Originally written July 2004

There is an incredible verse in Ezekiel that says, “So was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.” (Ezekiel 1:28) This is such an incredible verse.

Imagine knowing about someone who you really want to meet. It could be the president or an actor or a Nobel prize winner. Some might be honored to have a statue of that person to remind them of their character or their fame. That statue would undoubtedly cast a shadow on the wall. The verse in Ezekiel is showing us an appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. Of course, a shadow of a statue of a major world leader is not much to speak about. However, the appearing glimmer of God’s glory is remarkable.

This verse tells much about who God is. We are not seeing the fullness of God in this chapter. We are only seeing His glory, no, a likeness of His glory. Well, actually, the appearance of the likeness of His glory. We aren’t seeing God in this verse but we are realizing that just a shadow, just a glimpse of a part of who God is is really more than we can see at one time.

Not too long ago I was doing a project in Ecuador. We were able to see many volcanoes in all of their splendor while in country. While there, someone said, “It would be fun to try and climb that mountain in a day, but it is even more awesome that I know the God who created that mountain in a day.” Some of the people in Ecuador worship nature and they find their gods in the flowers and in the mountains. How much better to worship the God who created the flowers and the sun and the mountains. I don’t worship the appearance or the shadow of some likeness. I worship the God whose shadow is too holy to gaze upon.