Exodus 25 Footnotes

It seems clear that God never intended to prohibit people from making things of carved wood or molded metal. If so, how could people build houses or make tools? What was prohibited was the fashioning of items intended as objects of worship. The ornately decorated ark of the covenant was not an idol; it was a throne or footstool for the living God (Nm 7:89; 1Sm 4:4; Ps 80:1). Thus, it was permissible to adorn the ark with the golden cherubim. Similar figures were used in other ancient Near Eastern cultures to signify the presence and authority of a ruler.