In The Word
Read: Ezekiel 1
The Vision of Four Figures
1 Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 (On the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, 3 the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the Lord came upon him.)
4 As I looked, behold, a high wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing intermittently and a bright light around it, and in its midst somethinglike gleaming metal in the midst of the fire. 5 And within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. 6 Each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they sparkled like polished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9 their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. 10 As for the form of their faces, each hada human face; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. 12 And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. 14 And the living beings ran back and forth like bolts of lightning.
15 Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the ground beside the living beings, for each of the four of them. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling topaz, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. 17 Whenever they moved, they moved in any of their four directions without turning as they moved. 18 As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were covered with eyes all around. 19 Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 20 Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction. And the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. 21 Whenever those went, they went; and whenever those stopped, they stopped. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
Vision of Divine Glory
22 Now over the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads. 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. 24 And I also heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of a crowd like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stopped, they let down their wings. 25 And a voice came from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.
26 Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. 27 Then I noticed from the appearance of His waist and upward something like gleaming metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28 Like the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Ezekiel was a priest of the Lord who was taken into captivity by the Babylonians. He was also the prophet who wrote the book of Ezekiel around 571 B.C. The book told the account of judgment on Israel and on other nations and the account of future blessings for Israel.
Ezekiel saw a vision of some cherubim. Each of these cherubim had the face of a man, a lion, an eagle, and a bull. They also had wheels under them on which the rims were covered in eyes. When the spirit moved, they would move in unison with it. Then above them, Ezekiel saw a vision of the Almighty seated on His throne. When he saw the glory of the Lord, he fell on his face. This is one of many accounts of people falling prostrate before the appearance of the Lord.
In our culture today, we often don’t like the idea of bowing or lying prostrate, but it is a worthy position when we come before our God. He is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. To Him we owe everything; for in Him, we live and breathe and have our being. Do you have a problem with physically bowing or lying prostrate before Him? If so, then maybe the pride and culture of this world has gotten a hold of you. We see that after Ezekiel responded to God’s presence in his posture, God spoke to him. If you’re having trouble hearing from God, then try adjusting your position before Him. Let’s stop treating Him as a genie but as God Almighty!