Are you looking for a way to help your kids understand the meaning of Easter? Check out this episode of Redeeming the Chaos.
If I described to you a creature that was part lion, part ox, part human, and part eagle, you would think I might be describing a mythical creature like a centaur or a Minotaur. But did you know there are creatures like this in the Bible?
AND, they have a lot to do with the story of Easter.
Easter is right around the corner – March 31st, 2024. If you’re looking for a new, creative way to talk about the meaning of Easter with your boys, listen in to this episode. You could maybe even listen to it together with your boys!
Cherubim in Ezekiel
So what are these strange mythical creatures described in the Bible? They’re called Cherubim. Cherubim are heavenly creatures. We find a description of them in Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 1:10-11
10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies.
Ezekiel 10:9-14
And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling beryl. … 12 And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels that the four of them had. 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing “the whirling wheels.” 14 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
We don’t know exactly what the cherubim looked like, or whether or not the descriptions of them in the Bible have a symbolic meaning to them. But Cherubim show up all throughout the Bible.
Cherubim in the Garden
We first encounter the cherubim in Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:22-24
22 Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” 23 So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
God stationed Cherubim at the entrance to the Garden of Eden to keep Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of life and living forever.
The cherubim were meant to protect Adam and Eve, but they likely saw it as a big “No Trespassing” sign. They could no longer enjoy a close relationship with God like they had in the Garden of Eden.
Cherubim & the Ark of the Covenant
Later, when the Israelites have left Egypt, God instructs them to build a tabernacle – a place where Yahweh would meet with them and they could offer sacrifices. He instructed them to build the Ark of the Covenant, where they would keep the ten commandments. He also instructed them to build a cover for the ark, called the place of atonement or the mercy seat. Look what it says in Exodus 25 about the cover for the ark: God gave these instructions to Moses.
Exodus 25:17-22
17 “Then make the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It must be 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. 18 Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover. 19 Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. 20 The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it. 21 Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark. 22 I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.
Cherubim in the Tabernacle
The ark of the covenant, the place where Moses would meet with God, was to be kept in the tabernacle, in a place called the Most Holy Place. The Most holy place was separated by a curtain, from the rest of the tabernacle.
Look at what it says in Exodus 26:
Exodus 26:31-33
31 “For the inside of the Tabernacle, make a special curtain of finely woven linen. Decorate it with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim. 32 Hang this curtain on gold hooks attached to four posts of acacia wood. Overlay the posts with gold, and set them in four silver bases. 33 Hang the inner curtain from clasps, and put the Ark of the Covenant[g] in the room behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
Did you see what was embroidered on the curtain of the temple? Cherubim!
The Hebrew people would have been familiar with this image… reminding them of the cherubim that guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden.
The cherubim were a symbol of God’s holiness and perfection. They reminded the Hebrews of their sin and separation from God. They reminded the people that God was unapproachable.
Cherubim in the Temple
Later, when King Solomon built the temple, God again instructed him to hang a large curtain between the Most Holy Place and the rest of the temple. And again, the curtain was decorated with cherubim.
We’ll get to the climax of this story in just a minute.
But first, I want to tell you about some exciting news.
Garden of Secrets — Book Two in the Dragon Slayer Bible Series
I have been working on Book Two in the Dragon Slayer Bible Series. I am currently in the end stages of edits.
I will be running a Kickstarter campaign for Book Two next month, starting April 3rd, 2024.
FOLLOW THE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN HERE.
But why am I talking about this book in the middle of an episode about Easter and Cherubim? Because, there are cherubim in the book! And there’s even a cherubim on the front cover. Learn more about the book and the series at www.DragonSlayerBible.com
Garden of Secrets takes place about 140 years after the the fall of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve’s son, Seth, tells the story, and we get a glimpse into what the world might have been like after the curse.
Just like book one, this book includes a bible-based fictional narrative, devotional readings, bible studies, and journal entries.
Here’s the blurb from the back of the book:
A mysterious prophecy. An ancient curse. An invisible dragon.
Seth’s parents had secrets they wouldn’t share with him. Why had they been kicked out of the Garden? Why had the King cursed the land? He wanted to know more. He had to find out the truth.
But finding answers to his questions would prove more challenging than he imagined.
In the second book in the Dragon Slayer Bible Series, readers will experience a world where the consequences of sin have affected every part of creation, even the animals.
Can Seth learn his parents’ secret before the dragon destroys him?
The narrative section of this book is 11 chapters (instead of just three chapters in book one). So you’ll be getting a more substantial story than the first book. Also there are more devotionals and Bible studies.
One of the bible studies dives into this topic of the significance of the cherubim. This episode is based largely on the Bible study from the book.
I can’t wait to tell you more about the book in upcoming episodes. But for now, you can FOLLOW ON KICKSTARTER. Once you’re on the Kickstarter page, click the button that says “notify me on launch.”
Okay, so let’s get back to our discussion on cherubim!
Cherubim & the Meaning of Easter
We were talking about the curtain in the temple that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple. Only the priests were allowed to go through the curtain, after much ritual cleansing, in order to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people.
That brings us up to Easter. On the day that Jesus died on the cross, the gospel writer Matthew tells us that the curtain in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
Matthew 27:50-51
50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
This is hugely significant! First of all, the fact that it tore from top to bottom indicated that this was not a natural ripping. If a human was going to rip the curtain, they would have had to start at the bottom, not the top. Clearly the hand of God was involved with this supernatural event.
The symbolism of the ripping current is incredibly exciting. Because of Jesus death, we can now enter into the Most Holy Place and come face to face with God! This idea would have been mind boggling for the Jews at that time.
When Jesus died on the cross, the penalty for sin was paid. Jesus himself was the perfect sacrifice. The priests no longer had to offer sacrifices in the presence of God for the sins of the people.
The author of the book of Hebrews helps us understand it better:
Hebrews 10:19-22
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Closing Prayer
Father, as we celebrate your death and resurrection this year, I pray that we would understand more deeply the significance of the cherubim. Thank you for offering Jesus as the perfect, final sacrifice. The penalty for our sin has been paid. Help us to fully appreciate what a privilege it is to be able enter directly into your holy presence with pure hearts and a clean conscience.
Amen.
Come and See! 30 Family Bible Stories for Easter
Don’t forget, if you haven’t yet started reading my Easter devotional book, Come and See! 30 Family Bible Stories for Easter, there is still time to download that free resource.
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