Ezekiel 1:4

Ezekiel 1:4 says, 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 said the first vision that he saw was a whirlwind from the north that was like a cloud of fire enfolding in on itself.  From the midst of the fire, he saw a brightness the color of amber.  It was one of the purposes of the prophets to see visions from God, and we as followers of Jesus Christ today should still have visions of Who God is.  Matthew Henry says the purpose of this whirlwind was to allow Ezekiel to see into heaven, but whether he physically saw into heaven and its glory, I cannot say.  I do know that he realized it was a great vision from God.  We will never see God face to face in this lifetime, but we need to have a clear vision of Who He is.  Of course, some of Ezekiel’s visions were not all that clear as to their meaning.  I believe we can also say that our vision of God will never be totally clear.   

Verse five adds, 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.  Ezekiel said that out of this this whirlwind of fire came the likeness of four living creatures who had the appearance of men, though it wasn’t the creatures themselves. Matthew Henry says they were like hieroglyphics that represented the angels since the angels themselves are spirits that cannot be seen, but we know of several instances when we are told of angels appearing to different people, so I am not sure I can agree that they cannot be seen.  Of course, I know angels can have different appearances since we are told sometimes, we may entertain angles unaware that we are doing so. 

Verse six adds, And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.  Ezekiel had said they had an appearance like unto men, but this doesn’t sound like any man I have ever seen.  Matthew Henry says there were four to represent the four faces they had and the four winds of heaven or the skies.  He says that unlike what some people that he doesn't think they represented four particular angels, whom some name as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel.  As we go through the book of Ezekiel, we will find that there are different interpretations as to what these visions represent, but we do know that God gave Ezekiel the visions for a purpose.  In John’s vision, which in some ways parallels Ezekiel’s here, each of the four living creatures had one of the faces and here, each of the four had all four faces.  Matthew Henry says that in Ezekiel’s vision this means that they were all equally qualified to do the overall work of God and in John’s it may mean that some were more qualified to do a particular task.  In the church today, we are all equally qualified to  carryout the overall mission of God, but we also have different areas that we are more qualified in,   

Verse seven continues, 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.  Their feet were straight and strong, ready to go in any direction they were sent and to bear any burden put on them.  We need to be the same way as followers of Christ today.  We should willing go anywhere God tells us to go and be willing to bear any burden serving Him might bring.   

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.