The Lightning That Runs and Returns

There is a word in the Holy Tongue that appears but once in all of Scripture, like a single flash that illuminates the entire night sky before vanishing. That word is bâzâq, and it speaks of a flash of lightning. The sages teach that a single utterance of the Almighty contains within it all the light of creation, yet here the Living God chooses to use this word only one time. In Ezekiel's vision, the living creatures run and return, and their appearance is like the appearance of bâzâq — a flash of lightning. This word, appearing only once in the Tanakh, carries the weight of heaven's sudden, uncreated light.

The Root That Lightens the Sky

The word bâzâq comes from an unused root that means "to lighten." Think of what this means — the root itself is hidden, unspoken in Scripture, yet it gives birth to this singular word. It is as though the Holy One concealed the source of lightning within the silence of His own language. The ancient Hebrew letters tell a deeper story: the bet (ב) pictures a house or dwelling place, the zayin (ז) depicts a weapon or a sword, and the qof (ק) represents the horizon or the back of the head. Together, they whisper of a dwelling place from which a weapon strikes across the horizon. Jewish tradition holds that the lightning of God's presence moves from the heavenly sanctuary to the earth, and back again, in the blink of an eye. This is the nature of bâzâq — not merely a natural phenomenon, but a sign of the divine messenger in motion.

The Living Creatures and Their Running

Ezekiel 1:14 declares: "And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning." The prophet saw four living beings, each with four faces and four wings, moving with the speed and brilliance of bâzâq. They did not walk; they ran. They did not stand still; they returned. The rabbis of old observed that this running and returning is the pattern of all holy service — the angels ascend and descend, the prayers rise and the blessings descend, and the very presence of the Almighty moves to meet His people. The flash of lightning is not a straight line; it is a zigzag, a going and coming, a movement that connects heaven and earth in an instant. In the Tabernacle, the cherubim above the mercy seat faced one another, their wings outstretched, as though frozen in a moment of lightning-like motion. The pattern of bâzâq is the pattern of divine encounter.

The Singularity of the Word

Why would the Spirit of God choose to use bâzâq only once? Consider that a lightning flash, though it lasts but a fraction of a heartbeat, leaves an image burned upon the retina. So too this word leaves its mark upon the soul. The Strong's definition describes it as "a flash of lightning," and the King James Version renders it simply as "flash of lightning" — but the Hebrew word carries the sense of something that cleaves or splits the darkness. In Psalm 29, David speaks of the voice of the Lord that flashes forth flames of fire, and in Job 38, the Almighty asks, "Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'?" The one occurrence of bâzâq in Ezekiel teaches you that when God moves, He moves with a speed and glory that cannot be contained by any single moment — yet He chooses to reveal Himself in that very moment.

The Gematria of 109

The numerical value of bâzâq is 109. In the Scriptures, the number 109 does not appear as a chapter or verse number, but its components speak volumes. The number 100 represents the fullness of a generation or a complete cycle, while 9 represents the fruit of the Spirit and the finality of divine judgment. Together, 109 points to the completion of God's work through sudden, decisive action. The Hebrew word bahir (brightness) has a gematria of 207, but 109 is the value of the word nogah (splendor) — a word used to describe the shining of the Messiah in Isaiah 60: "Arise, shine, for your light has come." The ancient sages would teach that when you see the number 109, you are to remember that the lightning of God's presence carries both judgment and splendor. The flash that reveals also consumes; the light that guides also purifies.

The Messiah Who Flashes Across the Heavens

Yeshua said, "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:27). The word bâzâq in Ezekiel's vision prefigures the Messiah's return. The living creatures ran and returned as lightning, and the Son of Man will come with the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. The apostolic tradition teaches that Yeshua is the true lightning — not a created light, but the Light of the World Himself. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel, his appearance was like lightning (Daniel 10:6), and when the guards at the tomb of Yeshua saw the angel of the Lord, his countenance was like lightning (Matthew 28:3). The pattern of bâzâq runs through all of Scripture: the sudden appearance of the divine messenger, the swift movement of God's salvation, the flashing forth of the glory that was hidden. In Yeshua, the lightning of heaven became flesh and dwelt among you.

The Flash That Changes Everything

You have seen lightning, have you not? In that split second, the world is bathed in a light brighter than the sun, and for a moment, every shadow is banished. Then the darkness returns, but you are not the same — you have seen what lies hidden. The word bâzâq teaches you that the Holy One moves in sudden, unexpected ways. He appeared to Moses in a bush that burned but was not consumed. He appeared to Elijah in a still, small voice after the earthquake and fire. He appeared to Ezekiel in a vision of living creatures that ran and returned like lightning. And He appears to you — not always in the dramatic flash, but sometimes in the quiet recognition that He has been moving all along. The root of bâzâq is unused in Scripture, a silent root that speaks of hidden things. So too the Spirit of the Messiah works in you from a hidden source, producing fruit that flashes forth when you least expect it.

Let the Lightning of His Presence Find You

Beloved, you cannot command the lightning. You cannot summon the flash of heaven's glory by your own effort. But you can position yourself where the lightning strikes. Ezekiel saw his vision by the river Chebar, among the exiles, in a place of waiting and watching. The living creatures did not appear because Ezekiel was worthy — they appeared because the heavens opened. So too you are called to stand in the place of expectation, to lift your eyes, to open the Scriptures as one who waits for the morning. The flash of bâzâq came only once in the written Word, but that one flash is enough to illuminate every path you will ever walk. Let the lightning of the Messiah's presence find you today. Let the running and returning of the living creatures become the rhythm of your own soul — moving toward the Throne, returning with blessing, always in the light of His face.