The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. The outstretched wings create a canopy over the mercy seat — an arch of created reverence over the place of atonement. The facing toward each other with eyes toward the cover means their entire orientation is toward the space between them, the space where God will speak. The wings that spread upward and the eyes that look down create an enclosure of focused attention: everything converges on the mercy seat. 1 Peter 1:12 says even angels long to look into these things — the cherubim bent over the mercy seat and looking toward it embody the angelie posture of desire to understand the mystery of the atonement.

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