THE FIFTH YEAR OF KING JEHOIACHIN'S EXILE: (Ezek 8:1; 20:1; 29:1 29:17; 31:1; 40:1; 2 Ki 24:12-15) 

Ezekiel was the first prophet to date his messages chronologically.

Expositor's Bible Commentary notes that Ezekiel is

developed logically (and) ...chronologically. The pivotal point historically and chronologically is the Fall of Jerusalem in 5he Fall of Jerusalem, preparing the exiles for the judgment that was to come on Jerusalem. On86 B.C. The messages contained in chapters 1-24 are all dated prior to tce that judgment had come, as described in chapter 24, Ezekiel turned his attention to judgment on the nations. These messages (chs. 25-33) were given during and following the siege of Jerusalem, in 586-585 B.C. One exception is the message in 29:17-30:19, included in this chronological section because of its logical relationship to the judgment on the foreign nations. Then 33:21-39:29 was delivered on the night before the fugitive arrived in Babylon to tell the exiles that Jerusalem had fallen (Dec./Jan. 586/585 B.C.). These messages encouraged the exiles when that news came. Fourteen years later, the final section of the prophecy in chapters 40-48 was delivered, culminating the logical development of the book." (Bolding added) (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary OT 7 Volume Set: Books: Zondervan Publishing)

In 597BC Nebuchadnezzar (see Timeline of Last Five Kings of Judah above)

led Jehoiachin away into exile to Babylon; also the king's mother and the king's wives and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led away into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon." (2 Ki 24:15)

Therefore Ezekiel's  reference would be 593BC, the date of the beginning of Ezekiel's prophecy. The last date that he mentions in the book are the “twenty-seventh year” (Ezek 29:17) undoubtedly referring to the length of captivity”.  Ezekiel thus prophesied almost 22 years among the captives or until about 571-2 BC. For the first 7 years he prophesied  coming judgment and the last 15 years he foretold of God's promise of the blessed hope of a literal national restoration of Israel and Judah.

Jehoiachin means "Yahweh will uphold" and his name can be confusing to trace in Scripture because he is also called also "Jeconiah" (1Chr 3:16 Jer 24:1) meaning "Yahweh will be steadfast," and "Coniah" (Jer 22:24,28) meaning "Yahweh has upheld him". Jehoiachin was the next to last king of Judah (Zedekiah being the last) having succeeded his father Jehoiakim.  Jehoiachin reigned only three months before surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar and being carried off to Babylonian exile. The story of Jehoiachin's reign is told in 2 Ki 24:8-16 and 2Chr 36:9-10. In the first year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar's successor, a strange thing occurred. Scripture records that

it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison and he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. And Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and had his meals in the king's presence regularly all the days of his life and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life." (2 Ki 25:27-30; cf Jer 52:31-34).

Ezekiel 1:3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the LORD came upon him.)   (NASB: Lockman)

Families had been torn apart, and Jerusalem lay hundreds of miles away. God’s people remained rebellious and hard-hearted. These “extraordinary times called for an extraordinary man”, specifically for God's man named Ezekiel (Yechezqe'l  from chazaq = strengthen, harden + 'el = God) which means "May God strengthen" (a prayer) or "God will strengthen" ("God strengthens"). (a statement of fact).  Ezekiel's name is found only here, in Ez 24:24 and in 1Chr 24:16 where it is translated "Jechezkel" the name of the head of one of the priestly orders. Ezekiel’s name is exactly the same as Hezekiah’s, except that God’s name in “Ezekiel” is -el, while in “Hezekiah” it ends in iah, the abbreviation of Yahweh or Jehovah and thus means "Jehovah is my strength". 

Ezekiel was married to a woman who was “the desire" (precious & valued) of his eyes (24:16) this Hebrew phrase being more literally the "treasure of the eye" with a focus on the loveliness and desirability his spouse. Husbands, is your spouse the "treasure of your eye"?. It follows that one of the saddest personal events was the death of his beloved.

