“Inside the sanctuary,
he made two k’ruvim of olive wood,
each seventeen-and-a-half feet high.”
-1 Kings 6:23
In verse 23, we’re told about the creation of two mysterious creatures called K’RUVIM or CHERUBIM in English.
Now I’ve got a news flash for you homies.
CHERUBIM are NOT angels.
Yes, cherubim are heavenly beings.
But Scripture never calls them angels.
I know many Christian homies willy-nilly label cherubim as angels because they serve God in heaven.
But when you look closely at the Bible, you’ll notice they’re presented as a separate category of heavenly creatures.
What do I mean?
FIRST, cherubim are never directly called angels.
The Bible mentions angels (Hebrew: malak, meaning “messenger”), but cherubim are described separately.
For instance:
In Genesis 3:24, God places cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life.
In Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10, cherubim are described as extraordinary living creatures supporting God’s throne.
In Exodus 25:18-22, cherubim are represented on the Ark of the Covenant.
Yet, none of these passages calls them angels.
SECOND, cherubim have a unique appearance.
The cherubim described by the prophet Ezekiel are very different from the angels who appear to humans as messengers.
Ezekiel’s cherubim have four faces, four wings, hands beneath their wings, and they are closely associated with God’s throne.
By comparison, angels sent to people often appear as men and can sometimes be mistaken for ordinary humans.
THIRD, seraphim and cherubim appear to be different groups.
In Isaiah 6, the seraphim are described around God’s throne.
They have six wings and seem to be dedicated to praising God’s holiness.
Again, Scripture does not identify them as angels, but as a separate class of heavenly beings.
FOURTH, the word “angel” describes a function.
The Hebrew word for angel means “messenger.”
Not every heavenly being is described as a messenger.
Cherubim are primarily shown guarding holy places, supporting God’s throne, or manifesting God’s glory.
So even if cherubim belong to the heavenly host, their role differs from that of angels who deliver messages.
FINALLY, Satan may have originally been a CHERUB.
In Ezekiel 28:14, the “anointed cherub that covers” is mentioned.
There is debate over whether this passage refers only to the king of Tyre or also has a secondary reference to Satan.
Those who see a reference to Satan often point out that he is called a cherub, not an angel.
If that’s the case, the SATAN (or the “adversary” in Hebrew) ain’t a fallen angel after all!
Which seems to be the prevalent notion in Gentile thought.
Anyway, back to the text.
Now, this wasn’t the first time God’s people used cherubim.
Recall that the lid of the Ark of the Covenant had two cherubim on it.
But Solomon decided to take things to the next freakin’ level.
Instead of small cherubim on the Ark, he had two giant cherubim sculpted and placed inside the Most Holy Place.
Each cherub had a wingspan of 10 cubits from one tip to the other.
This was half the width of the Most Holy Place.
The two cherubim were set up so their wings touched in the middle.
One outer wing touched one wall, the other outer wing touched the opposite wall, and their inner wings met in the center.
Then verse 29 zooms out from the Most Holy Place and talks about the Temple as a whole.
It turns out that Cherubim weren’t only found in the inner room.
Carvings of cherubim were also worked into the wood panels throughout the Temple.
They were all over the freakin’ place!
There’s an important takeaway here.
Don’t you find it interesting that the Cherubim became the main attraction of the room instead of the Ark of the Covenant?
This is kind of bordering on idolatry, don’t you think?
It’s kind of how Christians make their Jesus God in place of the Father.
It’s easier than we think to let something take God’s place in our lives.
We may tell ourselves we’re doing it for God, but little by little, that thing becomes more important than God Himself.
It could be a career, a house, a hobby, a spouse, or even our kids that we love to show off to the world whenever we attend social events.
Don’t get me wrong.
Those things can be blessings from God.
The problem starts when we make those things more important to us than the One who gave them to us.
Ya feel me?
So don’t make the horse before the cart!
Did I use that phrase right?
Ah, who cares?
Done.
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