9 Then I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a [e]Tarshish stone. 10 As for their appearance, all four of them had the same likeness, as if one wheel were within another wheel. 11 When they moved, they went in any of their four [f]directions without turning as they went; but they followed in the direction which [g]they faced, without turning as they went. 12 Their whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings and the wheels were full of eyes all around, the wheels belonging to all four of them. 13 The wheels were called in my hearing, the whirling wheels. 14 And each one had four faces. The first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15 Then the cherubim rose up. They are the living beings that I saw by the river Chebar. 16 Now when the cherubim moved, the wheels would go beside them; also when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels would not turn from beside them. 17 When [h]the cherubim stood still, [i]the wheels would stand still; and when they rose up, [j]the wheels would rise with them, for the spirit of the living beings was in them.
18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel [k]hovered over them.
20 These are the living beings that I saw beneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar; so I knew that they were cherubim. 21 Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and beneath their wings was the form of human hands. 22 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.
A lot of this is similar to chapter 1, as I alluded to yesterday. And in vv. 15 & 22 Ezekiel says as much, that they were the same living beings, with the same faces, that he saw by the river Chebar. One thing also that hasn’t changed and really stands out, is that “Each one went straight ahead.” Part of that was I suppose the design of their wheels, and the fact they had four faces.
Whatever the case, there’s something to be said for going straight ahead and not looking to the right or the left. Solomon emphasized this in Proverbs 4:25, “Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.” Lot’s family was not told to look back at Sodom & Gomorrah, and his wife turned into a pillar of salt because she just couldn’t resist the temptation.
Jesus likewise said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) The writer of Hebrews tells us to “run the race with endurance” and “fix our eyes on Jesus”. (12:1-2) Guess what? You don’t go backwards when you’re running a race! With all of that said, it isn’t easy to put the past behind us, but it is necessary.
We can, and certainly should, learn from our mistakes, at least knowing what not to do. But we don’t live there, we don’t set up camp and dwell on it (even if it is tempting). Rather, we move forward, trusting God even when we do make mistakes. He is big enough and strong enough, and His plan will keep on going, even when we mess up. As Paul wrote, “We confess our sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive us.”
David wrote, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) And Micah reminds us, “Yes, You will cast all their (our) sins into the depths of the sea.” (7:19) Who are we to dredge them back up then? Good or bad, the past is done and over, and God calls us to follow Him forward. Just like the cherubim, go with Him, never turning, but fix your eyes on Jesus today, tomorrow, and forever.