Ezekiel 10:18

Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. THEN THE GLORY OF THE LORD DEPARTED FROM OFF THE THRESHOLD OF THE HOUSE, AND STOOD OVER THE CHERUBIM. The departure of the symbol of God's presence from the temple was preparatory to the destruction of the city. This had been foretold in . Woe be to those from whom God departs (). Compare ; ; , "Ichabod, The glory is departed." Successive steps are marked in His departure; so slowly and reluctantly does the merciful God leave His house. First, He goes up from...

Here the Prophet teaches us what is the principal point in the vision, namely, that God had deserted the temple: for we, know with what confidence the Jews boasted that they should be safe continually under the protection of God. In consequence of the promise, that God’s temple should be the place of his rest wherein he would dwell, (Psalms 132:14,) they did not think it possible that God would ever leave them: so they sinned without restraint; and while they drove him far away from them by their crimes, yet they wished to have him in some way bound to them. This folly is derided by Isaiah — Heaven is my seat, and earth is my foot. stool: what house therefore will ye build for me? (Isaiah 66:1.) God had commanded his temple to be built, and wished to have his earthly dwelling, place there: but he says that his wish had been rendered nugatory: and how? why when h

8-22 Ezekiel sees the working of Divine providence in the government of the lower world, and the affairs of it. When God is leaving a people in displeasure, angels above, and all events below, further his departure. The Spirit of life, the Spirit of God, directs all creatures, in heaven and on earth, so as to make them serve the Divine purpose. God removes by degrees from a provoking people; and, when ready to depart, would return to them, if they were a repenting, praying people. Let this warn sinners to seek the Lord while he may be found, and to call on him while he is near, and cause us all to walk humbly and watchfully with our God....

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 10:1, EZEKIEL 10:2 THEN I LOOKED, etc. There follows on the work of judgment another theophany, like that of Ezekiel 1:15. In the "expanse," or firmament, like the "terrible crystal," there is seen as before the likeness of a sapphire throne (see Ezekiel 1:26, note). The form of THE MAN who is the manifestation of Jehovah is implied, though not named. It is he who speaks to the captain of the six ministers of vengeance, himself the seventh, and bids him go in beneath the "whirling wheels" that are beneath the cherub

THEN THE GLORY OF THE LORD DEPARTED FROM OFF THE THRESHOLD OF THE HOUSE,.... Whither he had removed from the cherub or the cherubim, between the mercy seat, Ezekiel 10:4; taking another step towards a general departure from the temple and city, of which this was another signal and warning: AND STOOD OVER THE CHERUBIM: not on the mercy seat from whence he came, for hither he returned not; but over the cherubim or living creatures seen in the vision, which were under the throne in the firmament of heaven; an emblem, as we have seen, of Gospel ministers: and this may denote the exaltation of Christ, who is the glory of the Lord, the brightness of his Father's glory, above sheen; his protection of them, and presence with them; for, let him move where he will, he will not depart from his faithful ministers; he will be with them to the end of the world....

Ezekiel 10:1. Once more the glory vision appears. The linen clothed man who had done the marking in the previous chapter is now executing judgment. Who is He? Evidently more than an angel. That he is a supernatural being is clear. He held the place of pre-eminence among the other angels (Ezekiel 9:2). This angel is the Angel of the Lord, the same who appeared to the patriarchs, to Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Manoah, and to others. It is the Son of God in the garb of an angel. In the same form he also appeared to Daniel on the banks of the river Hiddekel. “Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz. His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet

This splendid passage is followed by a description of the Divine chariot (Ezekiel 10:9) which does little more than duplicate the description in Ezekiel 1:15, and which, to a modern taste, seems of the nature of an irrelevance and anticlimax. The point of the repetition, however, is suggested by Ezekiel 10:20; Ezekiel 10:22, which identify the chariot seen at Jerusalem with that seen in the former vision by the Chebar. It is as if Ezekiel said that the glorious God of Israel, whose glory had been trailed in the dust by His worshippers (Ezekiel 10:8), had

DEPARTED. This is what is signified by this chapter. in Ezekiel 43:1, &c., it is seen to return when Israel shall again be restored. The latter will be as literal as the former. OFF. over....

The glory of the Lord returns from the threshold of the house to the cherubim, and these mount up and remove outside the precincts of the temple altogether, and stand within the city at the eastern gateway of the outward court....

D. The Departure of the Divine Presence 10:18-22 TRANSLATION (18) And the glory of the LORD went out from over the threshold of the house and stood over the cherubim. (19) And the cherubim lifted their wings and they went up from the earth in my presence; when they went out, the wheels were beside them; and it stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. (20) These were the living creatures which I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim. (21) Each had four faces, and each had four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. (22) And the likeness of their faces were the faces which I saw beside the river Chebar, their appearances and themselves; each went straight forward. COMMENTS The throne-chariot was ready for the Royal Rider. The glor...