The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Creatures” it comes from the Hebrew Word “chayyah” which means “living creatures.”
Ezekiel receives an overwhelming, cosmic vision by the river of Chebar. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Ezekiel 1.
Ezekiel, a priest, records that in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, as he was among the captives by the river of Chebar, the heavens were opened, and he saw visions of God, describing a whirlwind coming out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire enfolding itself, and out of the midst of it came the likeness of four living “creatures,” “chayyah” in Hebrew, each having four faces, and each had four wings.
Ezekiel describes these creatures’ feet being straight, and their faces like a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle, describing wheels beside the creatures, their appearance being like a wheel within a wheel, their rings being full of eyes round about them, and when the creatures went, the wheels went by them, and when the creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up, since the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels, describing over the heads of the living creature a firmament, like the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
Ezekiel describes above the firmament a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone, and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness of the appearance of a man above it, describing brightness round about, as the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about, this being the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord, and when Ezekiel saw it, he fell upon his face, and heard a voice of one who spoke, this overwhelming, cosmic vision establishing Ezekiel’s prophetic calling with unforgettable, otherworldly imagery of God’s mobile, transcendent glory even reaching His exiled people in Babylon.
Ezekiel’s overwhelming vision of God’s mobile throne, wheels within wheels able to move in any direction, reveals that God’s glory was never confined to the Jerusalem temple alone, but genuinely accompanied His people even into distant, foreign exile. This chapter’s response, falling on his face before such overwhelming majesty, models the appropriate posture of genuine awe and humility whenever encountering God’s true, transcendent glory.
Visit Us At: www.youtube.com/@BibleLifeBasics
Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BibleLifeBasics