Tag: Biblical History

Confine Yourself to Quarters

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It has been my observation that the early chapters for the book of Ezekiel are a series of give and take events between Ezekiel and the God he serves. We find ourselves at the end of the third chapter. After all the pomp and glitter of his visions and the clear directives of how he should respond to the rebellious House of Israel in Chapters 1-3, we would expect to see him walk outside his house, find a high spot amongst the Israelites and start talking. We would expect a large group to gather at first until the message started to bite. And so, we find the watchman in his first act of ministry. This first event seems a bit unexpected given the power and grandeur of his commissioning.

Ezekiel 3:22-27 says — The hand of the Lord was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.” So, I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebellious people. But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are rebellious people [NIV].

In this passage, we find the usual interaction. God tells him to get up, head to the flatlands (away from the river) so we can visit. Ezekiel goes to the flatlands and sees the same thing he saw at the river Kabar; So, he lays prostrate in respect, then the Spirit of God stands him back up and starts talking. 

As he drops to the ground, I suspect he would be thinking – God can be any place he wants to be, any time he wants to be, in any form of Glory he wants to display. He is a man who once took issue with his calling and withdrew from the previous visions (see Ezekiel 3:14). Transformed, he is a man who is now comfortable talking with the one true living God.

I do not think that we should expect to see such a vision, but we should expect to interact with God. He is not silent. We will hear him in meditation, through scripture, and in prayer. We do within the confines of our faith have a glimpse of the Glory of God (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). As he is being raised up, I suspect he was wondering if he has already made a mistake, hanging out in his house. He gets fully up and he gazes at the Glory of God. I suspect he was expecting a direct statement – go here, do this. Instead, God orders him to sequester himself at home.  Immediately!  God tells him to not appear in public. I think he might have been relieved. He was off the hook. Then the rest of the story unfolds. Men came to his home and tied him up.  Opps!

I think that our choices often define our speedbumps. It is reasonable to expect God to sideline pastors when they do not tend to their flock and do not respond to gentle nudges to get things done. We pray for stuff we have no business requesting and then God sends us a ‘I Love you’ note in the form of a speedbump – the very outcome of the poor prayer decision we made a few weeks ago. Ezekiel is now confined to quarters, bound, laying on the floor and unable to speak. Talk about a speedbump!

Yet God uses this situation to demonstrate the siege of Jerusalem where people were confined to their homes and unable to talk to others. He shows that even in this dire situation, He is the Lord God Almighty. He is in control. He is sovereign. He shall be respected. I choose Jesus.

Windstorm from the North (Part 2)

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It has been my observation that Ezekiel was given a profound glimpse of the one true living God as he describes in chapter 1 of his opus.  In a nutshell, we see God on the move, leaving the Temple in Jerusalem, drifting in a mobile throne room, displaying all his glory and splendor.  The first four verses set the stage for the main event.  Then we read about the windstorm and the center mass of the storm…

Ezekiel 1:4-11 says — I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings.  …  Under their wings, on their four sides, they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings. … Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces [NIV].

We have here an account of four angels.  Oh my, what amazing view we have of them.  They are alive, with multiple faces and immensely strong wings. They receive life from the fountain of life, in the same manner that we see the sun, the clouds, the moon and the stars as part of the creation, we see these four angels as part of the throne. They are integral to how Ezekiel describes the Glory of God as they amplify the visual we see through Ezekiel’s eye. This is a vibrant scene!

The four faces of each angel suggest to me that they are set to view the four winds of heaven (see Matthew 24:31). The four faces emerge again in Revelations 4:7 as four creatures around the throne.  If I only saw one side of the angel, I would say one had the face of a eagle, another one had the face of an ox, not realizing they each had four faces. I recall that Zechariah described the four angels as four chariots heading North, South, East, and West (Zechariah 6:1). God sends his messengers all directions, his kingdom reaches as far as we can imagine and then a bit farther (beyond our imagination).

