Handout Heb 3

• Review: The first pillar of Judaism: Angels

Heb 3:1-4 (ESV) Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)

• Second pillar of Judaism:  Moses
• Moses seems like a stepdown from angels (and chapter two would support that), but Moses has a special standing in scripture
• The name Moses appears _______ times in the OT and 85 times in the NT -- more than any other name other than Jesus and David
• Moses was not a patriarch but for a first century Jew was held in more _______ than angels or the patriarchs
• … and as you will see in a little bit, Moses was a man who waited a long time for his opportunity to make an impact …
• What do we learn about the audience? (verse 1)
• They are __________ brothers
• They ________ in the heavenly calling
• They __________ Jesus as their Apostle and High Priest
• Key word: "consider" (Grk: katanoeo, NT:2657)
• "to give proper and decisive thought about something - 'to consider carefully, to be concerned about.' " (from Greek-English Lexicon)
• To consider carefully or to fix one's eyes or mind upon (from Thayer's)
• APPLICATION: __________ Jesus is the key to the Christian life and to a walking faith
• Why call Jesus "our apostle?"
• He is like Moses.  He carried a _________ from God to the people
• In this case, he is the message
• Also, Moses brought the Mosaic Covenant and Law

John 1:17 (ESV) — 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

• Jesus brought the New Covenant and Grace

Revelation 15:3 (ESV) — 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are your deeds,

O Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are your ways,

O King of the nations!

• Why a high priest?
• A high priest _____________ men to God
• Hebrews is the ____ _____ in the NT where Jesus is called an Apostle and a high Priest
• What does it mean when it says that Moses was faithful in all God's house?  (Num 12:7)
• The house is the house of Israel (more clear in vs 6).  The context is Miriam and Aaron speaking against Moses leadership, partly because he had married a Cushite wife
• Num 12:1-11 (ESV) Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 And they said, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the Lord heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting." And the three of them came out. 5 And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.
  
  10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.
• Yet was Moses always faithful?
• Moses destroyed the first ten commandments (a point which God reminds him)
• Moses disobeyed God at Meribah (and lost his chance to enter the promised land)
• Why is Jesus better than Moses?
• Because Jesus is the _________ of everything (the designer or creator is always greater than the user)
• Application:
• One, you can be called faithful without being perfect
• Two, you can confess Jesus, but you need to go farther than a public confession.  Knowing Jesus needs be the central thought and direction of our life
• Three, implied warning -- not to speak against God's house. It is easy to be critical of the church and of the leadership. And I do believe there is a way to approach that, but it should never be a common conversation
  

Heb 3:5-6 (ESV) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

• How are Moses and Jesus differentiated in these verses?
• Moses was only a servant in the house
• Jesus is over the whole house (note: we are the house)
• Jesus is a son
• Why the phrase "if we hold on?"
• Mark of a true believer is that we hold on
• The point is that continuance in faith is evidence that a person actually believed.  Lack of continuance in faith does not mean the person is not saved; it only means that the person does not have the evidence that faith exists (Fructenbaum, 2005)

 

Heb 3:7-11 (ESV) Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
"Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your fathers put me to the test
and saw my works 10 for forty years.
Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, 'They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.'
11  As I swore in my wrath,
'They shall not enter my rest.'
 

• When you think of the phrase "harden your hearts," who or whom do you usually think about?
• Heart of Pharaoh -- Yet this passage is referring to?
• Israel (or the Exodus generation)
• Note: The Exodus generation (20 and over who left Egypt)
• Note: The Wilderness generation (those under 20 and born during the 40 years in the wilderness)
• Read quotation from OT
Ps 95:7-11 (ESV)
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
 Today, if you hear his voice,
8  do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10  For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, "They are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways."
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
"They shall not enter my rest."
• Ps 95:8.  Note: Meribah means ____________; Massah means ___________
• Also the first half of Ps 95 emphasizes what?
• He is our God (deserving of our worship)
• We are his people
• His pasture (his __________)
• His sheep (his ___________)
• The second half refers to what?
• Forty years he "loathed" the generation
• The exodus generation were a people …
• Who were going _____ in the heart (hearts were focused on other things)
• Who did not _______ his ways (we were weak in their knowledge of him)
• God swore (promised) that "his people" (verse 7) would not see his _______
• Sin as a result of disobedience forfeited blessings
• The Massah & Meribah incident occurs very early in the desert
• Ex 17:1-7 (ESV) All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2  Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?" 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." 5 And the Lord said to Moses, "Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6  Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
• What is the real issue here?
• Note the two main passages (Ps 95 and Ex 17)
• Psalm 95:9 " … put me to the proof, though they had seen my work."
• Numbers 17:7 " … they tested the Lord by saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
• [START VIDEO]
• Explain my story
• A staff doctor on the team once got Sharon aside and told her to stop bothering the staff because her son was going to die of pneumonia at some point (he had six pneumonias that first year) -- relate story of praying during a pneumonia
• Israel
• They had just seen the tremendous miracles
• Faith was not whether God could do it or not, but rather would he? Sure he cared about the big picture of the nation, but did he care about "me, my family, my struggles"
• When we pray, we all struggle with when and how God will answer -- water in a desert is the perfect issue -- the prayer has to be answered soon!
• The issue is NOT
• … God's __________
• … God's __________
• The issue in the mind of the Exodus generation … DOES GOD CARE FOR ME, MY FAMILY, MY LIVELIHOOD …
• How does God define faith?

