Today God speaks to us in Christ as the place where God meets with man.
In Num. 7:89, when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with God, He heard the voice speaking to him from above the expiation cover that was upon the Ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim, and there he spoke with God.
It is very important to know the location, the place, and the condition where we can speak with God and have His speaking.
For us to contact God and know God, we need to draw near to Him and come forward to Him based on the blood of Jesus Christ, the One who has paid the price for us to contact God and know God.
However, our degree of fellowship with God, that is, the degree to which we are closer to God, varies from person to person; as we see in Exo. 24:15-18, there are at least three levels or degrees of closeness to God.
First, Moses was up there on the mountaintop, and he was in God’s glory; he saw God, he spoke with God, he had God’s speaking, and the desire of God’s heart was infused into him, with the result that he got clear instructions concerning the tabernacle and the offerings, the way God ordained for His people to come to Him.
The second level is Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel, who were half-way up the mountain; they saw the glory of God above them, yet they ate and drank, and they did not die.
Finally, the third level is at the bottom of the mountain, where the majority of the people were; they were standing and watching from afar in fear and trembling, and what they saw and heard were thunders, clouds, and lightning.
These three levels correspond to the three sections of the tabernacle: the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies.
In our experience today we are somewhere on the way to the top of the mountain, and we are where we are by the grace of God; our aspiration is to come closer to God, to be intimate with Him, and to have His speaking, the revealing of His heart, and His economy being infused into us.
It is futile for us to try to compare our degree of growth in life with others; what we need to do is keep coming forward to the Lord, based upon the blood of Christ, and contact Him again and again.
We shouldn’t wait until we “feel better” or our mood changes, but as soon as we are aware, we simply need to turn to the Lord, apply the precious blood of Christ, and come forward to God.
And we shouldn’t analyse ourselves or try to introspect to see where are we, at the bottom of the mountain, in the middle, or at the top; we should be what we are, come forward to the Lord, and let Him take us on with Him little by little and day by day.
Hearing God’s Speaking in Christ as the Glorious and Shining Place where God Meets with Man
The principle in Exo. 24 with Moses on the mountaintop under God’s glory receiving commandments from God is the same as that in Num. 7:89, which concerns Moses speaking with God in the Tent of Meeting.
After he made the offering, Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with God, and he heard the voice speaking to him from above the expiation cover that was upon the Ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim, and he spoke with God. Here, in this particular place, there was a conversation between man and God, and Moses (a man) could hear God’s voice.
How wonderful that Moses was one with God to such an extent that he could have a conversation with God!
In the Holy of Holies there’s the Ark of the Testimony; the top or lid of the ark is pure gold, with a kind of border around it, resembling a crown.
In the Old Testament terminology this is the expiation cover, where the blood was applied by the high priest. In the New Testament in Hebrews it is called the propitiation cover.
As one piece with this golden lid were the two cherubim, who were spiritual beings, angels that were very close to God being associated with the glory of God and manifesting the glory of God; in Heb. 9:5 they are called the cherubim of glory.
It is here, between the two cherubim, that the Lord is enthroned, and it is from here that He speaks.
When we enter into the Holy of Holies by exercising our spirit, we are in the glory; we are standing on Christ as the place where redeemed sinner meet with God without fear, for the blood which redeems us is the basis.
It is here that God can come forth – without violating any of His attributes – to meet with man intimately, and we can meet with God intimately, face to face. Here, in the glory, we are standing on Christ as the place; here the Lord shines, and in this shining He speaks.
We need to enter into our mingled spirit as the reality of the Holy of Holies today, and there we are in glory, we meet God on Christ who accomplished propitiation for us, and on Him we meet with God, the glory shines, and the shining speaks!
When we see this this, there will be a longing in us, for we realise that we can have this experience today – today we can come boldly here, for the way is open to us! Amen!
The expiation cover signifies Christ as the place where God meets with His redeemed people and speaks with them in grace.
The cherubim of glory on the expiation cover signify God’s glory (see Ezek. 10:18) and are called, “cherubim of glory” in Heb. 9:5; thus, the cherubim on the expiation cover indicate that Christ expresses God’s glory (see John 1:14).
Where do we meet with God? It is on the lid of the ark, between the cherubim; the ark is a type of Christ, the lid is a type of Christ, so we meet with God in and on a person, which is Christ!
The two cherubim were of one piece with the expiation cover; this indicates that God’s glory shines out from Christ and upon Christ as the expiation cover to be a testimony (see Exo. 25:19; cf. John 1:14; 2 Cor. 4:4, 6).
