A Note of Explanation
As we begin this book, we need to understand that this is an
incredibly complex and difficult book to read.
At many points within this book it is common for the reader to sit back
and have to reread paragraphs. It is a
common feeling for the reader to feel lost in the book of Ezekiel. Most beginner readers of Ezekiel need a
companion commentary or a spiritual community to help make sense of this
book. So if you find yourself in that
position, do not worry. You are
completely normal. Keep reading.
Prophet-Priest
In the corpus of scripture, there are only three prophet-priests:
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. A
priest was a person who served God in the temple trying to manage the purity –
or more realistically, the sinfulness – of the people. The prophet was on the front lines living
among the people trying to teach them how to live so that they weren’t sinful
in the first place. Think of the prophet
as the chaplain among the soldiers on the front lines who are taking the war to
the enemy while the priests are the medics in the back fixing up the
wounded. What is neat about Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, and Zechariah is that they served the people in both capacities.
Ezekiel’s prophetic career spans the early years of the Hebrew
exile. When Jeremiah steps off of the
scene because he is kidnapped and brought to Egypt, Ezekiel’s prophetic career
is just getting started. But rest
assured, the fall of Jerusalem is behind us as we read this book. We are now dealing with a people who are
beginning to live under God’s judgment looking ahead to a time when such
judgment will relent.
I Saw Visions of God
This phrase in the opening verse of Ezekiel tells us why the book
will be so difficult for use to grasp.
Whereas other prophets heard to voice of the Lord speaking to them,
Ezekiel sees many visions. Each of these
visions seems strange and unusual. They
are largely symbolic visions that represent God’s truth in the best way possible. Since God is not only complex but so much
more than our human brains can comprehend, God’s visions take an extra dose of
effort to understand.
However, there is a deep foundation of truth laid by that
phrase. Ezekiel saw visions of God. {Note: visions OF God, not just visions FROM
God. Ponder that for a second.} His message is deeply affected by what he saw
– and what he saw was often about God brought directly to him by God. This is not some human being who is writing
of their own experience. This is a man who
is trying to make sense of the things that God is showing to him about
God. Perhaps more difficult is the task
to have these visions make sense to us!
But the foundation of these visions is that they are about God.
The Hand of the Lord
We are also told in the opening verses that the hand of the Lord was
upon Ezekiel. Not only was Ezekiel
seeing visions of God; Ezekiel’s actions were directed by God as well. The hand of the Lord was upon him. Ezekiel was motivated by God’s presence upon
him.
God comes to Ezekiel
This first vision is really a doozy. Let’s make some sense of it. First, Ezekiel sees a great storm coming from
the north. But unlike other storms –
which bring darkness to the land as they pass over – this storm brings light as
it is literally the presence of God.
When God comes to mankind, it can be a threatening experience like a
storm. However, it is fundamentally a
revelatory experience as well.
Coming out of the presence of God were His cherubim. These are special heavenly beings with
special access to the throne of God. In
some respects, they appeared like a human.
But they had four faces (man lion, ox, eagle) and four wings. While they had human hands, they had feet
like a calf. So they would not be
mistaken for human beings, either.
Half of the wings of the cherubim touched each other so that they
could move in any direction without turning.
But the other pair of the wings was used almost as clothing. The second pair of wings covered over the body
of cherubim. This is a profound
statement. Even the cherubim who
continually serve in the presence of God cover themselves. Even the cherubim who are perpetually with
God are humble before Him.
Wheel within a Wheel
The wheels associated with the cherubim are confusing at
best. They shine like a precious
stone. The spirit of the cherubim also
seems to be a part of the wheels. The
rims were tall and awesome and full of eyes in every direction. And there was a wheel within a wheel. Personally, when I think of the wheel within
a wheel I think not of concentric circles but of intersecting circles. If you will, think of a hamster ball. Because it is three dimensional instead of
two dimensional, a hamster inside can roll in any direction and go anywhere
without worrying about falling over.
What is the point of these wheels?
They certainly point us to an understanding of God’s omniscience. There are eyes everywhere on the wheel. It seems like they can go anywhere they
desire. There is no limit to where God
can god and what God sees.
The Presence of God
Then Ezekiel gets to describe the expanse. This shouldn’t be thought of as empty
space. Rather, this is filled space –
quite literally filled with the presence of God. This place above the cherubim was where
Ezekiel saw a theophany – an appearance of the presence of God.
As Ezekiel gazes upon the expanse, we really get a sense of how
the human language began to fail him. As
he gazes upon this theophany, he can see something that generally looks like a
man. But from the waist up it looks
metal. From the waist down it looked
like it was made of fire. Ezekiel begins
to really struggle with how to put this vision into words. Truthfully, I can’t say that I blame him. I can only imagine how difficult it would be
to try and describe the God who created the world with words.
What we can be certain of is that Ezekiel has a genuine
response. Ezekiel falls flat on his
face. When in the presence of God,
humbleness is the order for the day.
Ezekiel realizes that with respect to this vision, it was now his time
to stop looking, to hit the ground, and to listen to what the Almighty would
impart upon his life.
I like how Ezekiel and the cherubim teach us the same
message. When God arrives, humbleness is
in order. I like that because hubris –
excessive human arrogance and pride – is often our innermost quality. God truly is “other” and requires us to act
upon His nature in His presence, not ours.
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