The priest became a prophet. Other prophets with a priestly background include Samuel (1Sa 7:9 ; 11:14 ; 16:2), Jeremiah (Jer 1:1) and Zechariah (Zech 1:7 ; Neh 12:4 , 16). As a priest Ezekiel would have been well acquainted with the Mosaic covenant and the priestly functions of the temple, various aspects of which permeate his messages of both judgment and restoration. Ezekiel was able to describe clearly the glory of God in the temple and the temple functions. He also was prepared to evaluate accurately the rebellion of his people against the explicit commands of the law, which was the basis for the Lord's judgments that Ezekiel announced. Finally, this priestly background enabled Ezekiel to understand the temple vision concluding the prophecy.

Concerning son of Buzi nothing else is known of his father Buzi though as Ezekiel's father he would also have been a priest. The Jewish tradition that Buzi was Jeremiah must be firmly rejected, being based on an unwarranted supposition and fanciful etymology.

Land of the Chaldeans is simply another name for Babylon. "Chaldeans" were an Aramaic people group who won their independence from the Assyrians in 625 BC.  Chaldeans were so called until the time of Judea's exile to Babylon (2Ki 25; Isa 13:19; 23:13), when, especially in the Book of Daniel (Da 5:30; 9:1), the name began to be used with special reference to a class of learned men ranked with the magicians and astronomers.

Illustration of the Call of God - Alexander MacKay was a Scottish missionary pioneer to Uganda, the story of whose ministry is almost unbelievable. How did God call him to be a missionary? Perhaps you recall the story of David Livingstone’s disappearance from view into the heart of deepest Africa. At length, a British newspaper sent reporter Henry Stanley to locate him him, and upon finding him, Stanley uttered those famous words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Well, Stanley was so moved by his time with Livingstone that he himself later became a missionary, and he went to the heart of Africa, to Uganda. There, on April 12, 1875, Henry Stanley wrote a letter appealing for workers to come and evangelize the region. He gave the letter to a Frenchman, Colonel Linant de Ballefonds, who then left by caravan for the coast. But de Ballefonds was suddenly attacked by a savage tribe. He was killed and his body was left unburied on the sand where it was discovered by some English soldiers who happened to be passing that way. The soldiers buried the French Colonel, but before doing so they pulled off his boots. In one of them was Stanley’s letter, stained with the dead man’s blood. They sent the letter to the English General in Egypt who sent it to a newspaper in London. In December of that year, 1875, as Alexander MacKay read Stanley’s letter in the newspaper, God spoke to him and called him to be a missionary to Uganda. (See full message by Pastor Robert Morgan - Don't Hang Up)

THE HAND OF THE LORD CAME UPON HIM: (7 uses of hand of the LORD in Ezek, 2 Ki 3:15)

There he felt the power of the Lord." (ICB)

I felt the hand of the LORD take hold of me (NLT)

There he felt the power of the LORD" (NCV)

and I felt his power (TEV)

Hand of the LORD  in the Old Testament often refers to "power" (Click and study in context the 37 uses of this exact phrase in NASB). When the hand of God came upon Elijah he received supernatural strength and direction (1Ki 18:46).

Hand of the LORD is found 7 times in Ezekiel (Click here to study these 7 uses). As the LORD had prepared Isaiah (Is 6:5ff) and Jeremiah (Jer 1:4-19), here we see the Lord preparing Ezekiel by giving him revelation and strength for the unpopular task of speaking righteous judgment as God's mouthpiece. He was not acting on his own initiative but was the human agent constrained and compelled by God to prophesy according to His will. For the hand of the Lord to come on the prophet is to assure him of the Lord’s affirmation and enablement. We can be confident that God's call always includes God's enablement.

You may be wondering how are these Old Testament visions of God of any practical application to New Testament believers? One of the most basic weaknesses of the church today is lack of emphasis on God's nature and ways as richly revealed in the Old Testament.

J. I. Packer, in the preface of Knowing God writes

that ignorance of God...both of His ways and of the practice of communion with Him – lies at the root of much of the church’s weakness today...The modern way with God is to set Him at distance, if not to deny Him altogether; and the irony is that modern Christians, preoccupied with maintaining religious practices in an irreligious world, have allowed God to become remote...We must seek, in studying God, to be led to God. It was for this purpose that revelation was given, and it is to this use that we must put it.

