Ezekiel 1:1

The Bible says in Ezekiel 1:1-3, “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.[2] In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,[3] The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.” There are several statements in these three verses that make it clear where Ezekiel’s message came from. It came from God. It was not Ezekiel’s message, but it was the message that God gave to Ezekiel. Just like all the individuals who were involved in the writing of the various books of the Bible, God used human instruments to accomplish His will. God has given His written Word to the world, and Ezekiel is one that the Lord used to do it. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Ezekiel “saw visions of God.” A good part of the book of Ezekiel will be describing those visions to us. And so God wants all of us to know what Ezekiel saw, so that we can learn from it. I personally do not put much value to dreams. To me a dream is simply the mind being active when you are asleep and thus do not have full control of your thoughts. Such thoughts are therefore of no value. It is important what you think in the daytime when you have the challenge to control what you think and conform your thoughts to the Word of God and to a life of faith. But the visions that are definitely valuable are the ones that God for sure gave to the prophets. And so the book of Ezekiel is important to read and think about. “The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel.” “and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.”

The Bible says in Ezekiel 1:4-7, “And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.[5] Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.[6] And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.[7] And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.” What Ezekiel saw must have been frightening. What he calls a whirlwind was probably like a tornado because he mentioned “a great cloud.” But this was no ordinary tornado. It had fire and bright lights of some sort coming out of it. And something else was coming out of the fiery whirlwind: “the likeness of four living creatures.” God is the life-giver. All life comes from God. God is involved with life: every life of every person and of every animal. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” That is one of the reasons that no person has the right to take any other person’s life. “Thou shalt not murder.” The founders of America understood this and they wrote that every person is endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights: among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The living creatures had the likeness of a man because God uses people. God has angels, but He chooses to use people to spread the Gospel of Christ. Each of the living creatures had four faces. Perhaps this would mean that the individual would face north, south, east, and west all at the same time. Christians certainly should be aware of the needs of the whole earth. Everyone in the world needs to hear the gospel and be saved. “For God so loved the world that He gave His ony begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” There were four faces. Each face has two eyes, two ears, and a mouth. With our eyes we should read the Word of God. With our ears we should hear the Word of God, and thus the value of hearing a preacher and teacher of the Word. And with our mouths we should speak forth the Word of God which we have learned. Learn what you can, and then teach what you have learned.

According to verse 6 the living creatures that Ezekiel saw come from God had four wings. If you live for Christ and learn to live by faith, you will be able to soar above the craziness of the earth on eagles’ wings. You will laugh at the world, and you will fly lightly in the breeze, carried along by the Spirit of God. Compared to that, the poor people of the earth can only live like brute beasts bound to the earth and its vices and follies. This is just one of the countless benefits of being a Christian.

But there is also a very practical aspect to serving God. It says in Ezekiel 1:7, “And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot.” Our spirits can soar above it all, but our bodies cannot. Our feet are still firmly planted on the ground, and I think that is the significance of a “calf’s foot.” A calf’s foot is designed to have good and steady footing as it roams the ground on which it must live and find its sustenance. If you want to serve God effectively, you must learn the practical aspects of life: how to get your tasks finished, how to do a good job, how to advance your career, how to make money, and how to pay your bills. The Bible is a very practical book. Of course, as a Christian you must learn to do all this with Christian ethics and integrity. That is why it says, “their feet were straight feet.” The people of the world are on a crooked path, and they can go in any direction at any time morally or ethically, especially in these last days. But the Lord has given us a straight and narrow path to follow, and we are able to follow it because Jesus is our Savior. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

In the last phrase of Ezekiel 1:7 when the Bible says about the four living creatures, “they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass,” it uses sparkling brass metal to symbolize how Christians grow in the Lord. When metal is properly purified with fire, the dross is burnt away and a more beautiful metal and more pure metal remains. For you to become a Christian more useful for the Lord, the Lord will have to make things happen to you so that the dross of your old nature will be burned away.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 1:8-12, “And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.[9] Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.[10] As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.[11] Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.[12] And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.” The four creatures that came from God had hands and wings. They use their hands to do the work of God. God uses people after all. The four creatures stay above the fray. They ride on the wings of the wind by faith in the love and power of Jesus Christ their Savior. You do not want to be doing your work without faith in God, and you do not want to be trusting in God without doing your part doing your own work with your own hands. Work and believe. Do not leave either one out if you want to be a servant of God. The wings are mentioned a second time in verse 8 along with the four faces once again. North, south, east, or west: wherever you go, God will go with you. He will carry you on eagles’ wings.

