December 9, 2007 Ezekiel 1:22‑28

Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome. Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Permit me a personal note before starting into this text. I=ll have to tell you up front that I had a very difficult time translating this text. Anyone with any Jewish heritage looking at it would probably have called it a hack job, but it=s really kind of difficult to put together. Even after reading through several other professional translations it made me kind of scratch my head and try to figure out where to go with it under this Advent season. What made me feel a little better was when I read Luther=s comment on the text. It said,

Athe rabbis discussed the . . . kind of maturity, dignity, skill, and rank one must possess before he is eligible to know the mysteries of this passage. St. Jerome and others write that it was, and still is, forbidden among the Jews for any man under thirty years of age to read the first and last parts of the Prophet Ezekiel.@

Well, I=m thirty eight years old now - but I still don=t feel very apt for such a duty. In my younger years I would have probably just dug right in and started writing. But the idea of misrepresenting a passage or misleading with God=s Word is a terrifying thing to me now more than ever. Again, that=s why this seemingly confusing text is even more scary. So bear with me and pray for me as I try to expound God=s Word for you this morning from Ezekiel - trying not only to figure out what it says but why it says it and what it means to us today.

Before we begin looking directly at it, it would be good for us to look into a little background of the whole book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel is believed to have been taken captive into Babylon with king Zedekiah in 597 B.C. Whereas Jeremiah was left behind in Jerusalem to preach to the remnant left there, Ezekiel was called on to preach to the people in Babylon about five years after their captivity in 592 B.C. The Holy Spirit was about to use Ezekiel to directly communicate with God=s Old Testament people - the Israelites. Whenever a man claims to speak on behalf of God he is claiming to represent the Holy God who is very jealous for His reputation and name. To misrepresent Him in even the smallest matter would be inexcusable to a holy God.

In order to prepare Ezekiel for this awesome responsibility and duty, the LORD gave him this vision in chapter one. This is the way the LORD has done things throughout the ages. Before the Apostle Paul ever wrote one letter he was confronted with a vision of the risen Christ standing before him on the way to Damascus. Before Isaiah ever had predictions of Christmas he was first given a vision of angels standing before the throne of God and declaring, Aholy, holy, holy is the LORD God Almighty.@ The final Revelation of John on the island of Patmos involves visions of Jesus interspersed with the Word of God. So it should not surprise us to see the LORD giving Ezekiel this vision of Himself in preparation for him to actually speak the words of God. It is only right that those who would be His representatives would see who they are representing and speaking for. So Ezekiel describes for us in words what he saw with his eyes.

Ezekiel=s eyes are first of all pointed to the heavens where he sees four amazing creatures flying around in unison with one another. Each of the four animals had four faces, one of a man, an ox, a lion and an eagle. I suppose that there are all sorts of interpretations for these faces. The most basic is that these four faces represent different strengths of the angels - the intelligence of a man, the strong servitude of a domesticated ox, the regal strength of a wild lion, and the swift and all seeing powers of an eagle.

Their very movement and actions reflected the unbridled power which God had given them. The vision of today=s text reflects this. Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When Ezekiel heard the angels moving it sounded like God Himself moving. Earlier in the chapter Ezekiel also mentions fire blazing with their movement - it was a reflection of God Himself.

Angels are constantly found side by side with God throughout the Scriptures. Inside of the Holy of Holies God had angels woven into the very tapestry of the fabric surrounding the Most Holy Place. Think of Jesus= life. In his birth, temptation in the wilderness, prayers in Gethsemane and his resurrection; the angels are there. Therefore several Bible verses remind us to be aware of their majesty. Consider these different passages -

$ Matthew 18:10 ASee that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

$ 1 Corinthians 11:10 Because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.

On Judgment Day angels will be surrounding Jesus and helping Him in carrying out His final judgment. In order to prepare Ezekiel to be His prophet God first of all revealed to him the majesty and power of these four living creatures - which seem to represent His angels.

