Monday 9 February 2026
As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually, and in the middle of the fire, something like gleaming amber. (v. 4)
Background
The opening two verses of the book of Ezekiel set about rooting what follows in a time and a place. We are given years, months and days alongside locations for what is about to unfold. As well as the introduction of time and place, we are also introduced to the person who received this vision and who shares it with the people in exile. Ezekiel is a priest in exile and it is to him that the word of God comes to in this moment.
What follows in this introduction is a description of what Ezekiel sees in this moment. To read it and to try to picture the scene in our minds is probably beyond our comprehension. Maybe this is why Ezekiel struggles to describe it. How do you put into words the indescribable nature of God and the heavenly host in a way that makes sense to others?
There is, though, a little, easily skipped-over verse that I think tells us something important in all of this that comes. See verse 4. This vision that comes to Ezekiel in a whirlwind or storm arrives from the north. A question we might want to ask is why does the direction of the storm matter? Why tell us at all?
For Ezekiel and the exiles, God’s dwelling place, his home, was situated in Jerusalem in the Temple. That was the 'promised land' and where God had promised to dwell with the people. For the exiles this was to the west of where they found themselves in Babylon. This whirlwind from the north may have come as a surprise as it approached Ezekiel from a completely different direction. Maybe this is why Ezekiel mentions it, because God revealed the glory of heaven to him from a new direction.
To Ponder:
- The people of Israel had a sense of God's presence being primarily in the Temple in Jerusalem. This vision challenged that profoundly. What limits your understanding of God? And what might you do about it?
Prayer
Almighty God, I am awed by the vision of your majesty and the new directions you take me in. Help me as I speak to others about you. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd David Wynd
David Wynd is a Methodist minister serving in Cullercoats, in North Tyneside.