Ezekiel begins with one of the most incredible revelations of the glory of God in the Old Testament. You cannot walk away from this chapter without a sense of awe and wonder at the majesty and mystery of the Almighty. If you don't believe me, just close your door, close your eyes, and  click here  to listen to Max MacLean's dramatic reading of Ezekiel 1.

Ezekiel's repetition (some 70 times) of the phrase  you shall know that I am the Lord indicates that knowing God is a basic goal of his prophecy. As God says in Jeremiah 

Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD Who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things.... (Jer 9:23 24)

Speaking of Israel, Jehovah  says

Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me. An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master's manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand. (Isa 1:2 1:3)

A serious study of Ezekiel is the perfect antidote to counter this dearth of knowledge and understanding of the character and ways of God which plagues much of modern-day  Christendom. 

A. W. Tozer writes that

The church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted it for one so low, so ignoble as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshipping men. This she has done not deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge; and her very unawareness only makes her situation all the more tragic. The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us. A whole new philosophy of the Christian life has resulted from this one basic error in our religious thinking.   With our losses of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit. The words, “Be still, and know that I am God,” mean next to nothing to the self-confident, bustling worshiper in this middle period of the twentieth century. This loss of the concept of majesty has come just when the forces of religion are making dramatic gains and the churches are more prosperous than at any time within the past several hundred years. But the alarming thing is that our gains are mostly external and our losses wholly internal; and since it is the quality of our religion that is affected by internal conditions, it may be that our supposed gains are but losses spread over a wider field. The only way to recoup our spiritual losses is to go back to the cause of them and make such corrections as the truth warrants. The decline of the knowledge of the Holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the majesty of God will go a long way toward curing them. It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is.

Take time to grow in awe of Ezekiel's God studying this book not as an academic exercise to know Him intellectually but to know Him intimately. Ezekiel's prophecy will counter a low view of God and replace it with a revelation of the truth that our God is an awesome God.

AS I LOOKED BEHOLD A STORM WIND WAS COMING FROM THE NORTH:  (Isa 21:1; Jer 25:32; Hab 1:8 1:9)

As I looked introduces the first part of the vision: storm and living creatures (v4-14). The "I looked" of v15 introduces the second part describing wheels and the glory of the Lord.

A storm wind -- Jeremiah uses a similar phrase figuratively describing the LORD's wrath writing

Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, even a whirling tempest. It will swirl down on the head of the wicked." (Jer 23:19)

The exact meaning of from the North is uncertain but  Ezekiel's contemporary Jeremiah makes several references to the north prophesying that

the word of the LORD came to me a second time saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north." Then the LORD said to me, "Out of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land. (Jer 1:13 14)...

Lift up a standard toward Zion! Seek refuge, do not stand still, for I am bringing evil from the north, and great destruction. (Jer 4:6)

Later Jeremiah says that

evil looks down from the north, and a great destruction. (Jer 6:1)

Clearly in Jeremiah's allusions to the north, he was referring to Babylon’s army, which would invade from that direction.

Craigie writes that

The vision begins in physical reality, and then transcends the immediate environment. Ezekiel sees a storm coming towards him from the north, accompanied by clouds and flashes of lightning. But as he watches the approaching storm clouds, it is as if they are the curtains on a stage, suddenly drawn back to reveal a heavenly scene, beyond the immediate curtain of earthly reality." (Ezekiel. The Daily study Bible series  Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press)

As you read Ezekiel's description, consider sketching out what he sees, paying appropriate attention to the details, so that you have an accurate, albeit not necessarily artistic rendering. You will find that a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. You will not necessarily completely understand Ezekiel's portrayal, but by drawing it out you will become more involved with the author, who clearly also had difficulty describing in human terms what was gloriously divine.

Liberal scholars have branded Ezekiel as ecstatic, visionary, neurotic, someone who periodically practiced acts of levitation, and the one who was psychotic and schizophrenic. However, no other prophet in the Bible is so creative in his presentation and forceful in his message as the prophet Ezekiel.

