Ezekiel 9
COMMENTARY:
: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. (8420 “mark” [tav] means desire, stamp, sign, signature or non-verbal communication of a relation to another.)
DEVOTION: LORD gathers those who will perform HIS judgment on Judah. Six men come with instruments of slaughter in their hands. One man clothed in linen comes forward also. They watched the glory of the LORD depart from the mercy seat and come to rest on the threshold of the house of the LORD.
The LORD sent the man clothed in linen to stamp the forehead of all those who regretted how his fellow countrymen were not worshipping the LORD. All those who received the stamp were to be exempt from judgment.
The six men were to follow the man dressed in linen and slay all those who didn’t have the signature of God on their foreheads. This included all those who were young and old. They were to slay all who were maids, little children, and women.
This judgment was to begin at the house of the LORD. Those ancient men who were worshiping the sun were first. Then the rest of the city was going to be slain.
Ezekiel cries in prayer to the LORD and asks HIM if HE is going to destroy all those in Jerusalem. The LORD replies that the iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is EXCEEDING GREAT. HE is not going to spare any. They are all going to pay for their sin of rejecting HIM.
The man in linen gives his final report.
We see that the sin of the people had affected even the children in the cities of Judah. Do the sins of the parents and society affect our children? YES! The world wants to raise our children to fit into their mold. They are passing laws to restrict what Christians can do in the local public schools. They are passing laws that restrict our saying anything regarding the reading material in our libraries. One of the purposes of the laws of our land seems to be to tell all those who worship the LORD that they can’t raise their children to honor the LORD.
This verse says that the judgment must begin at the house of the LORD. In the New Testament the same statement is made in I Peter 4: 17. We are responsible for our children and how they live for the LORD. If we had to receive a stamp today from the LORD, would we receive one? HIS Holy Spirit is indwelling us to help us with our battle with our world. PTL.
CHALLENGE: Do everything in your power to see that your children receive the instructions necessary to offset anything that is taught in their schools. The primary responsibility of Christian parents is to raise their children to honor the LORD.
: 8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt YOU destroy all the residue of Israel in YOUR pouring out of YOUR fury upon Jerusalem? (7843 “destroy” [shachath] means to ruin, annihilate, cause trouble, to destroy completely, damage irreparably, blemish, or spoil.)
DEVOTION: Here is Ezekiel asking the LORD a question. He sees what the LORD is doing in Jerusalem and wonders how far the LORD will go to end the corruption that was going on in the city by HIS people.
Ezekiel is feeling sorry for what was happening in Jerusalem. He would have liked it to end but he also knew that the LORD was judging HIS people for their lack of obedience to HIM.
When we see someone, we know, that claims to know the LORD going through a hard time we would think the same thoughts as Ezekiel as we would like the LORD to go easy on someone we know and care about.
However, if the LORD didn’t judge correctly the individual would not repent and turn from their sins and follow the LORD again.
The LORD had warned the people of Jerusalem many times through many prophets and priests and still they would worship false gods and claim that they were following the LORD most of the time.
Sometimes there are people who attend our Bible believing churches and leave the church and sin greatly because they think that because they were in church the LORD would not discipline them. This is a lie.
God wants us to be living a life that is pleasing to HIM while HE knows that we are sinner from the day we are born until the day we die. HE still wants us to live a life that is pleasing to HIM with times of confession and service.
None of us is sinless but we can sin less. Our goal should be to please the LORD each day with confession when we sin. The children of Israel were trying to be religious but not obedient to the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Are we trying to sin less each day with our lives? Are we keeping short accounts with the LORD? HE is willing to work with those who are genuine in their relationship with HIM.
: 9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD has forsaken the earth, and the LORD sees not. (4297 “perverseness” [mutteh] means perverted or warped, bending, twisted, injustice, or practice of being unjust or unfair.)
DEVOTION: The New Testament states that judgment is going to begin with those who are in the house of the LORD. The LORD has not changed HIS standard. HE is looking at those who claim to be HIS followers first to show that HE does not want those who claim to be HIS follower to think that they cannot be judged for their sin.
In the Old Testament HE is working with the children of Israel who at the present time of the nation were divided with the ten tribes already in captivity because of their sin and now the two tribes of Benjamin and Judah were going to be judged for their actions.
The LORD wants HIS people to understand that HIS standard is obedience. The people who were in the Temple were worshiping false gods right in the place that was built to worship the ONLY TRUE GOD of the universe.
HE used HIS servant who was a created being called an angel to bring the judgment to pass. HE will do the same in the future. Each nation that has chosen to worship false gods will have to face the ONE TRUE GOD one day.
The nation that I am presently living in has to face the consequences of their sins. Our cities are full of the shedding of innocent blood on a regular basis. Our cities are full of injustice and warped thinking.
Many people think that there is not a ONE TRUE GOD that created our world and the human race. They think that we just happened by chance and that there is no real creator. They think that there is no real Creator who will judge the world because HE is not watching over what is happening.
We have to understand that the Bible is true and that there is a God who is watching what is happening and HE sees all that the human race is doing each day. HE is not a God that has forsaken the earth but one who is longsuffering but will one day judge every human being regarding what they have done with the salvation HIS SON Jesus Christ has provided.
CHALLENGE: Judgment day is coming. We need to be prepared to face the LORD with what we have done for HIM since the day of our salvation. Salvation is a gift that should cause us to serve HIM because we want to with our worship and service.
: 11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me. (7725 “reported” [shuwb] means to bring back, restore, relinquish, refresh, or take to heart.)
DEVOTION: Here we find an angel used of the LORD to mark the foreheads of those who were righteous because they were sighing and crying over the abominations that were being done in the Temple against the LORD.
Those who had the seal on their forehead would be spared the judgment of the LORD. The six men were probably angels who were going to execute the judgment of the LORD.
They were not to spare or pity those who were going to be executed because of their willingness to act in a manner that was opposite of the commands of the LORD.
This can remind us of the 144, 000 witnesses that will be sealed by the LORD before the Tribulation begins. These witnesses were to be spared the punishment that was to fall on the world during this time period. All of them seem to be killed before the Tribulations ends by those who are worshipers of the devil and his false image.
However, many individuals became believers because of their witness. There is rejoicing in heaven over those who become followers of the LORD during any time period in the history of the world.
The group that made up the remnant of the children of Israel that were the righteous ones that were spared. They could give a testimony to what was going on in Jerusalem at the time of the destruction. They can tell others why it all happened as well.
Everything that is happening on this earth is recorded in the minds of those who are alive. One day they will be played back to show why the people were judged and why we are judged.
Our obedience to the LORD is necessary. This obedience starts and finishes with our relationship to the LORD Jesus Christ. Once we repent of our sins and realize that we have been called of God to service we will serve until HE takes us home to be with HIM.
Disobedience brings judgment on all those who refuse to confess Jesus Christ came in the flesh to die for their sins. The Israelites look forward to the coming of Jesus and we look back. Salvation is only through HIS atonement for our sins.
The angels rejoice over one sinner that repents. They are looking into all that is happening on this earth. The one angel in this chapter that is recording all that is taking place will show his work when those who stand before the Great White Throne are judged.
CHALLENGE: What is our brain recording now regarding our actions? Do we want to see the playback of this recording? Everything done in secret will be revealed.
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