Ezekiel tells us that each angel had the face of a man. This suggests they may have understood things, seen their surroundings, and experienced feelings similar to the way we function, but given their situation, they far exceed our abilities. With the face of a lion, I might expect them to be strong and bold.  With the face of an eagle, I might expect them to have a strong, strategic vision of God’s plan.

In the account from Ezekiel we notice each angel had four wings. John saw them with 6 wings (Revelations 4:8), Isaiah saw them with 6 wings (Isaiah 6:2), we are wise to notice that when Isaiah say the angels and the throne, they were above the throne and they covered their face with two of the wings (respect for the Glory of God). when I consider the meaning of all this, I get the feeling that faith and hope rest on their wings which soar upward.  They carry godly devotion and affection to us with cheerful readiness. When Ezekiel observes their joined wings, I see a simile of unity, unanimity, and community among them.  This is truly a profound window into the throne room of God.

The deeper truth – this community of angels is somewhat shielded from our eyes, they work in the smoke, not of darkness, they work within the smoke of God’s Glory. When they enter our realm, they hide their true body with a shield so they appear in a manner that we can assimilate.  We see what God wants us to see for the moment, just a moment. 

I choose Jesus.

Windstorm from the North (Part 1)

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It was my observation while considering the impact of Ezekiel chapter 1 on my perceptions of God that the vision presented is very humbling.  In the vision there is a complex structure presented, in its simplest form (from bottom to top) we have four wheels (four angels), each wheel supporting a column (four angels), the four columns support a flat roof with a throne on top of the roof.  Seated on the Throne is God.  The entire structure is wrapped in a massive fireball.  That is the sum of chapter one.  But, as you might guess, there is more to the story – the details matter!

Ezekiel 1:4-8 says — I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another [NIV].

Why do we start this book with this vision?  I suspect there are definable reasons.  First, this firms up Ezekiel’s calling – he knows he is working directly for the boss. Second, it refines the view of God for Ezekiel’s audience – God is getting into their face — they know God means business. Their days of defiance are numbered.  They quickly learn their God is a consuming fire whom they cannot stand before. Finally, they know his mercy will not be withheld forever. They have reassurance, the column of fire that led Moses to the promised land – is the ball of Fire that Ezekiel is seeing. Symbolically, God is on the move from Jerusalem to where they are at in Babylon. They have not been abandoned. All of this assurance unfolds in the vision of chapter 1. The message is clear – let them know captivity is not the end, God is with them. Even though God is not in his sanctuary, he is near.

God clears the sky with a windstorm preparing the space for his holy presence. This clearing produces a serenity of the mind that opens our heart to heavens message. The great cloud that appears wraps the holiness of God to protect us from the intensity. The whirlwind comes to us in much the same way that is presented in 1 Kings 19:11 for Elijah. The whirlwind prepares the way for God, it demands our attention, in a sense it issues the command if you have eyes, then look, if you have ears then listen.

The cloud brings fire to the vision, as we see in Mount Sinai, where God presents in a thick cloud that rings his consuming fire (see Exodus 24:16-17). But this time we see a fire that seems to have no fuel, it is sustained by God himself forever. We also see that the fire is surrounded with visible glory, we are not able to see into the fire, yet we do see a glow or brightness that is produced by the fire, it is perhaps a reflection of the fire in the clouds. Similar to Moses seeing the back of God, just of glimpse of him. We have the same in this vision. Finally, we are told of an amber hue (glowing metal). Some think it is the color that is reflected in our eye when we look at fire and others see the fire in our eye.  

Then Ezekiel speaks of the four angels (the columns). They are presented with a sense of greatness, the goodness of God in their work, the important role they play in his glory. Their image emerges from the fire, a ray of hope for us that he loves his creations. We find later, in chapter 10, Ezekiel tells us they are cherubim. What are they doing in this vision? Their wings are interlocked, these four angels working together as a community to support the glory of God, sustain a platform for his throne. Is that not what our prayer and service provide?  Is this not a shadow of what the church does? Do we not fill the temple with the incense of our prayers and our service offerings? I think so.  This compels me to say…

I choose Jesus.

