Ezekiel 1:26-28

Above the dome over their heads, there appeared something like lapis lazuli in the form of a throne. Above the form of the throne there was a form that looked like a human being. ²⁷ Above what looked like his waist, I saw something like gleaming amber, something like fire enclosing it all around. Below what looked like his waist, I saw something that appeared to be fire. Its brightness shone all around. ²⁸ Just as a rainbow lights up a cloud on a rainy day, so its brightness shone all around. This was how the form of the Lord’s glory appeared. When I saw it, I fell on my face. I heard the sound of someone speaking.

Key Passage:

Above the dome over their heads, there appeared something like lapis lazuli in the form of a throne. Above the form of the throne there was a form that looked like a human being. —Ezekiel 1:26

Commentary:

As a prophet, much of what Ezekiel describes is not “real.” However, his visions are filled with powerful connections to the divine. In this first chapter, Ezekiel sees God and the host of angels. But, in verse 26, the image is of a human on a throne among the holy. As Christians we know this to be Jesus in his glory! Jesus is glowing, like in the Transfiguration passage from Mark 9, but this time as if on fire, surrounded by amber (a yellow-orange color). The throne Jesus sits on, however, is “lapis lazuli.” Lapis is a bright blue rock (see picture) that has been mined in the Middle East for over eight thousand years! It is a color representing royalty and reminds us of God’s sovereignty. This God who forgives our scarlet sins and washes us to pure white is a God worthy of worship and praise!

Questions to Discuss:

What is your favorite shade of blue? Sky? Ocean? Baby? Navy? Why is it your favorite?

Living in a country without royalty, how do you connect to this idea of Jesus on a throne?

What is something you use to remind yourself of Jesus and to worship?