#1137 Ezekiel 9 The Magnificent VII

 

Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, “Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.” 2 And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. 4 And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” 5 And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. 6 Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. 7 Then he said to them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So they went out and struck in the city. 8 And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon my face, and cried, “Ah, Lord God! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

9 Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.’ 10 As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”

11 And behold, the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his waist, brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded me.” Ezekiel 9 ESV

Ezekiel 9 Idolaters Killed

…28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”… Hebrews 10: 28-30

Bring near the executioners of the city - Last we left off with the abominations that were occurring, and of all places in the temple, the place of God's glory, in which every inch tells the story of His redemptive plan. The crimes were those of pagans, but far worse here, for they were God's people committing them, both priest and nobles. Certainly, when God comes to judge sin, He will start in His church with those to whom His will has been revealed. If God does not judge sin everywhere, if He does not atone for it, then He is not just in saying that He is opposed to it, nor in allowing mercy without payment. The call is ever out there, "repent and be saved", but they would not, instead they have said God is not with us because He would not bow to them, nor continue to overlook the sin which they loved. They have turned to other gods when He has said, "thou shalt have no other gods before me, and thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images." Isaiah likens Israel's apostasy, their antinomianism, to Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember it was sin that destroyed those cities, and outward religious practice was no covering to continue, God's patience should not be confused with permission. 

10Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.… Isaiah 1: 10-11

…23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” 25At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.… Matthew 11: 23-25

Each with his destroying weapon in his hand - We know they are coming from the direction of the north gate, and these men are reminiscent of those that destroyed Sodom, and of the one angel that killed the 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. It is Babylon that will sack the city and destroy the temple, but God is showing in advance that He is directing these things, those armies are the weapons in the hands of His angels.

35And that very night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! 36So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.… 2 Kings 19: 35-36

He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.

23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19: 21-26

Two destroying angels were sent against Sodom, but six against Jerusalem; for Jerusalem's doom in the judgment will be thrice as heavy as that of Sodom. There is an angel watching at every gate to destroy, to bring in judgments from every quarter, and to take heed that none escape. One angel served to destroy the first-born of Egypt, and the camp of the Assyrians, but here are six. In the Revelation we find seven that were to pour out the vials of God's wrath, Rev. 16:1. They came with every one a slaughter-weapon in his hand, prepared for the work to which they were called. The nations of which the king of Babylon's army was composed, which some reckon to be six, and the commanders of his army (of whom six are named as principal, Jer. 39:3), may be called the slaughter-weapons in the hands of the angels. The angels are thoroughly furnished for every service. - Matthew Henry

And with them was a man clothed in linen - Linen was a symbol of holiness, worn by the priests, those who were set apart.

14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.…Hebrews 4: 14-16

With a writing case at His waist - A writing kit, like that of a scribe. The pen will be a blessing here, mightier than the sword. It also looks to contain something like a signet ring though, something to leave the King's mark, His seal of ownership. So like a priest in linen and as a prophet with ink.

Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub - So now remember the Mercy seat, the top of the ark of the covenant, as the earth is God's foot stool, the place between the two covering cherubim. God's glory is now departing from there, the place where He tabernacles with men, the place called the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, behind the curtain. The High Priest was only aloud to enter here once a year, and these men and women seen in the preceding chapter had turned their backs upon God's glory to face the idols of the nations. They will now be given over to those nations and the care of their idols. Ezekiel will follow God's glory as it departs from the temple.

…6When everything had been prepared in this way, the priests entered regularly into the first room to perform their sacred duties. 7But only the high priest entered the second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8By this arrangement the Holy Spirit was showing that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.… Hebrews 9: 6-8

…4But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. 5Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.… Revelation 2: 4-6

Put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan - What distinguishes these people from the rest, that they do hunger and thirst after righteousness, and blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. God's elect grieve over the sin that their leaders would cover up. 

“The Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst’” – you go through the city, and you find the holy people; you find the people who can’t tolerate the fact that the sun is being worshiped in My temple; you find the people that can’t tolerate the abominations of other gods in the temple. You find those principal who are loyal to the true God, and you put a mark on their heads. - J Mac

…2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:… Revelation 7: 2-4

Kill old men, young men, children and maidens - Ah, those that cry about "fare", well here it is, everyone receiving their just due regardless of age or gender, based upon sin, and all have sinned. "But what,' you say, 'of those who received God's mark, is that fare?" Yes, that is grace, mercy, unmerited favor, and only One had the right to claim unfair, for He purchased it with His own innocence, the blood of righteousness, the Lamb of God.

But touch no one on whom is the mark - The Father has called them from eternity, the Son is the Lamb that will pay for them, and the Holy Spirit has brought them to sorrow unto life. Mark these as those who forsook the world for the honor and glory of God. They hated the sin of their day, and loathed their own even more. Who is this that places the seal, and for whom is the book named? 

Jesus is the blood on the door post of those that the angel of death passed over.

He is pictured as the Ram in the bush, that takes the place of Isaac, the substitution.

For Christ sake we are spared as Lot was spared for Abraham's sake.

It is in Christ we escape the flood, for His sake Noah and his family survived the rest of the earth.

He is there in the fiery trial of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. 

Marking would not be unfamiliar to them. A king would dip his signet in oil, then press it into wax that showed a scroll was commissioned by Him. Sometimes he would have a scribe that wrote it, read it and then press the king's seal after his approval. Slaves were marked with tattoos on the back of their hands, and some would put the symbol of their cult on hands or forehead, not always permanently, but to show that they worshiped a certain god. When a Jewish slave chose to stay with his master past the time of his release, he would have his ear punched to show that he belonged to someone else. As with all else, the devil is a counterfeiter, so he will have his mark of the beast written about in Revelation. People will have to identify with the Babylon of the end times in order to buy and sell, but at a greater cost is this alliance.

…38For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. 39And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”… John 6: 38-40

…12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory. 13And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth— the gospel of your salvation— you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.… Ephesians 1: 12-14

So they began with the elders - Why do so many want to be shepherds? They have not only done a great evil, but they did it in God's house and they have led others to sin as well. These are prominent men in Israel, and then there are the women and the priests as well. God rightly starts in His own house.

1Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.… James 3: 1-2

Ah, Lord God - We have not seen much in the way of emotion from Ezekiel, nothing like Jeremiah, but the reality of it, seeing the judgment, well that should fill us all with pity for the lost, and make it all that much easier to forgive their offenses to us. 

The guilt...is exceedingly great - This needs a response, it requires one.

Forsaken and does not see - The problem is just the opposite, they have forsaken God, and He does see, He says, "My eye will not spare", He sees too well.

I have done as You commanded Me - I cannot help, as other readers have noted too, to see in this Scribe the possibility of the Pre incarnate Christ. It is the Lamb's book of life after all, and like Christ He does the will of the One Who sent Him.

…18Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. 19So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.… John 5: 18-20

…49I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. 50And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.” John 12: 49-50

…3Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 4I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.… John 17: 3-5

…29A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit. 31It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.…John 19: 29-31