INTRODUCTION

Ezekiel is a fascinating book, and I find myself in conflict writing this commentary. The goal of these commentaries is to finish studying through the Bible in three years. Yet, I would certainly like to spend more time on this book!

Ezekiel is not only fascinating because of the prophecy it includes, but for a couple of other very good reasons. First, the Bible is a congruent library of books. Ezekiel is one book that very adequately shows the full coinciding nature of the BIble. Parts of Ezekiel can be studied alongside parts of: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Zechariah, and Revelation.

Second, Ezekiel has is very well composed and breaks down easily into separate parts.
Chapters 1-3 speak of the "call" of Ezekiel and God's commissioning this priest as a prophet.
Chapters 4-24 deal with the judgment of Judah and Jerusalem. Ezekiel is already in Babylon, and Judah and Jerusalem remain intact as a "puppet" kingdom. He realizes through God's "Word" to him that Judah and Jerusalem will certainly fall and be destroyed.
Chapters 25-32 are prophecies about other nations.
Chapters 33-39 are prophecies concerning the restoration of Israel.
And chapters 40-49 are prophecies that deal with the millennial kingdom.

Ezekiel was probably taken into captivity in 597 B.C., in the year that Jehoiachin surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar and many captives were taken. Having been in Jerusalem before that, Ezekiel was contemporary with Jeremiah. Daniel had been taken captive in 605 B.C., therefore, Ezekiel and Daniel were certainly contemporaries in Babylon.

But let us get to the book!

CHAPTER 1

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.

Ezekiels age is given, "the thirtieth year." At this age, he would have become an active priest, and able to serve in the temple. Therefore, he is qualified to begin ministering to the people. And, here, God is DOUBLING his call. He will not only be a "priest" (verse 3), but also a PROPHET!

The time is very well dated. The "fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity" (verse 2) is 602 B.C.

The place where God first spoke to Ezekiel is a little more obscure. It is described as being in the "land of the Chaldeans," which would be from just NW of the Persian Gulf, and extending almost to Tarsus. This area generally included the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. THAT is a LOT of area.

Exactly WHERE Ezekiel and the captives were is not fully known. However, it has been said that the "river Chebar" was in all probability a canal which connected the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers at a city named Nippur. ((See "Chebar," International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.))

But the most memorable thing here is the fact that "the word of the LORD came expressly" to Ezekiel!

Now we shall find out HOW God spoke to Ezekiel.

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. 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.

God spoke through a vision. A vision from God can come when one is AWAKE (Acts 9:7), or during SLEEP (Gen. 46:2). And a vision from God tells something of His glory.

First (verse 4), there is the presence of God approaching. A whirlwind brings a cloud, out of which there is an abundance of fire. The cloud has a presence of brightness accompanied by an amber color which is a yellow-orange.

Second (verse 5), four creatures appear which look generally like men.

Third, (verses 6-10) give us the appearance of these men. They stood straight and each had four faces and four wings. And they "sparkled" with brightness. In another place they are described as "cherubim" (Ezekiel 10:15, 20). Cherubim are first mention in Genesis 3:24, and are associated with the worship and praise of God.

With two wings they flew, and with the other two they covered their bodies. Still, there was the realization of mens' "hands" under their wings.

The four faces (a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle) present a special symbolism to me. The man represents wisdom, the lion represents fierceness, the ox represents strength and the eagle represents freedom. All of these are things we receive from God through salvation!

Verses 11 - 13 tell us that these cherubim went wherever they went because of the "Spirit," or the WILL OF GOD! They neither turned left nor right, but always went straight forward according to His Divine direction. This is how we SHOULD live.

The cherubim "ran and returned." They would go forward and then return as if in adoration for and protection of God. Of course, God needs no protection. But this shows the willingness of His subjects to give their lives for Him!

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 creature was in the wheels.

In the second part of the vision, there are four "wheels." These wheels are governed by the cherubim (verse 20). The wheels are standing alongside and opposite of the cherubim, and do EXACTLY as the cherubim do (verse 21).

God commanded the cherubim, and the cherubim controlled the wheels. In the work of God, when He commands, there is causative effect and action from the highest order of angels to even the wheels which support His chariot. All things work according to the will of God and have one purpose - to glorify Him.

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. 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.

Now, we have the cherubim and the wheels driven forward by the approaching presence of God in the fiery cloud and whirlwind force.

Above the cherubim is a "firmament." The Hebrew word is the same as the word in Genesis 1:7, where God divided "the waters from the waters" with an expanse. However this "firmament" is like bright "crystal," or ice. It is the separation of the Creator from the created.

Above the firmament is the sound of God speaking (verse 24). The voice was like "great waters," or a tremendous waterfall - thundering with power. When His voice spoke, the cherubim "let down their wings" in total submission.

Then there was the appearance of a "throne" above the crystal firmament (verse 26). And, of even more significance, the fact that the One ON the throne seems to be a MAN! John 1:18 tells us that no man has seen God in His full glory at any time, but Jesus Christ has revealed God as much as we can know Him. This then, is a theophany like in many other places of the Bible (See: Genesis 18:1-2, Joshuah 1:13-15, Judges 6:20-23, and many others.) It is an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ.

He appeared human form and with fiery brightness and glory.

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.

When Ezekiel realized WHO he saw, he fell down on his face in reverence for the Lord God!

As he humbled himself, Ezekiel heard the Lord begin to speak. Tomorrow we'll see what God said to Ezekiel in this first vision.

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.