Would your words and actions be different if you were aware of the majesty of these angels? I know this might seem like a strange story - but I had a personal experience which in my mind at least personally reminded me of this. Several months I had gotten up with my son in the middle of the night, and he was rolling all over his bed not falling asleep. I was extremely tired and was getting very frustrated to the point of getting angry with him. It was at that moment that it seemed as if someone had come in the room and stood behind where I was laying. It definitely made me stop in my tracks. Instead of feeling like an angry man hovering over a restless child, I felt like a rebellious boy standing in the presence of a powerful man. In recognition of the moment I said to myself, Aok, I get the point Lord. Don=t worry - I=m not going to touch him.@ I=m not going to say for sure that there was an angel standing behind me at that moment, but the Matthew 18 passage definitely came to mind. And I realize that this kind of view could be taken to an extreme that we imagine angels at every gust of the wind. However, what is the harm in thinking about the fact that there are angels watching over us with powerful and majestic eagle eyes on a constant basis? Think about the things you say, the television you watch, the way in which you worship. Would this kind of view make you more cautious of what you say and how you act with your spouse, children, classmates, or co-workers? Do you ever stop to think how sad and frustrating it might be for the angels to have to watch you and take care of you in some instances? Are you making their job easy and enjoyable or sad and frustrating? This vision of Ezekiel reminded him of the power and presence of the angels of God throughout all of creation. Even the trained guards at the entrance to Jesus= tomb couldn=t help but fall on their faces in fright. When we really envision it through the eyes of faith, it can=t help but bring us to our knees in repentance and prayer, just as Ezekiel fell on his face.

But wait, there=s more to this vision - something even more glorious that even the angels would bow their wings to. Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. Sapphires and rubies are formed at great depth in the earth mantle or the lowest part of the crust. Blue is their normal color, though they can be found across a full range of spectral colors as well as brown, colorless, grey and black. Some natural sapphires can be found as completely transparent, or "white." This was the kind of throne that appeared above an expanse of crystal - high above even the angels. And what was on the throne in the heavens? A figure like that of a man.

Let=s look at this picture for a moment. What is the significance of this? Jesus once said in John 4:24 that AGod is spirit.@ So could this be a picture of God - if it is in the picture of a man? Absolutely. Even in the Old Testament God appeared to man in a form that He could be understood and seen. Remember what God=s Word says right after the fall? Genesis 3:8‑9 say that, Athe man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, AWhere are you?@ Here God immediately presented Himself to Adam and Eve by Awalking@ and talking - just like a man would. Think also of the story of Abraham in Genesis 18. It reads, AThe LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.@ This story again presents the LORD to us as one who walks, talks, and eats - as a man. There are other examples as well, where the LORD wrestles with Jacob, walks among the flames of the three wise men, and jumps in the fire of Manoah and floats up to heaven. So the LORD picturing Himself as a man in this vision is not so odd at all. Could it be that the LORD=s appearing as a man was done to prefigure the incarnation of Christ - to get His people used to seeing Him in human form and walking and talking among us - in fact expecting it?

Look again at what distinguishes this man in this vision. Ezekiel Asaw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.@ Here again we have fire connected with the man - that same kind of fire which the LORD had also associated with in the giving of the Ten Commandments and the pillar of fire throughout the 40 years in the desert. The fire represented God=s power and judgment. It provided protection and heat, direction and light for the Israelites. As it glows within this man while He was sitting on the throne, it shows us that this same powerful LORD was still ruling over the angels and the universe. It reminds us of what Peter says of Christ after the resurrection in 1 Peter 3:21‑22, AJesus Christ . . has gone into heaven and is at God=s right handCwith angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.@

There is one other point of interest in this vision. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. Did you realize that the rainbow is only mentioned four times in all of the Scriptures? The first one that we all associate with is in the LORD=s covenant with Noah - promising Noah and all of creation that He would never destroy all of the earth with a flood again. The rainbow was a sign of God=s covenant - a physical reminder to Him and us of what He promised - so we could rest at ease when the rains come down on a cloudy day - especially when the sun shines in the ddistance. So in the other three instances a rainbow provides a backdrop to the Aman@. The message is clear. With this Aman@ the LORD has a covenant and a promise. The promise was made to man way back in the Garden of Eden, that God would send the offspring of man to conquer Satan and take care of sin. The peace that we have in the midst of the threatening storms of sin, death, and hell is the promise of forgiveness and salvation in the blood of the man who sat on the throne. This is God=s peace pact with us - the Promise that He made and fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ whom the Scriptures say paid for the sins of the world. Ezekiel may not have seen all of this or understood all of this fulfillment. Yet he still had the promise and he still got the point. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.

