out of the garden of Eden, "He stationed cherubim with a flaming, whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life."(Genesis 3:24) There were two golden cherubim in the two ends of the mercy seat. "And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; towards the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be."(Exodus 25:21) I wonder were the golden cherubim representative of the two angels Mary saw sitting one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus' body had been lying. The angels who had longed to look into this salvation asked the question, "Woman, why are you crying?"
Lord Jesus, the cherubim were stationed at the mercy seat where once a year the high priest came to make atonement for sin with the blood of a sacrifice. The cherubim were at the empty grave, witnesses to the sacrifice you made for sinful man and the blood you sprinkled on heaven's mercy seat. They long to look into the salvation I have received. Open my eyes and let me see my salvation from their perspective.
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