Friday 13 February 2026
Then the glory of the Lord rose up from the cherub to the threshold of the house; the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the glory of the Lord. (v. 4)
Background
This week we are reading about the prophet Ezekiel's vision. The vision in the Temple continues: Ezekiel remains surrounded by the heavenly creatures, the man dressed in linen and something that looked like a throne. Much of this passage is again a description of what Ezekiel sees, but we also have God’s instruction to the man clothed in linen to collect burning coals and to scatter them over the city.
As a whole, this vision is a little confusing: we have the divine instruction but we don't have the outcome and description of what is there and what is happening. The taking of the coals and fire could be a command to destroy the city, but there other possibilities. Burning coals and fire are images used in various places in the Old Testament. Often burning coal is associated with the altar and the burning of incense or offerings in the tabernacle and Temple. The book of Isaiah describes the angel touching Isaiah's lips with a live coal to make him clean and purify him (6:6-8). It could be that the coals and fire are being used to purify or refine the city having cleansed it of those seen as evil-doers.
Whatever the meaning of these instructions, the majority of this passage is taken up with the movement of God’s glory out of the Temple. The glory of God first moves to the threshold of the Temple, then it moves above the heavenly creatures and finally it stops at the east gate of the Temple. There is no great speech as the glory of God leaves the Temple. It departs with the heavenly creatures no longer to dwell in the Temple.
To Ponder:
- How do you feel if someone tells you about encountering an angel? Have you ever experienced one before?
- How might these images and visions of God’s glory inspire our lives of prayer and worship?
Prayer
God beyond our reason and understanding, may we never stop using your gift of reason to wrestle with the things of you, but give us faith which is not constrained purely by our human intellect. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd David Wynd
David Wynd is a Methodist minister serving in Cullercoats, in North Tyneside.