The Rim was High and Awesome

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It was my observation as I worked my way through the first chapter of Ezekiel that the vision seen has a most interesting description of what appears to be a Gyro. The wheels have perpendicular intersecting wheels (think about how ball of yarn looks). They moved in any direction but allowed the angel standing on top to remain facing in the same direction. Rolling Spheres? Kinda. But the description seems to describe intersecting rings, more like a gyro than a sphere. I am wise to be vague on this matter.

Ezekiel 1:15-18 says — As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures [four angels] faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures [four angels] went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around [NIV].

When we take in this message, we cannot escape the glory of God. We see him in full splendor, we see the steadiness of his heavenly environment, all thing in order and in place. No renovation going on in this house. It is all done. We might be wondering, is there anything useful for us to do in Heaven? But clearly the angels have a mission and a function. We also will have a mission and a function. We see his plan with an eye of faith, we see it through a filter, but soon we will discern the full beauty of his glory, wisdom, goodness, and power that shine over the universe, over his throne. We will see God as he is.

The wheels sparkle like topaz, the soft glow of bronze fills the air, much like a reflection of fire on glass. We are not told much about the topaz, but we do know that wheels intersect and we can see the intersecting wheels full of eyes.

We know from the description the wheels moved with the angels; the angels moved with the wheels. Many sources I have reviewed feel that when the living creatures moved in a direction, any direction, they were engaged in God’s work. As the wheels moved, things happened in the kingdom. Movement causes the ministry and ministry causes the movement. Imbedded through all the movement is God’s plan and his glory.

And then we have the rims with eyes. Goodness. We are really moving in the inner court of God’s reality. This idea of wheels with eyes is difficult to accept with our delicate earthly eyes. We are instinctively protective of our eyes. They are hard to protect and even more difficult to repair. Yet, God takes our weakness and makes it his strength.

The rims were of a vast circumference, we note at the bottom of the first chapter as the vision is revealed, Ezekiel drops his head down, shrinking away from the image. He was looking at something extremely large from a distance or he was looking up at some massively large wheels with the rest of the image seeming to be a long way up. The size is astonishing with the height and depth of God’s glory.

The deeper truth — The all-seeing eyes of God’s angels are on the move. This rim is a sign of God’s infinite wisdom and the notion of the ‘eyes of the Lord running to and fro’ throughout the entire earth beholding good and evil, revealing himself full of power to the church (strongly implied in 1 Chronicles 16:9). His interaction is not blind fortune, rather it is carefully orchestrated by the Spirit of God and the angels who move with us every day of our life holding back the hordes of hell. His grace and mercy are forever amazing. I choose Jesus.

The Hand of the Lord was upon Him

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It was my experience while assessing the Babylon exile story, Ezekiel entered this at the very beginning of the story. Ezekiel was among the first wave of captives (Much of the Hebrew nation was still in their own land). Jeremiah spoke of this first wave of exiles as the ‘good figs’ who had been initially sent to Babylon (Jeremiah 24:5). For this group of figs, God provided a prophet to bring them back to the Law. We read in Psalms 94:12 — “Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord, the one you teach from your law. From this context, we could say, this first group was being pursued by God.

Ezekiel 1:1-3 paraphrased says — In my thirtieth year … the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest … in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was on him [NIV].

I think we can agree that it is an act of mercy for God to bring a message of hope to them even when they were experiencing self-inflicted trouble. Those chosen to deliver God’s message and mercy are blessed for their actions. I would be remiss if I did not make clear; it was 5 years into the exile before God provided Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 1:2). He gave the Hebrews in Babylon time to realize their need. However, at the same time, God provided Jeremiah to the Hebrews still in Jerusalem to guide them. Even in distress, God did not leave the Hebrew nation unguided, no matter how obstinate they were.

