Ezekiel 1
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Book named for it’s author—Ezekiel, the Hebrew name means “God strengthens” or "may God strengthen"
Depending on “thirtieth year” in verse 1 meaning Ezekiel’s age, his ministry begins 593/92 B.C. and lasts at least twenty-two years until 571/70 B.C.
Jews were found in three principal locations: Judah, Egypt, and Babylon
Ezekiel’s primary audience is to the Jews in Babylon having been taken there in the second of the three exportations of Israelites (605ish, 598/7ish, and 587ish B.C.)
We see it this morning but one of the primary themes in the book is “the Glory of Yahweh”
Most of what I’m giving this morning is coming from commentaries by Daniel Block, Douglas Stuart, and comments by Dr. Michael Heiser
The Setting
The Setting
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
1-3 is a superscription. Think of it as the title page of a book, they give us some context into the rest of it. The first to third person “I” in verse 1 to “Ezekiel” in verse 3 points to this.
The fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity is the second deportation but now Israel understands Isaiah and Jeremiah’s prophecies have mostly came true. The judgement of Yahweh has them removed from the land and slaves to their neighbors
Ezekiel is a priest as well as a prophet. Now that matters since the age of 30 was when a priest in Israel began his priestly duties
Think about that, He’s prepared for years for the job and now it’s time for him to start serving Yahweh in the Temple, but they’re all down in Babylon with no temple to serve in.
But God isn’t only in the Temple, “the hand of Yahweh was there upon him”.
not only was Ezekiel approved and accepted as a prophet and priest, God was directing his steps and in charge of all that’s happening to and with him
The Storm
The Storm
4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
Ezekiel sees a storm. Storms and great clouds are often seen in the Bible as theophanies, or appearances of God. The fact it’s coming from the north strengthens the idea since Yahweh is sometimes pictured “living” in the north but more often it’s where judgement is seen coming from
A great cloud with fire in it
“as the color of”: Notice he’s saying “kinda like the color of amber”
Note in the chapter how often Ezekiel is at a loss for the exact words to describe. Maybe Yahweh keeps them from him or he can’t find the words.
No man has fully seen the visage of God and lived. All that an infinite God is, is greater than finite minds could hope to understand.
Exodus 33:20 “20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” to Moses
Even when we get to heaven, we’ll “know as we’re known” 1 Corinthians 13:12 “12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
Paul doesn’t say we’ll know everything, that would make us omniscient and Yahweh not God!
The Four Living Creatures
The Four Living Creatures
5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. 6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. 8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. 9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. 11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
I could spend a ton if time in detail about what comes next but I won’t for 2 reasons: First is just time and the second I’ll get to later
Four living creatures (v. 5): Out of the fiery storm-cloud come four beings of general human form, later named cherubim in Ezekiel 10. Their emergence from the theophany marks them as God's throne-attendants, not independent wonders.
Four faces, four wings (v. 6): Each creature has four faces and four wings, equipping it to face and move in every direction. This omnidirectional design signals God's reach over all the earth.
Bronze legs and calf's feet (v. 7): Straight legs and calf-like feet gleaming like burnished bronze give them a partly bovine appearance. This animal-human blend matches cherub-type figures already familiar to ancient Jews and Babylonians.
Human hands (v. 8): Human hands under the wings on all four sides reinforce the human-plus-animal composite. Nothing here would strike an ancient reader as strange or otherworldly.
Coordinated movement (vv. 9, 12): Wings touch one another and each creature moves straight forward without turning. Their unified motion fits a throne-bearing formation rather than a mechanical craft.
The four faces (v. 10): Human, lion, ox, and eagle correspond to known cherub imagery and, in Heiser's larger argument, to the cardinal points. The faces together declare God's dominion over every corner of creation.
Wings up and covering (v. 11): Two wings stretch upward toward a neighbor's, two cover the body. This mirrors the wing arrangement of the cherubim over the ark and in the temple.
Driven by the spirit (v. 12): The creatures go wherever "the spirit" goes, with no mechanical propulsion in view. This is the true "engine" of the throne-chariot Heiser develops in the verses that follow.
Fire and lightning (vv. 13–14): Burning coals, torches, and darting lightning are stock storm-theophany vocabulary, not the glow of an engine. The imagery announces a divine presence in the manner of Job, the Psalms, and the Torah.
The Wheels
The Wheels
15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
A wheel beside each creature (v. 15): Ezekiel sees a wheel on the ground next to each of the four living creatures. The wheels belong to the throne structure, tying the creatures to a mobile platform rather than standing on their own.
Wheel within a wheel (v. 16): Each wheel gleams like beryl and is constructed as a wheel intersecting a wheel. This double-ring design lets the structure roll in any direction, and matches the wheeled temple stands Solomon built (1 Kings 7:30–33).
Movement without turning (v. 17): The wheels go in any of four directions without pivoting. This omnidirectional motion reinforces that the throne can reach every corner of the earth.
