SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/27/2014
8:18 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Beholding the Glory of the Lord PT-4-5
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ezekiel
1:22-28
Message of the
verses: In today’s SD I want to look
at the last two sub-sections of this first main section from the book of
Ezekiel, and with that we will be finished looking at the first chapter in the
book of Ezekiel.
The Firmament (Ezekiel 1:22-25): “22
Now over the heads of the living beings there was something like an
expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads. 23
Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the
other; each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the
other. 24 I also heard the sound of
their wings like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of
the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they
stood still, they dropped their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the
expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped
their wings.”
When we look at the verses in chapter one I can
understand why Steward Briscoe named his commentary on Ezekiel “All Things
Weird and Wonderful.”
Dr. Wiersbe writes the following in his commentary on
these verses: “Now we get the total
picture: a heavenly chariot with four
wheels, moving quickly from place to place at the direction of the Lord. As it moved, the noise of the wings of the
cherubim sounded like the noise of great waters coming together, ‘like the
voice of the Almighty,’ and like the sound of a mighty army (3:13; 10:5; Ps.
46:3; Rev. 1:15; 14:2; 19:6). The wheels
symbolize the omnipresence of God, while the eyes on their rims suggested the
omniscience of God, seeing and knowing everything. Ezekiel was beholding a representation of the
providence of God as He worked in His world.”
I would like to look at the verses in the book of Revelations that Dr.
Wiersbe referenced to in order to help us better understand this section in
Ezekiel.
Rev. 1:15 “His feet were like burnished bronze, when it
has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many
waters.”
Rev. 14:2 “And I heard a voice from heaven, like the
sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I
heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.”
Rev. 19:6 “Then I heard something like the voice of a
great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty
peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty,
reigns.”
The Throne (Ezekiel 1:26-28): “ 26 Now
above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis
lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a
figure with the appearance of a man. 27 Then I noticed from the appearance of
His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all
around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw
something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28 As the appearance
of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the
surrounding radiance. Such
was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I
saw it, I fell on my face
and heard a voice speaking.”
As we look at these verses I am more familiar with other
verses from Scripture that speak of similar things. For instance when we look at the storm and
the rainbow I think of Noah who also saw the rainbow and the rainbow is seen in
scenes from heaven from the book of Revelations. When I think of Ezekiel falling on his face
before the glorious Lord it makes me think of Daniel, and also John doing the
same thing. Something a little similar
was when the Lord called Saul of Tarsus with a bright light that caused him to
fall on his face, but it also blinded him too.
Dr. Wiersbe writes “Noah saw the rainbow after the storm
(Gen. 9:13-16), the Apostle John saw it before the storm (Rev. 4:3), but
Ezekiel saw it over the storm and in control of the storm. In His wrath, God remembers mercy (Hab. 3:2).
Ezekiel realized that he was beholding
the glory of the Lord (1:28), and he fell on his face in awesome fear.”
As we go through the book of Ezekiel we will see the
glory of the Lord in different places as it is one of the themes of the
book. We will see the glory of the Lord
leave the temple and go over the Mount of Olives, and then he will see it
return to the kingdom temple, something we will see later on in the book. Why did the glory of the Lord leave the temple? It was because of the sin of the people, and
soon after it left the temple the Babylonians destroyed the temple. Now we know that the glory of the Lord in the
Person of the Lord Jesus Christ would come into the temple that the exiles
built as seen in the book of Nehemiah and also in Ezra. It was also seen on the Mount of Transfiguration
when the glory of the Lord was seen in the person of Jesus Christ. It was because of our sins that the Lord went
to the cross in order to pay the penalty of sin, and in order to have His
children have victory over sin, and now the Spirit of the Lord is in the hearts
of all who believe in Him as their personal Savior and Lord.
Now remember Ezekiel was one of the exiles, living in
Babylon and I am sure that many were thinking that because of their sin the
Lord had abandoned them forever, but God was showing Ezekiel so he could tell
the other exiles that He had not abandoned them, but was still on the throne
and in control of all things including caring for His chosen people. Dr. Wiersbe writes “Israel wasn’t the victim
of Babylonian aggression. It was God who
enabled the Babylonians to conquer His people and chasten them for their
rebellion, but God would also bring the Medes and the Persians to conquer
Babylon, and Cyrus, king of Persia, would permit the Jews to return to their
land “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His
ways past finding out!’ (Romans 11:33
NKJV).
“No matter what message God gave him to preach, or what opposition
arose from the people, Ezekiel would be encouraged and strengthened because he
had seen the mighty throne of God in the midst of the fiery trial. He had seen the glory of the Lord.”
I realize that this chapter kind of leaves us hanging to
see what words are spoken to Ezekiel, but we will see that in our next SD.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I am happy to
learn more about this section of the book of Ezekiel as the Lord has opened my
eyes to see more about what is written in the is first chapter of the book of
Ezekiel, seeing the glory of the Lord in what are “weird and wonderful things”
described in this chapter. I am sure
that we will see more weird and wonderful things from this book like the valley
of dry bones and other things.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust that the Lord will continue to teach me
and remind me from things that I saw and will see from His Word, and that they
will change me more and more into the image of my Savior and Lord, Jesus
Christ.
Memory verses for the
week: Colossians 3:8-11.
8 But now you also, put
them all aside: anger, wrath, malice,
slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have laid aside the old self with
its evil practices, 10 and put on the new self who is being renewed to a true
knowledge according to the image of the One who created him-11 a renewal in
which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and
uncircumcised, barbarian and Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all,
and in all.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Greece” (Daniel 8:21).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who deserted Paul and
Barnabas on the first missionary journey?”
Answer in our next SD.
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