Ezekiel 1 – 4 and Isaac Misses Us Mostly

Ezekiel 1 – 4

The first three verses of the first chapter of Ezekiel give us the setting for this book:

• Ezekiel, son of Buzi, a priest, was thirty years old
• It was July 31^st of his thirtieth year
• He was one of the Judean exiles in Babylon
• He was beside the Kebar River in Babylon with the Judean exiles
• The heavens opened and he saw visions of God
• This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity
• The Lord gave him a message
• He felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him

What he saw was incredible and has been interpreted in many different ways. Let’s face it. We didn’t see it, but he gave a fairly descriptive account of what he did see. Were these creatures real? I tend to believe they were since I prefer to take the Bible literally. Considering the creativity of our wonderful Lord in all of the creatures we have seen, is it surprising that there could be beings like those Ezekiel described?

We know these beings arrived in a huge cloud that was driven by a great storm coming from the north. The cloud flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. The number four seems to play a big part in Ezekiel’s description of the strange (at least, to us) creatures. There were:

• Four living beings that looked human
• Each had four faces
• Each had four wings
• Their legs were straight and their feet had hooves like a calf and shone like burnished bronze
• Under each of their four wings were human hands
• Each of the four beings had four faces and four wings
• The wings of each touched the wings of the beings beside it
• Each one moved straight forward in any direction with turning around
• Each had:
  • A human face in the front
  • The face of a lion on the right side
  • The face of an ox on the left side
  • The face of an eagle at the back
• Each had two pairs of outstretched wings
  • One pair stretched out to touch the wings of the living beings on either side of it
  • One pair covered its body
• They went in whatever direction the spirit chose, and moved straight forward in any direction without turning around
• The living beings looked like bright coals of fire or brilliant torches
• Lightning seemed to flash back and forth among them
• The living beings darted to and fro like flashes of lightning
• Four wheels touched the ground beside them, one wheel belonging to each
• All four wheels looked alike and were made the same
• Each wheel had a second wheel turning crosswise within it
• The rims of the four wheels were tall and frightening and covered with eyes all around
• When the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them
• When they flew upward, the wheels went up
• The spirit of the living beings was in the wheels
• Wherever the spirit went, the wheels and living beings also went
• Above them was a crystal surface
• Above this was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli
• On the throne was a figure whose appearance resembled a man
  • From his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire
  • From his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor
  • All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day
• This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to Ezekiel
• When he saw it, he fell face down on the ground

Now, that sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, doesn’t it?

Not only did Ezekiel see some strange things, he also heard a voice telling him to stand up. And, the Spirit comes into him and sets him on his feet. The voice told him he was being sent to the nation of Israel and he was to speak to them, be a prophet to them whether they listen or not. He must have looked scared because he was told not to them or their words.

Not only did he see a strange vision and hear a voice, but he was also given a scroll to consume. Both sides of this scroll “were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom.” He was told to eat the scroll and give its message to the people of Israel. The scroll was as sweet as honey in his mouth. The Lord makes it clear that the people of Israel won’t listen to him any more than they listen to the Lord.

The Spirit lifts him up and he heard a loud rumbling sound behind him – the sound of the wings of the living beings as they brushed against each other and the rumbling of their wheels beneath them.

The Spirit lifts him up and takes him away. He says he went in bitterness and turmoil, but the Lord’s hold on him was strong. He comes to the colony of Judean exiles in Tel-abib, beside the Kebar River. He sits among them for seven days, after which the Lord tells him he has been appointed a watchman for Israel. He must warn people immediately after he receives a message from the Lord. Those who choose to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels.

Have you ever noticed how much the Lord loves object lessons? In this instance, he has Jeremiah set a large clay brick in front of him and draw a may pf the city of Jerusalem on it. He shows the city under siege with siege ramps and bettering rams.

Exekiel is to lie facing his illustration of the siege of Jerusalem on his left side and place the sins of Israel on himself for a period of 390 days – one year for each year of their sin. After that, he is to turn over and lie on his right side for 40 days – one year for each year of Judah’s sin. He is to lie with his arm bared and prophesy Jerusalem’s destruction. The Lord ties hip up with ropes so he will be unable to turn from side to side until the time is complete. To prepare for this, he must get wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and emmer wheat, mix them together in a storage jar.He may eat 8 oz of food per day and a jar of water for each day. The bread he is to bake was to be cooked over a fire of human dung, but Ezekiel protested, so the Lord let him use cow dung to bake his bread.

This was to illustrate how Israel will eat defiled bread in the Gentile lands to which the Loprd would banish them.

Can you imagine living like that for more than a year?

Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Ezekiel 5 – 8.

Isaac Misses Us, Mostly

Trop9ical Storm Isaac mostly missed the area where I live, although we are getting a lot of rain and some breezy weather. So glad I didn’t have to take shelter. Although I did make a quick trip to Publix today, I have gotten a lot done inside today.

Until next time…