Summary of Ezekiel 1:4-21
Ezekiel describes his visions from God. He saw a windstorm from the north. He saw four living creatures in a fire. Each creature was human but had four faces and four wings. They had feet like a calf. They had human hands. Their wings touched each other and they traveled straight.
Each face has a face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. They each had a pair of wings. They went where their spirit went. They sped, and fire moved among them.
He saw wheels on the ground beside the creatures. They had eyes all around them, and they went where the creatures went. The spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 1, Day 3: Ezekiel 1:4-21
6) The source and description of what he saw and heard (1:4): The windstorm was coming from the north (where Israel’s enemies come from). It was a cloud (God is often seen in a cloud) with lightning and brilliant light.
The four creatures (1:5-14): Each creature was human but had four faces and four wings. They had feet like a calf. They had human hands. Their wings touched each other, and they traveled straight. Each face has a face of a lion, an ox, and an eagle. They each had a pair of wings. They went where their spirit went. They sped, and fire moved among them.
The wheels (1:15-21): He saw wheels on the ground beside the creatures. They had eyes all around them, and they went where the creatures went. The spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
7) Ezekiel was probably scared by what he saw. Unsure about it. Full of doubt and questions. Wanting to know what it meant.
8a) God is good to speak to man and give us directions, whether personally today or via prophets. God is majestic and sovereign. He guides us and protects us. He is always present with us.
b) It’s comforting to know I am never alone and I can always go to God with anything. He has the answers, and all I have to do is pray and listen.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 1, Day 3: Ezekiel 1:4-21
I love how even though God is mysterious, he is kind enough to give us His word when we need it.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 1, Day 3: Ezekiel 1:4-21
Bible scholars describe Ezekiel’s vision as one of the most detailed and unusual descriptions of God in the Bible.
Fun Fact: Enemies came from the North towards Israel and are often associated with God’s judgment.
The exile was from God as punishment for His people turning from Him.
Fun Fact: Ezekiel’s calling is the longest and most detailed of any prophet recorded in the Bible.
The brightness is God’s glory. The cloud and fire show God’s presence amongst His people.
These creatures will be identified later as cherubim (Ezekiel 10:8-15).
Cherubim in the Bible
- These are ancient creatures who guarded the entrance to Paradise after the fall (Genesis 3:24).
- We see them on the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:18-20), which is the presence of God with the people.
- The tabernacle was decorated with cherubim (Exodus 26:1) (Exodus 26:31) (1 Kings 6:23-35).
- They may be the creatures in Revelation surrounding God’s throne (Revelation 4:6-8).
- Satan is seen with them, too (Ezekiel 28:14-16).
This could be where wings are associated with angels, as this is one of the few places in the Bible where angelic beings have wings.
John could have seen these same creatures in his vision of heaven (Revelation 4:6-8).
Bible scholars say these faces represent all of creation, with the mightiest of animals (lion), the strongest (ox), flight (eagle), and man (highest).
The creatures move straight like God’s plan.
The point of the wheels is to show constant motion by God, and he is always present. Many Bible scholars think of this as a chariot.
The eyes represent knowledge and intelligence. He is omniscient, seeing everything.
END NOTES SUMMARIZED
God’s Mobility and Unconfined Presence
- A Moving Throne: The vision is not of a stationary throne in a building, but of a chariot. This reveals that God is not confined to one location, city, or temple. He is mobile, and His presence has come to be with His people even in their exile by a canal in Babylon. This was both a comfort (God is with us) and a warning (you cannot escape His presence).
In sum, this vision introduces God not as a local deity, but as the majestic, all-powerful, all-seeing, and omnipresent King of the entire universe, who is in absolute control and is present with His people even in their darkest hour of exile.
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