Exodus 25:22

“And there I will meet with thee, etc.] With Moses, and so with the high priest in later times, when he should enter into the holy of holies, and with the people of God as represented by him, when he should go in and inquire for them of the Lord: and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim; converse with him and them about whatsoever they should apply unto him for, these being the symbols of the divine presence: hence the Lord is frequently described as “dwelling between the cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony”; that is, which cherubim are upon it, being on the mercy seat, which was the cover of it; or rather “which is upon” f766, which…”

“there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat--The Shekinah, or symbol of the Divine Presence, rested on the mercy seat, and was indicated by a cloud, from the midst of which responses were audibly given when God was consulted on behalf of His people. Hence God is described as "dwelling" or "sitting" between the cherubim.”

“A mercy seat of pure gold - (Compare Exodus 37:6-9.) In external form, the mercy-seat was a plate of gold with the cherubim standing on it, the whole beaten out of one solid piece of metal Exodus 37:7; it was placed upon the ark and so took the place of a cover. “mercy” seat expresses well the distinct significance and recognized designation of the Hebrew name. Exodus 25:18-20 The cherubim of the mercy-seat were human figures, each having two wings. They must have been of small size, proportioned to the area of the mercy-seat. Comparing the different references to form in this place, in 2 Samuel 22:11 Psalms 18:10, in Ezekiel 1:0; Ezekiel 10:0 and in Revelation 4:1-11, it would appear that…”

“25:22 I will meet with you there: The Ark was located in the innermost part of the sanctuary (26:33), which was in effect God’s throne room (see study note on Lev 16:2). In a comparable pagan sanctuary, one would find an idol in this location. The Tabernacle had no idol, only a box that physically represented the covenant faithfulness and grace of God. God meets his people in that context, not in the context of idolatry. An idol reflects the belief that a deity is continuous with the created order and that it can be manipulated with the right ritual. It assumes that we can secure blessings from the deity without regard to our own character or commitment. But God is completely distinct from…”

“and I will: Exo 20:24, Exo 30:6, Exo 30:36, Exo 31:18; Gen 18:33; Lev 1:1, Lev 16:2; Num 7:89, Num 17:4; Deu 5:26-31; Jdg 20:27 between: Exo 29:42, Exo 29:43, Exo 31:6; Sa1 4:4; Sa2 6:2; Kg2 19:15; Psa 80:1, Psa 90:1, Psa 99:1; Isa 37:16 Exodus 25:23”