WORD STUDY – WARM
WARNING – ‫כמראה זהר‬
GENTLE
(PLEASE NOTE: TOMORROW I LEAVE FOR MY WEEK OF SILENCE, UNLESS
THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE MY LAST VISIT TO THE ABBEY I WILL
HAVE NO INTERNET CONNECTION. HOWEVER, I WILL KEEP A JOURNAL
AND IF THERE IS A WAY I CAN SEND OUT MY DAILY ENTRIES I WILL
DO SO. IF NOT I SHALL RESUME MY DAILY STUDIES WHEN I RETURN
ON MAY 20. IN THE MEANTIME, MAY YOU SEE AND EXPERIENCE THE
LOVE OF GOD AS EZEKIEL DID AND AS I SHALL NEXT WEEK DURING MY
TIME OF SILENCE.)
Ezekiel 8:2: “Then beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance
of fire: from the appearance of his loins and even downward,
fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of
brightness, as the color of amber.”
There are those who look at this chapter in Ezekiel and call
it an alien abduction. I think something much more profound
than that happened, I believe Ezekiel was given a glimpse into
the world of the spirit and saw things that you just cannot
explain in natural terms.
Our modern translations make it
very difficult to understand because this passage is filled
with Hebraic and Aramaic idioms and metaphors. As I study
this passage in light of the ancient Hebrew and Chaldean
culture and language I am finding the concept of alien
abduction truly an invention of a turnip just falling off the
truck.
Be that as it may, books have been written, fortunes made and
platforms established by men who have used quasi intellectual
scholastic credentials to prey on those seeking hidden
knowledge of secret conspiracies behind the government and
governmental organizations. What amazes me is that these same
people who use Scripture to prove their points are the very
ones who deny the existence of God claiming He is an
extraterrestrial.
Yet tear apart Scriptures like these
claiming that they are totally accurate. It is our belief in
the inspiration of Scripture that declares this to be
accurate. If you are denying the existence of a supernatural
God you have to question the accuracy of this text
which
these conspiracy theorists will not do. Their whole premises
is based upon the accuracy of the Scriptures yet they are
totally ignorant of ancient cultures and languages.
So let me look at this without horns or teeth. Ezekiel was
taken into captivity by the Babylonians at the age of twenty
five. He was one of 3,000 captives from the wealthy, noble
class of Judah.
He settled along the Chabar River in the
Babylonian territory where he was greatly influenced by the
Babylonian and Chaldean culture and language.
Although the
Book of Ezekiel was written in Classical Hebrew, it is filled
with allusions to Chaldean culture, Aramaic expressions and
idioms. Ezekiel began to have his visions at the age of 50
and people from all around would traveled to listen to Ezekiel
explain his visions. After twenty five years in Babylon his
language and expressions would have taken on a truly Chaldean
flavor and hence we must examine this passage in the light of
not only the Hebrew culture and language but the Chaldean as
well.
What Ezekiel saw was indeed a heavenly being, but could we
being seeing something similar among the true believers, those
who truly love and worship God?
Just what did Ezekiel see in
verse 8:2?
We cannot be sure because all Ezekiel could do
was explain in natural terms something that is supernatural
which no natural words can explain so you must resort to
metaphors and other poetic devices.
When the writer says
that Issachar is a strong donkey in Genesis 49:14 he is not
saying that Issachar is a literal horse like creature with
bulging muscles, he is merely trying to set a natural picture
to an abstract concept. This is similar to what Ezekiel is
doing.
Note he talks of the likeness and an appearance of fire and
loins. The word likeness is demuth from the root word damah
which means to be similar but in a quiet way. Using the word
damah Ezekiel is expressing a richly poetic word, both in
Hebrew and Aramaic which incorporates not only a natural
picture but a feeling as well. He is trying to express what he
feels. He is feeling warmth and comfort from this picture.
Hence this being that he could not describe in natural terms
radiated warmth and comfort. To use the word fire (Hebrew –
ash) he was saying that this was not a threatening out of
control fire that would consume him but one that brought
warmth and comfort.
The word appearance is kemareh which is from the root word
ra’ah which is to see but is also rooted in the word kemar
which means to kindle a fire for warmth and is also used for
love and compassion.
This is again a beautifully poetic word
used to describe something that causes you to feel love,
compassion and warmth. Literally, it means to see love. What
does love look like, if you could draw a picture of love what
would it look like. I can picture Ezekiel sitting around a
camp fire with a group of 21 s t Century Western cultured
Christians who have somehow traveled in a time to the day of
Ezekiel and are listening to him tell of his experience. If
Ezekiel could speak modern English he would say: “What I saw
was warmth, compassion and love. Have you ever seen warmth,
compassion and love?”
Ezekiel says something rather strange the appearance of
brightness. The word brightness is a very wonderful word. It
is the word Zohar. It is a common Jewish name which means
aglow or to glow and radiate.
It is used for one who has
access to deep hidden knowledge and secrets, secrets which
bear a warning but not a threat. The combination of the word
kemereh (appearance) with Zohar (aglow) would form an Aramaic
Idiom used to express a warm gentle warning.
Then the writer says: As the color of amber. The Hebrew word
for color of amber is chasmal which means the color of amber,
color of copper, gleaming metal, glowing metal, glitter, to
glow and is also another word for aglow. But here is the
kicker.
The word chasmal is also an Aramaic idiom common
along the Chebar river region which means: As the look of God.
What Ezekiel saw in 8:2 was a feeling.
He saw warmth, love,
and compassion. It was so awesome it looked like God or what
he could imagine God would look like.
Have you ever met
another Christian who was just chasmal, aglow with the
presence of God? Maybe they were not physically beautiful,
but the look of God the chasmal was so great that you did not
see their physical appearance because you were just blinded by
the love of God.
Someone once wrote the words: “We are the only Jesus that some
people will ever see.” I think there have been times I have
seen what Ezekiel saw in 8:2. Don’t you?