The Most Awesome Visible Manifestation of God (Ezekiel 1)

The first part of Ezekiel addresses the people of Judah facing a crisis--the collapse of the nation--from 598-586 B.C. between the first and second Babylonian exiles. Ezekiel's messages was received and delivered within a span of 6-7 years (Ez 1:1, 2-3; 3:16; 8:1; 20:1; 24:1), the period immediately preceding the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar until the curtain falls with a final shocking announcement of its inevitability. Glimpses of hope are few, being scattered about like precious pearls in a turbulent sea of divine fury (Ez 6:8-10; 11:14-21; 16:60-63; 17:22-24; 20:40-44). To drive his point home, Ezekiel delivered his messages by means of direct announcements of judgment, colorful allegorical word pictures, dramatic and often shocking symbolic actions, disputations with his hearers, and divinely controlled personal tragedy.

Ezekiel's mission of gloom and doom opens on a brilliant note with his call to prepare him for his mission and ministry as a prophet (1:1-3:27):

1. The superscription (1:1-3).
2. The inaugural vision (1:4-28).
3. The commissioning of Ezekiel (2:1-3:11).
4. The preparation of Ezekiel (3:12-15).
5. Yahweh's induction speech (3:16-21).
6. The initiation of Ezekiel (3:22-27).

With respect to force and awesomeness, no theophany (visible manifestation of God) in the entire OT matches Ezekiel's inaugural vision. It was a multisensual and polychromatic spectacle, an unforgettable and very impressive sensory experience with profound theological significance:

1. Transcendence. The vision proclaims/reveals the transcendent glory of God. Everything in this vision proclaims God's glory: the dazzling brilliance of the entire image, the gleam of the creatures' bronze legs, the jewels on the wheels, the crystalline platform, the lapis lazuli throne, the amberous (fine translucence) and fiery form of the "man." Everything about the vision cries "Glory!" (Ps 29:9), even the prophet's frunstrating search for adequate forms of expression. Unlike man-made gods, the glory of God defies human description, verbally and visually. Also, man made gods need to be taken care of, but God's glory radiates from his very being.
2. Holiness. The vision proclaims the transcendent holiness of God (Isa 6:3). The creatures cover their body with their send pair of wings (Eze 2:11). God sits on his throne separate from all his creatures, with no confusion about how they are distinctly separate.
3. Sovereignty. The vision proclaims the sovereignty of God. God is enthroned, the King over all (1 Cor 15:28)! The universality of his reign is reflected in the prominence of the number four (four winds), and especially the absolute freedom with which his heavenly chariot moves, and his invasion of Babylon, the heartland of the god of Babylon Marduk's realm, to appear to Ezekiel. God has served notice that regardless of the fate of Jerusalem (she will be soon destroyed), he remains in full control.
4. Affinity. The vision proclaims God's love, interest and affinity toward his people. His condescending appearance in human form undoubtedly finds its basis in Genesis 1:26-27 in a remarkable role reversal where God appears in the likeness of humankind. But what Ezekiel sees is not an actual representation but a reflection of deity. Thus, there are no idolatrous notions unlike pagan idolatry. Here the glory of God cannot be reduced to human definition. Everything about the vision is in the superlative mode. God is alone above the platform, removed from all creatures and stunning in his radiance. There is none other beside him. But this does not prevent him from communicating with mortals. 
5. Immanence. The vision proclaims the immanence and presence of God among the exiles. God is with his people in Babylonian exile far from their native land. God is with them,  regardless of their place of residence. 
6. Judgment. The vision hints at the impending judgment of God. Several features of the vision have an ominous ring. For the moment this vision reassures Ezekiel of God's presence. But in 13 months the heavenly chariot would transport God's glory out of the temple and out of Jerusalem, thus removing the last hindrance to Nebuchadnezzar razing and destroying the city and the temple. The burning coals (Eze 1:13) in a later vision will show a man taking these coals and spreading them over Jerusalem (Eze 10:2).
7. Clarity. This vision serves notice that whoever would enter into divine service must have a clear vision of the one into whose service he or she is called. This service is a vocation like no other. It requires conscription (voluntary enlistment) into the service of the King of kings and Lord of lords, the one who who sits on his glorious throne, unrivaled in majesty and power. God's kingdom will be built, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and his servants go forth on his behalf.

