Questions for thought:
1. God’s people had left Him and given themselves over to idols and silver and worldly things. What effect did this have upon God allowing His people to go through the many calamities?
2. Why should Christians care about the evils in society?
3. Does God leave His people for no reason? What are some reasons He might leave?
Beginning in chapter 4 of Ezekiel we have several signs Ezekiel was to display for the people. Jerusalem had not been destroyed at this time even though the people were in captivity. God has Ezekiel to play out these signs showing what was still to come. God told Ezekiel to take a tile and lay it before him to represent Jerusalem. He was to set up camps and siegeworks against it representing God being against Jerusalem. He was to place an iron pan between himself and the representation of the city to show how the people’s sins had set up a barrier between them and God. Then Ezekiel, was to symbolically bear the iniquity of Israel and Judah. He was to lie upon his left side for 390 days to represent the number of years of Israel’s punishment and lie upon his right side for 40 days representing the number of years of Judah’s punishment. During this time Ezekiel was only allowed to eat a bread made of wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and fitches. He was to bake it with human waste to represent defilement, but Ezekiel protested the use of human waste for the fire and God allowed him to use animal waste. He was allowed to eat 20 shekels a day of bread and he was to drink water the sixth part of a hin of water. This measuring out his food and water was to be a sign to Israel of the hard times to come (verse 16).
The signs continue in chapter 5 where Ezekiel was to cut his hair and beard and measure out the weight. He was to divide the hair into three parts. One part he was to burn with fire, one part he was to smite with a knife, and one part was to be scattered in the wind. According to verse 12 this was a sign to the people of what was going to happen to them with a third of them dying with pestilence and famine, a third part falling to the sword, and a third part being scattered about. But notice throughout the chapter how God makes it clear it is He who is causing these afflictions upon the people. God is in control.
In chapters 6 and 7 God explained why these things were going to befall His people. Note in chapter 6 verses 7, 10, 13, 14 and in chapter 7 verses 4, 9, and 27. In each of these verses God said the people would know that He is the Lord. Simply put, when all of these calamities happened, the people should realize it was from God. He had allowed it because of their sins. He had been promising it through many previous prophets as we have seen and now it was to happen. They had chosen to build altars and serve idols, but those would be laid waste and their high places would be made desolate (6:5-6). But note even here in Ezekiel 6:8, God said there would be a remnant that would escape and they would remember Him among the nations where they would be carried as captives. This remnant would realize what they had done to God. God said in 6:9 He was broken or He was crushed because of their evil and they would hate themselves for the evils which they had committed.
Chapter 7 begins with the Lord saying the end is come upon the four corners of the earth (verse 2). Beginning in verse 12 times were only going to become worse. There would be a sword without and pestilence and famine within (verse 15). Their silver and gold would not be able to save them (verse 19). And God would do unto them according to what they deserved (verse 27). God would destroy everything they had put their trust in so they would know He is God and all powerful. He was supposed to be their king and they had turned their backs to Him.
Even today we can find ourselves in similar circumstances if we are not careful. All too often we dedicate our lives to getting more possessions, taking care of self and leaving others helpless, having pleasure and prosperity but leaving our soul with no hope. Do we crush God with our sinful behavior? Should we not instead be trusting in God and abiding by His word?
In chapters 8-11 we read about Ezekiel’s view of the wickedness that had overtaken God’s people. Ezekiel says this vision came in the sixth year and he was in his own house with the elders of Judah present with him. God first showed Ezekiel an image of jealousy. Remember God is a jealous God according to Exodus 20:5 which says: “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them (graven images, verse 4), nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God…” Here in this vision, God showed Ezekiel how the people were provoking God to jealousy by their idolatrous acts. God asked Ezekiel in 8:6 if he saw what they were doing in their great abominations. Then beginning in verse 7, Ezekiel was looking through a hole in the wall when God told him to dig in the wall. He did and found a door which took him inside the courtyard of the temple. Here he saw all kinds of creeping things, evil beasts, and idols carved upon the wall. There were 70 elders standing around burning incense. God told him in verse 12 he was seeing what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark. In verse 13-14 Ezekiel saw the women crying over their gods. Then in 15-16 he saw in the inner court of the temple about 25 men worshipping the sun with their backs to God’s temple. God said in verse 17 these men were thumbing their noses at Him and filling the land with violence. In verse 18, God again declared what He was going to do to the people.
In chapter 9, God gave a command to slay the wicked, but it is so important to see in verse 4 He said to put a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations that were done in the midst of them. There were still some who cared about the sins the people were committing and they were sighing and crying over them. This group of people were safe from the sword because they still cared and showed it. We must be careful today that we do not fall into a rut where we no longer care when those about us are living against God’s laws. We must continue to tell others the truth whether they want to hear it or not. When there is no one left who opposes evil, then evil will win. We cannot let that happen.
Recall how back in 1 Kings 8 God’s glory had filled the temple Solomon had built. In verse 11 it says: So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord. Solomon then prayed to God and asked for continued blessings concerning the temple. In 1 Kings chapter 9, God promised Solomon if he would walk before Him as David had walked and do all the commands and statutes, God would establish Solomon’s throne forever and David would always have an heir upon the throne. If on the other hand, Solomon or any of his children turned from God (verse 6), then God would cut of Israel out of the land He had given them and the temple would be cast out of His sight (verse7).
This glory of the Lords was a truly important concept for Israel. In Exodus 40:34, before the temple there was the tabernacle in which dwelt the glory of the Lord. The people expected to see the glory of the Lord. Now here in Ezekiel 10 verse 4, the glory of the Lord went up and moved to the threshold of the temple. In chapter 10 we again see the vision of the wheels and the living creatures and in verse 18, the glory of the Lord departed from the temple. This was a big deal. God had left His people just like He told Solomon He would if they did not remain faithful to Him. God saw everything as represented by the cherubim and the wheels which were completely full of eyes. He still sees everything today. As long as we are faithful to Him, He remains, but what happens when we decide we don’t want God. There are too many other things to get our attention: work, play, rest, entertainment, or whatever may have become our idols. God is a jealous God and He does not remain when we allow these other things to take His place.
Next time we will begin with Ezekiel 11 and more visions and signs.
Christian Women's Responsibility in Sharing God's Word 