“He parted the heavens and came down; thick darkness lay under his feet. He flew on the back of a cherub; he swooped on the wings of the wind.” (Psalm 17:10)
In India it is said that each one of the Hindu gods and goddesses has their carrier. Vishnu has the eagle Garuda, Siva has the bull Nandi, Ganesh has the mouse, Kali the tiger, Yama the buffalo, Saraswati the peacock. That is why I venture an ecumenical smile when I find in a corner of the Bible that Yahweh also has his own carrier. And that is a cherub.
They are the cherubim of the Arc, golden witnesses before the throne of majesty, sanctuary of worship where Yahweh sits in solemn dignity before his royal court, and where all the prayers of Israel are directed:
“Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock. Shine forth, as you sit enthroned on the cherubim. Leading Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, rouse your might and come to our rescue.” (Psalm 79: 2-3)
Yahweh sits between cherubim, and when he wants to move, in the limited but legitimate understanding of our imagination, he makes use of the cherubim throne as of a royal chariot. This is the majestic vision of the prophet Ezekiel:
“The glory of the Lord left the temple terrace and halted above the cherubim. They spread their wings and raised themselves from the ground; I watched them go with the wheels beside them. They halted at the eastern gateway of the Lord’s house, with the glory of the God of Israel over them.” (Ezekiel 10:18-19)
God is everywhere. He knows everything and sees everything. He doesn’t need to move as he fills all space. We know that and he knows it too. But we like to let our imagination free, and apparently he likes us to do that too, and so we draw pictures and invent metaphors and sing verses and put a touch of colour to his revelations and wings to his presence. I thank the Lord for allowing me to imagine him flying on a cherub. The angels love it too. Transportation angels. |
