The man becomes a priest and a prophet.
Back in Jerusalem, with the Temple was still intact and being serviced by the official Levitical priesthood, a man could not become a priest until he turned 30. Since God is not limited by time or space, he went ahead and made Ezekiel and priest and a prophet in Ezekiel's 30th year.
- He was by the river Chebar (Nebuchadnezzar's royal canal)
- among the exiles
- the heavens opened up and he saw visions of God
- this happened during the 5th year of Jehoiachin's exile (592 BC)
The vision:
- A storm was coming from the north with lightening, fire, clouds, and glowing metal
- in it were four creatures with human forms
- each with four faces and four wings
- bronze, straight legged, and calf hoofed, also with hands under their wings
- their faces didn't move when they turned- just stared forward
- one face was a man, a lion on the right, bull on the left, and an eagle
And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. Ezekiel 1:12
A Ryrie footnote labels these creates as the cherubim, also found in revelations. Cherubim were concerned with guarding the holiness of God. Satan had been a cherub.
In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. And the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning. Ezekiel 1: 13–14
I didn't know how to paraphrase such a specific description, so I just shared it directly. What a sight to behold. It seems like it's saying the creatures were connected by fire. It seems like something important there to consider. Energy or electricity surging between them. I'm always curious about these clues to spiritual realm and what they tells us about the temporal realm.
Verse 15 starts a new paragraph and new imagery. There was a wheel on the earth beside each of the living beings. These wheels looked gold and with amazing craftsmanship. They looked like they were within one another (another nod to the interconnectedness of the scene.) They moved without turning, this includes up and down as
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. Ezekiel 1:20
I just keep quoting these verses about the spirit because I don't know what to make of it. The "s" isn't capitalized, so it's not THE Spirit. So I'm still unclear what it is and how it is related. MacArthur states, "This refers to the divine impulse by which God moved them to do His will." Wiersbe notes that it can also be interpreted as Spirit with a capital S, With the life and direction for the angels coming from God's Spirit.
All of this imagery has a nod to a chariot, but clearly it's not a normal chariot. I think I remember someone in college wondering if this was Ezekiel seeing a helicopter in a vision and doing his best to describe it using things know in his time. MacArthur calls it, collectively, a war machine and a chariot on its way to bring judgement to Israel.
Verse 22 starts a new paragraph and a new topic. He now describing the environment around them. He calls it a crystal expanse, with wings underneath stretching across the creatures. These wings made quite the sound. The sound of the Almighty, abundant water, and an army. It seems like it went quite when they weren't flapping their wings.
Into the quiet, Ezekiel hears a voice speak.
Above all of the was a gorgeous throne and on top of that, the figure of a man. From the waist up the man was glowing metal and fire and from the waist down the figure was fire and radiance. Around the figure was a glowing radiance like a rainbow on a rainy day.
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. Ezekiel 1:28
This is such a blessing for the Almighty to be reaching out to Ezekiel (and us) in imagery we can recognize. No one should be surprised He came to us as a man. He is personal. But still radiant and fiery. Also, no one should be surprised that Ezekiel fall on his face at the revelation. What a shocking and awe-inspiring moment.
An excellent reminder in the darkest times that God is still on His throne surrounded by the promises (covenant) He has made to us.
I am anxious to hear what He has to say to Ezekiel after this very flashy introduction.