When I’m reading the bible I often wonder why we’re given the details that we so often see in the texts. Ezekiel’s description of the heavens is quite vivid and incredibly detailed so we have to ask what he was trying to show us.

Much of the culture of the time was couched in an understanding of astrology. The Babylonians knew that the things that happened in the heavens had an impact on life. The seasons changed, the crops grew, the weather changed from warm to cold and wet to dry. They believed that their gods controlled all those things. The idea that gods ruled the heavens traversing them on a chariot was common too. Chariots represented power.

The Jewish people would have concluded that God had abandoned them for good. After all they were in exile when Ezekiel had this vision. The Babylonians would have concluded that their gods had defeated the Jewish God and now ruled unchallenged.

The powerful imagery of Ezekiel’s vision shows that both were wrong. The conclusion we need to draw from the detailed and vivid descriptions of God on His chariot surrounded by cherubim is that the God of Israel was still very much in control and was still seated on his throne (represented by the chariot) at the centre of the universe. He had not been displaced or deposed but was working out His purposes.

What this chapter should teach us today is that God is now, and always has been, the all-powerful God of the universe. He has no challenger and has not been defeated, He has not and will never abandon His people. He is the source of power and hope on earth and in heaven. He is the only one on whom we can truly rely.

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Question:

How important is it to know that God is the all-powerful God of the universe? Does that knowledge give you hope and strength? Does it build your faith and deepen your sense of trust?

Prayer:

Lord God, King of the heavens and the earth, increase our knowledge of You, expand our understanding of Your ways and increase our faith in You. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.