Ezekiel 10
COMMENTARY:
: 1 Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. (3742 “cherubims” [karuwb] means a winged supernatural (angelic) being that serves God in a number of ways, divine steed, ministers, an angelic being.)
DEVOTION: Here we have a group of angels called cherubims. They are servants of the LORD in heaven and on earth. Here we have a picture of them and their responsibility to the LORD.
These are not “other gods” but beings that were servants of the LORD that HE created for service to HIM in heaven and on earth. This chapter seems to help us understand what is happening when there was the time of the fall of man.
God created man to worship HIM. HE gave angels a responsibility to work with HIM to help take messages between man and HIM. They were HIS servants just as man is given the responsibility to worship HIM in spirit and in truth. The angels were supposed to do the same in heaven.
However, we find that the angels were given a choice as man was given after he was created. Some of the angels choose to disobey the LORD and were recorded as a group that helped the devil in tempting man to go away for service to the LORD.
The LORD didn’t force any group of created beings to follow HIM without a choice. Once they made their choice they were given an eternal place either in heaven or in hell.
The devil and his angels will spend eternity out of the presence of the LORD for eternity with fallen man.
Do we understand why God gave both man and angels a choice? NO! The Bible just tells us that each group had a choice and after they made their choice it was final.
CHALLENGE: Each of us have a choice to make in this life. We can either serve the LORD or serve with the fallen angels. There is no third choice. What have you chosen? Your eternal place is determined by your choice.
: 4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory. (3514 “glory” [kabowd] means honor, abundance, riches, splendor, dignity, reputation, manifestation of power or reverence.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel was witnessing a vision of the splendor of the LORD leaving the temple. The splendor of the LORD filled the temple with a cloud. The splendor of the LORD filled the courtyard with brightness beyond words.
The sin of the people was the cause of the moving of the glory of the LORD. The glory was heading for the east gate. Remember it is thought that the LORD will enter through the east gate when HE returns to set up HIS kingdom.
When Moses saw the back of the splendor of the LORD, his face shone. He had to wear a veil over his face to cover the brightness. He was in the presence of the LORD to receive the Ten Commandments. He requested to see the splendor of the LORD. He was only allowed to see the backside of the splendor of the LORD because he was warned that no one could see the full splendor of the LORD and live.
The cherubim were a division of angels that guarded the holiness of God. They are first mentioned in the Garden of Eden, as the ones who would keep Adam and Eve out of the garden. Now we observe them forming a chariot for the LORD. We first met this chariot in the first chapter of this book.
God dwells in our midst through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit when we become a follower the LORD Jesus Christ. Our actions should point individuals to the LORD. It is in this way that we bring glory to HIS name.
Are we being the light that we should be in a dark world? Are we seeing the glory of the LORD leave our nation because our actions are not bringing HIM glory? Do people see the LORD’S presence in our lives and actions?
CHALLENGE: Our faces should glow from being in the presence of the LORD on a regular basis. Our prayer should be that we can manifest HIS presence to others.
: 9 And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the color of a beryl stone. (212 “wheel” [’owphan] means to revolve, chariot wheel, threshing wheel, wheels in a vision, wheel of a vehicle or decorative wheel.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel had this second vision a year after the first. He again sees wheels of a chariot that support the throne of the LORD.
The wheels continue to represent the omniscience and omnipresence of the LORD in our world. The children of Israel understood that the LORD entered the Temple with HIS glory when Solomon built the Temple. Now they were seeing the glory of the LORD exiting the Temple because they were worshiping false gods even in HIS Temple. HE was not going to allow this to happen. HE manifested in a vision to Ezekiel that HE was displeased with the actions of the people.
The cherubim were first manifested in the Garden of Eden to keep mankind out of the garden, so that, they didn’t eat of the Tree of Life. Mankind has been judged since that time.
Here we find that God uses the object lesson of HIS presence leaving the Temple to show the people the consequences of their sin. It was a vision gave to Ezekiel to show those in captivity in Babylon that they were watching the judgment of Israel for their sins.
We are told that we could entertain angels unaware even today. They report to the LORD what is happening here on the earth. They are the ones who protect HIS people even today. Angels were created first for a purpose. Mankind was created second for a purpose. The two creations will never exchange natures. Humans will always be humans even in heaven. Angels will always be angels into eternity. Each has their responsibility in their service to the LORD.
Most of the humans will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the Devil and his angels. God always sends warnings before the final judgment is coming. There might be some warning around us even today.
CHALLENGE: If God moves away from HIS people in the Old Testament because of their worship of false gods will HE do the same today if we are worshiping false gods. Our responsibility is to manifest the True God of the Bible so that others can understand what a false god is
: 18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. (3318 “departed” [yatsa’] means to lead out, go forth, to move out of, to proceed to, to come out of, or exit.)
DEVOTION: The picture in this chapter is not good. We find that the children of Israel were depending on the presence of the LORD in the Temple of Jerusalem to protect them from any army that might come against the nation.
They thought that no nation could defeat them because they had the presence of the LORD to depend on forever. They were wrong. They were warned by the prophets that the LORD want not pleased with their actions but still kept thinking that because they had the Temple they were safe. They were depending on a place rather than a PERSON. This chapter shows the presence of the LORD leaving the Temple. It was a gradual leaving, so that, they could see it happening through the vision of Ezekiel.
Remember that the same warning came to the New Testament churches if their message was not true to the Word of God. The candlestick or light was going to be removed for their disobedience.
We see many churches and even some denomination closing their buildings because they have lost the message of the Word of God. Today we have many liberal churches open who are giving those that attend a false security. They are teaching PC instead of the Word of God. God is going to close them down and they are going to wonder why. The children of Israel had the same thoughts.
How far do you think the glory of the LORD has moved out of our nation because we have become so PC that we are not preaching the truth of the Word of God? Once it starts it is hard to move in the other direction because the people get used to being religious instead of genuine followers of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: The church you attend – is it PC or Biblical?
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