Ezekiel 1 - Wheels Within Wheels??
- Chad Werkhoven
- 4 minutes ago
- 5 min read
If you think the Bible's boring, you haven't read Ezekiel.
We meet the prophet Ezekiel sitting among the exiles in Babylon, the heavens opened and he saw a storm-cloud vision of the LORD’s glory carried by four winged living creatures, each with four faces, moving with Spirit-directed power.
Ezekiel 1:15-2:7 (NASB95)
15 Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for each of the four of them.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling beryl, 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 lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about.
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 close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
21 Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
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 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 tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.
25 And there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped 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 loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him.
28 As 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.
2 Then He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you!”
2 As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me.
3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.
4 “I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD God.’
5 “As for them, whether they listen or not—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.
6 “And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house.
7 “But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.
Westminster Confession of Faith
I.VII. All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.
Summary
This is probably the part of each day's post where you look for a bit of insight to help unpack the day's passage. But right now your humble host is looking at these words of Ezekiel just as confused as you are.
Ezekiel's writings from among the Israelites exiled in Babylon are the strangest and most bizarre in the Bible. And this first chapter isn't even the weirdest. Mark Dever notes that "God called Ezekiel to be a virtual recluse, afflicted with periodic fits, paralysis, and dumbness. For example, we observe episodes of aphasia, where Ezekiel lies motionless on his side for months, even years (4:4ff.). He is bound up in his house with ropes so that he cannot go out among the people (3:25). His tongue is glued to the roof of his mouth so that he cannot speak (3:26). He is ordered not to mourn the death of his wife (24:16–17). He is transported in visions (e.g., 8:7). He is told to make a model of the besieged Jerusalem and hold a sword up against it (4:1–2; 5:1–2). He packs his belongings and digs through the city wall to symbolize the coming exile... This book has been regarded as so strange that Jewish rabbis would often not allow young men to read Ezekiel until they were thirty years old, lest they become discouraged at the difficulty of understanding the Scriptures and so despise them."
But even as eccentric as Ezekiel is, his prophecy is still the word of God, and we must endeavor to listen and learn from it.
Dig Deeper
The moment somebody tells you they can explain every detail of Ezekiel's visions, turn and run. Ezekiel often uses metaphorical descriptors such as like or as if. He's trying to describe the indescribable using the closest categories and images he can imagine - and he has a massive imagination - so not every detail is meant to have a bigger meaning.
As strange as it is, Ezekiel's vision of the LORD yields some solid theology (these categories and insights are borrowed from Mark Dever):
God is not like us: He is strange, other, and different than we are.
God Is All-Powerful and All-Wise: Perhaps you noticed that the rims of the wheels are covered with eyes (1:18). And the four faces look in every direction (1:6, 10, 17). These things show God’s omniscience—He sees everywhere.
God Communicates: Did you notice that Ezekiel’s vision climaxes in a voice? In words? This is why God’s Word is central in our church’s gatherings. We take time to hear from God’s Word because he speaks to us through his Word.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who's glory is far beyond anything we can imagine;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Humble yourself before a God who crushes every category and adjective we have to describe Him;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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