Ezekiel 1:4-28

Preparation for Ministry~ the Vision of God

Open your Bible to…

Ezek. 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

Ezek. 1:2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,

Ezek. 1:3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.

Pray

Intro

√ Preparation for ministry ~ the vision of God

Chapters 1-3 record Ezekiel’s call to ministry, which can be outlined like this…

The vision for the work ~ chapter 1

The message for the work ~ chapters 2-3:11

The motivation for the work ~ chapters 3:12-27

We pick up our study in vs. 4 where Ezekiel describes for us the vision he saw of God’s glory.

√ Interpretation

As we work through chapter 1 it will be helpful if you keep a couple of things in mind…

Note the frequent use of the word “likeness” ~ that is, Ezekiel is communicating that what he saw was beyond human vocabulary to describe.

There simply isn’t anything on earth to which he could properly compare to the heavenly vision.

So, just as we find John using the word “like” in the Revelation, so Ezekiel is clueing us in that some of what he’s describing is in symbolic language.

Second, you can find a similar vision of God in Ezekiel 10 and in Revelation 4.

I’ll make reference to some corresponding verses, but you may find it helpful to read these other texts in full and compare them to what we’ll look at tonight.

The bottom line though is that what Ezekiel saw was truly “awesome”!

Ex. The circular rainbow in Jerusalem

As excited as we were by that I can only imagine how excited we’ll be when we finally get to see the Lord with our own eyes!

The vision ~ God’s servants (Vs. 4-14)

Ezek. 1:4 Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

Ezek. 1:5 Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

Ezek. 1:6 Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings.

Ezek. 1:7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.

Ezek. 1:8 The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings.

Ezek. 1:9 Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward.

Ezek. 1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle.

Ezek. 1:11 Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies.

Ezek. 1:12 And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went.

Ezek. 1:13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.

Ezek. 1:14 And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning.

√ The vision ~ God’s servants

Now we get to the exciting stuff! Ezekiel uses the rest of chapter 1 to describe the vision that he saw.

A vision of God ~ the One who called Ezekiel to ministry.

It’s probably one of the most well known Bible passages. Even many non-believers have read, or at least heard about “Ezekiel’s wheel”.

There are a lot of crazy ideas about what Ezekiel saw, for example some suggest that he is describing a flying saucer!

However, when we take time to read Ezekiel’s description of what he saw it becomes readily apparent that he saw God’s Throne…

…transported from heaven to earth.

Ex. A litter ~ or a mobile throne (before the advent of armored limos!)

That is, a couch or throne of a king (or queen), supported by poles carried on the shoulders of servants.

In this case Ezekiel gets to see God seated on His Throne and carried by four special angelic servants.

That is, Ezekiel saw the real throne of God that Moses made a copy of as represented by the Ark of the Covenant.

√ The vision of the Creatures

Ezekiel tells us that they looked like people, but with some strange non-human like features!

Ezek. 1:5 Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.”

The idea is that their general appearance of their bodies was more like a man than an animal (even though they have animal like features.)

They stood like a man ~ vs. 7

They had hands like a man ~ vs. 8

They had a face like a man ~ vs. 6 & 10

But they also had some cool extras features!

They had four faces instead of one ~ vs. 6 & 10

They had four wings ~ vs. 8-9

They had feet (hoofs) like a calf ~ vs. 7

They had skin that shone like fire ~ vs. 13-14

We’re not left to guess what these creatures are because Ezekiel identifies them for us in chapter 10 as “cherubim”.

√ Cherubim

Cherubim are a specific class of Angels who are portrayed in the Bible as having…

Special access to God ~ Ez. 28:14 & Rev. 4

Bearers of God’s chariot-throne ~ Ez. 1:4-25 & chap. 10

Guardian of God’s Throne ~ Ex. 25:17-22

We see them symbolically represented on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant as Angels with wings stretched over the Mercy Seat.

The Cherubim are God’s “secret service” agents!

√ Their faces

Vs. 10 gives us one of the strangest details of the Cherubim, that is they had four faces!

Ezek. 1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle.

While I’ve often thought it would be way cool to have wings….

…I’m not so sure I’d want four faces!

Which would you look at?

Which would you feed?

All sorts of ideas and interpretations about why they have four faces and why they have these four faces, here’s the most popular…

1) Door number 1

Some believe that the faces are symbolic of…

Man = Intelligence

Lion = Power

Ox = Service

Eagle = Swiftness

2) Door number 2

Some believe that the faces represent the highest forms of life in God’s creation…

Man = Pinnacle of God’s work (His image)

Lion = King of the beasts

Ox = Strongest of domestic animals

Eagle = Lord of the sky

3) Door number 3

I think it’s a picture of the Nature and Character of Christ as represented in the Four Gospels.

Man = His humanity as presented by Luke

Lion = His kingship as presented by Matt

Ox = His servant hood as presented by Mark

Eagle = His deity as presented by John

That is, those creatures who are closest to the presence of God reflect Him in their appearance.

√ Their work ~ bearing the throne of God

Look once more at vs. 11

Ezek. 1:11 Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies.

Picture in your minds-eye what Ezekiel is describing…

The four Cherubim stand one at each corner around the throne of God.

With one set of wings they reach up and toward the throne and touch one another’s wings thus forming a square, or a box around God’s throne.

With the other set of wings they cover themselves.

The picture becomes more clear as we read through the chapter but for now let’s describe it this way…

…from the ground up Ezekiel sees 4 Cherubim.

