Cherubic Israel

In his discussion of the four creatures of Revelation 4, Davis notes the connections between the faces and the four principal tribes of Israel: Judah/Lion, Reuben/Man, Ephraim/Ox, and Dan/Eagle (serpent). He adds, “Scholars who link these insignias with the forces of nature are probably at least partially correct. The insignias of lion, man, ox, and eagle represent the general categories (wild animals, man, domesticated animals, and birds) of all the animal kingdom . . . .therefore they may serve, in a broad sense, as throne guardians for the entire earth. In this sense, the whole earth (all of God’s creation) would be his sanctuary/temple.”

Davis is right, I think, and one of the intriguing aspects of this is the fact that there is a large class of creatures left out – fish and other sea creatures. The faces of the cherubim are the faces of land creatures (birds fly over the face of the firmament, but don’t live in the sky). In a cosmic setting, we have heaven, earth/cherubim, and abyss; in a political setting, we have Yahweh, cherubic Israel, and the sea of nations. In the new covenant, the living creatures cede their place to the land-and-sea people of the church.