A GREAT CLOUD WITH FIRE FLASHING FORTH CONTINUALLY: (cloud Ezek 10:2 10:3 10:4; 2Ch 5:13  5:14; 7:1 7:2 7:3; Ps 18:11; 18:12 18:13 50:3; 104:3 104:4; Nah 1:3; 1:4 1:5 1:6 Hab 3:3 3:4 3:5)

Ezekiel's vision of a great cloud should be interpreted in light of the context that of the Palestinian climate in the summer (remember Ezekiel receives this vision in late July) for there is hardly a cloud in the sky from early May to the late September. During this season clouds so seldom appear as to seem phenomenal when they do appear. Not only that but this wasn't just any cloud but had "fire flashing continually." For just a moment, close your eyes and imagine the scene. Picture fire flashing forth from the fiery cloud. How would you react?

Moses describes a similar scene preparatory to the giving of the Law at Mt Sinai recording that

on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently." (Ex 19:16 17 18 cf Dt 4:11 12)

Ezekiel's vision is also reminiscent of Moses description in Exodus, writing that

the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. And Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights." (Ex 24:16 17 18)

Solomon speaking of God's glory filling the newly dedicated Temple reminded the people that

Jehovah has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud" (2Chr 6:1)

Solomon is clearly alluding to the "Shekinah" glory of Jehovah resting between the cherubim over the mercy seat of the Ark in the Temple in Jerusalem even as Ezekiel was receiving this vision. (Click Glory of the LORD)

The description of Jehovah in Psalm 97:1 parallels Ezekiel's description in this chapter, the psalmist recording that

The LORD reigns. Let the earth rejoice. Let the many islands be glad. Clouds and thick darkness surround Him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him, and burns up His adversaries round about." (Ps 97:1 97:2 97:3)

Ps 104 says Jehovah "makes the clouds His chariot. He walks upon the wings of the wind." (Ps 104:3)

Isaiah says

the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt... (Isa 19:1)

Nahum describing Jehovah says

In whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet (Nah 1:3)

The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to

offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire." (see notes Hebrews 12:28; 29)

Ezekiel's description is a theophany.

Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines a theophany is

any direct, visual manifestation of the presence of God. The key word is visual, since God makes His presence and power known throughout the Bible in a variety of ways. But even in a theophany a person does not actually see God Himself...What a person sees are the effects of God’s unmediated presence. Theophanies proper are limited to the Old Testament. They are most common in the books of Genesis and Exodus; but they also occur in the writings of the prophets, especially in connection with the calling of a prophet. The most frequent visible manifestation of God’s presence in the Old Testament is the “Angel of the Lord.”  (See notes on Angel of Jehovah). Other theophanies are the burning bush (Ex 3:1–6), the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire (Ex 13:21–22), the cloud and fire of Sinai (Ex 24:16–18), and the cloud of the glory of the Lord (Ex 40:34–38).The Shekinah glory that dwelt in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and the Temple may also be thought of as a specialized, permanent theophany. Theophanies are never given for their own sake, to satisfy a curiosity about God, but to convey some revelation or truth about Him." (Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

A study of OT theophanies reveals that God’s person is never actually described in great detail, and that there is often a great sense of dread on the part of the human involved. A proper reverential fear and awe is generated by the power evidenced in God’s “glory”. It is notable that every major prophet experienced a theophany which marked the beginning of their ministry (Isaiah’s 6, Jeremiah 1).  And so Ezekiel received God's call in the context of clear evidence that the God of Israel was still in control.

SOMETHING LIKE GLOWING METAL IN THE MIDST OF THE FIRE:

Glowing metal (see Ezek 1:27; 8:2; 10:8 10:9) is the Hebrew word translated in the Septuagint by the Greek term ēlektron and electrum by the Latin Vulgate. In the Revelation John describes the Jesus'

feet...like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace...." (see note Revelation 1:15)

Wind … bright light … fire were all natural phenomena that had in times past been associated with divine revelation (Ex 14:24; Dt 4:24; 1Ki 19:1ff;  Ps 104:1ff;  Isa 10:17;  Nah 1:3). The association of these now with the vision of the glory of the LORD would keep Ezekiel from doubting God's power in comparison to the Babylonian myths of Marduk, the lord of the storm and Shamash, the god of light.