This is the place where the glory shines, and this is where we should be; in Christ and on Christ we have God’s shining, His testimony, and we get to know who He is, what’s in His heart, what is His will, what is His move, and what He wants to do.
Upon Christ and with Christ, there is the manifestation of God, which is the glory of God, and this manifestation as the glory of God is the testimony of God.
The cherubim and the expiation cover were made of pure gold; this signifies that the shining of Christ as the effulgence of God’s glory is divine (Exo. 25:17-18; Heb. 1:3). The Christ on whom we meet to contact God is shining – He is full of glory!
Lord, we come forward to You based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ to meet with You and have fellowship with You. Thank You for providing us a way to come to You – the sacrifice of Christ who has met all Your demands. Thank You for providing a place where we can have Your speaking – the Christ who expresses God in glory and who has become the meeting place of God and man. Amen, Lord, we want to come forward to the Holy of Holies to meet God on the propitiation of Christ, and have fellowship with God in Christ and on Christ as the expiation place and in the glory of God!
God as our Shepherd is Enthroned between the Cherubim and from there He Shines Forth
The Bible is wonderful – only God could have written such a book, for there’s no “doctrine of the propitiation” where we are told everything in one place, but here and there, a bit here and a bit there, portions in the word show us a certain spiritual reality.
In Exo. 24 we see the expiation place and in Psa. 80:1 we read that He is enthroned between the cherubim, and from there He shines forth.
Then in Psa. 99:1 we see that when we’re here, meeting with Christ in glory and upon Christ as the meeting place, He shines on us, God is enthroned, He is reigning, and we are recovered back to the direct rule of God.
Jehovah, the Shepherd of Israel, was enthroned between the cherubim, and from there He shined forth (see Psa. 80:1; 99:1; 1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2).
Before sin came in, in the garden of Eden, man was in God’s direct presence; he didn’t know good or evil – he just knew God. After sin came in, man fell, and he was no longer under the direct rule of God but under the direction of the conscience. That was an age of the conscience, with no human rule.
But the vast majority of the human race fell from the conscience to lawless and violence, so that whole generation was destroyed except Noah. After Noah came out of the ark, human government was started, as indicated by God’s word that, if man shed human blood, by man his blood be shed.
Today we are under the human government, and many still have problems obeying them. Once we are regenerated and born into God’s kingdom, a recovery process begins. First, we need to clear out past, make things right with human government, and then grow in life to advance.
As we grow in the divine life and advance in our experience of life, we exercise our conscience to have it void of offense.
However, many believers stop here for the rest of their life – they care only for their conscience in a certain way, and they end up not being God-men but good, ethical, and moral human beings, half-recovered to the rule of God.
As we pass through the third stage of the experience of life and experience the cross, the divine life grows in us to make us aware of the Body of Christ, we experience ascension and reigning in life, and we are recovered back to the direct rule of God.
This is what Moses experienced and this is what we also will experience, even as the Psalmist did and said, Lord, You who are enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth!
The Lord wants to bring us here, in glory, standing in Christ as the place of meeting between God and man, and here the God of glory shines forth while we are touching the throne; here He reigns over us directly. This is how the Lord will lead us, His army, into battle, through His representatives.
Lord Jesus, we enthrone You in our being; we want to deal with anything that our conscience points out, and we want to advance until we are under the direct rule of God. Amen, Lord Jesus, bring us on with You in the experience of the divine life until we are not merely ruled by our conscience but by the direct rule of God, being in God’s presence and living one spirit with the Lord. Oh Lord, our Shepherd who is enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth in us, in all our being, and through us, to all those around us!
Read this article / blog post in Romanian – puteți citi acest articol și în limba română la următorul link – Dumnezeu ne vorbește în Cristos ca locul glorios și strălucitor în care Dumnezeu se întâlnește cu omul.
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ron Kangas for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Exodus, msgs. 80, 178 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallisation-Study of Numbers (1), week 8, God’s Speaking from between the Cherubim of Glory.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Precious blood that hath redeemed us! / All the price is paid; / Perfect pardon now is offered, / Peace is made. / Now the holiest with boldness / We may enter in; / For the open fountain cleanseth / From all sin. (Hymns #1004)
# He ever lives above / For me to intercede, / His all-redeeming love, / His precious blood to plead. / His blood was shed for all our race, / And sprinkles now the throne of grace. (Hymns #300)
# In the holiest place, touch the throne of grace, / Grace as a river shall flow; / In the holiest place, touch the throne of grace, / Grace as a river shall flow. (Hymns #770)
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