Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Ezekiel 1:28
The vision that Ezekiel had of the glory of the lord is wild and surrealistically symbolic. He sees winged living creatures that defy description. They seem frightfully monstrous as they flit about the scene that unfolded before him. And then there are those gyroscopic "wheels within wheels" that have the spirits of the living creatures in them and move around with them. Odd. Just really, really odd.
And all of this is lit up and overarched by a rainbow of God's bright glory emanating from the vision and permeating the vision. It is one wild trip for the reader to take in. I can't imagine how Ezekiel must have felt as he witnessed it and then wrote it all down. It must have felt like capturing insanity to him. But the end of the description brings purpose and clarity to the crazy imagery. Ezekiel hears the voice of the Lord as he bows in worship at the vision's intrusion at the canal in captivity.
Worship was Ezekiel's response. He recognized the presence of God in the overwhelming moment. He was after all, a priest. He knew what it was to worship God and minister in His presence. And even though the temple in Jerusalem now lay in burning heaps of stones and God's people were captive in Chaldea, God was still speaking to His people. There was hope in the powerful picture of God in His glory. It broke through the strong pain of the exile. And Ezekiel fell down and worshiped the God of the psychedelic, soul-stirring, cinematic show of glory.
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