Note that Ezekiel uses words such as like, likeness, appearance 27 times in this chapter, emphasizing that he had some difficulty in describing the supernatural vision in terms understandable to natural man. These terms of comparison are especially concentrated in the last few verses of this chapter. A vision of God's glory is too magnificent for human words. This is the God we should all desire to come to know...the omnipotent, transcendent, infinite, holy and just God. This chapter pictures a God Who on one hand is incomprehensible. Man cannot plumb the depths or limits of God. In Job we encounter a question we can all relate to --

Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? (Job 11:7)

Behold, these (mind stretching pictures in Ezekiel 1) are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?"  (Job 26:14)  (click  note on incomprehensible one of the attributes of God)

I agree with Herb Vander Lugt, RBC Senior Research Editor who writes that

A well-known businessman recently said that in spite of all his wealth and fame he is a troubled man. He worries about the future of our planet. He fears a nuclear holocaust, a disaster caused by pollution, or a plague that is resistant to all known medicine. I do not share his fear that all life will end through a natural catastrophe. I believe the Bible when it says that an unseen God is in control and that the future will play out according to the predictions of the prophets of the nation of Israel. Ezekiel is one of those prophets who speaks strangely but eloquently to the fears and hopes that mark our day. His words are both timely and insightful for our generation.

As an aside if you are not familiar with God's sovereign dealings the modern Israel, let me recommend a secular production which chronicles the incredible events over about the past 100 years. The name of this thoroughly engrossing 6 hour video series which is now available on DVD is "Israel: A Nation Is Born With Abba Eban, A Personal Witness". I assure you that if you watch this video, you will not fail to see the glory of God acting sovereignly in human history to fulfill His covenant promises to Abraham (Ge 12:1 12:2 12:3 12:4) and Ezekiel's prophecies of restoration and reunion of Judah and Israel in the last 24 chapters. (Also highly recommended Heritage: Civilization and the Jews)

In my opinion Ezekiel was perfectly sane in recording this incredible revelation and the excerpt below is included not to denigrate or disparage the integrity of this wonderful plenary inspired, God glorifying, inerrant prophecy but to illustrate why some scholars have difficulty accepting and interpreting the prophecy of Ezekiel.

WITHIN IT THERE WERE FIGURES RESEMBLING FOUR LIVING BEINGS: (see notes Revelation 4:6; Revelation 6:6) (See Torrey's Topic Cherubim or ISBE article on cherubim)

The well known Greek and Hebrew scholar W E Vine has an interesting discussion of cherubim here).

The Hebrew word (demuwth) translated resembling in this verse is first used in Ge 1:26 referring to man as being according to God’s “likeness.”

Demuwth occurs 9 times in the first chapter of Ezekiel (1:5 [twice], 10, 13, 16, 22, 26 [twice], 28, Click all 12 uses in Ezekiel).

Ezekiel 10:15 identifies the 4 supernatural creatures as cherubim.  Cherub (-im) is used 90 times in the OT with 22 of the uses in Ezekiel (Click these 22 occurrences). 

The Bible Knowledge Commentary notes that cherubim

have special access to God (cf Ezek 28:14 28:16) and are bearers of God’s throne-chariot. On the tabernacle’s ark of the covenant, gold images of cherubim, with outstretched wings, guarded the mercy seat where the glory of the Lord dwelt (Ex 25:18-20 ; Nu 7:89). God was ”enthroned between the cherubim“ of the ark of the covenant (1 Sa 4:4; 2 Sa6:2 Ps 80:1; 99:1; 1Ki 8:6,7; 2Ch 5:7,8 ; 2 Ki 9:15). This place where God was enthroned was called ”the chariot“ (1Chr 28:18). Since the earthly tabernacle and temple were a copy of the heavenly reality (see note Hebrews 8:5), Ezekiel’s vision was of the actual throne-chariot of God, borne by cherubim.   (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor or Logos)

After the fall, the LORD God

stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life." (Ge 3:24) 

Their likeness was embroidered on the curtain of the tabernacle to guard the holy of holies against unauthorized entry (Ex 26:1,31). Within the holy of holies their likeness was placed atop the ark bearing the tablets of covenant (Ex 25:18-20). A pair of colossal cherubim overshadowed the mercy seat in Solomon’s temple with the canopy of their

their wings...touching each other in the center of the house. (1 Ki 6:27)

Easton's Bible Dictionary says that the cherubim

on the ark are called the "cherubim of glory" (see note Hebrews 9:5), i.e., of the Shekinah, or cloud of glory, (Click discussion of the glory of the LORD),  for on them the visible glory of God rested. They were placed one at each end of the mercy-seat, with wings stretched upward, and their faces "toward each other and toward the mercy-seat.