Put yourself at the feet of Ezekiel. Look up into the vision that he is drawing. Do you see and understand the magnificence of it all? Here is a picture of the pre-incarnate Christ. The glory of the LORD is consuming within Him. The rainbow of God=s covenant radiates around Him. He is ruling over the heavens and the magnificent angels bow their wings in His presence. Heaven beams with His glory. Now think about what happened at Christmastime. Hebrews chapter 2 glories in this wonder. It says,

You made him a little lower than the angels; In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

When we come to Christmas we will see this all powerful and glorious King of the covenant laying in a manger - in a cattle stall - as a powerless litttle baby - in the little and insignificant town of Bethlehem! This King of the Universe needed to be wrapped in cloths to protect Him from the wind and the cold which He created! This King who created the world and cradled it in His powerful arms needed to be cradled in the bosom of the Virgin Mary to find food and sustenance to survive! The Aman@ who burned with a holy fire within needed to be warmed with a fire in the cold of night! Is it not a wonder! And if all that were not low enough - not only did this King become a baby, He lived and walked among us for over thirty years. And at the end of His life - He even went a step lower - He even became a sinner in the eyes of His Father on the cross! On a dark and dreary afternoon, not only did He feel what humans felt, He felt what death and hell felt like as God punished His Only Son for the sins of the world!

Think about what this King left when He came down to our earth! What could compare to it? A man become a worm or an ant? It doesn=t compare! We=re talking about the King of the Universe becoming a baby - entering the tiniest portion of time and space on one of the littlest planets called earth. The vision of the angels is awesome. But when you think about the vision of who Christ was and how far He humbled Himself in order to save us - it really is a marvelous thing!

What effect did it have on Ezekiel? When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking. The vision brought Ezekiel to his knees. Why? Here he sees these magnificent angelic creatures flying throughout the world; above them he sees this beautiful glory of the LORD shining through this man on the throne. Here sits Ezekiel, this mere sinful man - in the presence of heaven itself! He cannot stand in such presence or cozy up to the throne of the burning man - he is not worthy. All he can do is fall on his face - just the Peter, James, and John did when Jesus was transformed in front of them on the Mt. of Transfiguration. With this vision of the LORD Ezekiel was reminded both of who HE was and also who the LORD was - and Ezekiel didn=t feel worthy to such a task.

But notice what the LORD right when he brings Ezekiel to his knees in the sight of the LORD. It is then that He has properly prepared Ezekiel to listen to and speak the Word of God. It is then that His word produces a change in Ezekiel. Ezekiel 2:1‑2 says, AHe said to me, ASon of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.@ As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.@ After these words then entered his heart he was given a commission to speak the word of the Lord to the Israelites.

As we prepare to see the baby in the manger, God calls on us to remember this vision of the flaming man. When we look at the baby, he just looks like a baby - nothing more and nothing less. If we really want to appreciate Christmas, we need to first see this vision of Who He REALLY is. Without it, we will not be ready to spread the true message of Christmas. The Word of God to Ezekiel reveals to us that hidden under those swaddling clothes there lies the glory of the LORD - the flaming man that once ruled in the highest throne of heaven. Imagine what went through Mary=s mind as she pondered all that the shepherds told her that night - that angels had appeared to them from the heavens and told them that the Savior of the universe was lying in that cattle stall. Now here she was, called on by God to feed that baby and take care of Him? Who would feel up to such a duty - to handle and touch and take care of the same God who lived in the sapphire throne of heaven before He came to earth and put on flesh and bones? So also, when God calls us to taste of His body and blood in the Lord=s Supper - who of us feel worthy for such a thing: to have the King of the Universe enter our bodies? We fall on our knees in terror of such a thought!

It is when we are on our knees at the baby of the stable that the LORD has us prepared to listen to the wonderful message of Christmas. When we listen to the words of the angels, we remember what they say. They say to mere shepherds like us - people with no real status or reputation or worthiness - Aa Savior has been born TO YOU - He is Christ the Lord.@ The very reason the man of fire put on skin and bones was so that we could and would hold Him in the arms of faith. He who was the most scary and terrifying Person in and over the Universe became a baby so that He would be graspable and touchable. Who in this world would be afraid of a baby? There is no more harmless being in the universe. So the words of the LORD call us to the manger and bid us to hold Jesus in our arms. In Jesus we find a God that we can talk with, walk with, eat with and cry with. Jesus even tells us to do this as He says, Acome to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.@ We who used to be afraid of getting near such a holy God are now in Christ told and even commanded to touch Him and hold Him. As the touching of Jesus provided healing to those who were sick and demon possessed, so the touching Jesus through the hands of faith doesn=t hurt us - but floods us in His love, forgiveness and righteousness. After His resurrection Jesus told Mary, Adon=t keep holding on to me.@ But to us Jesus says, Adon=t only touch me, but squeeze me with all of your might with the arms of faith. Keep on listening to my Word, and be saved. For remember, the rainbow of God=s covenant of grace and love and forgiveness stands behind me and surrounds me and only Me. The only way you have access to this rainbow is by clinging to me.@ Amen.