Ezekiel 10

Ezekiel 10:1

SHEKINAH GLORY FILLS THE HOLY PLACEIn chapter 10 we continue Ezekiel’s vision of the departing glory of the Lord. God has supernaturally transported Ezekiel to Jerusalem to let him see these things and then return to report to the major portion of the people of Israel who were already in captivity in Babylon. They were being told there by the false prophets that everything was fine in Jerusalem and they would return there shortly. Ezekiel will be able to go back and tell them why God is going to destroy the city and permit judgment to come upon them. We saw in chapter 8 that there was sufficient proof of the sin in the life of the people in JerusalemGod made that evident to Ezekiel. We need to see the fact that God judges; it is one of the evidences we have of the living God. We do not get by with our sin, and the very fact that we don’t get by with it is proof that God exists. The “wheels within wheels” which Ezekiel saw speak of the energy of God as He moves in the affairs of men. The glory of the Lord was above the cherubimbetween the cherubim in the Holy of Holies in the temple. The nation of Israel had what no other nation had and, indeed, that which the church does not have today: the visible presence of God. In the ninth chapter of Romans, Paul lists about eight different points of identification which were unique to the nation of Israel, and one of them was “the glory.” These people had the Shekinah glory, the visible presence of God, that which Ezekiel saw in his vision in the first chapter. The glory began its departure in the previous chapter and will now continue to depart. It moved out from the temple and hovered over it. Now we read: The man clothed with linen is to scatter these coals from off the altar. The blood of the sacrifice was taken from the altar and put on the mercy seat. These coals speak of judgment. The people had refused the grace and mercy and redemption of God; now they must bear the judgment. It is just as simple as this: God sent His Son because He loves you. Because He is holy, He had to pay the penalty for your sin and mine; He had to die on the cross. Christ is the propitiation, He is the mercy seat for our sinsnot for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. There is a mercy seat which you can come to, but if you reject it, the judgment of God must come upon you. Christ bore your judgment, and that is the only way God forgives you. It is not because you are a sweet little boy or a nice little Pollyanna glad-girl. You are a sinner and in rebellion against Him. The best that Christians can say today is that we are saved sinners; we are not superior people at all. Judgment is now going to come to Jerusalem, the city that is the center of the earth. It is the very navel of the earththat is what God calls it. It will be the center of the millennial kingdom, and it will be the eternal center of the earth. It is today the most sensitive piece of real estate on topside of the earth. Someone has put it like this: “Palestine because the nerve-center of the earth in the days of Abraham. Later on, the country became the truth-center because of Moses and the prophets.

Ultimately, it became the salvation-center by the manifestation of Christ. His rejection led to its becoming the storm-center, as it has continued to be throughout many centuries. The Scriptures predict that it is to be the peace-center under the messianic kingdom, and it will be the glory-center in a new universe yet to be experienced.” We are seeing through the vision of Ezekiel the departure of the glory from that city, but God has an eternal purpose in this city.

Ezekiel 10:4

The Shekinah glory had been confined to the Holy Place, the place which denoted the approach of these people to God. However, now the glory leaves the Holy Place there between the cherubim and hovers over the temple to see if the people will return to God.

Ezekiel 10:5

Again, this “hand” denotes the activity of God in performing certain things. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork [actually, fingerwork]” (Psa_19:1). The universe is the fingerwork of God, but God’s work in His redemption of man was greater than that in creation. Isaiah said, “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” (Isa_53:1, italics mine). He used His bared arm. The only way that I can understand the work of God is to use terms with which I am acquainted. I use my fingers to do certain things, my hands to do other tasks, and my arms to do even heavier tasks. The greatest thing God has done is to perform the wonderful redemptive love act at the cross of Christthat was His bared arm; but when God created the universe, He just used His fingers, or, as John Wesley put it: “God created the universe and didn’t even half try.” Ezekiel says here that the hand of God is moving in judgment.

Ezekiel 10:9

Have you ever watched a wheel when it is going around? There’s that flashing light, you know, like that of a precious stone. These wheels are in ceaseless activity and speak of the fact that God is busy. The Lord Jesus said, “…My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (Joh_5:17). The Lord Jesus has been very busy on our behalf ever since He ascended back to heaven.

Ezekiel 10:10

God has never had to come back to pick up something He has forgotten. He doesn’t need to deviate from one side to the other; He never detours. He goes straight forward today toward the accomplishment of His purpose in the world.

Ezekiel 10:12

This, of course, is highly figurative, and I do not want to press this point, but I believe we have the messages of the four Gospels set before us. In the face of the eagle is pictured the deity of Christthat’s John’s Gospel. In the face of the lion is pictured the kingship of Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judahthat’s Matthew’s Gospel. In the face of the man is pictured the humanity of Christthat’s Luke’s Gospel. Finally, the face of the cherub (sometimes it is the ox) pictures the servanthood of Christthat’s Mark’s Gospel. He shed His blood that you and I might have eternal lifeHe made a mercy seat. In the temple the cherubim looked down upon the blood of the sacrifice.

Ezekiel 10:15

Ezekiel refers to his first vision recorded in chapter 1.

Ezekiel 10:18

THE GLORY LEAVES THE TEMPLEThe glory of the Lord lifts up from the temple.

Ezekiel 10:19

The cherubim mounted up, and the glory moved out and stood at the east gate.

Ezekiel 10:20

I believe this vision pictures the fact that God would become incarnate, or, as John put it, “And the Word was made flesh …” (Joh_1:14).