God revealed His glory to Israel first in Exodus 16:7. He promised to send manna after the people had complained to Moses about how they missed the wonderful food back in Egypt.
Exo. 16:7 “And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?”
As the people looked toward the desert they saw the glory of God appearing in a cloud. This cloud image became a biblical term for the Lord’s presence. From Exodus 16 and other accounts we can say that God’s glory was something that could be seen and was connected with a cloud.
This characteristic of glory is unique only to God. Some synonyms for glory that we use are “splendor”, “wonder”. Webster defines glory as “the condition of highest achievement, splendor, prosperity…” But God’s glory is a divine quality which God will give to no one or His praise to idols (Isa 42:8). So in that sense any glory that we might have or know is very different from that of God’s glory.
When King David thought of the Temple being build it reminded him of God’s glory.
1 Chron. 29:11Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
Psa. 19:1The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.
Psa. 97:6The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory.
Glory then is a special term that describes God’s visible and active presence. God’s presence was so central and significant to the people during Moses’ time that 3 other terms are used to speak of God’s glory: His “face”, “appearance” and “presence”. In Exo. 33 Moses requested to see God’s glory. Moses wanted to be assured that God would not desert him. God’s response was to allow all of His goodness to pass in front of Moses but would not allow Moses to see His face.
Ezekiel 1 gives us another description of God’s glory. It’s very different from all the others that we’ve seen. Ezekiel describes an experience he had when he was 30 years old. He along with many others from Judah had been taken captive to Babylon. We’re told the date of this heavenly vision, in our terms, July 31, 593 BC (v. 1). He says the hand of the Lord was upon him. Notice 2 verses in Ezekiel 1.
Eze. 1:4Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
He then goes on to describe what was in this immense cloud. The description gets more and more weird. The details are extraordinary and unimaginable. And finally he tells us;
Eze. 1:28…… This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
Was he hallucinating or in some kind of a psychedelic trace? Reading this we would think that he was imagining all of this until we stop to realize that there are events, structures and creatures in the world we’ve never seen, thought about or experienced. Here’s an example we’re all familiar with.
Take for instance the little insignificant fly. Makes you wonder why God even made them in the first place. But have you ever thought about God’s creative genius in how he made them?
One scientist has claimed, the “fly is the most talented aerodynamicist on the planet— superior to any bird, bat, or bee. A housefly can make six turns a second, hover, fly straight up, fly straight down, fly backwards, do somersaults, land on the ceiling, and perform various other show-off maneuvers. And it has a brain smaller than a sesame seed.”
Scientists also noted that “flies are loaded with sensors. In addition to their compound eyes, which permit panoramic imagery and are excellent at detecting motion, they have wind-sensitive hairs and antennae. They also have three light sensors on the tops of their heads, which tell them which way is up. Roughly two-thirds of a fly’s entire nervous system is devoted to processing visual images.”
Joel Achenbach, “Fly Like a Fly,” National Geographic (June 2006)
This is just 1 examples of the known created world. There’s far more out there we have little knowledge of. We haven’t considered the spiritual world in which God resides. So when we think of reality in this way, Ezekiel’s vision isn’t so strange after all.
Over the years commentators have struggled to agree as to the details of what Ezekiel was describing. They are sure of two facts. First, this was Ezekiel’s inauguration, or commissioning, into God’s service (2:3). Second, he was attempting to describe God’s glory with reality he knew from 6th century BC. This is why the grammar in the chapter is somewhat confused, erratic and incomplete. But we know he was attempting to describe God’s glory (v. 28).
Eze. 1:28…… This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.
But notice that he could only describe the likeness of God’s glory not the actual appearance. Why is this, because he didn’t have words to describe it and nor do we. In other words,
The glory of God is indescribable.
15x in 28 verses Ezekiel uses the word “like” or “likeness of” in attempting to describe what he saw. The description of the cloud vision is divided into 3 sections; the living creatures (5-14), the wheels (15-21), and the platform and throne (22-27). The entire vision is held together with the theme of fire.
4Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
This cloud was lit up with brilliance and intensity. And out of the cloud emerged these “living creatures.”
13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.
These creatures, which in chapter 10 are called cherubim, are extremely difficult to visualize. Their bodies are in the likeness of humans, but they have 4 wings and 4 faces. If the creatures were not difficult enough to envision, the wheels (vv. 15-21) are even stranger. We would say they were a gyroscope type of structure. What their function was in relationship to the creatures is not exactly explained.
