#1138 Ezekiel 10 Part 1 Over the Threshold

 

And I looked, and there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 2 Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, “Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he went in as I watched.

3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory. 5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even in the outer court, like the voice of Almighty God when He speaks.

6 Then it happened, when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim,” that he went in and stood beside the wheels. 7 And the cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed with linen, who took it and went out. 8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

9 And when I looked, there were four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub and another wheel by each other cherub; the wheels appeared to have the color of a beryl stone. 10 As for their appearance, all four looked alike—as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 11 When they went, they went toward any of their four directions; they did not turn aside when they went, but followed in the direction the head was facing. They did not turn aside when they went. 12 And their whole body, with their back, their hands, their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were full of eyes all around. 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing, “Wheel.”

14 Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 15 And the cherubim were lifted up. This was the living creature I saw by the River Chebar. 16 When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also did not turn from beside them. 17 When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when one was lifted up, the other lifted itself up, for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

20 This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim. 21 Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. 22 And the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces which I had seen by the River Chebar, their appearance and their persons. They each went straight forward. Ezekiel 10 NKJV

Ezekiel 10: 1-5 The Glory Departing

The glorious appearance of his majesty. Something of the invisible world is here in the visible, some faint representations of its brightness and beauty, some shadows, but such as are no more to be compared with the truth and substance than a picture with the life; yet here is enough to oblige us all to the utmost reverence in our thoughts of God and approaches to him, if we will but admit the impressions this discovery of him will make. - Matthew Henry

1-2. In the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim - There are divisions described in the Bible, under the earth, the earth, then the first heaven, which like the earth is made up of matter, but it is matter in the form of gases (the sky or atmosphere), then there is the heaven above this, which is not so clear during the day, but at night space is revealed, and a hosts of stars and planets. Now it is here, I believe, that the prophet is seeing in a vision past these heavens to that of God's throne. During the day there is a wall unto space, a wall torn down by night, but this is a look into what neither day nor night can reveal, the invisible being made into a picture for man. The infinite is here reaching out to the finite. 

…26And now, O God of Israel, please confirm what You promised to Your servant, my father David. 27But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built. 28Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You today.… 1 Kings 8: 26-28

…21Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the foundation of the earth? 22He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23He brings the princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth meaningless.… Isaiah 40: 21-23

There appeared something like a sapphire stone - This is above the heads of the cherubim, as God's glory is above all that He created. The stone is further described as something like a throne. The word here is translated sapphire, but the stone in question, many commentators agree, is blue in color and more like lapis lazuli. It is at any rate a precious stone, of the purest blue.

5From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God. 6And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.… Revelation 4: 5-7

(Heb. sappir), a precious stone, apparently of a bright-blue color, set: (Exodus 24:10) the second stone in the second row of the high priest's breastplate, (Exodus 28:18) extremely precious, (Job 28:16) it was one of the precious stones that ornamented the king of Tyre. (Ezekiel 28:13) The sapphire of the ancients was not our gem of that name, viz. the azure or indigo-blue, crystalline variety of corundum, but our lapis lazuli (ultra-marine). - Smith's Bible Dictionary

Associated with diamonds (Exodus 28:18) and emeralds (Ezek. 28:13); one of the stones in the high priest's breastplate. It is a precious stone of a sky-blue colour, probably the lapis lazuli, brought from Babylon. The throne of God is described as of the colour of a sapphire (Exodus 24:10; Comp. Ezek. 1:26). - Easton's Bible Dictionary

He spoke to the man clothed with linen - This is the man from the preceding chapter 9.

Go in among the wheels - This was the chariot or machine of destruction described first in Chapter 1 during Ezekiel's initial vision and call by the Chebar River. Now Ezekiel was in the priest line, so these visions will hold special significance to him since they are in the Temple at Jerusalem, which is set up to reflect the heavenly throne. Just as we are made in God's image and should reflect His glory, so the earthly temple was a shadow of a heavenly reality. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Note how these priests, rulers and the people of Jerusalem in general are doing much to stain and destroy that image.

…17the weight of the pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls, and pitchers; the weight of each gold dish; the weight of each silver bowl; 18the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense; and the plans for the chariot of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 19“All this,” said David, “all the details of this plan, the LORD has made clear to me in writing by His hand upon me.”… 1 Chronicles 28: 17-19

Under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim - These angels are covering the Mercy seat where God's glory comes to reside with men, a shadow, a picture, yet His presence among men. This is different than that strange fire which cost Nadab and Abihu their lives. It is said in the Scriptures that our God is a consuming fire. Remember in Isaiah 6, the coal was touched to the lips of Isaiah, for he acknowledged in the presence of Holiness that he was a man of unclean lips from a people of unclean lips. There this fire sanctified his mouth to do the work of the Lord. 

1Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. 2So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD. 3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.’ ” But Aaron remained silent.… Leviticus 10: 1-3

And scatter them over the city - Some have made an interesting observation, that He first takes them to Himself, the coals with which He purifies the land, like was done to Sodom and Gomorrah, these He first touches with his own hands. 

3-5. And the cloud filled the inner court - This is also known as the Shekinah glory, and the people in Moses time were led by a cloud by day, fire by night. It comes at the ordination of the temple by Solomon, so richly that the priest could not go near to perform their tasks. 

Nothing is more clear than that God is, nothing more dark than what he is. God covers himself with light, and yet, as to us, makes darkness his pavilion. God took possession of the tabernacle and the temple in a cloud, which was always the symbol of his presence. In the temple above there will be no cloud, but we shall see face to face. - Matthew Henry

1When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2The priests were unable to enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled it. 3When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”… 2 Chronicles 7: 1-3

Glory of the Lord went up from the cherub and paused over the threshold of the temple - I think you see a deep man here in Ezekiel, careful in his details, and whose prior visions and contemplations have brought him to clearer comprehensions. Here, in this chapter, for example, he calls them cherub straightway. Maybe it is because I have read further, but it is guttural, the sort of grieving that gives way to sounds that come from the chest, the stomach, the throat and the nasal all at once. God is leaving His earthly tabernacle, His glory is departing from Jerusalem. Ezekiel is tracing this, and there is a pause, like a reluctance on the part of the Creator to leave, a time for us to reflect on so much of His patience, to recall His Holiness and repent, but their hearts are hard in Judah, their eyes cannot see the Shekinah nor can their ears hear the sound of the wings or the mighty, thundering voice of the Almighty. Oh God, come back, Lord please don't leave, change us, gives us hearts of flesh, ears that hear and eyes that see.

18When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19“Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” 20“Do not be afraid,” Moses replied. “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.”… Exodus 20: 18-20