“So he drove out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24).
The purpose of the cherubim in this verse was not simply to prevent access to the tree of life, but rather, to maintain and to preserve the way of salvation—to keep God’s way always before Adam and his descendants.
The meaning of the Hebrew word “cherubim” is by no means completely certain, but one of the most logical and fitting interpretations is as follows:
“Cherub,” or “Ke–rab”; a compound word formed of two other words:
(1) “KE and (2) “RAB”.
“KE” = likeness, or appearance of…
“RAB” = multitude, host, or great number; thus it implies greatness, strength, and power.
Therefore, the cherub (or cherubim, plural) was a likeness (type, figure) of a great and mighty and glorious group of people. It reminds us of the Memorial Name, Yahweh Elohim — “He Who will be Mighty Ones.” It is the name of a God, who, through the course of history, will control events so as to develop a great multitude of men and women to bear His glory.
The plan of the Almighty called for Him first to manifest Himself in a Son —morally, and then physically. This He did in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, called “Emmanuel” — “God with us.” By his teachings and life and sacrifice, he became the “Captain of our salvation” and the “Author of our faith.” Through him, many may attain to the same oneness with God and the same glorious, immortal life.
‘Thus the cherubim signifies three distinct phases, which are all very much related — as the seed, blossom, and full flower of God’s purpose:
- The Glory Of God in His overall plan and purpose, which He had formed even before the world began, and which continues unchanged today and forever.
- The Glory Of God manifested in His Son, Jesus — which is the fulfillment of the Law given to Moses, in many of its types and shadows:
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
This Jesus, strengthened by God although still a man prone to our temptations, was able to win victory over sin and death, and thus to become the perfect sacrifice to which the Mosaic sacrifices pointed:
“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin (that is, by a sacrifice for sin), condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). - The Glory Of God, to be manifested at last in the Multitudinous Body of Christ. God will at last accomplish the making of this One Body because He has always maintained, or preserved, the Way Of The Tree Of Life, rather than denying access to it. A glorious promise of this third phase of the cherubim is found in Rev. 5:9, 10, where the four living creatures and twenty-four elders stand before the throne of the Lamb and sing a New song:
“Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.”
Cherubim (this is the proper form of the plural) were always associated with any form of true ceremonial worship. They were present in the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exod. 25), in Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6), and in the description of Ezekiel’s millennial temple (Ezek. 41:18). Because they are emblems of the all–pervasive doctrine of God–manifestation, cherubim are mentioned throughout the Bible.
It is true that Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden and were not allowed to eat of the tree of life. But this does not mean that the WAY to the tree of life was closed. The fact that God instituted the ordinance of sacrifice immediately after the first sin (Gen. 3:21) shows that He was taking remedial steps to keep the way open. Adam and Eve were driven out and barred from the pleasures of life in the garden by some supernatural means. But the Cherubim in Scripture is never employed in such a way as to prevent salvation, but always instead to illustrate its principles. Its placement east of the Garden, as we shall see, was not to hinder Adam and all his sons —but to help them.
The cherubim, and the flaming sword, at the east of the Garden of Eden, brought the Presence Of God to Adam and his family — who apparently had not migrated very far from their first home. The statement that his sons brought offerings unto the Lord (Ch. 4:3, 4) certainly implies that there was, even at such an early time, one customary place to meet and commune with God.
When Cain had murdered his brother, he was driven away by God. We are told that “Cain went out from the presence of the Lord” — showing that previously he must have in some way been in the presence of God. Cain expressed his plight in this way:
“From thy (God’s) face shall I be hid” (Gen. 3:14, 16).
The word “face” in this verse is actually the plural, “faces,” in the original (Elpis Israel, P. 148) In Hebrew, as the note on that page explains, the word “faces” (plural) is always used, even when it seems a singular word might be better. But in this fourteenth verse, the plurality of the Hebrew word is certainly appropriate, implying as it does that Cain’s reference is to the Cherubim (which always have a plurality of faces.)
It is a common Bible teaching that, no matter where else God might be — and His Spirit is indeed everywhere—His nearest and most personal presence is in the Cherubim:
“Give ear, 0 Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dost inhabit the cherubim, shine forth” (Psa. 80:1).
“The Lord reigneth: let the people tremble: he inhabits the cherubim; let the earth be moved” (Psa. 99:1).
“And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony . ..” (Exod. 25:22).
Here, to the Cherubim east of the Garden of Eden, it was probably the custom (at least in most of the period before the flood) for worshipers to bring offerings. Only after the flood does the Bible reveal that such men as Noah and Abraham built their own altars where-ever it suited their purpose.
” . . . I think it is a fair inference, that the flaming sword in Eden was applied . . . to flash forth its fire for the consumption of the sacrifices offered by the family of Adam before the Lord.” (Elpis Israel, P. 153). Other Scriptures give the same picture, of God as a flaming fire (Deut. 4:24), consuming by His Spirit acceptable sacrifices brought before Him (Lev. 9:24; Cp. Num. 6:24-26).
Typical of many passages concerning ordinary sacrifices is Lev. 1:9—
“. . . The priest shall burn all (the ‘parts,’ head, and fat—v. 8) on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.”
The offerings of the priests were separated very finely, revealing the “marrow” (Heb. 4:12), or the most inner recesses of the sacrifice. This was to insure that the consuming fire of God would more easily reach all parts of the animal. In the same way, we must use the word of God as a sword (Heb. 4:12), to open ourselves to God, learning to direct our most inner thoughts and ambitions toward doing His will. We are commanded to present our bodies as “living sacrifices, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable (reasoning, rational) service” (Rom. 12:2). Only from the word of God, from His commands and precepts, can we learn the acceptable forms of sacrifice.
If we bring the wrong offerings before God, then these will be judged by the “word of God” in the person of Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:13), who will be able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. And if our sacrifice is unacceptable, then will we hear the words,
“Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.”
These are the principles of service to God which we see typically in the sacrifices of Cain and Abel: Abel’s proper sacrifice — offered in the proper frame of mind, with humility and knowledge—was accepted, and probably the flame of the Cherubim came forth to consume it. This is the type of action for which the Psalmist prays:
“Thou that dwellest in the cherubim, shine forth. Turn us again, 0 God, and cause thy face (again Heb., “thy faces”) to shine; and we shall be saved” (Psa. 80:1, 3).
The fiery light of God’s glory shone forth to infold Abel’s sacrifice.
But Cain did not fare so well as his brother, and deservedly so. His offering was not according to God’s prescriptions; that is, it did not require the shedding of blood, and “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22). Certainly, as later events seem to show, Cain did not offer his sacrifice in the proper spirit either, being proud and boastful instead of humble and careful. And thus God’s fire and brightness did not shine forth as they had to Abel before.
“And Cain went out from the presence (laces”, the Cherubim) of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod (‘exile’—from root ‘to flee away, to disappear’)” (Gen. 4:16).
Here, for all time, was the beginning of the two ways. One way was the way of death — which Cain took; the other was the way of the tree of life,” which was preserved and presided over by the Cherubim. Of Cain,
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov. 14 :12 ) . of Abel,
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in thy presence (“faces”) is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psa. 16:11).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One