It was by the rivers of Babylon the Psalmist spoke of musicians setting down and singing songs of lamentation (see Psalm 137:1-3). What was the topic of their songs? The people who were in this area Babylon were experiencing the harshness of captivity, more important, they were feeling the national and personal judgement inflicted upon them for sin against God’s law. Yet, they were not very repentant – they continued to claim entitlement as God’s people. This accounts for Ezekiel’s assessment of their resistant heart as the cause of their woes. This theme recurs often in Ezekiel’s message

His message was a combination of condemnation, aggressive counsel to repent, and restoration (the exile would not last forever). I think God knew the message would be easier to hear if the message came from a fellow exile. For, even though God’s messenger is bound in chains, the message from God is not bound (see 2 Timothy 2:9). John the Revelator was banished to an island and yet the message from Jesus to John left the island and traveled around the globe. Paul tells us — For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:5)

Ezekiel was clearly being guided by the Holy Spirit, he tells us what he saw, what he heard, and what he felt; all of it centered on connectivity with the Spirit of God. In the first chapter, Ezekiel saw a profound vision of God, even when scripture says no man can see God and live, Ezekiel has a vision (the next best thing). This was not the first time this happened. We are reminded of visions in Isaiah Chapter 6 and Jeremiah Chapter 1. Furthermore, let us not lose sight of Moses (Exodus 34:5-7), Abraham (see Acts 7:2), and Paul (Acts 9:1-19) to name a few. They all saw, they all heard the voice of God.

It is wise for all of us to be well acquainted with God and willing to be influenced by his message. Especially if we want to be engaged in the business of bringing others to the knowledge and love for Jesus. In this context, we find the hand of God upon Ezekiel, as it was on Moses, Abraham, and the others. This kept them focused, safe, and able to press forward not crushed by resistance to the message. God’s grace was sufficient for them. Furthermore, it is sufficient for us as we press on towards that higher calling. His hand is certainly upon us. His grace will abound. I choose Jesus.

Operating Outside the Box

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It has been my observation while reading Ezekiel that the initial vision in chapter 1 has many implications for how God interacts with us during ‘real life’. Even something as obscure as the wheels that the angels ride provides us with a subtle backstory on how God gets things done.

Ezekiel 1:19-21 says — When the living creatures [the four angels] moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures [four angels] rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit [Spirit of God] would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures [Spirit of God] was in the wheels. When the creatures [four angels] moved, they also moved; when the creatures [four angels] stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures [four angels] rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures [Spirit of God] was in the wheels [NIV].

In general, the wheels appear to move in a steady stable motion, consistent with the nature of God. However, there may be times when the wheel appears to be out of synch with God’s power (recall the time when Jesus wondered who touched him in Luke 8:45). During these times of ‘out of sync’ power, I suspect the angels were engaged in service that was outside the normal course of nature’s laws and of human interaction. What appears to be a disconnect, an ‘out of sync’ event, is simple normal operations from God’s perspective. One might think the occasions where the gifts of the Spirit as supported by angelic operations could fall into this model of thought.

One could say that when the angels are lifted up by the rims, they have been elevated to service outside the normal course of natural law and human interaction. This type of lifting was mentioned twice, see Ezekiel 1:19 and Ezekiel 1:21. I think it is safe to say that we humans move and act as we are directed or influenced by God. I recall God telling us he uses all people, their faith status is not the deciding factor, his decision to use somebody is the deciding factor (see Ezra 1 concerning Cyrus).

Furthermore, the things we see and hear are governed by things we cannot see or hear. The Spirit of the living God is the Spirit driving the living creatures in Ezekiel’s vision. They are tapping directly into the wisdom, power, and holiness of God. They are getting the plan direct from the source, ungarbled truth so they know exactly how to proceed.

