Ezekiel 1

1-17 The Vision of the Chariot

• Ezekiel’s place, time, and identity
  • When? 30th year, 4th month, 5th day of the month. 30th year of what? See, I can’t get beyond the first verse without checking commentaries at www.searchgodsword.org for an answer. Commentators aren’t clear about it, either, though. It could be Ezekiel’s 30th year, or it could be 30 years since beginning of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar’s father (Nabopolassar), which also coincides with the year Hezekiah found God’s law in the temple. (Jamieson Fausset Brown)
  • Fifth year of Jehoiachin’s exile. (See 2 Kings 24:12.)
  • Who? Ezekiel is a priest and the son of Buzi.
  • Where? In the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar.
• Ezekiel’s first look: Cloud and Creatures
  • A stormy wind brings a cloud flashing with fire.
  • In the middle were four creatures who had human form.
  • Each had four faces (a human, a lion, an ox and an eagle), four wings, straight legs, feet like a calf’s foot, and they sparkled like bronze.
  • Under their wings they had human hands, and their wings touched as they moved forward. The other two wings covered their bodies.
• Next: Their Wheels
  • Beside each creature was a wheel – with a wheel within the wheel -- that resembled beryl.
  • They moved in all directions without veering, with rims full of eyes.
  • The wheels followed the movements of the creatures.
  • “The spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.”
• Next: The Dome above the creatures’ heads
  • It shone like crystal.
  • When the creatures moved their wings, it sounded like thunder, like a great army.
  • A voice came from above the dome.
• Next: Above the Dome
  • Something like a sapphire throne
  • It looked like a human seated on the throne
  • Above the loins was like gleaming amber on fire
  • Below the loins looked like fire
  • It was like a rainbow on a cloudy day: “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.” Not the glory of the LORD – just something like it. This word-picture is hard enough to imagine, so we could not even imagine the true glory.
• What next?
  • “I fell on my face.”
  • And I heard someone speaking to me.