Ezekiel 1:4-28--The Glory of the LORD

Ezekiel 1:4-28
English Standard Version

The Glory of the LORD
4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal. 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6 but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12 And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

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We many times in Scripture see the heaves referred to being in the north and the LORD riding on the clouds of a storm when He comes in judgment, so we are already getting a picture of the LORD coming from heaven to make judgment against someone just within the first few words of the first verse of this passage.  Ezekiel sees flashes of lightning, but also the glow of hot metal that is in the fire (red or white hot)  This gleaming metal surrounded by flashes of lightning was the throne of God.  From there came four living creatures that are like those that we see guarding the throne of God in other places in the Bible.  They have somewhat of a human likeness to them, but they have four different faces (one one each of the four cardinal directions).  Their legs were straight, but they had feet that were like that of a calf (a cloven hoof like a clean animal would have).  They shone like burnished bronze--not nearly the same kind of glory as looking at flashing of lightning and fiery-hot metal, but they were excellent reflectors of the glory of the LORD.

​It's "fun" to try to figure out all the symbols of these four living creatures and what all the different faces might mean, but given that several different authors of the Bible seem to see exactly the same creatures surrounding the LORD's throne, I don't think their description is really symbolic.  Rather, it is something marvelous that makes us give glory to God.  The sole purpose of these creatures seems to be to guard the holiness of God and proclaim His holiness wherever He goes.  The throne moves in cardinal directions so that one of them is always facing forward, and they never leave their posts.  Wherever He goes, they go.  Each of the creatures seemed to rest on a wheel within a wheel to aid in the movement, with the wheels having the likeness of beryl (there are many different kinds of beryl, but I assume this one is the red kind).  In this way, they moved without ever changing direction and without their feet ever touching the ground.

There is a crystal-like expanse above the heads of these creatures that was a canopy over them and the throne of God.  With one pair of wings, they covered their bodies, and with the other pair, they flew with a roaring sound of many rushing waters or the sound of an army (think of rolling thunder perhaps that goes along with the flashes of lightning that we've seen, but the "thunder" comes from the beating of their wings and not from the expanding and condensing of the air molecules).   When they stood still, they let down their wings so that Ezekiel could see them fully.

Above the crystal-like expanse that was between them was the throne of God, which had an appearance of sapphire (see where the LORD appears on Mount Sinai to the elders and how they see sapphire when He shows and many of these same images when He shows up).    Then we get a glimpse at the one seated on the throne.  Note that He had a human-like appearance to Him (this would be odd to the Jewish people who thought that the LORD had no form or body because He was simply spirit to them, and one of the greatest oppositions they have to Jesus being God-in-the-flesh).  Ezekiel could see that His top-half appeared to be like metal in a fire, and His bottom half appeared to be fire.  "And there was brightness all around Him."  I think that's and understatement, but it's the best that Ezekiel can describe the glory of the LORD what was surrounding Him and emanating from Him.  Ezekiel said that it was like rainbows of color surrounding Him.

Notice we have yet to get to the message that the LORD wishes to covey.  All this so far has been focused on the time and place of the meeting and how Ezekiel was overwhelmed by the majesty and glory of the vision.  It quite literally knocked him off his feet as the first thing that will be said in the next chapter is "Son of man, stand on your feet."  I think Ezekiel really saw something too magnificent for the words he had in this limited earthly language.  Neither Hebrew nor Greek will do the authors justice when they have these kinds of visions in the Old or New Testaments because they are seeing something out of this world--they are seeing the throne of the One who is the Maker of Heaven and Earth and all that is in them.  Falling down before Him is the only correct response, yet He does not leave His messengers cowering in the dust.  He tells them not to be afraid and tells them to rise up so He can speak to them face-to-face.  Don't we serve a great and awesome God?