References:

1. Block, Daniel I. The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-24, NICOT (New International Commentary on the Old Testament). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1997.
2. Wright, Christopher J.H. The Message of Ezekiel, BST (Bible Speaks Today). IVP, Downers Grove, IL, 2001.

The Call to Ministry

OT accounts of individuals' calls to divine service has been cast in two forms:

1. the protested call and 
2. the overwhelming call [Moses (Exod 3:1-4:17); Gideon (Judg 6:11-24); Jeremiah (Jer 1:4-10)].

Ezekiel's call is generally classified among the latter with the following typical features:

1. The person called receives a vision of Yahweh in all his splendor and majesty.
2. The person demonstrates verbally or non-verbally an overwhelmed response to the vision.
3. The person is reassured, prepared and equipped by Yahweh to fulfill his or her prophetic responsibilities.
4. The person receives a special commission from Yahweh [Isaiah (Isa 6:1-13); Micaiah ben Imlah (1 Ki 22:19-21); Paul (Ac 9:3-39; 22:3-21; 26:12-18)].

Yet several features suggests that Ezekiel was not a willing prophet, at least in the beginning:

• the extra-ordinary length and detail of the account (exceeding the call of Moses by almost 50%), 
• the intensity of the opening vision, 
• the duplication of the commissioning speech, 
• the prescribed physical ingestion of the scroll, 
• the stern watchman charge, and 
• the threefold binding combine, which all combine to soften Ezekiel's resistance and prepare him for the role into which he is conscripted by the sovereign Lord.
  

Several additional general observations of the OT call narratives are:

1. The prophetic call was not an ecstatic or trance-like experience. The divine confrontation occurred when the person was engaged in the normal activities of life
2. The accounts are punctuated and controlled by dialogue between Yahweh and his prophet. The commissioning of a prophet was a very personal experience and issued in direct imperatival form.
3. The call of the prophet was a private affair initiated by Yahweh alone and without third-party involvement. The call seems at times to have been quite arbitrary, irrespective of personal faith (Gideon), interest in the divine agenda (Moses), or personal gifts (Jeremiah).
4. The function of the prophet was mediatorial. The call was not for the prophet's own sake, but that a divine message might be communicated to a third party, usually the nation of Israel, and also to foreigners.
5. When the prophets went forth they went with a divine message and with divine authority. Yahweh, the great divine king, conscripts into his service human ambassadors, messengers carrying his proclamations to their intended audiences.

Reference: Block, Daniel I. The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-24, NICOT (New International Commentary on the Old Testament). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1997, 78-79.

Encountering God's Glorious Presence (Ezekiel 1)

"Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance (brilliant light) around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. [This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me.] When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking" (Ezekiel 1:28).

"Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance (brilliant light) around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. [This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me.] When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking" (Ezekiel 1:28).

1. The Context (1-3).
2. The Wind (4).
3. The Creatures (5-14).
4. The Wheels (15-21).
5. The Throne (22-28).

Encounter God's Glorious Presence (Ezekiel 1); The Vision of the Glory of God

Ezekiel was carried off to Babylon at the age 25—one of 10,000 captives (597 BC). In the fifth year of his captivity (593 BC) God called the young priest to prophesy to "a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me…(who) are obstinate and stubborn" (Ez 2:3-4). For > 25 years Ezekiel faithfully carried Jehovah's message of judgment for rebellion and the restoration of a holy remnant, to a captive nation in a distant and foreign land.

