Tag Archives: Ezekiel

What Does God Look Like?

Posted on by under God, Scripture

Journal 2019

And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. (Ezekiel 1:26-27 NIV, emphasis added)

I have never heard a preacher conclude from this passage that Jehovah God has a form similar to a man. I have been taught all my life that God is a spirit and therefore has no body, but I am not convinced of this. Scholars will claim that this description in Ezekiel is simply personification or anthropomorphism, that this was just a vision, or that Ezekiel wasn’t taken to the actual throne of God.

Scripture says that man is made in the likeness of God, in His image, but preachers skirt around that by saying we are like Him because we have mind, will, and emotion. But that’s the invisible soul. An image has substance. Humans are tripart beings: body, soul, and spirit. Our spirits don’t live separate and apart from our bodies any more than God does. He is a triunity whose form radiates pure light.

Exodus 24:9 tells us that Moses, Nadab and Abihu (Moses’ 2 sons), Aaron, and 70 elders went up Mount Sinai and “saw the God of Israel.” They saw God, and they ate, and they drank. You can’t see a spirit. So, what did they see? Apparently they didn’t see God’s face, but they did report that under His feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire. When Exodus 33:11 states, “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend,” was this just a figure of speech? I don’t think so. Obviously, God could not show Moses His glory inside the tent of meeting, but I’m guessing He appeared to Moses in a form that he could relate to.

Call me heretical, but this is how I read it. I think God has form and substance, but we cannot see Him with our human eyes. What will we see when we cross the great divide?

Side note: God foreknew that Nadab and Abihu would offer strange fire to Him, yet He invited them to the mountain. And perhaps even the 70 elders were involved with the golden calf along with Aaron after this mountaintop experience with God Almighty. How could they do this!?

An encounter with God does not negate our free will to reject Him.

Cloaked traveler overlooking a mountain valley beneath sunlit storm clouds

What If God Asked?

Posted on by under Choices, Emotions, God, Scripture

Cow

From my 2009 Journal. Ezekiel 4 is a fascinating exchange between God and Ezekiel. God gives Ezekiel instructions that impose hardships on him, including eating rationed food and water, lying on one side for over a year and on the other for 40 days. But worst of all, God says he must prepare his food using human dung for fuel—like they will be doing in captivity. Ezekiel protests—he’s never defiled himself before with abominable meat. God relents and allows him to use cow dung instead.

In Ezekiel’s agrarian society, using cow dung is normal. It’s not offensive to them. Some tribes in Africa even use it to create shiny floors in their huts. But there’s something inherently offensive, disgusting, repulsive, unclean, about using human waste. At least it feels that way to me.

Ezekiel was used to using cow dung. Was there something in the Law that said human dung was defiling? Or was it inherently known that this was ceremonially or socially or emotionally unacceptable?

The part that really fascinates me, however, is that God relents from His command. He’s already asked Ezekiel to do some pretty humiliating and bizarre things. But He accepts Ezekiel’s protests based on his argument: I’ve never defiled myself—this would make me impure.

Now fast-forward to Peter in Acts 10:14. God instructs Peter to eat unclean animals. Same response: I’ve never defiled myself before. The passage doesn’t say that God made Peter eat them, but He does say, “What God calls clean is clean.”

God could have used the same argument with Ezekiel, but He doesn’t—which makes me think that God understood and took pity on Ezekiel. That He would not require of him more than he could bear.

Both men said they had never been defiled. Pete said, “No, Lord!” Ezekiel didn’t say no, but “Ah, Lord God . . .” Did Ezekiel protest or simply express his dismay?

What hard thing has God asked me to do? Did I protest? Yes, that’s quite normal, I think. But I eventually relented and obeyed. But He’s never asked me to go against my conscience—or has He?