There is a fascinating parallel between Easton's description of the position of the cherubim and the Ark of the Covenant and their position beneath the expanse over which Ezekiel saw the (Shekinah) glory of the LORD. (See also Overview: The Glory of the LORD)

Scofield adds that

EACH OF THEM HAD 4 FACES: (see other descriptions of them Ezekiel 1:10 15; 10:10 14 21 22)

Some of the early Church Fathers connected the four faces with the four Gospels, and although I cannot totally discount that possibility, I think that manner of interpretation leads to speculation which cannot be Scripturally verified. There are many aspects of this vision which will and probably should remain a mystery until we see our LORD face to face. And yet even then God will remain the infinite, incomprehensible One.

Ezekiel describes the four living creatures in a later vision adding that

As for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. Each one went straight ahead. (Ezek 10:22)

AND 4 WINGS: (Ezek 1:8 1:9 1:10 1:11; 1Ki6:24-27)

In the description of the Ark Moses writes that

the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. (Ex 25:20)

Isaiah records that the related but apparently distinct

Seraphim stood above Him (Jehovah), each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. (Isa 6:2)

In Revelation John describes

the four living creatures, each...having six wings..." like in Isaiah's vision.  (see note Revelation 4:8)

THEIR LEGS WERE STRAIGHT AND THEIR FEET WERE LIKE A CALF'S HOOF:

Feet...like a calf's hoof may picture stability and firm stance, but remember it is important in studying visions not to get too "focused" on minutiae. Clearly even Ezekiel had difficulty in describing what he saw, so it should not surprise us that we would have difficulty in completely understanding what he meant by what he saw! The Septuagint has a "curious" translation, recording that "their feet were winged"!

AND THEY GLEAMED LIKE BURNISHED: (Ezekiel 1:13; Ps 104:4; Da 10:6)

Like Burnished bronze is the same phrase John uses to describe the risen, glorified Lord Jesus in the Revelation writing that

UNDER THEIR WINGS ON THEIR FOUR SIDES WERE HUMAN HANDS: (Ezekiel 8:3; 10:2 10:7 10:8 10:18 10:21 Isa 6:6) 

THEIR WINGS TOUCHED ONE ANOTHER: (1Co 1:10)

Touched one another is a description similar to that of the wings of the cherubim over the ark in the Most Holy Place of the temple (2Chr 3:11 3:12). As described later (v11,24) two of the wings were always down and when the living moved, two were extended upwards, so that their tips touched, and were in this sense "joined." When at rest, these were let down again (v24). Since the creatures have a face looking in all four directions whatever direction they move they’re headed forward.

THEIR FACES DID NOT TURN WHEN THEY MOVED: (Ezekiel 10:11 10:22; Pr 4:25-27 4:26 4:27; Lu 9:51 62)

AS FOR THE FORM OF THEIR FACES: (Ezekiel 10:14)

In the Revelation John has a similar description of the 4 living creatures who were in the center and all around God's throne

the first creature was like a lion and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME." (see notes Revelation 4:7; 4:8)

Bible Knowledge Commentary adds that

Some interpreters feel that these represent intelligence (man), power (lion), service (ox), and swiftness (eagle). However, it seems better to see the faces as representing the highest forms of life in God’s created realm. Man was mentioned first because he was the acme of God’s creative work. He was followed by the lion, ”king“ among wild beasts; the ox, one of the strongest of domestic animals; and the eagle, the ”lord“ of the birds." (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor or Logos)

Ray Stedman writes that

AND EACH WENT STRAIGHT FORWARD: (Ezekiel 1:9, 17; 10:22)

WHEREVER THE SPIRIT WAS ABOUT TO GO THEY WOULD GO WITHOUT TURNING AS THEY WENT: (Ezekiel 1:20 ,21; Heb1:14)

In a similar description Ezekiel records that

Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels." (Ezekiel 1:20)

They were directed in their motion by the spirit, probably God’s Spirit. The Pulpit Commentary agrees, adding that