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) — 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) —

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

• In other words, He deeply cares about us
• Let's look at Israel. What is the result of Israel's sin at Kadesh Barnea?

Num 14:19-23 (ESV) Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now."

20 Then the Lord said, "I have pardoned, according to your word. 21 But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, 22  none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23  shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it

• Note that the people repented and God forgave them (Num 14:20).  They didn't lose their salvation but they forfeited God's blessing
• What  is it that the writer of Hebrews is warning the believers against?
• Refusal to ______ by _____ in obedience to God results in missing out on God's rest
• What is the rest?
• Observations about Rest
• The offer of entering still stands
• You can fall short of it (they were not maturing …"they ought to be teachers by now")
• You can believe (live by faith) and enter it
• 3 Types of Rest
• Caanan Rest:  rest based on work; here and now rest that is a result of obedience and faith (faith / life rest)
• Creation Rest:  God rested from all His creation work (for us, might refer to our inheritance)
• Sabbath Rest:  rest a believer experiences spiritually as he matures
• Which rest is the author challenging the readers to enter?
• They are already believers (Heb 3:1), the warning is not about the rest of Heaven, but the faith / life rest that God offers all believers and that comes as a result of maturity in their faith
• Which is why there is a lot of discussion in Hebrews on the importance of maturity
• Application:
• Jewish believers were at the same point.  Saved, but now a big decision is before them.  They were in danger of committing the same mistake the Exodus generation made
• What is God calling us to do?
• Are we continuing in faith?  Or are we just treading water?

 

Heb 3:12-15 (ESV) Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,

 "Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

 

• In light of what we just read, what is a sinful, unbelieving heart?
• The problem with the Exodus generation was their faith
• But it was not in the power of God (miracles, Red sea, two pillars, manna, …)
• It was in the care and concern of God
• Water was a time-sensitive need, and they pushed the button -- does God really care about me?
• Disciples (Story of asleep in boat is in Matt 8 and Luke 8)

Mark 4:37–41 (ESV) —  37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

• Faith is believing that God knows and cares about my situation
• How do we protect ourselves?
• Encouragement (we need ___________)
• Staying away from sin (we need to _________ to God)
• Application:
• Faith is believing
• God _______ about me
• God completely _________ me
• God is working my ___________
• Circumstances may be against me, but God can use bad circumstances for our good
• The OPPOSITE of real faith is believing …
• If I believe something hard enough, God will do it
• My life should always have good things

Phil 2:25-30 (ESV) I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

• Faith is not believing in something hard enough such that it happens. Faith is believing that God knows and cares and what happens or doesn't happen is for my best
• Rom 8:28 says the very same thing

 

Heb 3:16-19 (ESV) For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

• Five rhetorical questions:  really only 3, because 2 answer the previously question
1. Who heard and rebelled?
2. Were they all those Moses led out of Egypt?  Yes, by implication a physically redeemed people
3. And with whom was he angry for forty years? 
4. Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert?  Yes, the Exodus generation
5. And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?
• Some did not enter his rest, which in this case is the promised land.  We should note that Moses, Aaron, and Miriam did not enter
• Therefore, it is not a spiritual (in the sense of Heaven), but a physical/spiritual rest
• What is this rest?  (read the next passage)
• Add end story [show VIDEO]
• In the midst of suffering, I never liked the ending of Job
• But the ending is more than an "ever-after happy ending," because Job still lost 10 children

Job 42:12–17 (ESV) — 12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man, and full of days.

• God answered our prayers, but it will never take away the feeling of pain we endured

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