Thursday 20 August 2009

Did i Mention There Were Wings? 'EH?'

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I was reading Ezekiel chapter one yesterday morning (admittedly 5am is not the time for this book), but i have to be honest that, i just didn't get it at all. He begins by telling us about a time when he was by a canal and 'the heavens were opened, and he saw visions of God.'

Think of that; this guys just said that he 'saw' God!


Not everyone has that on their C.V. And it certainly stirs interest in whatever Ezekiel is to say next. That's where things get a bit . . . mmmm . . . wired up? It seemed to me that this guy goes on a ramble, not really knowing how to help us 'get' what he saw. But frantically trying to describe his visions for us. In my own jumbled memory of reading it, it goes something like:

'There were four living creatures, like humans but with four faces & four wings each. Straight legs with calf like feet, & they sparkled. Under their wings they had hands, their wings touched each other, their faces were like human, ox, eagle & lions and they had wings.

Did i mention wings? there was a wheel with eyes all around it, well it was more like a wheel within a wheel for each creature. The sky above them was like a shining crystal looking thing that was awesome. (Did i mention wings?).

Above all this on what looked like a throne, there was a gleaming, human-like being with brightness all around. God's glory was so amazing i fell on my face!' (Read Ezekiel 1 to get a better, fuller picture of this).


EH?
My response to reading this was 'EH?' 'What?' & 'i don't get it.' I actually re-read it a few times through the day to see if there was anything i could understand here, other than there were weird creatures with wings, and a glorious, awesome God. But i really cannot fathom or put this description together in my imagination.

But i guess that's okay; i don't think we're necessarily supposed to 'get' it or see it clearly. It is God after all, and i think all of us would have some difficulty in describing Him fully & clearly.
In thinking of this (and i'm happy to be wrong) i guess it's a fair enough response to simply say 'Eh? I don't get it.'


Worship
However, this not getting it does not lead us to simply ignore what's said, rather to worship the God who is so utterly & indescribably glorious that we could never understand, with our sinful minds the depth, the width, the breadth nor height of His great majesty & glory.

Don't get me wrong, there are many things we can understand about God, He did give us a whole book (the Bible) about Himself. He's loving, merciful, jealous, gracious, creative, patient, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, everlasting . . . and many other things. My point is, that i'm not sure that we really comprehend all of this; for example 'God is Love.' But can any of us really say that we fully, without any doubt, understand the depth of that beautiful description of God?

Now we understand in part, as though looking through a dim mirror! I'm looking forward to that day when we shall see Him in Christ, know fully, & especially; when i am completely transformed by Him, because if i were to see Him now i'd probably die of fear!
But for now i have to face up to my feeble mind & this awesome, indescribable God and in humility worship Him above all things.
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About Boaly
Gary has been involved in printing the Scriptures for 20 years, enjoys photography and rambling online

2 comments:

Brian said...

Great post, Boaly. I have long-since stated that Ezekiel is a WEIRD book. It starts off weird and just doesn't stop!

Great point about worship. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I actually love ezekiel. especially chapter one and sixteen. I love chapter one because the first time i read it, it really blew up my little "box" for God. Like you, I can't even begin to fathom wheels and eyes and wings and sparkly things. Really? And I still don't get it. But any time i'm tempted to think that God is limited...or that He is like me in any way... i just go read Ezekiel 1 to blow up that box again. And I love chapter 16 because that's who I was... and God's grace and love is deeper still. How wings fit into that, i'm not sure, but I can never talk about Ezekiel without mentioning chapter 16 (when I saw you wallowing in your blood, i said to you "live.") amazing.
emily