Outline:

1.      Ezekiel's Commission (1-3).

2.      The Disobedience of Judah and Her Predicted Judgment (4-24). Warnings about the coming destruction of Jerusalem.

3.      The Sins of the Nations and Their Resulting Judgment (25-33).

4.      The Faithfulness of God and Judah's Future Blessings (34-48).

The Prophet's Call (1-3): 1. Seeing God's glory (ch.1) 2. Hearing God's word (ch.2) 3. Becoming God's watchman (ch.3) [The Call of Ezekiel to the Prophetic Ministry]

The Context (1:1-3)

1.       Who was Ezekiel (1:3; 2 Ki 24:12–16)? When did he begin to prophesy? Where was he when called (1:1,2)?

 

2.       What does the expression "the hand of the Lord was upon him" mean (1:3; 1 Kings 18:46; 2 Kings 3:15, 16; cf. Ezekiel 3:14, 22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1)? Of what and whom does Ezekiel see a vision?

 

Ezekiel's Inaugural Vision of God's Glory (1:4-28); Preamble (1:4)

3.       What did Ezekiel first see (1:4)? From what direction did it come? What might this signify (Jer 1:14; 6:1; 10:22; 46:20; 47:2; 50:3)? With what are clouds and lightening often associated (Dt 4:11; Ps 104:3; 144:6; Mt 24:30; Lk 10:18)?

 

The Four Living Creatures (1:5-14)

4.       What are the four "living creatures"? Describe them. What might their "four faces" signify (1:5–14)?

 

The Wheels (1:15-21)

5.       What was beside each of the four living creatures? How many of these were there associated with each creature?  Describe them (1:15–21).

 

The Throne (1:22-28)

6.       What was upon the heads of the four living creatures? What could be heard from there and when (1:22–25)? What was above the crystal firmament? Describe the One seated there (1:26–28)?

 

Ø  What do you think this vision is intended to represent to Ezekiel?

 

Ezekiel's whole ministry was virtually framed by the awful sight of this glory of Yahweh. The word "glory" (kabowd) has to do with "weight" or "substance." It portrays the sense of God's majestic reality, the overwhelming power of his presence, the "weight" of his eternal Being. Consider the implications of this vision:

1.      This vision proclaims the transcendent glory of God. Everything in this vision cries "Glory!"

2.      This vision proclaims the transcendent holiness of Yahweh (Isa 6:3). He sits alone on his throne.

3.      This vision proclaims the universal sovereignty of Yahweh. He is enthroned as King over all.

4.      This vision proclaims God's interest in his people. His condescending appearance in human form.

5.      This vision proclaims the presence of Yahweh among the exiles. It expresses vividly that Yahweh is here.

6.      This vision hints at the impending judgment of Yahweh.

Ezekiel

The book of Ezekiel relates to one of the most critical periods in the history of Israel. It is one of the most interesting and compelling books of the Hebrew Bible, and it is simultaneously one of the Bible's most difficult and perplexing books. It presents the visions and oracles of Ezekiel ben (son of) Buzi, which span a period of 22 years from 593 to 571 BC. [cf. Isaiah 740-700; Jeremiah 626-587; Daniel 604-535.]

Ezekiel was a Judean priest and prophet exiled to Babylon in 597 BC together with King Jehoiachin ben Jehoiakim of Judah as part of the first exile by King Nebchadnezzar of Babylon (2 Ki 24:8-17; 2 Chr 36:9-10). This first exile took place some 10 years prior to 587/586 BC, when Nebchadnezzar invaded Judah a seond time to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon and to exile a major portion of the surviving Jerusalemite/Judean population to Babylon.

Ezekiel was a priest of the line of Zadok who was trained to serve at the altar of the Jerusalem Temple during the last 10 years of the Judean monarchy. But he was taken into captivity and was settled at a city called Tel Aviv, which in Hebrew means "hill of spring." When Ezekiel reached his 30th birthday (Ez 1:1), the age at chich he would have begun service in the Jerusalem Temple had he not been exiled to a foreqgn land, he saw visions of God, which marked the beginning of his new career as a visionary prophet of Yahweh.

