Ezekiel 1:1-28 The Vision

             Ezekiel 1:1–3 (ESV) —

1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

 

•  We will start with the date, and specifically the 30th year. There are a number of possibilities
• It is the thirtieth year of exile -- that does not fit with other chronologies
• Ezekiel is 30 years old
• Rabbis interpreted it as 30 years since the year of Jubilee
• It also lines up with the discovery of the law and the cleanup of the Temple by Josiah (622)
• It is the fifth year of exile of King Jehoiachin, so that would by 592/593
• The actual date is in July 593 but it is hard to pin down … Hebrew Calendar (cgsf.org)
• One argument for Ezekiel's age is that the 30th year is when a priest officially begins his ministry. But where is the temple? Back in the promised land
• And what is the purpose of these verses?
• To introduce God's call to Ezekiel through a vision
• Ezekiel is to be a prophet, not just a priest
• And what is the over-riding message of the vision?

Ezekiel 1:28b (ESV) — … Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

• The vision concerns the glory of God

 

Ezekiel 1:4–14, 22-25 (ESV) —

4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal. 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6 but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12 And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

 

• The setting is important, what do we see?
• A thunderstorm from the North
• When has God used a similar entrance?
• Job 38:1 and 40:6
• Elijah 1 Kings 19:11-13
• David Ps 29:3-5
• Moses and the giving of the Law, Exo 19:6-8
• The storm from the North could be a metaphor of Babylon as it came upon Israel
• It was not Babylon
• It was God
• The next part of the vision is the four living creatures
• Most believe these creatures are Cherubim
• Cooper comments,

"These angelic creatures were divinely appointed guardians of the holiness of God. Their mission was to prevent anything unholy from coming into the presence of a holy God. They were indicators of the presence of Yahweh, the holy God of Israel, in the storm cloud."

• Guard the entrance to the Garden of Eden after man became sinful
• Embroidered on the curtain entrance in to the Holy of Holies
• Cover the ark of the covenant (the mercy seat) in the Holy of Holies
• In a certain sense, they represent the Holy presence of God since their job is to prevent sin from coming near the holiness of God
• Observation: ten characteristics
1. Appearance of man -- but not man
2. Four faces -- each face represents the highest form of animal life in a general category
1. Lion: wild undomesticated
2. Ox: domesticated
3. Eagle: winged creatures (no category for fish or creeping things)
4. Human beings are the crown of the creation
3. Straight legs -- no joints, could represent stability
4. Hands with wings that touched -- they were united in their task
5. They moved "straight forward" -- represents purpose, commitment, and availability for assignments
6. Four wings -- two held the platform and touched. Two covered themselves in modesty
7. Followed the spirit in their movement -- the spirit of him who sat on the throne guided them
8. Appearance as burnished bronze -- characteristic of a theophany
9. Movement as quick as a flash of lightning
10. Wings made an awesome sound like the voice of God -- theophany
• Part angel, part human, and part animal make for a fitting representative of the whole created order
• APPLICATION: Do we forget that our God is a holy God and that except for Jesus' death we could not have a relationship with him?

 

Ezekiel 1:15–21 (ESV) —

15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

 

 

• This is now the third part of the vision. The first part was the storm, the second was the Cherubim, the third is/are the wheels, and the fourth will be the throne.
• This passage begins to tie the first two visions together. What is the most common thought you have when you see something with wheels?
• The object has mobility
• The object is not stuck in one place or limited to one place or difficult to move from one place
• Why is that important?
• Because they have left the land of promise and the temple
• In fact, Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed in 5-6 years
• In cultures at that time, gods were considered powerful over a specific region. This is what Nebuchadnezzar had to learn and what Daniel taught. The God of Israel is the God of the universe. He is not limited to a place.
• God goes where I go, and I go where God leads
• For a person of the time, the vision would have also brought up memories of Chariots, but this is unlike any Chariot ever seen
• The wheels are described how? As 4 sets of two wheels within a wheel. Almost like a castor but not physically limited
• The two wheels (one with another) tell us what? It can go in any direction
• Example of a treadmill within a treadmill
• Beryl



 

• Chrysolite



 

• Lastly, the wheels were covered in eyes
• APPLICATION:
• Wheels: Omnipresence of God
• Eyes: Omniscience of God
• God is seated above the wheels: Omnipotence of God
• God sees and knows and understands what is happening in your life. He is still in charge even when it seems to be falling apart

 

Ezekiel 1:22–28 (ESV) —

22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

 

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

 

• The last part of the vision is the platform, the throne of God
• The expanse and the platform are linked
• This description is a little different

Revelation 4:6–8 (ESV) —

6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!”

• There are only four faces, one on each angel
• There are six wings not four
• The eyes are all around the angels and no wheels are seen (just eyes)
• Why are they different?
• These are eyewitness accounts
• The first ones were probably the least accurate
• Each subsequent vision would know of the past, and probably detect the differences
• The is an overwhelming sight -- I think it would be impossible to get all the details correct if this was the first time you were seeing it
• This is the throne of God. It is a theophany -- the appearance of man is Jesus
• Just like when John sees Jesus, the voice is overwhelming

Revelation 1:15 (ESV) —

15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.

• Two things stand out
1. The vision was a reaffirmation of the nature of God as holy, powerful, and majestic
2. The rainbow was a reminder of God's promise-making and promise-keeping character
• The response of Ezekiel
• To fall on his face
• He only hears the voice speaking
• APPLICATION:
• Cooper comments:

When people are consumed by insurmountable problems and buffeted by the storms of life, they usually do not need another perspective on their problems. What they do need is a new perspective on God as Lord of life and larger than all its difficulties. Humanity in peril needs a sense of the awesome majesty of God. There needs to be an awareness that God is greater than adversity. He is with his people in the midst of their problems. This was a need of both Ezekiel and the people to whom he ministered. They needed a new vision of and commitment to the holiness and majesty of God. For this reason the opening vision was crucial as the first revelation in the call of Ezekiel to be a prophet to the exiles