spiritual battle, Cherubim Decorations (Ex.25-26)

In God's description of how Moses was to have the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat built for the temple, part of the specifications were this...

(Exodus 25: 17-22)  “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. 18 You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. 20 The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. 22 There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

As well, the curtain that separated the people from the "holy of holies" also had cherubim decorations on it, maybe to indicate how close one would be to God - a heavenly experience...

(Exodus 26:31-35)  “You shall make a veil of [blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 32 You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also being of gold, on four sockets of silver. 33 You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies. 34 You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies.

From this we see:
- the cherubim (angel) must be very beautiful
- the cherubim are guardians of some sort

Personal experience: when I consider the beauty and magnificence that we can see in nature, one can only speculate how beautiful and extraordinarily fierce angels must look.  And then to consider how much more magnificent God is - would be so beyond one's imagination!!!

Today's takeaway: we see in Exodus chapters 36 and 37 that the Israelites followed through on the specified details.  They would have been given divine inspiration in order to create these works of art. 

Obviously God is not opposed to art, in and of itself.  We are created in God's image, and God is Creator.  I believe that we are all artists of different and various mediums.  Some are experts in the art of managing an office, or the art of sales, or the art of... (you get the idea).  And then there's the classic sense of "art"!

Therefore we should be careful in our attitudes of how various people express their appreciation to God through art, music and dance;  to never discourage the process, but to encourage!  The "classics" can be long-lasting, but God does not want us to get stuck in a rut and remain satisfied with the same-old-same-old - but keep developing and creating and exercising our gifts and talents in new ways to His expansive glory...

(Psalm 33:1-3)  Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; praise is becoming to the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.

(1 Chronicles 15:16)  Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives the singers, with instruments of music, harps, lyres, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.

(Proverbs 31:10)  An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.  (13)  She looks for wool and flax and works with her hands in delight.  (21-22) She is not afraid of the snow for her household,

For all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.  (24)  She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies belts to the tradesmen.

(Exodus 35:35)  He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.

(1 Corinthians 12:4-7)  Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

(1 Peter 4:10-11)  As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so [h]as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

(Philippians 4:8-9)  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

(1 Corinthians 16:14)  Let all that you do be done in love.