God is on his throne and driving the wheels of the throne room. He controls the whole so the components move in perfect unison. Just as our body moves in unison, so do the wheels, angels, platform, throne, and all the visuals surrounding the angels and hardscape. It all moves as a unit in accordance with God’s will as he purposes things to be accomplished. These angels move exactly in accordance with his plan, not one thing is done incorrectly. No errors. The angels are persuasive. As needed, they move us to serve the intention of God. Even Cyrus was moved as directed (see Ezra 1).

Pondering on this thing with the eyes on the rim and God using anyone to achieve his objectives takes us to a new place. The eyes of the rim are on all things in his creation. They see it all. They are part of the inner sanctum; they are one small step away from the God of this universe. One of the eyes is looking at you right now even as you read this. God can use anyone. He is looking for a few people who are willing to serve God. The big wheels are turning (yes, I smiled with this phrase, a glib reference to the song Proud Mary). The Holy Spirit will speak the will of the God who is there. Angels are moving. It is time to get in step, to find the river (opps, I still have that song in my head).  I choose Jesus.

God delights in our Humility

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It was my observation that one thing God is not is silent.  He is the God who is there (Jehovah Shammah). And, our God is not silent. Ezekiel tells us of the noise present just under the platform (the vault) that supports the throne. A quiet murmuring? Gentle talking amongst the angels? Nope! We are told of a roar, like the sound of rushing waters. This is not ‘quietness’; this is in your face ‘loudness’. This is a wall of sound – 125 decibels of thundering water. Enough sound to cause your body to vibrate.  The sound was like the tumult of an army. Imagine a couple of thousand soldiers carrying all types of heavy metal gear. The clanging and crunching of steel on steel. This is described as loudness at a significant decibel level. I remember once a few years back, part of my job was to bend over and walk under a wing of an F4 while the engines were running to confirm the proper installation of AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles just before a launch.  The volume was overwhelming, organs in my body vibrated, the movement of the air because of the sound was intense. Then, above all that noise and air movement, comes a voice (in my ear from a headset) – we good? the young lieutenant pilot asks.  I reply – Sir, you are clear to launch.

Ezekiel 1:22-25 says — Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings [NIV].

Over the heads of the angels (living creatures) we see something that is awesome. Some translate this idea as sea of ice, hail congealed like a glazer, or mountain snow that has melted and frozen again like ice. Psalms 33:14 is clear, he can see is clearly 24/7 from his throne as we move about on earth. He sees the angel wings from his throne, even though they are on the other side of the platform that supports the throne (see Ezekiel 1:23). One thing is for sure, the wings are used for flight or covering. God is above platform; the angels are below the platform. They are ready for dispatch. They are under God’s authority, subject to his plan, ready to fly on errands and such, and serve God. Then comes the eye of God attached to the wheels.

There is a chain of events which is always drawing the eye of God one way or other. Fortunately, he has a lot of eyes on the job.  Life ebbs and flows, in the same way God’s plan unfolds, but always in the stated appointed times and measures. We see things in part, we do not see all of the story.  We know of the shortcomings in our ability to see and accept them.  But we know God sees so much more.  He sees everything.  Everything!  As he sees events unfolding, he speaks, he makes known his will.

Consider the loudness of a bee when they fly near our ear, it is amazing how much noise their wings create.  Transfer that magnification of sound to four angel’s wings.  This suggests tremendous volume.  Then add in the notion of intelligent communication.  God’s voice appearing over the top of the loud waters, the mass of sound coming from the angelic wings. 

When God starts talking, the angels drop their wings in respect, their noise subsides, God’s voice now fills the space.  There will be order in the universe.  We hear the voice by opening up our ears to hear the message from the word.  I have heard testimony many times from young Christians; before I knew Jesus, the bible made little sense to me, but now when I read, God jumps off the page.  Thus, when the town crier speaks out the message of God; men yield to God or perish.  Earthly noise distorts the message, but when people respect the sound, they hear the message.  Selah.  I choose Jesus.