Ezekiel 1:13

1:1-14 It is a mercy to have the word of God brought to us, and a duty to attend to it diligently, when we are in affliction. The voice of God came in the fulness of light and power, by the Holy Spirit. These visions seem to have been sent to possess the prophet's mind with great and high thoughts of God. To strike terror upon sinners. To speak comfort to those that feared God, and humbled themselves. In ver. 4-14, is the first part of the vision, which represents God as attended and served by a vast company of angels, who are all his messengers, his ministers, doing his commandments. This vision would impress the mind with solemn awe and fear of the Divine displeasure, yet raise expectations of blessings. The fire is surrounded with a glory. Though we cannot by searching find out God to perfection, yet we see the brightness round about it. The likeness of the living creatures came out of the midst of the fire; angels derive their being and power from God. They have the understanding of a man, and far more. A lion excels in strength and boldness. An ox excels in diligence and patience, and unwearied discharge of the work he has to do. An eagle excels in quickness and piercing sight, and in soaring high; and the angels, who excel man in all these respects, put on these appearances. The angels have wings; and whatever business God sends them upon, they lose no time. They stood straight, and firm, and steady. They had not only wings for motion, but hands for action.

Many persons are quick, who are not active; they hurry about, but do nothing to purpose; they have wings, but no hands. But wherever the angels' wings carried them, they carried hands with them, to be doing what duty required. Whatever service they went about, they went every one straight forward. When we go straight, we go forward; when we serve God with one heart, we perform work. They turned not when they went. They made no mistakes; and their work needed not to be gone over again. They turned not from their business to trifle with any thing. They went whithersoever the Spirit of God would have them go. The prophet saw these living creatures by their own light, for their appearance was like burning coals of fire; they are seraphim, or burners; denoting the ardour of their love to God, and fervent zeal in his service. We may learn profitable lessons from subjects we cannot fully enter into or understand. But let us attend to the things which relate to our peace and duty, and leave secret things to the Lord, to whom alone they belong.

Ezekiel 1:13-14 . As for the likeness of the living creatures — Their colour, or aspect; their appearance was like burning coals — They were inflamed by the Spirit of God with a holy zeal for his glory, and with indignation against impenitent sinners. This might also be intended as a symbolical declaration, that after the long patience of God, all things now tended to vengeance, and the executing of his judgments upon the Jews; for executing which he would use these angels as ministers. And like the appearance of lamps — This probably signified, that the uprightness of the divine justice should shine forth, or be made manifest in these judgments. It went up and down among the living creatures — That is, the fire moved itself up and down. Milton’s expression, ( Paradise Lost, 6:756,) is, “And careening fires between.” That is, fires which ran swiftly, and, as it were, tilted at each other: emblematical of the terrible effects of the ministry of these living creatures on the objects of divine vengeance. Out of the fire went forth lightning — Significative of the irresistible force of the divine judgments, and the terrible and sudden destruction to be produced by them.

And the living creatures ran and returned as a flash of lightning — With inexpressible velocity: the swiftness of their motions every way resembled flashes of lightning. “They ran to do their work, and execute their orders,” says Henry, “and then returned to give an account of what they had done, and receive new instructions. They ran into the lower world, to do what was to be done there: and when they had done, returned as a flash of lightning, to the upper world, to the vision of God. Thus we should be in the affairs of this world: though we run into them, we must not repose in them, but our souls must presently return like lightning to God, their rest and centre.”

(13) Like the appearance of lamps. —The word “and” before this phrase is not in the original, and should be omitted. The words are merely a further explanation. The cherubim were like burning coals of fire, like torches or lightnings. The word “lamps” does not refer to the material, but to the light, and whether in the Hebrew or in its Greek equivalent, is translated by torches ( Nahum 2:4 ; John 18:3 ), firebrands ( Judges 15:4 ), or lightnings ( Exodus 20:18 ). Ezekiel could find no single word to express his meaning, and has therefore given two, that between them the idea of the fiery brilliancy may be better conveyed. It went up and down.—“ It” refers to the fire. This indescribable fiery appearance went up and down among the living creatures, “bright” in itself, and throwing out coruscations of “lightning.”

