Exodus 25 - Graven Cherubs

I remember well the first time I read Exodus how endless the reading became once I reached the instructions on the building of the Ark of the Covenant. But now I'm seeing it differently. The length and detail of the instructions given to Moses should tell us something -- the information was of the utmost importance. Every item, every direction, had a purpose. It was symbolic and yet real. Everything was geared toward complete reverence. The color of the linen, the dimensions of the table, the number of candles, etc. God knows (of course) that we are physical beings as well as spiritual ones, and so he specifically caters to both our aspects. The ceremonial aspect of worship is much needed, as we are moved by our senses, not just our minds. Our soul is satiated by the spiritual nature of adoring God, but our body is satiated by the ritualistic nature of worship -- thus the meticulous attention to detail when describing how the Ark of the Covenant ought to appear and function. For this was the sanctuary that was to house the Divine Presence of God; its physical image mattered a great deal.

And one other issue of note: in Exodus 25, part of God's instructions on how to build the Ark contained this demand: "Thou shalt make also two cherubims of beaten gold, on the two sides of the oracle" (Exodus 25:18). Cherubims are angelic beings, and so this required crafting figures of gold to be part of the adornments used during worship. In essence, God was calling for graven images. Yet, God had just finished telling Moses that the people are forbidden to create graven likenesses, right? Well, I think Exodus 25 shows us that God's command against graven images was not a condemnation of all images. Keeping within the context of the First Commandment (as I had previously written about), God forbids us to create likenesses of strange gods for the purpose of worshipping them. Clearly God doesn't intend for these golden angels on the Ark to be worshipped; He requires them because of their symbolic power. Statues of saints and angels today still hold this symbolic power. The golden Cherubim were meant to support the presence of God and turn the eyes of the Israelites upwards to heaven. Pictures, sculptures, and images of Mary and the saints are meant to serve the same purpose.