Last fall, my wife and I took a trip up North; first to the Pennsylvania "Dutch" country and then to visit our oldest daughters and their families in New Jersey. While visiting the Amish country, we happened to enter a little store and saw the wonderful quilts you see in the top two pictures. Each one is the work of literally thousands of hours of labor and their cost can run from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Beautiful things; I wish we could own many of them, but, alas, it is not to be. The next picture is from Picasso and is entitled "The Crucifixion". I never did (and probably never will) get modern art. Its reasoning's and representations just seem like something from another planet. The exaggerated stylism and misshapen figures are but representation of feelings that reality conveys. This is how I "understand" this, but I could be wrong. Monday's I usually "sleep in", but not today; I was awakened by a series of dreams about the last chapters of Daniel and the following chapter from Ezekiel. Read on to be totally confused...
Ezekiel, Chapter 1
4 I looked, and behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with flashing lightning, and a brightness around it, and out of its midst as it were glowing metal, out of the midst of the fire. 5 Out of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. 6 Everyone had four faces, and each one of them had four wings. 7 Their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass. 8 They had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and the four of them had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings were joined one to another; they didn’t turn when they went; each one went straight forward. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and the four of them had the face of a lion on the right side; and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side; the four of them also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above. Two wings of each one touched another, and two covered their bodies. 12 Each one went straight forward: where the spirit was to go, they went; they didn’t turn when they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: the fire went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and lightning went out of the fire. 14 The living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. 15 Now as I saw the living creatures, behold, one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces of it. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like a beryl: and the four of them had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they went, they went in their four directions: they didn’t turn when they went. 18 As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and the four of them had their rims full of eyes all around. 19 When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Wherever the spirit was to go, they went; there was the spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up beside them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 22 Over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome crystal to look on, stretched out over their heads above. 23 Under the expanse were their wings straight, the one toward the other: each one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on that side, their bodies. 24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of an army: when they stood, they let down their wings. 25 There was a voice above the expanse that was over their heads: when they stood, they let down their wings. 26 Above the expanse that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and on the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man on it above. 27 I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it all around, from the appearance of his waist and upward; and from the appearance of his waist and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28 As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of Yahweh’s glory. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.
Ezekiel, Chapter 2
1 He said to me, Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you. 2 The Spirit entered into me when he spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard him who spoke to me. 3 He said to me, Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me even to this very day. 4 The children are impudent and stiff-hearted: I am sending you to them; and you shall tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh. 5 They, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there has been a prophet among them. 6 You, son of man, don’t be afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you do dwell among scorpions: don’t be afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You shall speak my words to them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, hear what I tell you; don’t be rebellious like that rebellious house: open your mouth, and eat that which I give you. 9 When I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me; and, behold, a scroll of a book was therein; 10 He spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
That's right, I said CONFUSED!!! How does an Almighty God convey something that is beyond our comprehension? The answer is that HE communicates in visions. The majestic glory of God is way beyond our powers of understanding, so we are given visions that we might have a chance of gleaming something of the truth. Confused... we all should be!!! But the point is God is God and we are but mere human beings. Why God would choose this revelation to accompany his pronouncement upon the exiled nation of Israel is like the Picasso painting. I can see something of the meaning of the artist, but never the totality of the thing. The painting is about the crucified Christ of God - I get that!!! Beyond that, who knows? The mystery of the glory of God Almighty is a mystery that I will have to wait to find out about - in heaven. For the meantime, I think I will stay with quilts, they just make sense to me!!! Besides, my head hurts if I look at modern art to long or think about the visions given to Ezekiel!!!
