John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 10:16

"And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels also turned not from beside them." — Ezekiel 10:16 (ASV)

The Prophet here confirms what he had said before: namely, that there was no intrinsic motion in the wheels, but that they were drawn by a secret impulse wherever the cherubim moved. From this we gather that events are not accidental, nor driven in various directions by any blind impulse, but are directed by the hidden energy of God, and this by means of angels. First he says, when the cherubim set out, the wheels set out at the same time; then, when the cherubim raised their wings upwards, the wheels followed the same course, and did not return; that is, they were not drawn aside from that agreement of which he had spoken before. But how the wheels were not turned about, we will explain more clearly tomorrow.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, since we are the work and creation of your hands, that we may know that we exist and move in you alone, so that we may submit ourselves to you. May we not only be ruled by your hidden providence, but may it also be apparent that we are obedient and submissive to you, as befits sons, so that we may desire to glorify your name in the world, until we arrive at the fruition of that blessed inheritance which is laid up for us in heaven, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We began yesterday to explain the statement of the Prophet when he says, that the wheels were raised together with the living creatures. But we have briefly taught that whatever we see in creation depends so much on angelic motion and inspiration that there is an inseparable connection between them. Now the Prophet adds that the wheels were not turned about, by which phrase he expresses their continuous course.

For it is not possible for any harmony to be evident for a time without a sudden change occurring. But the Prophet says that the wheels were so raised with the living creatures that they never departed from them. Now we understand his intention.

He had previously asserted the same thing about the living creatures, presenting a kind of contradiction that needed to be resolved, as it might otherwise cause doubt. For he said that the living creatures turned about and yet did not turn about. We can reconcile these two statements: the living creatures never deviated from their prescribed course and from a definite and settled path; yet, at the same time, they did turn about in their specific movements, because they ran like lightning and hastened quickly from one action to another.

Through this, the Prophet intended to teach that in God’s works nothing is abrupt, nothing cut off, nothing mutilated. Instead, angels so direct all actions and all events that whatever God determines arrives at its own end. But this does not prevent God from acting in various ways and, after reaching one goal, from beginning a new course.