Reflections on Ezekiel 10

Ezekiel 10 (Contemporary English Version)
1. I saw the dome that was above the four winged creatures, and on it was the sapphire throne.
   
2. The LORD said to the man in the linen robe, "Walk among the four wheels beside the creatures and pick up as many hot coals as you can carry. Then scatter them over the city of Jerusalem." I watched him as he followed the LORD's instructions.
   
3. The winged creatures were standing south of the temple when the man walked among them. A cloud filled the inner courtyard,
   
4. and the brightness of the LORD's glory moved from above the creatures and stopped at the entrance of the temple. The entire temple was filled with his glory, and the courtyard was dazzling bright.
   
5. The sound of the creatures' wings was as loud as the voice of God All-Powerful and could even be heard in the outer courtyard.
   
6. The man in the robe was now standing beside a wheel.
   
7. One of the four creatures reached its hand into the fire among them and gave him some of the hot coals. The man took the coals and left.
   
8. I noticed again that each of the four winged creatures had what looked like human hands under their wings,
   
9. and I saw the four wheels near the creatures. These wheels were shining like chrysolite.
   
10. Each wheel was exactly the same and had a second wheel that cut through the middle of it,
    
11. so that they could move in any direction without turning. The wheels moved together whenever the creatures moved.
    
12. I also noticed that the wheels and the creatures' bodies, including their backs, their hands, and their wings, were covered with eyes.
    
13. And I heard a voice calling these "the wheels that spin."
    
14. Each of the winged creatures had four faces: the face of a bull, the face of a human, the face of a lion, and the face of an eagle.
    
15. These were the same creatures I had seen near the Chebar River. They controlled when and where the wheels moved--the wheels went wherever the creatures went and stopped whenever they stopped. Even when the creatures flew in the air, the wheels stayed beside them.
    
16. (SEE 10:15)
    
17. (SEE 10:15)
    
18. Then I watched the brightness of the LORD's glory move from the entrance of the temple and stop above the winged creatures.
    
19. They spread their wings and flew into the air with the wheels at their side. They stopped at the east gate of the temple, and the LORD's glory was above them.
    
20. I knew for sure that these were the same creatures I had seen beneath the LORD's glory near the Chebar River.
    
21. They had four wings with hands beneath them, and they had the same four faces as those near the River. Each creature moved straight ahead without turning.
    
22. (SEE 10:21)
    
    

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    Ezekiel's vision, introduced in chapter 8, continues into chapter 10. The vision conveyed to Ezekiel what could not be seen but what was in reality happening to Jerusalem.  What could be seen was the Babylonian army that had surrounded Jerusalem and laid siege to it for over two years. When that army broke through the city walls, it killed most of the people and set fire to the city, and thus, the city was destroyed by fire. What could not be seen was God's hand in it all. It was really God who destroyed the city by fire.
    
    As Ezekiel's vision continued in chapter 10, the four cherubim who were first described in chapter 8 with the onset of his vision reappeared. The cherubim, accompanied by the "glory of the Lord," entered the temple in Jerusalem and "The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the LORD's glory." (10:4) A man in the vision who was dressed in linen was told to "Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with hot coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city." (10:2) When the man followed these instructions, the city was destroyed with fire, which is what the Babylonian army did to Jerusalem. But though the Babylonians were the instrument of judgment, it was God who destroyed the city.
    
    Once the city was destroyed with fire, the "glory of the God of Israel" left the temple and the city. Chapter 8 described the idolatry taking place in the temple. God would not share His temple with other gods. Therefore He left. It would have been fitting for the inscription "Ichabod" to have been written over Jerusalem, for the glory had departed the city.