Standing with their wings lifted up toward God and touching one another.

A wheel set next to each Cherubim.

A carpet above their wings.

A throne above the carpet.

God sitting at the top of it all!

It’s not a spaceship, it’s a mobile throne, something like what Ezekiel had seen many times on earth when kings were carried by their servants.

The vision ~ God’s wheels (Vs. 15-21)

Ezek. 1:15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces.

Ezek. 1:16 The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

Ezek. 1:17 When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went.

Ezek. 1:18 As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.

Ezek. 1:19 When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

Ezek. 1:20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

Ezek. 1:21 When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

√ The vision ~ God’s wheels

As Ezekiel looked below the cherubim he saw some wheels, which he describes for us, and then tells us how they worked.

He said that there were actually two wheels next to each cherubim, one within the other.

He tells us that they were the color of beryl, that is a yellowish gemstone. The idea is that they glowed with an awesome fire-yellow color.

He also says that when the cherubim move that they can move in any direction, yet without turning their heads! That would seem to imply that the wheel within the wheel is set so that they intersect one another at right angles.

Perhaps the strangest detail of the wheels is that they are filled with “eyes”!!! Probably symbolic of God’s omniscience (ref. 2 Chron. 16:9 & Pro. 15:3).

Finally, he tells us that the spirit of the creatures was in the wheels! Probably he meant that the wheels were like an extension of the cherubim on God’s chariot.

So, the picture that Ezekiel is painting for us is that he saw the God of the universe on a mobile platform…

…as He directed the Cherubim, the wheels responded and moved the chariot where God desired to go.

Ex. Think ~ the ultimate Segue!

The vision ~ God’s carpet (Vs. 22-24)

Ezek. 1:22 The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads.

Ezek. 1:23 And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body.

Ezek. 1:24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings.

√ The vision ~ God’s carpet

The next thing that Ezekiel describes is a “firmament”.

The word in Hebrew is “raw-kee´-ah”, the same word used in Gen. 1:6 to describe the solid barrier that separated the waters of the earth from the waters of heaven.

Some call it a “water canopy”

The point is that it isn’t just space, the Hebrew word implies that there was something of substance between the tips of the wings of the Cherubim and the throne of God.

Ezekiel says that it had the color of an awesome crystal…

…that is, it was clear like a crystal and refracted the light of God’s glory – perhaps in a brilliant rainbow of color like John describes in Rev. 4:1.

What was it? If we use the picture of a royal litter as our guide to interpret the vision the firmament sounds like a carpet of light upon which sits God’s throne.

The vision ~ God’s throne (Vs. 25-26a)

Ezek. 1:25 A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings.

Ezek. 1:26a And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone…

√ The vision ~ God’s throne

Once the Cherubim landed (or at least stopped beating their wings), Ezekiel heard a loud voice coming from somewhere above them.

Hearing the voice he looked up and saw what looked like a throne…

…the color of sapphire.

Ladies, think “Hope Diamond”! Actually that’s a blue diamond not a sapphire.

The word that Ezekiel used could be interpreted to indicate either a deep blue sapphire or a lapis lazuli.

Either way the idea is that God’s throne is described as being made of a gem-like substance that is brilliant blue ~ like the heavens!

Ap. God’s throne is awesome when compared to the thrones of earthly kings

Ex. Solomon’s throne

Was considered the most extravagant ever made ~ hand carved ivory overlaid with gold! (ref. 1 Kings 10:18-20)

But that would be nothing when compared to a throne cut from a single gem stone!

How many carats would that be!?

The vision ~ God (Vs. 26b-28)

Ezek. 1:26b …on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.

Ezek. 1:27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.

Ezek. 1:28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.

√ The vision ~ God

Ezekiel finally sees the best part of the vision…

…God!

His description of the Lord is similar to John’s description of God in Revelation 4:3.

What’s fascinating is that while Ezekiel was able to give us a very detailed description of the Cherubim…

…all he can tell us about God is that His appearance was like bright yellow & gold fire with a rainbow all around Him!

The point that we’re to understand is that God’s glory and splendor was so great that Ezekiel could only see His form…

…he was not able to see God directly, lest he die (ref. Exo. 33:18-23 & John 1:18), but only the outline of His Person.

Somewhat like what Moses saw when God allowed him to see His glory and splendor after He had passed by (ref. Exo. 33:20-23).

√ Ezekiel’s response

While he only saw the “likeness” of the Lord, His glory was of such splendor and magnificence that he writes …

“(I)…fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.” ~ vs. 28

Just like John and the other saints who have seen God’s glory Ezekiel acknowledges that Lord’s authority and power by humbling himself before God.

It’s then that God speaks to Ezekiel and gives him the message that he is to preach to the Jewish people.

We’ll look at the message next time!

Ap. Humility before service

You’ll find a pattern in Scripture and that before a person can be used by God…

…they must first find themselves on their face before Him!

God will not tolerate the proud and the self-assured.

He uses men and woman who recognize their own spiritual poverty and willingly bow before His glory.

People who understand that to be of any use to God they must empty themselves so that they can be filled with Him!

Close

√ Preparation for ministry ~ the vision of God

God still works through men and woman to accomplish His purposes on earth.

There are still “captives” sitting by the rivers of sin who need to hear the Word of God.

Are your eyes an ears open to what God wants to do in and through your life to save those captives?