089. Ezekiel Complains That The People Do Not Understand.

Ezekiel Complains That The People Do Not Understand.

Ezekiel’s Complaint, etc., as recorded.—Ezekiel 20:49. The Lord’s Answer.—Ezekiel 21:1-7. As God had chosen this prophet to become the vehicle of the most extraordinary series of prophecies concerning his people, he also teaches him to employ figures to illustrate his meaning. Some of which are very peculiar, and to the careless reader no doubt as incomprehensible as they were to some of those to whom the prophet spoke. It will be well here to enumerate some of the most striking figures used by the prophet; although not immediately connected with this prayer, they may serve to give us a just appreciation of the prophet’s meaning.

He speaks of a “wheel,” or a sphere made of a wheel in the middle of a wheel; this vision was emblematic of Providence. Of a “cloud” out of which are the likenesses of four living creatures, with attributes denoting wisdom, strength, swiftness, and obedience, they move “straight forward;” these are the ministers of Providence, turning not to the right or left, directed by one mind, for whither “the spirit went they went;” the “wheel” had four faces looking every way, moving every way, and connected with the living creatures—“full of eyes,” representing the omniscient and omnipresent God. The “height of the wheels was dreadful.” “Such is God’s providence—a scheme for carrying out purposes high as heaven, and lasting as eternity. God is the soul of providence.” (Read.) In the Lord’s answer to this prayer the prophet is told to make his language plainer, and drop these figures, which word we shall see the prophet obeys.