Read the passage HERE.
When we think of God, we think of Him as being all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present throughout the universe. But what we fail to understand about Him is how He feels about things. While God is a God of hope, and even though He does lace His terrible messages with hope, the time had come when God had lost all hope about Israel turning back to Him.
God had enough! He was at the end of His rope with both Israel and Judah. His patience had not only worn thin, but it had completely unraveled. Sadly, His heart was desperately broken. His people - Israel and Judah - had become more wicked than all the other nations around them. These aren't my words, they're God's!
If you remember yesterday's study in 5:6, God said of Israel - "she (Israel) has rebelled against my regulations and has been even more wicked than the surrounding nations."
Imagine God's people being more wicked than those without God! It happened. And it can still happen today! Haven't you seen someone who used to follow Christ to only one day turn away from Him and eventually and completely turn their backs on Him? I certainly have. And that's exactly what has happened with Israel and Judah.
Chapter 7 opens up with a mighty roar from God claiming "the end is here" (1:2) He goes on to say, "No hope remains, for I will unleash my anger against you. I will call you to account for all your disgusting behavior."
Throughout chapter 7, God laments how horrible it will be for the people. Their money will be worthless. Many will starve to death and/or be killed.
But notice, if you will, the very purpose for God doing this. He tells us several times the purpose of these punishments are specifically designed to first of all make the people remember that HE IS GOD and secondly, to turn the hearts of the people back to Him. Notice what he says in 7:27, "Then they will know that I am the Lord."
That's the purpose of punishment coming from God. It's not out of hatred, it's out of love. God loves us and wants us to obey Him so that He can bless us beyond measure.
The Depth Of Sin Revealed
In chapter 8, Ezekiel is having a meeting with the leaders of Israel in his own home. While chatting with them, God intervenes and allows Ezekiel to be transported with the cherubim to the city of Jerusalem. Now, whether any of the leaders at his home knew that he had left, we're not sure. It could have been through a vision. Nevertheless, God takes Ezekiel to the city of Jerusalem to show him a sample of the types of sin He has to deal with on a daily basis. And here they are:
1) At the entrance of the Temple, the Israelites had placed an idol there. Can you imagine that? Here is a Temple constructed by King David and King Solomon to give glory and honor to God Almighty that has been desecrated by encouraging the worship of an idol instead of God. (8:5)
2) To make matters worse, God has Ezekiel to dig through a wall inside the Temple where he finds a secret door. As he looks through the door, he finds a hidden room where the 70 leaders of Israel (the Sanhedrin) were gathered together praying and burning incense to another God. (8:6-12)
3) While that was bad enough, God then takes Ezekiel to the north gate of the Temple where women are weeping almost uncontrollably for the god Tammuz. (8:14)
4) Then to add insult to injury, God shows Ezekiel 25 men who were praying with their backs to Almighty God in worship of the sun. Sun worship!
Israel had thumbed their nose at God!
God's Response
In chapter 9 we read of God's terrible response. He summons 6 beings - 5 of them being angels with battle clubs and a man dressed in white linen with a writer's case strapped to his side - which I suppose was Jesus since He is singled out as being different from the others and is given the authority to judge. After all, the Bible teaches us that Jesus is the judge of all men.
God commanded the man in linen to place a "mark" on the forehead for all those who weep over sin. That mark on their foreheads that only the angels could see was their deliverance. For all others, they were slain by the angels. It was such a horrible sight that even Ezekiel fell on his face and cried out to God - "Will your fury against Jerusalem wipe out everyone left in Israel?" (9:8)
Notice carefully the words of the man in linen once He is done marking the foreheads, "I have finished the work you gave me to do." Doesn't this remind you of what Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished."
The only thing that matters to Jesus is to finish the Father's work that He is assigned to do. Jesus said in John 4;34 - "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work."
That's our job as well!
We are to finish the Father's work. We are to be His hands, His feet, His mouthpiece. What are you doing? Are you in the game? Are you doing the Father's work? If not, then you're not following the example of Jesus!
In chapter 10 we read more about the cherubim. Read the chapter carefully. What do you see?
As we finish up in chapter 11, God provides Israel hope. He promises of a future day when Israel will be restored. Also, within this chapter, we read how the cherubim take Ezekiel back to his home (in a vision) where he immediately tells the leaders there (as well as all Jews) what God had shown him.
Are you sharing with others what God has shown you? If not, you should be!
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