It was during the continuance of their distress and bondage to the Philistines, consequent on the loss of their strength and glory, that they were tempted, in forgetfulness and disregard of the cause of their calamity, to cry out to Samuel, “Give us a king to judge us” (1 Samuel 8;5;6). They turned not in sorrow to their God, they did not look for the return of the glory on which alone their strength depended, but they sought, by complying with the customs of other nations, to gain equality with them, at least in, worldly. strength. They did not reject Samuel personally, but his mode of government; thinking that a kingly rule, in its pomp and apparent energy, would obtain for them the prosperity they needed. In this they rejected God; they cared not, in their unbelief, for that glory, the presence of which was their only real security, but gave up the pre-eminence of blessing it always insured to them, and were content to be as others. The Lord in His mercy endured this too, and brought (as He always must, or evil would overcome Him), good out of their rebellion,- and fulfilled His own purpose in setting up that Royal Throne, on which His own KING will surely sit to rule in righteousness in that day, which will be as the “ morning without clouds, as the clear shining after rain” (2 Samuel 23).
When the ark of the Lord was fully restored to its place in Israel, it was to be the glory of a kingdom. The Lord had chosen and anointed their king. His grace had triumphed over their rebellion, and David, as a type of the true “Beloved,” brings back the ark, to accredit and set forth Israel as God’s kingdom; and therefore, the next chapter to that which describes the return of the ark (2 Samuel 6), is the prophetic announcement of “ the offspring of David “ (Revelation 22: 16), to sit upon that throne forever, as it is quoted by the apostle (2 Samuel 7: 14 Hebrews 1: 5), “ I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a son;” and, from henceforth, the glory revealed that which was seen by the prophet on the hills of Moab, and which is yet to be seen by all in its alone worthy fulfillment, “ He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: THE LORD GOD IS WITH HIM, AND THE SHOUT OF A KING IS AMONG THEM” (Numbers 23: 21).
The throne, however, in its true glory, was not established, even typically, in David, but in Solomon his offspring. His wisdom, and prosperity, and reign of peace, were the partial exhibition of the blessings yet to be revealed on earth, as declared in the 72nd Psalm; and not only so, but as building the beautiful temple, he stood to foreshow the great Solomon, or “ Man of rest,” of whom it is said, “ Even He shall build the temple of the Lord, and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne” (Zechariah 6: 12;13).
The throne of Solomon is also called “the throne of the Lord:” “Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his Father, and prospered, and all Israel obeyed him” (1 Chronicles 29:2323Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. (1 Chronicles 29:23)).
Though the ark, therefore, had been restored, and the Lord was with Israel again, and had given them rest from all their enemies, yet it was not till it was brought in solemn triumph, and placed in the beautiful habitation prepared for it by Solomon that the full favor of God is marked to Israel’s throne, as it had been before to the wandering camp of His flock in the wilderness, “ For it came to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one to make one sound, to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord,—saying, For he is good, for his mercy endureth forever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God” (2 Chronicles 5;13).
The glory thus revealed, I believe to have been seen in full vision by Ezekiel—the kingly glory of Jehovah. The same attributes of God were of course always in the glory, for it was I Hs presence, and He is from everlasting to everlasting; yet the blessing of kingly government, as that in which God could, and will therefore yet more fully manifest Himself in the day of the Son of man, had not been previously known; but from the moment the glory of the Lord sanctioned the throne of Judah, that kingdom became the care of Jehovah; and as every gracious intention toward man on the part of God failed in man’s failure, till the Son of man came as claimant of every blessing, and by never failing, secured for Himself, and for others, every place of authority and blessing delegated to man, and among others, this last revealed to us, that of king; and as Son of man, the offspring of David, and the Lion of the tribe of Judah, lie will one day prove that nothing that God has ever sanctioned can be set aside, except by a higher and further gift; and that if earth is ever to be blessed, it will be by the righteous dominion of His Son, “ who will bear the glory and sit upon His throne,” “ for the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1: 32,33).
From this period of the return of the glory, till the scattering of Judah under the judgments of that sad word Lo-ammi, no further or fuller revelation of God was made to them. As directly dealing with Israel, though it were in wrath, it must have been in this character; and, therefore, it is plain that the vision of Ezekiel is the revelation of his kingly glory. The glory of the throne, which will one day be revealed in the sight of all, as it is written, “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth, and in that day there shall be one Lord, and His name one” (Zechariah 14: 9).
From the day of Solomon, as in every other instance, Israel gradually fell away from its privileges and blessings. Sin had grieved the Lord, and He ceased to stand forth actively in their behalf, or He would have justified their sin in the sight of the world. The glory doubtless soon left the temple, but not Israel. In the cloud it still hovered over the throne and land of Judah, and was ready to answer every cry of penitence, putting forth instant power to destroy or discomfit the enemies of His people. Though the staff Beauty was probably soon broken, yet Bands was not till Judah was dispersed (Zechariah 11); and around the remnant still the glory spread its covering wing in sorrow, destroying the Assyrian in answer to the cry of Hezekiah-making a wall of chariots and horsemen between the hosts of Syria and the prophet-following the weary Elijah to Horeb, and at last the companion of the mournful captive by the river Chebar; for earth, and an earthly throne were its care, till heaven was opened, and a further glory revealed there.
