Now that construction on the Tabernacle is underway, it’s also time to start building the furniture and accessories that will go behind its curtains. Bezalel and Oholiab are responsible for that, too. Exodus 37 begins by talking about it’s most famous feature: the Ark of the Covenant.
If you’re of a certain age, the first thing that most likely comes to your mind is the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where the Nazis lift the lid (for some reason), angels explode out of the top, and kill everyone that happens to have their eyes opened. One guy’s face even melts off.
As dramatic (and ridiculous) as that scene is, it does emphasize how seriously the Israelites thought of the Ark. With the exception of the time it was transported to Jerusalem on the back of an ox cart and Uzzah reached out to keep it from falling (2 Samuel 6:3), every scene with the Ark is one of honor and reverence.
I wonder if Bezalel and Oholiab knew about any of that when they built the Ark. According to what we read in Scripture, their hands were the last human hands to lay hold of it without dying. What an honor for those two men.
Stationed on the top of the Ark was what’s called the mercy seat—so named because it was where God dispensed mercy. Once a year, the High Priest would enter, sprinkle some blood on the altar, and God would forgive the sins of the people.
On either side of the Ark were two cherubim, whose wings fully covered the mercy seat. From elsewhere in Scripture, we know that cherubim are a specific rank of angels who attend God’s throne. As such, it makes total sense that they would be included on the seat where God dwelt during worship.
But this isn’t the only place we see the cherubim flanking the presence of God. As a matter of fact, we see this exact same image take place in the New Testament—and no, I’m not talking about in the book of Revelation.
In John 20:12, Mary runs to the tomb and looks for the body of Jesus. When she peeks inside, she doesn’t see a body. Instead, she sees two angels: One sitting at the head of the bench where Jesus was placed, and the other at the feet.
Even though it’s not the Ark, we can confidently characterize the tomb of Jesus as a “mercy seat.” It’s not where He died, but where He came back to life. It’s His spot of resurrection that promises us eternal life. Outside of the Cross, the empty tomb is the most visible reminder of the mercy God gave to us.
I’ll be the first to say that I don’t understand everything about angels (who does?). But what I do know is that when you see two angels sitting in any place, God isn’t far behind. And where God is, mercy can always be found.