The wings are mentioned a third time in verse 9. It says, “Their wings were joined one to another.” This means that they were united in a common purpose. There should be no greater unity on the earth than the unity of people who believe in Jesus as their Savior. No matter what is our background, race, country of origin, or economic status, we have more important things that unite us: we have all admitted our sins. We have all had the same life-changing spiritual experience of bowing at the feet of Jesus, calling upon His name, and thus being saved. We serve the same Savior. We are members of the same family: the family of God. We have the same destiny, where we will all serve God together forever. We will not be able to fly as well alone. It is much better to fly as a group with our wings joined.

Once again we are told in Ezekiel 1:9 that the four creatures “went every one straight forward.” God wants us to do the right thing. He wants us to live holy lives. He wants us to live out our salvation so that we go from faith to actually doing what He wants us to do and living the life that He wants us to live. Once God puts you on a certain direction in life, do not get off that path by your own self-will. There are many distractions and there are many rabbit trails. Make sure that you stay on the path that Jesus has for you. He said, “Follow me.”

Ezekiel 1:10 gives us some more symbolic information about the four faces of each of these creatures that came from God. There was the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. These are four great creations of God. Man is God’s highest creation on this earth because we are created in the image of God. We have intellect, emotion, and will more like God than any of the other animals He created, and we have an eternal soul. A lion is at the top of the food chain, and has always symbolized strength, and majesty, and authority. An ox is tremendously strong and has commonly been used for the toughest of jobs. And of course, an eagle is also at the top of the food chain. Just as a lion is at the top on the earth, an eagle is at the top of the birds of the air. The picture here is dominance and strength. A Christian who is on the mission that God has sent him or her to do should have all the qualities symbolized by these four faces: a man, the way a human being ought to be as a servant of God, a lion, an ox, and an eagle.

Verse 11 says that the wings were stretched upwards. This represents prayer to God and to Christ. The reason that a God-sent individual is able to fly above the problems and the craziness of the earth is because we trust in the Lord through prayer to Him. Christians are told to be “praying always.” When we truly trust in Him, we are light-hearted and carefree, knowing that He will take care of us and take care of all things according to His will.

It says in Ezekiel 1:11, “two wings of every one were joined one to another.” The key words here are “joined one to another.” Christians need each other. It is God’s will that we be joined together in the name of Christ. We can do more together than we can separately. That is one of the reasons to have a church, meaning a gathering of believers. We gather together to hear the Word, to sing, to have fellowship in Christ, and to be a witness to the community. And we also gather together to be united. Our wings must be joined together just like the creatures from God that Ezekiel saw.

Ezekiel 1:12 says two things that have to do with staying on the right path, the path that God has for you in life. It says at the start of the verse, “And they went every one straight forward.” And it says at the end of the verse, “and they turned not when they went.” You must stay on the path that God has for you: you must. You cannot go your own way in life. You must ask for God’s will and be truly surrendered to God’s will. Jesus said, “Follow me.” What happens if you get off the path? Well, then just get back on. You get back on God’s path for your life by asking Jesus to forgive you and by making sure that you are once again surrendered to Him. The Apostle John wrote in First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

There is one more truth that we need to mention from Ezekiel 1:12. It says, “And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.” One of the great benefits of being a Christian is that each one of us has the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit. Jesus baptized us with the Holy Spirit when He saved us. Be careful how you respond to the Spirit even after you are saved. You must find out the way that God is going, and go with Him. Do not ignore the Spirit. Do not go your own way. Your own selfish will can blind you to what is important, and can get in the way of you following the Spirit. If that happens, the results will be disastrous. We will be powerful doing the work of God, just like the four creatures, if we follow the leading of the Spirit. Christians are told, “Quench not the Spirit.”

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