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Ezekiel, part 5, Being Led by the Spirit

The beryl-like appearance of the wheels in Ezekiel 1:16 portrays the preciousness and radiant glory of God’s government. Its association with the high priest’s breastplate also suggests that His rule is joined to priestly representation of His people.

Beryl and Asher

Asher is commonly identified with the beryl (tarshish), because beryl is the tenth stone listed in Exodus 28:17–20, and Asher is Jacob’s tenth son in birth order (Genesis 30:12–13).

However, Exodus does not explicitly assign Asher to beryl. Exodus 28:21 says that the twelve stones bore the names of the twelve tribes but does not specify their arrangement.

The instruction to engrave names “according to their birth” appears in Exodus 28:10, concerning the two onyx shoulder stones. Applying that same order to the breastplate gives beryl = Asher, but that remains an inference. Yet if we assume that the beryl in Exodus 28:20 represents Asher, we might conclude that this has to do with happiness, or being blessed. Genesis 30:13 explains the name through Leah’s words when her maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son: “Happy am I! For women will call me happy. So she named him Asher.”

The name is related to ʾashrê, the word translated “blessed” in passages such as Psalm 1:1, “How blessed is the man…” If we associate Asher with the beryl stone, that supplies a possible spiritual theme of blessedness or happiness under God’s government in Ezekiel 1:16. It is likely that Jesus used the word ʾashrê in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-11) to convey the blessed condition of those who are part of God’s government.

However, if He spoke Aramaic, the corresponding expression would have been a form of ṭûbê, also meaning “blessed” or “happy.” Nonetheless, ṭûbê itself was the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew ʾashrê, describing the blessed ones (overcomers) of Psalm 1:1.

Daniel 10:5, 6 provides the closest visual parallel to Ezekiel. There, we read how the prophet received a vision:

⁵ I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a let of pure gold of Uphaz. ⁶ His body also was like beryl [tarshish], his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult.

This angel informed the prophet of the ongoing heavenly warfare against “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” (Daniel 10:13) and how this was soon to include “the prince of Greece” (Daniel 10:20). The angel’s “body was like beryl,” perhaps to manifest the blessedness of divine government. The beryl here appears together with lightning, fire, and polished bronze.

Ezekiel 1:18–21 emphasizes the awareness and unity of God’s government: the wheels are full of eyes, and every movement agrees with the direction of the Spirit. Ezekiel 1:18 says,

¹⁸ As for their rims, they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four turning as they moved.

The rims of the wheels were so high that they inspired awe. Their imposing appearance conveys the greatness of the government they serve. Ezekiel is seeing the earthly movement of the throne that appears above the creatures in verses 26–28. We will have more to say about this later.

The rims were “full of eyes all around.” Eyes naturally suggest sight, knowledge, and discernment. The vision portrays divine government as being fully aware of what it governs. Its movements are neither blind nor arbitrary.

This corresponds with the statement in 2 Chronicles 16:9 that the Lord’s eyes range throughout the earth, and with Zechariah 4:10, where the seven eyes of the Lord survey the whole earth. In Revelation 4:6–8, the living creatures themselves are full of eyes, continuing this imagery of comprehensive awareness.

For Ezekiel and his fellow exiles, this meant that God saw them in Babylon. He knew their circumstances, just as He knew the corruption in Jerusalem. Neither His people’s suffering nor their wrongdoing escaped His attention.

The Wheels Accompany the Creatures

Ezekiel 1:19 says,

¹⁹ Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also.

The wheels rest upon the earth (verse 15), linking the heavenly throne with earthly affairs and administrators. Their perfect agreement with the living creatures portrays the coordination of earthly administration with heavenly direction—the same Spirit governing both.

That is consistent with the prayer Jesus taught: “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Whenever the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. Whenever the creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. The creatures and wheels therefore function as a united whole. The wheels do not pursue a separate course. Their movement expresses the same purpose as the living beings associated with them.

As a spiritual application, this pictures harmony between God’s servants and the means through which His government operates. The earthly administration follows the divine direction faithfully and perfectly. It also expresses the prophetic purpose and fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. While Passover is about faith, and Pentecost is about obedience, Tabernacles is about agreement.

The Spirit Supplies the Direction

Ezekiel 1:20 says,

²⁰ Wherever the Spirit [ruach] 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.

The Hebrew word for “Spirit” is ruach, which can mean spirit, wind, or breath. Here, it describes the directing and animating power behind their movement. Verse 12 has already established that the creatures go wherever the Spirit directs them; verse 20 extends that coordinated movement to the wheels and the wheels within the wheels (authorities within greater authorities).

Ezekiel explains that “the Spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.” The spiritual principle is that God’s government is animated by His Spirit. Its authority and activity arise from His will, and the overcomers ruling on their thrones on earth are fully “led by the Spirit.” So Paul says in Romans 8:14, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Standing Still Is Also Obedience

Ezekiel 1:21 continues,

²¹ Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the Spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.

Verse 21 repeats three conditions: moving, standing still, and rising. In each case, the wheels remain in complete agreement with the creatures.

The inclusion of standing still is significant. Faithfulness is not measured merely by activity. There are times to act and times to wait. In either circumstance, obedience consists in following God’s direction. In Exodus 14:13 KJV, when Israel stood before the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army threatening them, Moses said: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”

A similar command appears in 2 Chronicles 20:17, “Station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.” Ephesians 6:13, 14 says,

¹³ Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm, therefore….

There is a time to move and a time to stand firm. When we move, it is not to flee but to progress. When we are assaulted or are in danger, we are to stand firm.

This also recalls Israel’s wilderness journey. When the cloud rose, Israel traveled; when it remained over the tabernacle, Israel stayed encamped (Numbers 9:17–23). Ezekiel’s vision expresses a similar principle: movement and rest are both governed from above.

Taken as a pattern for Kingdom administration, these verses portray discernment without blindness, cooperation without rivalry, and action without independence from God. For the exiles, the immediate assurance was that God’s throne remained active and fully aware—even in Babylon.