For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

The Vision – the Creatures  

Ezek 1:1-14

1 In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

² On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— ³ the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was on him.

⁴ I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, ⁵ and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, ⁶ but each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, ⁹ and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.

¹⁰ Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. ¹² Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. ¹³ The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. ¹⁴ The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.

A. Find Out

1. Where was Ezekiel, when and what happened? v.1
2. What more detail was given of that? v.2,3
3. What did he see coming first? v.4
4. How were the faces of the four creatures described? v.5,6,10
5. What are we told about their wings? v.6,8,9,11
6. What other descriptions are given of the creatures? v.7,12-14

B. Think:

1. How much are we told about Ezekiel himself?
2. What human characteristics did the creatures have?
3. What things showed them to be very “non-human”?

C. Comment:

First, Ezekiel himself.  He is a priest or at least the son of a priest. He would have had a religious upbringing.  He is in exile in Babylon, about 6 or 7 years before the destruction of Jerusalem, by the river Kebar, with a number of other exiles, when suddenly God’s hand comes upon him and he starts seeing things that no one else can see. We are told he had visions AND the word of the Lord came to him. Note the difference: visions are pictures he received, and then he received words from God as well.

In his vision he sees various things that remind us of God coming at Sinai (Ex 19), an immense cloud coming (Ex 19:9), like a great storm from the north, a great disturbance. When the presence of God comes, it brings great upheaval, so great is the power that accompanies it. From this immense cloud comes lightning (19:16) and has light or fire in the midst (19:18), everything indicating the evidence of the holy presence of God coming.

But then there are the four creatures. They have human form, with arms and legs, but that is all. They have four faces so they see everything in all directions: human (man), regal (lion), strong (ox), divine (eagle). They have four wings so they can go in any direction, and they go as the Spirit goes. They are like fire, indicating they came from the holy presence of God. Whatever they are, these creatures are close to God and do the will of God.

D. Application:

1. There is mystery close to God, holy mystery! Don’t be casual!
2. Those closest to God always do His will.

The Vision – Movement 

Ezek 1:15-25

¹⁵ As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. ¹⁶ This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. ¹⁷ As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. ¹⁸ Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

¹⁹ When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. ²⁰ Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ²¹ When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

²² Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. ²³ Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. ²⁴ When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.

²⁵ Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.

A. Find Out

1. What did he see beside each creature? v.15
2. How were they described? v.16-18
3. Who moved how? v.19-21
4. What was above the creatures? v.22
5. What happened when the creatures moved? v.24a,b
6. What happened when they stood still? v.24c,25

B. Think:

1. What do the descriptions of the wheels indicate?
2. What is the link between the creatures and the wheels?
3. What seems to be the purpose of the creatures and the wheels?

C. Comment:

Remember this is a prophetic vision. Throughout Ezekiel says something “looked like” or simply “like”; he has trouble describing things! Perhaps the object is a material illustration or example of the reality.

Beside each creature is a wheel. Either the four wheels are inter-linked or they each have another at right angles (like a gyroscope). The wheels speak of movement, and they can go in any direction without changing.  The creatures and the wheels seem to move as one, they are inextricably linked.  Wings and wheels speak of power and movement, tremendous power (listen to the sound!) and completely smooth movement.  That the wheels have eyes all around indicates that they, like the creatures, can fully see where they are going all the time. There is a sense with these creatures and wheels that there is a total unity in purpose as they seem to carry the presence of God above them, wherever He wants to go.

In this mysterious picture we are confronted with an awesome power and purpose, fully submitted to the will of God. It is certainly a mystery that is not explained, but the sense is there, nothing could stop this tremendous force. The presence of God is accompanied by tremendous power that none can withstand!  In history, revival is the word used to describe the awesome power of God coming that cannot be withstood.

D. Application:

1. Do we stand in awe of the ALL-Mighty God?
2. Align your life with His purposes; don’t ask Him to line up with you!

The Vision – Divine Presence 

Ezek 1:26-28

²⁶ Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. ²⁷ I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. ²⁸ Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

A. Find Out

1. What did he see above the expanse? v.26a
2. Who did he see there? v.26b
3. How was he described? v.27
4. What was all around him? v.28a
5. What was this said to be? v.28b
6. What was the effect on Ezekiel? v.28c

B. Think:

1. What is encouraging about the figure on the throne?
2. What is awesome about him?
3. Why do you think Ezekiel fell face down?

C. Comment:

Now we come to the divine presence over and above all the other things. He is there on a throne. The throne speaks of the One who rules over all things. He is Lord of all.  But the figure that is there has human form. This says that God wants to communicate with man. He comes to us in a form that is recognisable to us, not some alien shape.

But this human form seems to have two elements. The lower half is pure fire, the upper half is fire within a glowing metal body. Imagine it if you can in that way. As fire blazes up it takes a human form, the upper body is that which is used to communicate to mankind. This fire is the very holy “otherness” that is God. God is spirit but when He makes His presence known to man, because He is Holy spirit, we see Him first as fire. It is awesome.

His very presence is brilliant and because there are clouds about Him, hiding from us more detail of the heavenly presence coming down, the brilliance of His glory shines through the clouds like the most beautiful of rainbows. When the glory of God touches His creation, there is beauty.  All of this has an instant impact on Ezekiel: he falls flat on his face. This seems a voluntary act; he knows he cannot stand and face the awesome glory of God. He must hide his face or perhaps die.

D. Application:

1. God is utterly holy and calls us to be so as well.
2. Where God’s glory touches God’s creation, it is beautiful.