Angels in the house of the Lord

I read 1 Kings 6 last night and the love of God and His angels for His people were demonstrated in this scripture. Firstly, the two larger than life cherubims represented the presence of the Lord covering His people.  David said in Ps 91: 1 that the Lord covers those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High.  The secret place of the Most High is called the oraclein the chapter and is translated as the holy of holies (1  Kings 6:19).  Solomon’s temple was a large replica of the temple that God told Moses to build in the wilderness and points us to the temple of God in heaven  (Rev 15: 5). The ark which the cherubims cover is Jesus the ark of our salvation, represented in a figure by Noah’s ark in the flood (1 Pet 3: 20,21).

Pay attention to Solomon’s choice of wood from which these two cherubims were made. He used olive wood to represent the continual flow of the anointing in the presence of God. Zechariah saw these two cherubims and symbolically called them the two olive trees while the angel instructing him called them the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth  (Zech 4: 1-4, 11-14). 

Zechariah also saw in his vision:

“… a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each one having seven spouts with wicks

And I see two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl

Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand?”

“Don’t you know?” the angel asked. “No, my lord,” I replied.

 and what are the two olive branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?”

Don’t you know?” he asked. “No, my lord,” I replied.

Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zech 4: 1-4; 11-14).

 The visions of sevens

Jesus is the bowl out of which the oil flows in Zechariah. He is  revealed  when John saw Him as:

• the One in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks (Rev 1: 12, 13).
• the Lamb in the midst of the throne with 7 horns and 7 eyes (Rev 5: 6).

There is much truth hidden in these scriptures. The pattern of the heavenly was represented in the earth by the figures in Solomon’ s temple (as well as Moses’). God dwells not only in physical temples but in the temples of His people. We are His beloved and He covers us with His presence when we seek Him.

I hope that these paltry words will inspire you to worship the God of the earth who covers us and dwells in us. Blessings!

NB: find the two olive trees again in Rev 11