Ezekiel 1:8

Ezekiel 1:8 says, And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.  Ezekiel is still talking about the appearance of the four living creatures he saw in his vision.  These living creatures were said to have four hands under their four wings along with their four faces.  Matthew Henry says the four wings transported them quickly and the four hands equipped them to do the work that needed doing.  He also said some people are quick to get to where work needs to be done and then don’t have a desire to do it.  We need to be quick to go where God calls us, but we then need to be willing to do what He has called us to do.  When He calls us, He equips us to do what He calls us to do.   

Verse nine adds, Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.  There was a unity of purpose in what they did.  When they knew what they were to do, they went straight to the work without any turning.  As followers of Christ, we should go straight to work at doing what He has called us to do.  If we do turn aside, then we need to repent and once again walk the path that He has set us on.   

Verse ten continues, 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.  These living creatures had four faces, the face of a man on the front, of a lion on the right side and the face of an ox on the left, and of an eagle on the back side. This represented them being able to identify with humanity, being as ferocious as a lion in a fight, being as strong as an ox, and being able to soar like an eagle would be my understanding of this verse.  I do know that God will give us all the things we need to be victorious spiritually in the world today as long as we put our faith in Him.   

Verse eleven states, 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.  Two of their wings were used to cover their body, and two were used to fly.  These living creatures, or angels were also united in purpose, which was to serve God as He directed them.   We as Christians are equipped to do what God calls us to do and should be united in purpose.   

Verse twelve adds, And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.  Once more, we are told that these living creatures went where the Holy Spirit sent them without turning aside.  We as followers of Christ must do the same.   

Verse thirteen continues, 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.  Ezekiel said that these living creatures appearance was as burning coals and of lamps.  There was a brightness that surrounded them.  Matthew Henry says Ezekiel saw them by their own light.  There was also the light of the lamps to illuminate them.  If we are a born-again believer, then we see by the light of Jesus Christ and not by our own light.   Our works are judged by fire, burning away all that is not pure.   

Verse fourteen concludes, And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.  Ezekiel said the living creatures went out and returned like a flash of lightning.  They quickly did what God sent them to do and returned to Him for their next assignment.  We need to do what God sends us to do as quickly as we can and then return to Him for our next task.  Matthew Henry points out that they weren’t encumbered by a body but were free to travel without limitations.  I realize that we have limits on how fast we can do things, and sometimes our calling is to a lifelong task, but there will still be times when God calls us to a specific task, and we need to work at accomplishing it as quickly as possible under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.    

Ezekiel 1:1

 Ezekiel 1:1 says, 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.  There are things in Ezekiel that are hard to understand, and I will not profess to understand them all, but I will do my best to tell what I believe that God was saying through him as it applies to the world today.  Some understand this to refer to Ezekiel’s age.  Ezekiel was a priest who had reached the age of thirty and should have assumed full priestly duties, but there was no temple or altar to serve at.  Others understand it to be in the thirtieth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, but either way, there was no temple and likely no altar for Ezekiel to serve at, and he saw visions from God.   He said the heavens opened up and he saw this.  It wasn’t a dream or a fantasy but a vision from God.  We likely will never see such a vision since God has sent His Son to redeem us and show us everything that we need to know about God in order to be saved.   

Verse two adds, In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,  Ezekiel further dates the time that he began to see these visions to the firth day of the fifth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin. Matthew Henry sys this was likely a sabbath, but whatever day of the week it was, God was at work in Ezekiel's life even when he was in captivity.  God was also at work in our lives when we were in captivity to sin, and He sent us the spiritual sight of Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.  It might not have been as glorious as the visions that Ezekiel had, but it was more important, since it brought us to a right relationship with God if we accepted His gift of salvation,      

Verse three continues, 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.  Ezekiel said the word of the Lord came expressly to him, and that the hand of the Lord was upon him.  When God calls us to salvation, His call comes to each of us individually, and then His hand is upon us if we accept His gift of salvation.  This is true because the Holy Spirit indwells us and we are never out of the presence of God once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, even if at times we slip back into sin and wish we weren’t in His sight.   

 

Isaiah Review Concluded

 One of the great prophesies of Isaiah was his prophesy of the coming Messiah.  He said that the coming Messiah would be born of a virgin, and we know that Jesus Christ was the One Isaiah spoke of.  All the prophesies concerning Israel were temporary except for this one, but Jesus Christ came to be the everlasting Savior of mankind if people will only put their faith in Him.  Had this been the only prophesy that Isaiah proclaimed; it would set him apart as a great prophet. 

I have only pointed out a few of the things that Isaiah prophesied during his life, but this is the most important one.  All the other prophesies and actions of Isaiah were temporary, but the coming of Jesus Christ as a newborn baby to grow into a man and offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind for all time is everlasting.  If we were to fail to understand all of Isaiah’s other prophecies, we must understand this one.  Jesus Christ came to live a sin free life, even though He was tempted to sin just like we and yet never give in to sin.  Because He didn’t, He was able to become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all other people.

We will never be a prophet like Isaiah or any of the other prophets, because we already know everything we need to know in order to be restored to a right relationship with God and we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us to help us know what God wants us to do and to call us to repentance when we don't.  Our commission is to share the gospel with other people, and I believe this should also lead us to want to gather with our fellow believers to give praise to God and to grow spiritually. 

Many times, Isaiah and the other prophets encountered opposition, and they sometimes felt that God was not with them, but He reminded them that He was. Like the prophets, we may encounter opposition from the world, but like them we must also remain faithful to God.  The Holy Spirit will always remind us that God is with us not matter what is going on in our life.   

Next. We will look at the Book of Ezekiel.