Finally in vv. 22-27 is a shimmering crystal throne, or platform above the creatures who are apparently holding up the throne over their heads. But in spite of the dazzling appearance of the throne Ezekiel’s attention is drawn to the figure seated on the throne. He is in the form of a man but no ordinary man.
27Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.
This is an abbreviated explanation of what Ezekiel saw. The meaning of these images is
continually discussed. But more importantly, what are we to do with them. We’re given a glimpse of God’s glory then how are we to apply it? Even though it’s difficult to grasp, and Ezekiel has a difficult time describing it, the vision gives us several thoughts.
1. God’s glory overwhelms us.
Everything about the vision is dazzling brilliance, bronze legs, gleaming jewels in and on the wheels, the crystalline platform and jeweled throne. Ezekiel is frustrated searching for the right words to describe what he saw. Remember where Ezekiel was. He lived in a land full of pagan gods whose images and carvings required constant attention and polishing. The glory of God on the other hand defies description both verbally and visually.
Moses wanted to see God’s glory. So in order to protect Moses, God placed him in the crevice of a rock before He passed by. When John saw the resurrected Christ he fell at His feet as dead (Rev. 1:17). God’s brilliance flows from His very being. God’s glory is overwhelming.
2. It’s hard for us to identify with God’s glory.
There is a marked difference between the God of the Bible and gods we create or invent. When we read ancient accounts of the pagan gods, we told that they mixed with people. Their habits and characteristics were often identical to ours. But the God of the Bible is very different. God is alone, above and separate from all of His creation. We’re not to confuse God with His created realm. We are made in the image of God. He is not made in our image.
Here is part of the problem we have with Ezekiel’s vision. We don’t understand it because we view God much like we are. Maybe we see Him as an extension of our own personalities, problems and trials. It’s very difficult, impossible, to image a Being that has no beginning. Yes, the Lord Jesus came to live with us, to identify with us and immersed Himself into the human drama and culture. We’re even told;
John 1:14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
While they lived with, “beheld” His glory, at the same time Jesus’ disciples never fully understood the Lord. They were always amazed at His timing, His power and His ways. The glory and holiness of God is indescribable even when He comes to us in human form.
3. God’s glory mimics His sovereignty.
Another way to understand this is that God’s glory is an expression of His sovereignty. Ezekiel’s vision gives us a hint at God’s rule and power. Even though Ezekiel was in the midst of a pagan empire that ruled the Near East, God was in the midst of it. This divine throne, or carriage, moved with absolute freedom. It was independent of any human influence or power or cosmic force. We get this sense, to some degree, in how the images of the creatures are described. Each creature has 4 faces able to move in any 1 of 4 directions without turning. Their movement is effortless.
Notice too that the King was enthroned over these living creatures. Even though they have some majesty about them they are only bearers of the King.
4. God and His glory want to be part of your life.
This concept is not new to us. But remember that Israel is no longer in Jerusalem. The Temple and the city were totally destroyed. The people were exiled to Babylon living in slavery. If the Temple and Jerusalem no longer exist, then where’s God? That’s the point of the vision. God comes to Ezekiel to vividly remind him that He is there. He hasn’t abandoned His people. Not only does God come to Ezekiel in such a mysterious way, He comes to Ezekiel in human likeness. In v.26 Ezekiel says;
26 ……on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.
While Ezekiel doesn’t see God, he sees an appearance, or a reflection, of God. And while God is not part of His creation this does not prevent Him from speaking to us in a language we know. God speaks to each of us in many ways, most frequently in Scripture. Some have even heard Him as if He was speaking directly to them.
One final thought;
5. We need to embrace God’s glory.
God came to Ezekiel because he needed God’s empowering presence in his life. Are we any different? Each and every believer is in the Lord’s service, the Lords’ Army if you will. Being in His service means that we must have a clear vision of the Lord we service. Our service to the Lord is a service like no other. By our profession of faith we are conscripted into a King’s service who sits enthroned in a glorious, unrivaled majesty and power. God’s kingdom will be built. The gates of hell will not prevail against it. And His servants will go forth on His behalf. While we may not totally understand God’s glory, His majesty and sovereign power, we should at least embrace it. That means living in and under God’s glory.
