Ezekiel 8-9

Ezekiel 8-11 records one of the most amazing and severe events in history.  While it is something seen in a vision, it is nevertheless an event.  Ezekiel was enabled to see the glory of God depart from the temple in Jerusalem.

God’s desire was always to dwell with the people He created.  He apparently enjoyed fellowship with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8).  The essence of heaven in the future will be the enjoyment of God dwelling with men (Rev. 21:3).  The sin that separated Adam from God in Eden continues to this day to do the same.  God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ, has provided atonement for sin on the cross so that people can again come to God.  Prior to the Cross of Christ God sought to dwell with men through a temple (sanctuary) that was cared for by the people of Israel.  That “care” involved a holy priesthood as well as an obedient people.  All this was spelled out in the Law of Moses (e.g. Ex. 25:8; 29:45-46).  What a blessing this was.  The glory of God filled the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex. 40:34-38) and then in the temple built by Solomon (1 Kings 8:10-13).  

But now we come to the time of Ezekiel.  In Ch. 8 God appears to Ezekiel in the same glorious form as He had in Ch. 1 (8:2, 4; the one on the throne in appearance as a Man).  He then shows Ezekiel four abominations (disgusting things) revolving around the sanctuary.

·        8:5: God shows Ezekiel an “image of jealousy” in the entrance to the temple.  It is an idol that creates jealousy with God who was to have a special covenant relationship with Israel.

·        8:6-12: God shows Ezekiel a secret room in the temple area where people, including the Elders, are worshiping all manner of created things.  They are deluding themselves in thinking God does not see or know about it.

·        8:13-14: God shows Ezekiel women in the “court of the women” weeping for Tammuz, a Babylonian harvest child-god.

·        8:15-16: Finally God shows Ezekiel 25 men in the inner court facing eastward worshiping the sun.

These abominations are not trivial (8:17) but are the reason God will now act in fury (8:18).  But first God does something that you would expect from our God of grace wh0 “knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:9).  He sends out an angel to put a mark on all those who “sigh and cry over all the abominations” (9:4).  Then other angels are sent to kill the rest.  There is no “pity” on them but “the law of the harvest”, recompense for their deeds (9:10).

 Quite often God’s people are not able to change the sinful direction of the society in which they live.  But they will be known as those who “sigh and cry” over the things that dishonor God.  May we be those people!