Where were you in March of 1978? Me? Well, I was cruising down the pathways of being an industrious 8th grader! There were right around 100 of us at our town's Jr. High School in 1978. We were all in that stage of life where we were no longer the fresh crop of used to be 6th graders but had not yet arrived at the point where we would be accepted by the older, cooler upperclassmen. We were just getting the hang of working the combination on our locker and having 7 different classrooms to find! 
Those were some really good days. It is nice occasionally to break out the yearbook from those past years. Our minds soon become flooded with memories of those good days. And then we occasionally wince at a memory that perhaps wasn't as pleasant. Maybe we respectfully reflect on those from that time that are no longer with us. Regardless, this introspection of our past can be a cathartic and beneficial exercise. It also serves to remind us of the forward progression of time...as the wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'...
1978 would prove to be a big year for the band Journey. The would have lead singer changes in the form of lead singer/keyboardist Greg Rolie (remained at keys until 1980) being replaced by Robert Fleischman who was replaced by Steve Perry. This merry-go-round of frontmen was an attempt to heed the advice of label reps who thought the jazz fusion sound of Journey needed to be a little edgier.
With Perry's arrival, a classic Journey lineup was born and the ascension of the band had begun. Infinity would mark the first time that Journey had a single on the Billboard Hot 100. All three singles released from Infinity would hit the Hot 100. ("Wheel In The Sky" #57, "Anytime" #83, and "Lights" #68)
"Wheel In The Sky" was cowritten by Fleischman, Neal Schon (lead guitarist, songwriter), and Diane Valory, wife of Journey bassist Ross Valory. It was written as a testimony to being gone from home for a very long time and the toll that can take on relationships. It is easy to assume that given the songwriters, the song is semi-autobiographical, reflecting the life of a touring musician. With its vivid imagery, there is the hint of potential sadness as the passing of time continues its triumphant march regardless of the quality of life being lived. Yup...44 years.
Imagery, the painting of an illustrious picture to describe what is going on before your eyes, became a staple of many of the songs of the 70s and 80s. Some of the visions from those songs cause us to scratch our heads today as much as they did when they were first conceived. This leap into the fantastic became a staple of many of the rock groups of their time, especially the progressive rock groups. Even today several of the songwriters from that time confess that they don't know what their song is about. These songs were almost as difficult to decipher as say another set of wheels in the sky...
As we continue through the great stories of the Bible, we come today to the prophet Ezekiel. When reading the book of Ezekiel in the Bible, you are immediately impacted by the difficulty Ezekiel must have had while writing down what he could hardly believe he was seeing. Just imagine being a Jewish priest around the year 597 BC. Can you imagine writing this in ancient Hebrew?
It is interesting to note that Ezekiel makes much of being 30 years old. ("In the thirtieth year" references HIS thirtieth year). Ezekiel was a priest and at the age of 30, the Hebrew priests would go into the rotation of priests who served at the temple in Jerusalem. Unfortunately for Ezekiel, Babylon had other ideas about that same time. You can read more about the world events around Jerusalem and what happened to Ezekiel as he was turning 30 here: 2 Kings 24 NASB/AMP/KJV
Because of the national disobedience, (spoiler alert, in case you didn't remember, this is a recurring theme for the Israelites! we will read about it over and over as we continue), the city of Jerusalem and the temple of the Hebrews was about the be overrun by the "Chaldeans", the "Babylonians", or the "people of the north" depending on the prophet you are reading. Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar was about to take a second wave of residents into captivity and carry them off to Babylon. This is where we find our intrepid priest, Ezekiel.
He was in captivity, making the best of a bad situation when all of a sudden his priestly training became an absolute necessity. God had other plans for Ezekiel as he turned 30. Ezekiel would be the priest who would become a prophet and have an awesome vision straight from the throne room of God. I don't know about you, but this is significantly better than trimming the wicks on the incense lamps, making sure the "sea" was full of water, and the bread hadn't gotten moldy in the Holy of Holies. (no disrespect to those activities, send your emails in care of this station to rawacr@gmail.com)
Ezekiel's visions? The simplest way to put it is that his vision was that of the throne of God coming down to earth in all of its splendor. As Ezekiel would have told the people of Israel about his vision, they would instantly be reminded of the times that God, through clouds and fire, came down to first the tabernacle in the wilderness and then the temple in Jerusalem. They would be reminded and encouraged that the God who was with them before, would now be with them again, despite their defiance to God's direction.
On the throne, God in the form of a man was attended by cherubim who had four faces. Some theologians have surmised that these four faces are reminiscent of Israel's past in that they represent the four positions around the tabernacle the fledgling nation took as they camped while traveling in the wilderness. Others think that the four faces represent a pointing to the future Jesus with each face depicting one of the four Gospel writers. Perhaps they do both, as some of prophetical Scripture points to the past, present, and future simultaneously.
Regardless of the interpretation, each face delineated all of the animate creations. With one face being that of a lion, the mightiest of wild animals, the ox, the strongest of domesticated animals, the eagle, king of all birds, and man, as the highest of all creation. (Enduring Word Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 1)
These cherubim were holding up the throne of one who was in the image of a man. Colors nearly beyond description emanated from around the throne. The description of the cherubim was unlike any creature that the readers of Ezekiel's tome would have encountered. And yet, they served in their rightful place. The man image on the throne was exalted and carried by the cherubim who were transported by the wheels within wheels that had eyes on their rims. There was no regressing for this entourage. They neither turned to the right nor to the left but continued on the pathway forward.
That's right. Ezekiel was the first to see wheels in the sky. This entire vision was to provide comfort and remembrance for the priest. He would have known the significance of God's splendor coming down. With his priestly training, he would have some semblance of recognition of the importance of how the cherubim looked and the direction those wheels in the sky took. All of this was to serve as God's way of saying to Ezekiel. "Sorry friend that you aren't getting to serve in the temple, but guess what, I have a much more important role for you to play as you minister to the captives. Tell them the things that you see and draw comfort from your past, draw peace in your present, and draw anticipation in your future."
That's our lesson from Ezekiel today as well. Sure, we could get caught up in why the cherubim had hands under their wings or feet that looked like cows, but the more important thing is that we understand that we are currently captives in a place that was not intended for us. As we study God's Word, we are instantly engaged with God's providence in our past, His assurance in our present, and even if we don't know where we'll be tomorrow, the splendor of our future.
Essentially, this portion of Ezekiel points us to revel in the fact that God didn't allow us to be destroyed in our captivity, that He (Jesus) was the ultimate redemption and rescuer from that captivity, and as we believe in Him, His Spirit resides in us today providing that peace in the face of whatever it is that may be holding us captive. It also causes us to optimistically embrace a future that we can only anticipate...as the wheels in the sky keep on turning...
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM and loving you,
randy
<><
No comments:
Post a Comment