◄ Ezekiel 3:13 ►
It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another and the sound of the wheels beside them, a great rumbling sound.
Study Bible
It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another
This phrase refers to the cherubim, a class of angelic beings, first introduced in Ezekiel 1. The wings symbolize their readiness to serve God and execute His will. The brushing of wings suggests unity and harmony in their actions, reflecting the divine order and purpose. In biblical context, cherubim are often associated with the presence of God, as seen in the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:20). The sound signifies the majesty and power of God's presence, reminiscent of the seraphim in Isaiah 6:2-3, who also have wings and proclaim God's holiness.

and the sound of the wheels beside them
The wheels are part of the vision of God's chariot-throne, described in Ezekiel 1:15-21. They represent the omnipresence and omniscience of God, able to move in any direction without turning. The wheels' presence beside the living creatures indicates their integral role in the divine chariot, symbolizing God's ability to act swiftly and decisively in the world. This imagery connects to the vision of God's glory departing from the temple in Ezekiel 10, emphasizing His sovereignty and mobility.

a great rumbling sound
The great rumbling sound underscores the awe-inspiring and overwhelming nature of God's presence. It evokes the imagery of God's voice as thunderous and powerful, as seen in Psalm 29:3-9, where the voice of the Lord is described as over the waters, full of majesty. This sound signifies the impending judgment and the seriousness of the prophetic message Ezekiel is to deliver. It also parallels the theophany at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-19), where God's presence was accompanied by thunder and lightning, emphasizing His holiness and authority.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet and priest during the Babylonian exile, called by God to deliver His messages to the Israelites.

2. Living Creatures
These are the cherubim, angelic beings described in Ezekiel's vision, symbolizing God's presence and majesty.

3. Wheels
Part of the vision of God's chariot-throne, representing divine mobility and sovereignty.

4. Babylon
The place of exile for the Israelites, where Ezekiel received his prophetic visions.

5. The Vision
A divine revelation given to Ezekiel, illustrating God's glory and the seriousness of his prophetic mission.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty and Presence
The vision of the living creatures and wheels underscores God's omnipresence and omnipotence. He is not confined to the temple or any single location.

The Seriousness of the Prophetic Call
Ezekiel's vision serves as a reminder of the weight and responsibility of delivering God's message. It calls us to take seriously the task of sharing God's truth.

The Majesty of God
The imagery of the living creatures and the rumbling sound points to the awe-inspiring nature of God. It invites us to worship Him with reverence and awe.

God's Communication
The sound of the wings and wheels signifies God's active communication with His people. We are encouraged to be attentive to His voice in our lives.

The Role of Angels
The presence of cherubim in the vision highlights the role of angels as messengers and servants of God, reminding us of the spiritual realities that surround us.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the vision of the living creatures and wheels in Ezekiel 3:13 enhance your understanding of God's sovereignty and presence?

2. In what ways can we apply the seriousness of Ezekiel's prophetic call to our own lives as we share God's message with others?

3. How does the imagery of God's majesty in Ezekiel's vision inspire your personal worship and reverence for God?

4. What are some practical ways we can be more attentive to God's communication in our daily lives?

5. How does the role of angels in Ezekiel's vision influence your understanding of spiritual realities and God's interaction with the world?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Ezekiel 1
Provides a detailed description of the living creatures and the wheels, emphasizing the glory and majesty of God.

Revelation 4
Describes a similar vision of heavenly beings, highlighting the continuity of God's majesty and presence throughout Scripture.

Isaiah 6
Another vision of God's throne room, reinforcing the holiness and glory of God.

Psalm 18:10
Speaks of God riding on a cherub, illustrating His power and presence.

Daniel 7
Contains visions of heavenly beings and divine authority, paralleling Ezekiel's experience.
Sermons
AmbassadorshipJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 3:4-14
Celestial VoicesJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 3:12, 13
The Light of God Reconciles the Disorders of LifeA. W. Welch.Ezekiel 3:12-13
People
Ezekiel
Places
Chebar, Tel-abib
Topics
Beings, Beside, Brushing, Creatures, Earthquake, Loud, Noise, Over-against, Rumbling, Rushing, Sounded, Touched, Touching, Wheels, Wings
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 3:13

     4690   wings

Ezekiel 3:12-13

     4627   creatures

Library
Cæsarius of Arles.
He was born in the district of Chalons-sur-Saone, A. D. 470. He seems to have been early awakened, by a pious education, to vital Christianity. When he was between seven and eight years old, it would often happen that he would give a portion of his clothes to the poor whom he met, and would say, when he came home, that he had been, constrained to do so. When yet a youth, he entered the celebrated convent on the island of Lerins, (Lerina,) in Provence, from which a spirit of deep and practical piety …
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

Boniface, Apostle of the Germans.
BONIFACE, or Winfried, as they called him in Anglo-Saxon, born at Crediton in Devonshire, in 680, deserves to be honoured as the father of the German Church, although he was by no means the first who brought the seeds of the Gospel to Germany. Many had already laboured before him; but the efforts which had been made here and there did not suffice to secure the endurance of Christianity amongst the many perils to which it was exposed. Christianity needs to be linked with firm ecclesiastical institutions, …
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

Epistle xxxiv. To Venantius, Ex-Monk, Patrician of Syracuse .
To Venantius, Ex-Monk, Patrician of Syracuse [1331] . Gregory to Venantius, &c. Many foolish men have supposed that, if I were advanced to the rank of the episcopate, I should decline to address thee, or to keep up communication with thee by letter. But this is not so; since I am compelled by the very necessity of my position not to hold my peace. For it is written, Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet (Isai. lviii. 1). And again it is written, I have given thee for a watchman …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

The Greatness of the Soul,
AND UNSPEAKABLENESS 0F THE LOSS THEREOF; WITH THE CAUSES OF THE LOSING IT. FIRST PREACHED AT PINNER'S HALL and now ENLARGED AND PUBLISHED FOR GOOD. By JOHN BUNYAN, London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682 Faithfully reprinted from the Author's First Edition. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Our curiosity is naturally excited to discover what a poor, unlettered mechanic, whose book-learning had been limited to the contents of one volume, could by possibility know …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Servant's Inflexible Resolve
'For the Lord God will help Me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set My face like a flint.'--ISAIAH l. 7. What a striking contrast between the tone of these words and of the preceding! There all is gentleness, docility, still communion, submission, patient endurance. Here all is energy and determination, resistance and martial vigour. It is like the contrast between a priest and a warrior. And that gentleness is the parent of this boldness. The same Will which is all submission …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Iranian Conquest
Drawn by Boudier, from the engraving in Coste and Flandin. The vignette, drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a statuette in terra-cotta, found in Southern Russia, represents a young Scythian. The Iranian religions--Cyrus in Lydia and at Babylon: Cambyses in Egypt --Darius and the organisation of the empire. The Median empire is the least known of all those which held sway for a time over the destinies of a portion of Western Asia. The reason of this is not to be ascribed to the shortness of its duration: …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9

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

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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