Monday 09 August 2010

Background

It would not be difficult for the film makers of today, withtheir sophisticated techniques of graphics and animation, toportray the Ezekiel vision in all its splendour. Awesome creaturesswoop in to attack or defend the hero of the story.

What Ezekiel saw was fearsome. Not a fear that frightened but afear that prompts awe and wonder. The vision was awesome. Thevision was scary, but not one to be scared of. These quoted wordsfind popular usage today. 'Scary' describes the slightly different,the 'edgy' and 'awesome' as something splendid or superb. This isthe nature of Ezekiel's vision but what was it telling him?

Firstly, note where it happened - in Babylon. Ezekiel had beendeported when Jerusalem was capture by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC,the first of two attacks and deportations. Suddenly the Lord God isin Babylon, not in the Temple in Jerusalem, but with Israel incaptive exile. The Lord is with them even at one of the lowestpoints in the nation's history.

Next, the Lord has wheels! God rides with them and keeps an eye,actually many eyes, on them. The wheels move in harmony with theawesome creatures and with the spirit of the Lord carrying a throneon which there is one like a man, yet in radiance and splendour -the glory of the Lord. The people of Israel knew all about theglory of the Lord. It was no less than the very presence of Godthat went before them in the desert; it was with them in the Templeof Jerusalem and now, yes now, in Babylon, it was still travellingwith them even in such desperate times.

Finally, the creatures lower their wings and there is the glory ofthe Lord: radiant, splendid, scary, awesome - these all add up toone word - holy. Ezekiel now sees and then hears the voice of theholy Lord God.

To Ponder

Can you think of occasions when you have sensedthe holy in the scary and the awesome. What happened?

Think of the low points you may have had when theall-seeing God rode into your life. What did God say to you at thetime?