Verse 13. - Like burning coals of fire, etc . It may not be amiss to note the fact that the phrase throughout the Bible denotes incandescent wood. The nearest approach to its use by Ezekiel is in 2 Samuel 22:9, 13 . For "lamps," read, with the Revised Version, "torches." Here the vision of Ezekiel, in which the living creatures were thus incandescent, bathed, as it were, in the fire that played around them, yet not consumed, followed in the path of previous symbols - of the burning bush ( Exodus 3:2 ), of the pillar of fire by night ( Exodus 13:22 ), of the fire on Sinai ( Exodus 19:18 ), of the "fire of the Lord" ( Numbers 11:1-3 ), and the "fire of God" ( 2 Kings 1:12 ). Speaking generally, "fire," as distinct from "light," seems to be the symbol of the power of God as manifested against evil. "Our God is a consuming Fire" ( Deuteronomy 4:24 ; Hebrews 12:29 ). The red light of fire has in it an element of terror which is absent from the stainless white of the eternal glory, or from the sapphire of the visible firmament. Lightning (comp. Exodus 19:16 ; Exodus 20:18 ; Daniel 10:6 ; Revelation 4:5 ; Revelation 8:5 ; Revelation 11:19 ; Revelation 16:18 ). Ezekiel 1:13

13 . A slight correction of the text after LXX. is necessary in this verse, which should read as R.V. marg., and in the midst of the living creatures was an appearance like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches. The description of the living creatures themselves was finished in Ezekiel 1:12 ; in this verse the prophet refers to the fire that was between them (ch. Ezekiel 10:2 ; Ezekiel 10:6 seq .). The whole phenomenon represents not only a chariot on which Jehovah rides, but also a throne on which he sits and a place where he abides. Hence as in Isaiah 6 there is an altar with fire. With the idea of Isaiah, however, the prophet has combined the other that coals of fire accompany the manifestation of Jehovah ( Psalm 18:13 ), and the altar fire gives out flashes like the lightning. This again has suggested the combinations in Revelation 6:9 ; Revelation 8:3-5 .

He further describeth what he had more briefly spoken of Ezekiel 1:6 . There you had their shape and make, here you have their colour. The likeness; in which they were seen by the prophet. Their appearance was like burning coals of fire; their aspect was of a fiery colour, to affright and alarm secure sinners. That God who had hitherto appeared most patient and long-suffering, now makes discoveries of himself in dreadful displeasure, which would burn, as Numbers 11:1-3 , or Isaiah 10:17 , or Jeremiah 4:4 ; that would consume their glory, and there be none to quench it, Jeremiah 7:20 21:12 . God doth by his prophet here forewarn them of very great miseries coming on them, wrath as fire, as coals, and burning, every word adding weight to the. phrase. It notes also the zeal and fervent affection of these living creatures doing the will of God. And like the appearance of lamps: it was not a furious and unbounded fire, it was as that which burneth in the lamp, limited, it should not devour but the wicked. Or it may note the care and wisdom wherewith these executions should be made, as if all were done in the light of lamps, as in dark places we take candies to light us in our work. Or it may intimate the hope for the good among the Jews, as lamps doth, Isaiah 62:1 , and destruction of enemies, as Zechariah 12:6 .

Or if it may be interpreted by Daniel 10:6 , where the lamp that burneth expresseth the Divine wisdom and love, and possibly the knowledge and love of Christ, as Revelation 1:15 , it will well suit with the whole vision, and with what next follows. It went up and down; this fire, or the burning lamp or both, went up and down, stood not still, nor was carried, but, as the Hebrew, made itself walk up and down. It moved itself, which is too much to ascribe to creatures; God only is an unmoved mover: so it will lead our thoughts to God, who moved all these living creatures. This fire was bright; it was not the dark and sooty fire of malice and hell. It shined, as always God’s zeal for his own glory, and as angels’ zeal for the glory of their God, doth. Or it was so bright as to discover itself in more than ordinary glory. Out of the fire went forth lightning: with this God gave the law, Exodus 19:16 ; contends with enemies, 2 Samuel 22:15 Zechariah 9:14 . These lightnings, as they are terrible to sinners, and strike an awe upon saints; so they tell both that there is more than ordinary of God to be looked to in them. His judgments as lightning call upon us to fear, seek, and shelter ourselves with God.

13. likeness … appearance—not tautology. "Likeness" expresses the general form; "appearance," the particular aspect. coals of fire—denoting the intensely pure and burning justice wherewith God punishes by His angels those who, like Israel, have hardened themselves against His long-suffering. So in Isa 6:2, 6, instead of cherubim, the name "seraphim," the burning ones, is applied, indicating God's consuming righteousness; whence their cry to Him is, "Holy! holy! holy!" and the burning coal is applied to his lips, for the message through his mouth was to be one of judicial severance of the godly from the ungodly, to the ruin of the latter. lamps—torches. The fire emitted sparks and flashes of light, as torches do. went up and down—expressing the marvellous vigor of God's Spirit, in all His movements never resting, never wearied. fire … bright—indicating the glory of God. out of the fire … lightning—God's righteousness will at last cause the bolt of His wrath to fall on the guilty; as now, on Jerusalem.