Lori’s Reflections | Come, Grow and Go

Leading up to this chapter the Lord revealed to Ezekiel what was going to happen to Jerusalem. Now as we begin Ezekiel 8 God gives Ezekiel a vision of the people’s wickedness led to God’s  judgment upon Jerusalem. Even though God does not have to justify any action he takes, he is explaining to Ezekiel (who is a Priest) what is happening.

Ezekiel was taken by the Spirit to the Temple in Jerusalem. He was taken to the entrance and was told to look through a hole in the wall, then to dig a hole and there appeared a door. He was told to go in and see what abominations they were doing.

Chapter 8

Remember Ezekiel was a Priest and he is looking into the temple.

1. He saw all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and detestable animals.

2. In front of them stood 70 elders of the house of Israel. Each had a censer in their hand and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.

3. In front of them also stood Jaazaniah, son of Shaphan. He allowed these abominations to occur because he believed God no longer watched them and that God had forsaken the Earth.  The elders were told they could worship in their own rooms in the dark along with their own idols. (What if you caught your Pastor or Priest worshiping idols within your own church???)

4. Ezekiel was then brought to the north gate of the Lord’s house.

a. He saw women weeping for Tammuz (a Sumerian shepherd who married the goddess Ishtar. When he died, fertility ceased on Earth. Since he was a vegetation deity, the women of Judah were weeping for him in order to restore fertility by brining him back from the dead.)

5. The Spirit then brought Ezekiel to the inner court of the Temple.

At the door of the Temple, between the porch and the altar were 25 men with their back towards the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east and were worshiping the sun god of the east.

These were people IN GOD’S HOUSE worshiping idols. Like I said what if you showed up on Sunday and suddenly you saw people worshiping idols, or the sun god, or the god of fertility. How do you think this made God feel?

God was furious with these people for their Idolatry in His House.

Chapter 9

God is furious and demands all idolaters to be killed. Do you remember, what was the ONE THING that led to Jerusalem’s destruction?

THEY DID NOT FEAR GOD

God summoned Angel warriors  to draw near with deadly weapons. Suddenly 6 men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with a battle-ax in their hand. One man among them was clothed in linen and had a writer’s Ink Horn at his side.

The man (Angel warrior) with the Ink Horn was told to go through the midst of the city and put a mark on anyone who sighs or cries over all the abominations that are being done within it. (Here is God’s mercy in the midst of his rage. Basically he is saving anyone who has shown remorse to the atrocity being done in His Temple.)

The other men were told to go about the city and kill anyone who did not have this mark. They began with the 70 elders and then went throughout the city.

What would you do if you were Ezekiel at this point? Ezekiel is a priest and now he is witnessing the slaying of 70 elders.

Ezekiel fell on his face and cried out to God. Begging God to save a remnant of the elders. God said He will not spare them for their sins. As Ezekiel was on his face the man with the Ink Horn appeared and said that he had done as commanded (there were a few spared, 0nes the Angel warrior marked with his Ink Horn before hand—the remnant).

Besides witnessing Jerusalem’s failure to fear God, there is something else we as Christians need to pay close attention to.

GOD JUDGES HIS OWN FIRST! (Ezekiel 9:6)

If you are sinning and you are leading others astray, you will be the first to reap God’s judgment.   Study and know God’s word, test everything according to scriptures–even, especially, with this study.

Chapter 10

The Glory of God departs from the defiled temple.  In Ezekiel’s vision he sees the glory of God in a chariot throne with wheels containing burning coals.  One of the Angel warriors (possibly the same one with the Ink Horn) was instructed to take fire from the coals in the chariot and scatter them over the city of Jerusalem.

The Glory of God departs from the defiled temple.

Here in these chapters Cherubim are described:

1. They have power, wisdom, and influence but are subject to God and Christ.
2. Four faces, bodies, hands, wings and wheels. (the four faces were the same as in Chapter 1, except the ox was now the face of a Cherub).
3. They stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house and the glory of God was above them.
4. The cherubim, made a dreadful sound with their wings. Matthew Henry’s commentary describes it as, “strings of musical instruments, made a curious melody; bees, and other winged insects, make a noise with their wings.”

The departing of the Glory of God departed in four stages

1. Over the threshold (Ezekiel 10:4)
2. Over the cherubim ( Ezekiel 10:18)
3. To the East gate (Ezekiel 10:19)
4. And finally to the Mount of Olives (Ezekiel 11:23) to the east of the city.

While studying this, one question I asked is why in four stages? Why didn’t God just leave? One thing you are going to see repeatedly throughout Ezekiel, Daniel, & Revelation is that God gives people every opportunity to repent.  It is almost painful to watch how many opportunities God gives non-believers in hope they turn towards God. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:20, John 15:22)  His love is so great, we can not comprehend it.

Please join me in the BlogFrog community for some discussion questions.

Past Posts on Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 1-3

Ezekiel 4-7

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