How we cite our quotes:
Quote #1
He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. (NRSV 2:1-3)
And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. (KJV 2:1-3)
The power of God physically knocks Ezekiel over. From the first moment, we see that Ezekiel is totally in God's power. He loses control over his mind (those crazy visions) and his body.
Quote #2
When he commanded the man clothed in linen, Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim, he went in and stood beside a wheel. And a cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings. (NRSV 10:6-8)
And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels. And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out. And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings" (KJV 10:6-8)
All of this imagery—fire, wheels, weird cherubim with human hands—seems to demonstrate how divine power isn't only really powerful but also comes from a transcendent source, way beyond the possibilities of human power. All this supernatural imagery seems to say, "Don't even try to understand this."
Quote #3
Say: Thus says the Lord God: A great eagle, with great wings and long pinions, rich in plumage of many colors, came to the Lebanon. He took the top of the cedar, broke off its topmost shoot; he carried it to a land of trade, set it in a city of merchants. Then he took a seed from the land, placed it in fertile soil; a plant by abundant waters, he set it like a willow twig. It sprouted and became a vine spreading out, but low; its branches turned toward him, its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine; it brought forth branches, put forth foliage. (NRSV 17:3-6)
And say, Thus saith the Lord God; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants. He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. (KJV 17:3-6)
The eagle in this passage represents King Nebuchadnezzar, carrying off the shoot (King Jehoiachin,) before replacing him with the seed, Zedekiah. Even though these kings brought about catastrophic events for Israel, God was the real power behind their actions. Ezekiel doesn't let Israel forget that the solutions to their problems can't be found in political alliances.