Good Morning “On Your Face.” Today we are Ezekiel 1
“A picture is worth a thousand words”, and man do we get a picture of The Glory of God here! Imagine trying to explain to a blind person something you saw, describing colors and images by using things that might be familiar to them. As we read, we must consider what Ezekiel is actually seeing, being careful to incorporate all of Scripture while making sure not to spin off with ideas that contradict.
Ezekiel saw things no one sees, heavenly things, things that just don’t make sense to someone bound to earth. He tried to describe his vision using simple language, but still the overall description may be difficult for us to wrap our minds around.
This vision concerns the judgment God has brought upon Judah. The cloud represents the glory of God moving to keep His promises in Israel. In the midst of God’s glory was a glowing representation of God’s judgment. And since the storm came from the north, it reminded the exiles their northern oppressor, Babylon, was appointed by God.
Ezekiel sees four figures emerging from the center of the storm, from the place of light. Since we know the cloud pictures the glory of God, then we understand that they are stationed at the heart of God’s glory.
First, these four creatures are living beings, which means they were created by God and given life. They have a human form or likeness - yet it’s quickly apparent they are very unlike human beings in many ways.
They possess four faces each and four wings each. The four faces were that of a man, a lion, a bull and an eagle. Their legs were straight, Ezekiel says. The Hebrew word translated as “straight” is literally the word for “right” which can also mean upright. So Ezekiel is likely saying the four creatures were standing erect on two legs each. Though the legs were like those of a man, the feet were like those of a calf hoof. And the legs were like shining bronze. Burnished bronze is a picture of withstanding judgment, so it suggests these creatures have been tested and have been proven pure and holy.
Moving on, they have four wings each, and under each wing they possess the hand of a man. Two of these wings are raised high above them, while the other two are lowered to cover their bodies. The two raised wings are touching the adjoining creature. So the upper left wing of one creature is touching the upper right wing of the creature standing to the left. And so it goes around from creature to creature. Which suggests these four creatures are standing in a square formation. Each one facing their specific direction. And they are adjoined at the tips of their upper wings so they must move as a single unit. Their lower wings are covering their bodies in an act of humility since they stand in the presence of the glory of God.
Their four faces are positioned in a similar, fixed manner. The faces of each created are planted on a single head and neck. Ezekiel says the lion and bull faces were on the right and left. This implies that the human face is always looking outward from the formation. While the other faces are fixed in the other specific fixed directions. The human face was outward, the lion on the right, the bull on the left and the eagle on the back. Since the four creatures are standing in opposing directions, someone looking upon this group would see all four faces from any angle. And the faces do not turn Ezekiel says in v.9. Rather they each look straight ahead without turning as the creature follows the Spirit of God without deviating. Which means the four faces continued to look in each of the cardinal directions regardless, as the creatures moved about in perfect obedience to the leading of God’s Spirit who carries them along.
It seems each of the faces represents the highest creature among the major divisions of the animal kingdom God established in Genesis. Man is the greatest of all creatures on earth, and so the face of the Man is in the first position on each creature. Furthermore, each creature has a general appearance of a man, Ezekiel says. Among the animal kingdom, God created beasts (wild animals), cattle (domesticated animals) and fish and birds. Lions are king among beasts. A bull is the king of domesticated animals. Eagles are the kings among birds
So what are these creatures? And what do they represent? It may surprise you to know these four creatures are common characters in scripture. They are mentioned 91 times in the Bible, mostly in the Old Testament as well as once in the New Testament. Ezekiel himself names them later in this book, in Chapter 10
These four creatures are cherubim, the highest order of 3 types of angelic beings mentioned in Scripture.
“Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.”
Ezekiel 1:28 NIV
The Glory of God is unimaginable. Somehow I think we too will fall on our face when standing in His presence.
Love you all! Dig in!
“A picture is worth a thousand words”, and man do we get a picture of The Glory of God here! Imagine trying to explain to a blind person something you saw, describing colors and images by using things that might be familiar to them. As we read, we must consider what Ezekiel is actually seeing, being careful to incorporate all of Scripture while making sure not to spin off with ideas that contradict.
Ezekiel saw things no one sees, heavenly things, things that just don’t make sense to someone bound to earth. He tried to describe his vision using simple language, but still the overall description may be difficult for us to wrap our minds around.
This vision concerns the judgment God has brought upon Judah. The cloud represents the glory of God moving to keep His promises in Israel. In the midst of God’s glory was a glowing representation of God’s judgment. And since the storm came from the north, it reminded the exiles their northern oppressor, Babylon, was appointed by God.
Ezekiel sees four figures emerging from the center of the storm, from the place of light. Since we know the cloud pictures the glory of God, then we understand that they are stationed at the heart of God’s glory.
First, these four creatures are living beings, which means they were created by God and given life. They have a human form or likeness - yet it’s quickly apparent they are very unlike human beings in many ways.
They possess four faces each and four wings each. The four faces were that of a man, a lion, a bull and an eagle. Their legs were straight, Ezekiel says. The Hebrew word translated as “straight” is literally the word for “right” which can also mean upright. So Ezekiel is likely saying the four creatures were standing erect on two legs each. Though the legs were like those of a man, the feet were like those of a calf hoof. And the legs were like shining bronze. Burnished bronze is a picture of withstanding judgment, so it suggests these creatures have been tested and have been proven pure and holy.
Moving on, they have four wings each, and under each wing they possess the hand of a man. Two of these wings are raised high above them, while the other two are lowered to cover their bodies. The two raised wings are touching the adjoining creature. So the upper left wing of one creature is touching the upper right wing of the creature standing to the left. And so it goes around from creature to creature. Which suggests these four creatures are standing in a square formation. Each one facing their specific direction. And they are adjoined at the tips of their upper wings so they must move as a single unit. Their lower wings are covering their bodies in an act of humility since they stand in the presence of the glory of God.
Their four faces are positioned in a similar, fixed manner. The faces of each created are planted on a single head and neck. Ezekiel says the lion and bull faces were on the right and left. This implies that the human face is always looking outward from the formation. While the other faces are fixed in the other specific fixed directions. The human face was outward, the lion on the right, the bull on the left and the eagle on the back. Since the four creatures are standing in opposing directions, someone looking upon this group would see all four faces from any angle. And the faces do not turn Ezekiel says in v.9. Rather they each look straight ahead without turning as the creature follows the Spirit of God without deviating. Which means the four faces continued to look in each of the cardinal directions regardless, as the creatures moved about in perfect obedience to the leading of God’s Spirit who carries them along.
It seems each of the faces represents the highest creature among the major divisions of the animal kingdom God established in Genesis. Man is the greatest of all creatures on earth, and so the face of the Man is in the first position on each creature. Furthermore, each creature has a general appearance of a man, Ezekiel says. Among the animal kingdom, God created beasts (wild animals), cattle (domesticated animals) and fish and birds. Lions are king among beasts. A bull is the king of domesticated animals. Eagles are the kings among birds
So what are these creatures? And what do they represent? It may surprise you to know these four creatures are common characters in scripture. They are mentioned 91 times in the Bible, mostly in the Old Testament as well as once in the New Testament. Ezekiel himself names them later in this book, in Chapter 10
These four creatures are cherubim, the highest order of 3 types of angelic beings mentioned in Scripture.
“Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.”
Ezekiel 1:28 NIV
The Glory of God is unimaginable. Somehow I think we too will fall on our face when standing in His presence.
Love you all! Dig in!
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