Ezekiel

This week in our yearlong journey through the Bible we’re studying Ezekiel. A lot of people get side tracked in the first chapter. How would you describe your vision of God?

And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. (Ezekiel 1:6 KJV)

as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. (Ezekiel 1:16b KJV)

Authors have described this event as everything from an interstellar spaceship to analogies of the coming messiah. I doubt either extreme holds the whole truth.

As Ezekiel describes it, he used what words he knew to describe the awesome glory of God. Our own limitations keep us from describing what God means to us.

Some find it easy to describe their relationship to God simply by saying He does not exist. Therefore they need not concern themselves with describing His interaction in their lives.

For those of us who do believe, we’re limited to words and small deeds to acknowledge the result of God’s work in our lives. Some make tremendous changes when they come to know the Lord as their savior. They change where they spend their time. They spend their time and their money differently, much of it going to support their local church. Others don’t change much at all. They continue assisting people around them, speaking more of Christ in their lives than before, but they’ve always done good deeds.

Our words are somewhat limited, too. We say we ‘love’ the Lord, and we don’t mean the same thing as when we say we ‘love’ ice cream. Our words are over used, and there are not the nuances found in other languages.

In the New Testament there were three Greek words for love. Brotherly love (phileos), physical love (eros) and the spiritual love between man and god (agape.) An example of the difference in nuance is in the 21st chapter of John where Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. (John 21:12 KJV)

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (agapao) thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love (phileo) thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. (John 21:15 KJV)

The same question is asked again, with the same answer in verse 16. In verse 17, Christ changes the question a bit:

He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (phileo) thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love (phileo) thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:17 KJV)

Just as today, God reaches us though our vocabulary is limited and our abilities to receive His messages are just as limited. He continues to reach us, not allowing His glory to keep us away from Him.

How would you describe your vision of God?