Rims full of eyes (v. 18): The tall, awesome rims are covered with eyes all around. The eyes suggest comprehensive divine awareness, though the text states the image without explaining it, so Heiser doesn't press a precise meaning.
Wheels move with the creatures (vv. 19, 21): When the creatures move or rise, the wheels move and rise in perfect sync. This locks wheels and cherubim together as one throne-chariot rather than separate objects.
The spirit in the wheels (v. 20): The creatures' spirit is in the wheels, so the same spirit that drives the cherubim drives the wheels. This confirms Heiser's point that the "propulsion" is the spirit, not fire or any mechanism.
Heiser's synthesis — this is a merkabah: The wheels, axles, and animal figures are drawn directly from Solomon's temple furnishings,
1 Chronicles 28:18 “18 And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.”
even names a "chariot" (merkabah) of the cherubim.
Ezekiel is describing a heavenly throne-chariot
The Expanse
The Expanse
22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. 23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. 24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. 25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
The expanse over their heads (v. 22): Above the creatures spreads an expanse shining like awe-inspiring crystal. This makes the platform beneath the throne, the same word (raqia) used for the firmament in Genesis 1, marking this as a heavenly structure.
Wings stretched and covering (v. 23): Under the expanse the creatures stretch their wings straight toward one another, with two wings covering the body. This repeats the wing arrangement of the temple cherubim, whose wings touched over the ark.
The sound of the wings (v. 24): Their wings sound like many waters, like the Almighty, like the tumult of an army; at rest they let the wings down. The "many waters" and "army" language is stock theophany vocabulary for God's overwhelming presence, not the noise of a machine.
A voice from above the expanse (v. 25): When the creatures still their wings, a voice comes from above the expanse. The sequence deliberately moves the reader's attention upward — past the creatures and platform toward the enthroned figure about to be described.
The Throne and the Glory
The Throne and the Glory
26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. 27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
The throne above the expanse (v. 26a): Above the crystal expanse appears the likeness of a throne, like sapphire in appearance. Heiser notes this is the point-blank confirmation that the whole vision is a cherubim throne-chariot, exactly what any ancient Jew or Babylonian would recognize.
Sapphire and Exodus 24 (v. 26, cross-ref): The sapphire throne matches
Exodus 24:10 “10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.”
Moses and the elders see the God of Israel with sapphire pavement under his feet. This anchors the vision in Israel's own Sinai tradition.
A human form enthroned (v. 26b): Seated on the throne is a likeness with human appearance. This is God in human form — Heiser's central claim, and the text states it plainly.
Fire and gleaming metal (v. 27): From the waist up the figure looks like gleaming metal enclosed in fire; from the waist down, like fire with brightness all around.
The rainbow brightness (v. 28a): The surrounding brilliance is like a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This same cloud-and-radiance imagery echoes the Sinai and tabernacle theophanies, where God is encountered in the cloud.
The glory of the LORD (v. 28b): Ezekiel names all of it "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD" and falls on his face.
Ezekiel 9:3 “3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;”
Ezekiel 10:20 “20 This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.”
the "glory" is Yahweh himself in human form — not a formless light.
The Sending of Ezekiel
The Sending of Ezekiel
1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. 2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. 4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD. 5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. 6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. 7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
2:1 Son of man. A term used over ninety times by Ezekiel to indicate his humanness.
2:2 the Spirit entered me. What God commands a servant to do (v. 1), He gives enabling power by His Spirit (cf. 3:14; Zech. 4:6). This pictures the selective empowering by the Holy Spirit to equip an individual for special service to the Lord, which occurred frequently in the OT. For examples see 11:5; 37:1; Numbers 24:2; Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 1 Samuel 10:10; 16:13, 14; 19:20; 2 Chronicles 15:1; Luke 4:18.
2:5 The people cannot plead ignorance.
2:6 briers and thorns … scorpions. Cf. 3:7, 9; 22:29. God used these figures of speech to describe the people of Judah whose obstinate rejection of His Word was like the barbs of thorns and stings of scorpions to Ezekiel. The wicked were often so called (cf. 2 Sam. 23:6; Song 2:2; Is. 9:18).
Conclusion
Conclusion
This is still like reading an encylopedia but could have been longer, here’s the second reason no more time spent:
An old Jewish teaching from the Mishnah said this chariot vision wasn't to be handed to a beginner alone to speculate over — not because you couldn't read it, but because of what a person might go chasing.
It warns against four questions: what's above, what's below, what came before the world, and what comes after. And here's the striking thing — those are exactly the four questions Ezekiel refuses to answer. He doesn't give you a diagram of heaven. He gives you a throne, the One seated on it, and a job: 'Son of man, stand up, I'm sending you.'
The word that teaching uses for dishonoring God is kavod — the very word Ezekiel builds toward all chapter: 'the appearance of the likeness of the glory' — the kavod — 'of the LORD.' Same word. So let's not spend our hour on the hardware. Let's do what Ezekiel did — fall on our faces, and get up ready to be sent."
