◄ Ezekiel 1:28 ►
The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.
Study Bible
The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him
This phrase describes a radiant light surrounding the figure in Ezekiel's vision. Biblically, light often symbolizes God's presence and holiness (Exodus 34:29-35, Matthew 17:2). The brilliance signifies divine majesty and purity, echoing the Shekinah glory that filled the tabernacle and temple (Exodus 40:34-35, 1 Kings 8:10-11). This light is not just physical but represents spiritual illumination and revelation.

was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day
The rainbow is a symbol of God's covenant with Noah, representing His mercy and promise not to destroy the earth with a flood again (Genesis 9:12-17). In Ezekiel's vision, the rainbow signifies hope and the faithfulness of God amidst judgment. The imagery of a rainbow in a cloud suggests a divine promise and the presence of God even in times of turmoil and uncertainty.

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD
The "likeness of the glory of the LORD" indicates that Ezekiel is witnessing a vision of God's majesty, not God Himself, as no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20). The term "glory" (Hebrew: "kavod") refers to the weightiness and splendor of God's presence. This vision parallels other biblical theophanies, such as Isaiah's vision in Isaiah 6 and John's vision in Revelation 4, where God's glory is revealed in a majestic and awe-inspiring manner.

And when I saw it, I fell facedown
Ezekiel's response of falling facedown is a common reaction to divine encounters, signifying reverence, worship, and humility (Genesis 17:3, Daniel 10:9, Revelation 1:17). This posture acknowledges God's supreme authority and the prophet's own unworthiness. It reflects the appropriate human response to the overwhelming presence of God's holiness and glory.

and heard a voice speaking
Hearing a voice signifies divine communication and revelation. Throughout Scripture, God speaks to His prophets to convey His will and guidance (1 Samuel 3:10, Acts 9:4). This voice is authoritative and commands attention, often delivering messages of judgment, instruction, or comfort. In Ezekiel's context, it marks the beginning of his prophetic commission, as God reveals His plans and purposes to him.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet and priest during the Babylonian exile, Ezekiel receives visions from God, including the one described in this passage.

2. The Glory of the LORD
This refers to the divine presence and majesty of God, often depicted in the Old Testament as a radiant and overwhelming light.

3. The Rainbow
Symbolizes God's covenant and mercy, reminiscent of the promise made to Noah after the flood.

4. The Vision
Ezekiel's vision is a profound encounter with God's glory, illustrating His holiness and majesty.

5. The Voice
Represents God's communication with Ezekiel, signifying divine revelation and instruction.
Teaching Points
The Majesty of God's Presence
God's glory is overwhelming and awe-inspiring, reminding us of His holiness and our need for reverence.

The Symbol of the Rainbow
The rainbow signifies God's faithfulness and mercy, encouraging us to trust in His promises even in times of trial.

Response to Divine Revelation
Ezekiel's response of falling facedown illustrates the appropriate posture of humility and worship when encountering God's presence.

God's Communication
God speaks to His people, and we must be attentive and ready to listen to His voice through Scripture and prayer.

Transformation through Encounter
Encounters with God's glory should lead to transformation in our lives, prompting us to live in obedience and faithfulness.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the rainbow in Ezekiel 1:28 connect to God's covenant with Noah, and what does this teach us about God's character?

2. In what ways can we cultivate a sense of reverence and awe for God's presence in our daily lives?

3. How does Ezekiel's response to God's glory challenge or inspire your own approach to worship and prayer?

4. What are some practical ways we can be attentive to God's voice in our lives today?

5. Reflect on a time when you experienced a "divine encounter" or a moment of clarity in your faith. How did it transform your perspective or actions?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 9
The rainbow as a sign of God's covenant with Noah, symbolizing His mercy and faithfulness.

Revelation 4
The vision of God's throne surrounded by a rainbow, emphasizing His glory and sovereignty.

Exodus 24
The appearance of God's glory on Mount Sinai, highlighting His holiness and the awe it inspires.

Isaiah 6
Isaiah's vision of God's glory, which also leads to a response of humility and worship.

Acts 9
Saul's encounter with the risen Christ, where the overwhelming presence of God leads to transformation.
Sermons
Humbled by a Sight of GloryW. Greenhill, M. A.Ezekiel 1:28
Man's Incapacity for Seeing GodN. Adams.Ezekiel 1:28
ReverenceVarious Authors Ezekiel 1:28
The Providential Government of GodW. Jones Ezekiel 1:4-28
The Vision of God is the Source of Prophetic InspirationJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 1:22-28
Conceptions of GodA. B. Davidson, D. D.Ezekiel 1:26-28
He Who is Upon the ThroneVarious Authors Ezekiel 1:26-28
Man a Type of the SupernaturalDuke of Argyll.Ezekiel 1:26-28
The Significance of the RainbowJ. H. Titcomb.Ezekiel 1:26-28
The Overwhelming and the Reviving in Divine RevelationsW. Jones Ezekiel 1:28-2:2
People
Babylonians, Buzi, Ezekiel, Jehoiachin
Places
Chebar
Topics
Appearance, Bow, Brightness, Cloud, Clouds, Ears, Face, Facedown, Fell, Glory, Likeness, Radiance, Rain, Rainbow, Rainy, Round, Shining, Spake, Speaking, Spoke, Surrounding, Talking, Voice
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 1:28

