Ezekiel 1:8-9

The hands of a man under their wings.

Suppression of self

We are to do God’s works without noise or notice of ourselves. Angels, that are agents for God, have their hands under their wings; their actions are seen, but not their hands. When Manoah catechised the angel, and asked him, “What is thy name?” the angel would not tell him, but said, “Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?” And you shall not find the names of above two angels in Scripture, Gabriel and Michael. Angels are jealous of God’s glory, and had rather conceal their hands and names than God should lose the least degree of His glory; for Manoah would therefore have known his name, that he might have honoured the angel afterward: and we are very apt to look at the instrument, and neglect the principal. It is wisdom to muffle up ourselves and to hold forth God as much as may be: Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,” etc.; He doth not say, that they may see you, but see your good works, and glorify your Father, not you. (W. Greenhill, M. A.)

The hand under the wing

I. As a symbol of the ideal life of man. Perfect blending of serving and soaring. Man is a child of the skies as well as of the soft.

II. As a symbol of superhuman energy and force in connection with the human instrumentality. Human skill, tact, and eloquence are powerless unless winged by superhuman might.

III. The right place for the hand of service is under the wing of faith. “Whether ye eat or drink,” etc.

IV. In the noblest service there is need for swiftness and grace. If there were more delight in service there would be no need to repeat appeals and resort to contrivances and schemes to get work done.

V. The hand of service partly hidden by that which gives it speed. Often those whose days are filled with business find time for Christian labour of most varied kinds. (H. Starmer.)

And they went everyone straight forward.--

The straightforward direction

If you look at a map of Russia, you will find that the railroad between the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg is a straight line. It happened in this way. When the engineers were about to survey for making the railway, they asked the Czar which way he wished the line to take. He asked for a map, and, without a moment’s hesitation, he took a ruler and drew a straight line between the two cities, and said, “That is the way I wish the line to be made.” And has not God in the same manner drawn a straight line from the soul to Himself, its true goal, and is not Conscience the bright and shining light that signals the way clear between earth and heaven? (Sunday Circle.)

Going straight toward the goal

The man who says, “I am going straight for glory, and if anybody is in my way, so much the worse for him,” for I am bound to take the right road; such a man will find a pretty clear track. Mr. Moody would say, “Make a bee line for heaven.” A bee knows the nearest way, and keeps to it with all its force. Let me hear each one of you say, “I am not going to take any corners, or twists, or windabouts; but straight away, what God bids me to do I am going to do; what He bids me believe I am going to believe, and if there is anything to be suffered for it, all right.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)