Welcome! Eighteen verses in chapter 8 full of repulsive acts. Let’s see what we can learn. So glad you’re here.
First, let’s pray:
Lord Jesus, I pray that You will reveal to us the main lessons in this today as well as keep us faithful and away from all the evil we see here. Thank You, Lord, for Your Faithfulness and especially for these visions of Your beauty. Hold us close, Lord. In Your holy and precious Name I Pray. Amen.
Please read Ezekiel 8:1-4
Vision of Repulsive Acts in Jerusalem
1 It came about in the [a]sixth year [of the captivity of King Jehoiachin], on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I sat in my house [near Babylon] with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord [b]God fell on me there.2 Then I looked, and behold, a likeness [of a man] with the appearance of fire; from His [c]loins downward He was like fire, and from His loins upward He had the appearance of brightness, like gleaming metal (bronze). 3 He stretched out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of hair on my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner courtyard, where the seat of the idol (image) of [d]jealousy, which provokes to jealousy, was located. 4 And behold, the glory and brilliance of the God of Israel [who had loved and chosen them] was there, like the vision which I saw in the plain.
What are they doing? Wait for it. God says it in verse 5. But you can see what they’re doing to cause it even in verses 3 and 4. And while God fights in other scriptures, the repulsiveness of the acts here pushes Him away.
But the beauty and the power of God are undeniable. Look at the words used to describe what Ezekiel sees of Him…Fire, Brightness like gleaming metal, Glory and Brilliance. The God who had loved and chosen them. And yet, repulsive acts are being performed here, even in the house that was built for Him.
Please read Ezekiel 8:5-6
Repulsive Acts
5 Then He said to me, “Son of man, now raise your eyes toward the north.” So I looked toward the north, and behold, to the north of the altar gate was this idol (image) of jealousy at the entrance. 6 Furthermore, He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great repulsive acts which the house of Israel is committing here, to drive Me far away from My sanctuary? But you will again see greater repulsive acts.”
Do you see what they are are doing? Driving Him far away from His sanctuary. Yet there are greater repulsive acts coming.
Please read Ezekiel 8:7-13
“For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has abandoned the land.’”
7 Then He brought me to the entrance of the courtyard; and when I looked, behold, [there was] a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” And when I had dug into the wall, behold, there was an entrance.9 And He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked, repulsive acts that they are committing here.” 10 So I entered and looked, and saw every kind of creeping things and beasts and loathsome things, and all the idols of the house of Israel, carved all around on the wall. 11 Standing before these [images] were seventy elders of the house of Israel, and among them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan [the scribe], each man with his censer in his hand and a thick and fragrant cloud of incense was rising [as they prayed to these gods]. 12 Then He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, each man in his [secret] room of carved images? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has abandoned the land.’” 13 He also said to me, “Yet again you will see even greater repulsive acts which they are committing.”
God sees. God knows. God doesn’t have to appear close, He always is close and He knows everything you do and everything you say and everything you think. These are all wicked and repulsive acts that he’s pointing out to Ezekiel. Did you see how far God took him to see it? From Babylon where he was to Jerusalem, specifically the temple in Jerusalem.
Thank You God, for making us Your temple now. May we see and know we are right with You all the time.
Please read Ezekiel 8:14-15
Fake Gods, Still Greater Repulsive Acts
14 Then He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the Lord’s house; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for [e]Tammuz. 15 He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater repulsive acts than these [that they are committing].”
Can you even imagine what could be worse than all this idol worship? This is always denial of the One and True God who is always for us, in us and with us.
Please read Ezekiel 8:16-18
16 So He brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the porch (vestibule, portico) and the [bronze] altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they were bowing down toward the east and worshiping the sun. 17 He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it too slight a thing for the house of Judah to commit the repulsive acts which they have committed here, that they have filled the land with violence and repeatedly provoked Me to anger? And behold, they are putting the [f]branch to their nose. 18 Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare [them]; and though they cry loudly in My ears, yet I will not listen to them.”
I praise You God, for your Righteousness. I praise You for demanding to be our Only God. For being more God than any one of us can imagine. For keeping us near and for leading us through this study, Lord, I thank You and can feel the repulsiveness of these acts and know You are a jealous God who will tolerate no worship given to anyone but You. Help me take the warnings to heart and stay well within Your Presence. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Footnotes
[a] Ezekiel 8:1 sixth year [of the captivity of King Jehoiachin]. – September 592 b.c.
[b] Ezekiel 8:1 the hand of the Lord God fell on me there – Heb YHWH.
[c] Ezekiel 8:2 from His loins downward He was like fire – The midsection of the body from the lower ribs to the hips.
[d] Ezekiel 8:3 jealousy – God does not tolerate the transfer of the honor and worship that is due Him to any other being or object.
[e] Ezekiel 8:14 Tammuz – A Babylonian god whose supposed death each summer caused the vegetation to wilt and die. In the spring he returned from the underworld bringing rain and new growth. His worship also involved fertility rituals.
[f] Ezekiel 8:17 putting the branch to their nose – The pagan object of worship is uncertain, but the act was contemptuous to God.