     1193   glory, revelation of
     1670   symbols
     4805   clouds
     4807   colours
     4844   rain
     4845   rainbow
     5174   prostration
     5196   voice
     8462   priority, of God

Ezekiel 1:1-28

     8474   seeing God

Ezekiel 1:3-28

     7775   prophets, lives

Ezekiel 1:4-28

     1090   God, majesty of
     1469   visions

Ezekiel 1:25-28

     1194   glory, divine and human

Ezekiel 1:26-28

     1045   God, glory of
     1210   God, human descriptions
     4834   light, natural

Ezekiel 1:28-2:1

     1454   theophany
     5548   speech, divine

Library
God's Providence
"Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 54: 1908

The Noble Results of this Species of Prayer
The Noble Results of this Species of Prayer Some persons, when they hear of the prayer of silence, falsely imagine, that the soul remains stupid, dead, and inactive. But, unquestionably, it acteth therein, more nobly and more extensively than it had ever done before; for God Himself is the mover, and the soul now acteth by the agency of His Spirit. When S. Paul speaks of our being led by the Spirit of God, it is not meant that we should cease from action; but that we should act through the internal …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

'Deliver us from Evil'
'But deliver us from evil.'--MATT. vi. 13. The two halves of this prayer are like a calm sky with stars shining silently in its steadfast blue, and a troubled earth beneath, where storms sweep, and changes come, and tears are ever being shed. The one is so tranquil, the other so full of woe and want. What a dark picture of human conditions lies beneath the petitions of this second half! Hunger and sin and temptation, and wider still, that tragic word which includes them all--evil. Forgiveness and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

This State of Prayer not one of Idleness, but of Noble Action, Wrought by the Spirit of God, and in Dependence Upon Him --The Communication Of
Some people, hearing of the prayer of silence, have wrongly imagined that the soul remains inactive, lifeless, and without movement. But the truth is, that its action is more noble and more extensive than it ever was before it entered this degree, since it is moved by God Himself, and acted upon by His Spirit. St Paul desires that we should be led by the Spirit of God (Rom. viii. 14). I do not say that there must be no action, but that we must act in dependence upon the divine movement. This …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

The Prophet Jonah.
It has been asserted without any sufficient reason, that Jonah is older than Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah,--that he is the oldest among the prophets whose written monuments have been preserved to us. The passage in 2 Kings xiv. 25, where it is said, that Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, prophesied to Jeroboam the happy success of his arms, and the restoration of the ancient boundaries of Israel, and that this prophecy was confirmed by the event, cannot decide in favour of this assertion, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

How Subjects and Prelates are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 5.) Differently to be admonished are subjects and prelates: the former that subjection crush them not, the latter that superior place elate them not: the former that they fail not to fulfil what is commanded them, the latter that they command not more to be fulfilled than is just: the former that they submit humbly, the latter that they preside temperately. For this, which may be understood also figuratively, is said to the former, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: but to …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

A Sight of the Crowned Christ
(Revelation, Chapter i.) "Since mine eyes were fixed on Jesus, I've lost sight of all beside, So enchained my spirit's vision, Looking at the Crucified." "The Lord Christ passed my humble cot: I knew him, yet I knew him not; But as I oft had done before, I hurried through my narrow door To touch His garment's hem. "He drew me to a place apart From curious crowd and noisy mart; And as I sat there at His feet I caught the thrill of His heart-beat Beyond His garment's hem. "Rare was the bread He broke …
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation

Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Of Love to God
I proceed to the second general branch of the text. The persons interested in this privilege. They are lovers of God. "All things work together for good, to them that love God." Despisers and haters of God have no lot or part in this privilege. It is children's bread, it belongs only to them that love God. Because love is the very heart and spirit of religion, I shall the more fully treat upon this; and for the further discussion of it, let us notice these five things concerning love to God. 1. The …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Covenanting Enforced by the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals.
To declare emphatically that the people of God are a covenant people, various signs were in sovereignty vouchsafed. The lights in the firmament of heaven were appointed to be for signs, affording direction to the mariner, the husbandman, and others. Miracles wrought on memorable occasions, were constituted signs or tokens of God's universal government. The gracious grant of covenant signs was made in order to proclaim the truth of the existence of God's covenant with his people, to urge the performance …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

An Advance Step in the Royal Programme
(Revelation, Chapters iv. and v.) "We are watching, we are waiting, For the bright prophetic day; When the shadows, weary shadows, From the world shall roll away. "We are watching, we are waiting, For the star that brings the day; When the night of sin shall vanish, And the shadows melt away. "We are watching, we are waiting, For the beauteous King of day; For the chiefest of ten thousand, For the Light, the Truth, the Way. "We are waiting for the morning, When the beauteous day is dawning, We are …
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation

Brief Outline of Ancient Jewish Theological Literature
The arrangements of the synagogue, as hitherto described, combined in a remarkable manner fixedness of order with liberty of the individual. Alike the seasons and the time of public services, their order, the prayers to be offered, and the portions of the law to be read were fixed. On the other hand, between the eighteen "benedictions" said on ordinary days, and the seven repeated on the Sabbaths, free prayer might be inserted; the selection from the prophets, with which the public reading concluded--the …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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