It is in this place the vision is brought before us. We have traced the glory, from its first appearance to Israel as a nation on the plains of Succoth, going forward in triumph to lead that oppressed people to the beautiful inheritance promised to their fathers, down to its faithful and gracious companionship with the captive prophet, sitting and weeping by the rivers of Babylon. Ample are the details of man’s sin and God’s mercy to be collected from this long course of time and events; and rich is the profit to be gathered by him that hath ears to hear; but I can only now seek in humbleness to interpret the features of the vision itself, and then to follow it in its future course: and both are replete with instruction and interest.
The characteristic form of each living creature was that of a man (Ezekiel 1: 5): “And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man:” as at the outset marking the whole vision to represent the essential attributes of God, as revealed in the Son, in whose form or likeness ‘man had been created; and therefore, of necessity, the only form in which perfection could be expressed. The wings, feet, and different faces, mark, I believe, in detail, the attributes of Jehovah in manifestation, but all under the control of the Master form-that of a man, as showing it to be the glory of the only begotten of the Father, “ who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature, who is before all things, and by whom all things consist” (Colossians 1: 15, 17).
The faces are first noted in detail (ver. 6); and “the face of a man” (ver. 10), has the pre-eminence given to it, not as confirmatory of what is previously shown, but as marking all the distinctive features of this last and best of God’s creatures to be in the glory, not imperfect., limited, and broken, as we judge of it, but perfect and unrestrained in exercise; and is thus a symbol of mind, reason, intellect, knowledge, discernment, &c., &c., and in the exercise of which, when subject to the Spirit of the Lord, we have that communion with God to which no other creature can be called,” for who hath known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:1616For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)); and the character of the little Horn with “eyes like eyes of a man,” probably has the same meaning, although it is descriptive of great wickedness (Daniel 7: 8). The face is always expressive of the character; and thus “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” is made known to us “in the face of Jesus Christ,” as declaring all the unseen moral glory of the Father, while manifest in the flesh. Action is expressed, as it is in this vision, by symbolic members of a body, such as hands, feet, &c., but character only by the face, and this is too simple a truth to need more proof.
The second face is that of “a Lion,” which denotes majesty, terribleness, strength, dignity, as it is written, “a Lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any” (Proverbs 30); “The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a Lion” (Proverbs 19:12; 20: 212The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favor is as dew upon the grass. (Proverbs 19:12)). It is said of David, “ and he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a Lion” (2 Samuel 17: 10); of the Gadites, that they were men of war, that they were fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of Lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains (1 Chronicles 12: 8 Amos 3: 8).
The third is the “ face of an Ox,” which equally expresses power; but used in patient, persevering labor, strength subjected to bear burdens: when spoken of God, it is expressive of long-suffering, or continued and patient exercise of power in subjection to love; “ much increase is by the strength of the ox” (Proverbs 14: 4), “ able to bear burdens” (Psalms 144: 14, marginal reading), “ used to tread out the corn” (Deuteronomy 25: 4 Hos. 10: 11). Like every other attribute of God, as exercised among His people, it is used in their behalf when obedient, and for their trial and chastisement when disobedient; thus His patient love is subject to all their infirmities, and is exercised in bearing the burdens of care and sorrow, when those burdens are cast upon His love in humbleness, for it is written, “ Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalms 55: 22). But the same power is used in separating the chaff from the wheat as in treading out the corn; and therefore there is doubtless direct connection between the feet and this attribute of God, as the hands are in connection with the man’s face; the hand being able as a skillful member to give expression by its cunning, in a thousand ways, to the varied thoughts and intelligence of man’s mind; but not so the feet, though they are as useful in diligent and laborious service.
The fourth is “the face of an eagle,” marking quickness and power of sight, and almost equal rapidity of action, and with which the wings are connected, as the hands with the man, and the feet with the ox. With reference to quickness of sight, the symbol of the eagle cannot be doubted; and I would only quote the Scriptures descriptive of this attribute in our God:— “His eyes were as a flame of fire.”— “I, the Lord, search the heart, I try the reins.”— “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”— “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day, and the darkness and the light are both alike unto thee.”— “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro through the whole earth, to show themselves strong in behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward him.” The rapidity of the eagle’s flight is noted in its emphatic history in Job:— “She seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off; and where the slain are, there is she” (Job 39: 29, 30): and when David would describe the power of Jonathan and Saul, he says, “ They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions” (2 Samuel 1: 23 also Deuteronomy 28: 49; Job 9: 26; Obad. 1: 4; Proverbs 30: 19).
The feet express judgment on the earth, whether in the Church, which is now the only place of judgment (as separating the chaff from the wheat), or in the world in the latter day, when the Son of man cometh to tread the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God; as it is written, “ I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me, for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment” (Isaiah 63: 3). And when the remnant of the Jewish people have power given them against the nations gathered round Jerusalem, it is said, “ Arise and thresh, O daughters of Zion, for I will make thy horn iron and thy hoofs brass, and thou shalt beat in pieces many people” (Micah 4: 10-13); and again, “ For behold the day cometh that it shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch; but unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall: and ye shall tread down the wicked in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 4: 1-3 Psalms 108: 13). That “they sparkled like the color of burnished brass” probably denotes imperviousness to defilement while treading on that which is defiled and defiling, and is a strong corroborative proof of the whole vision being but a symbolic description of the essential glory of the Lord, as the feet of the man appearing to Daniel (Daniel 10), and the Lord Jesus to John (Revelation 1), are described nearly in the same words; in the one, “ His arms and his feet like in color to polished brass” —in the other, “His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace.”
(Continued From page 64)
(To be continued.)