Ezekiel wrote his messages to the exiles in Babylon in essentially a chronological order. He, as a watchman, warned Judah that her disobedience to the Mosaic covenant would bring its cursing upon her in the form of judgment upon the land and upon Jerusalem. Ezekiel employed every means to communicate his message: speaking, acting, visions, symbols, allegories, parables. But Judah had gone too far. Yahweh's glory was removed from the Temple and from Judah in preparation for the coming judgment. Systematically Ezekiel removed all their arguments against such a judgment. Then Jerusalem fell. Quickly judgment was also announced on the nations around Judah who cheered at her collapse and sought to plunder her.

The final portion of the book brought hope. Just prior to the news of Jerusalem's fall by the exiles in Babylon, Ezekiel received and proclaimed 6 night messages of blessing on Judah through cleansing and restoration to the land of Israel in the future. With the return of Israel to her land, Yahweh's glory would return to the new Temple constructed as His dwelling place among them.

The book of Ezekiel thus portrays the purging of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the people, to reconstitute them as part of a new creation at the conclusion of the book. With Jerusalem, the Temple, and the people so purged, Yahweh stands once again in the holy center of the created world. Ezekiel then points to the return of Yahweh to the holy temple at the center of a reconstituted Israel and creation at large. It ultimately represents a profound attempt to encounter the holy in the profane world, and based on that encounter, to sanctify the world in which we live. By him Judah was to know of the future restoration of all Israel to the Promised Land by the Messiah.

Ezekial is mostly a mystery to modern readers. Few can handle his relentless denunciations, his unconventional antics, his repetitive style and his bewildering array of topics. He is like a stranger from a distant time and land.

• Who is this priest who, on his 30th birthday, has a dazzling vision of God on a wheeled throne?
• Who is this odd prophet who engages in outlandish street theater and speaks for God on international affairs?
• Who is this seer who paints murals of apocalyptic doom and then of a restored temple bursting with emblems of paradise?

Ezekiel means "whom God strengthens." The prayer of his parent when he was born is "May God strengthen him." He was born in 622 BC [based on the assumption that when he was 30 (1:1-2), it was the 5th hear of King Jehoiachin - 593-592 BC]. It was the year the book of the law was discovered in the temple, which spurred King Josiah's reforms (2 Kings 22; 2 Chr 34:3-7). He had been king for 18 years since 640 BC.

Ezekiel's visions include:

• a vision of Yahweh's throne chariot in Ezekiel 1, which appears to him while he stands on the banks of the Kebar River (1:1).
  
• a vision of Yahweh's decision to destroy the city of Jerusalem and to kill or exile its population (Ezekiel 8-11).
• a vision of the new temple which portends not only a new temple structure in Jerusalem, but a renewed and reconstituted Twelve Tribes of Israel and even creation at large (Ezekiel 40-48).

Ezekiel's visions are characterized by bizarre imagery and concepts, such as:

• the vision of the four cherubim who bear Yahweh's throne chariot through the heavens, each of whom has a body of burnished bronze, the feet of cattle, three sets of wings, and four faces, which represent four aspects of the divine character.
  
• the vision of the restoration of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37, which plays a major role in defining expectations concerning resurrection in both Judaism and Christianity.
• the vision of the restored temple in Ezekiel 40-48, which differs markedly from what is known of the First Temple, built by King Solomon ben David, and the Second Temple, built at the beginning of the Persian period.

His actions are also frequently bizarre:

• He cuts off his hair, divides it into 3 portions, and chops, burns, and scatters it to illustrate the fate of the people of Judah (Exeziel 5).
• He refuses to mourn for his dead wife to emulate Yahweh's response to Jerusalem's demise (Ezekiel 24).
• He serves as watchman to warn his people concerning the approach of danger, including danger due to their own alleged wrongdoing (Ezekiel 3 and 33).

Key verses are Ezekiel 36:24-27, 36:33-35.

"For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanseyou from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ez 36:24-27).

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it.35 They will say, "This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited" (Ez 36:33-35).

The key chapter is Ezekiel 37: Restoration & Resurrection of Redeemed Israel.