What I Noticed Today (Ezekiel 5-8)
Ezekiel 5
Fourth Sign. In verses 1-17, God provides the last visual of the judgment upon Jerusalem. He commands Ezekiel to shave his beard and cut off his hair, weigh it, and divided it into thirds, with a few strands of hair remaining.
Note: Shaving the beard and cutting off the hair was a sign of mourning.
A third of the hair was to be taken to the middle of the city and burned. This was a symbol of a third of the people dying from famine or plague.
The second third was to be chopped up and scattered around the city. This was to represent a third of the people who would be killed by the sword.
The last third was to be thrown into the wind. This was to represent the third of the people who would be taken away as exiles to Babylon.
God’s judgment was coming because Jerusalem had become more wicked than all the nations that surrounded her. Ezekiel announced God as the source of the judgment three times with the statement “I the Lord have spoken.” The judgment would cease only after His anger was spent (v. 13). Other nations will see God’s judgment on Jerusalem (v. 15). God’s judgment would include famine, pestilence, and the sword (v. 17).
Note: Ezekiel’s first sign was a confirmation that the siege would occur. The second sign spoke to the length of the siege. The third sign spoke to the severity of the siege. The fourth sign spoke to the results of the siege.
Ezekiel 6-7
These two chapters are sermons that Ezekiel delivered to the people beginning with the phrase, “The word of the Lord came to me.” Ezekiel 5 deals with Israel’s idolatry as the cause of the judgment. Ezekiel 6 deals with the type of judgment that was forthcoming.
Ezekiel 6
In verses 1-7, the Lord tells Ezekiel to set his face toward the mountains. Ezekiel is commanded to speak against the mountain, and ravines and valleys. The Lord will destroy the high places where they worshiped foreign gods. They had altars where they sacrificed animals and burned incense to foreign gods. All of these and the people who worshiped them would be wiped out.
Note: The word “toward” could also be translated “against.” The implication is you are facing toward someone or something with hostile intentions.
In verses 8-10, God said He would spare a small remnant from the sword which would be scattered in captivity. There they would remember God’s character, how He had cared for and provided for them, and how they grieved Him. Some would come back to God (“they will know that I am the Lord”) because of the judgment.
In verses 11-12, God tells Ezekiel to clap his hands, stamp his feet, and cry out, Alas! Because of the sins of Israel who will die by the sword, famine, and pestilence.
Note: Clapping hands and stomping feet was either a sign of joy or of derision depending on the context.
In verses 13-14, the imagery of the opening verses (1-7) is repeated. The Lord had given them a beautiful land which they had corrupted with their idol worship. Therefore, God’s judgment upon the land will be complete destruction. As a result, some of the people would respond and come back to the Lord (“they will know that I am the Lord”).
Ezekiel 7
In verses 1-4, the message from the Lord is the second sermon Ezekiel is commanded to give to the people. Here, Ezekiel warns that the end has come upon the four corners of the land (“end” is used five times in the first six verses). The four corners of the land mean all the land will endure God’s judgment. God’s anger will come against Israel; He will show no pity, He will judge them because of their conduct and their detestable practices. As a result, some of the people would respond and come back to the Lord (“they will know that I am the Lord”).
In verses 5-9, the prophecy of disaster and the end has come is repeated. It will be a time of doom. They will be punished for all their abominations. God will show no pity. Then they will see that it is the Lord who brings the judgment.
In verses 10-13, the Israelites are described as prideful and violent, and the disobedient would be punished (with a rod). None will be spared. Their riches will be gone. Buyers will not rejoice because they will not take possession of their purchase, and sellers should not be mournful because they would have lost their possessions anyway.
In verses 14-22, the trumpet calls to soldiers to go into battle will be futile. God’s judgment of the sword, famine, and pestilence would sweep over the whole land. Even those hiding in the mountains will face judgment. The people will become weak and lament the judgment that has come upon them. They will put on sackcloth and shave their heads (a sign of mourning). Their silver and gold will not be able to buy food. Their metal idols and jewelry are unclean and will be given to the invaders as spoils of war. God will turn His face away from them and robbers will enter His holy temple and desecrate it
In verses 23-27, the people will be carried away in chains by Babylon. The people will seek peace but find none. In desperation, the people will turn to the priests, prophets, and elders for a word from God but will get none. Even the king and the prince will be in despair because God will judge them according to their conduct.
Ezekiel 8-11
Ezekiel 8-11 contains a single vision God gave Ezekiel showing him the wickedness of the people in Jerusalem. The wickedness of the people in the temple (Ezekiel 8). The slaughter of the people of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 9). The result was God’s glory departed from the temple (Ezekiel 10). When God’s glory left the temple and the city, judgment was pronounced (Ezekiel 11).
Ezekiel 8
In verse 1, Ezekiel notes the exact day the word of the Lord came to him: the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year (of Jehoiachin’s exile), or September 17, 592 B.C. while the city elders were sitting with him in his house.
In verses 2-6, Ezekiel reports seeing a likeness of a man that was fire below his waist and brightness of gleaming metal above his waist. The Spirit lifted him up and transported him to the gate of the inner court that faced north where the image of jealousy was (a foreign idol). Nearby was the glory of God that Ezekiel had seen in his vision in the valley (Ezekiel 1:28). God directed Ezekiel to look up and see the image of jealousy at the altar gate, and God called it an abomination.
In verses 7-13, God brought Ezekiel to the entrance of the court and told him to dig into the wall. Inside the wall, Ezekiel saw a doorway to a chamber. Inside the chambers were drawings of detestable things and idols. Seventy elders were inside offering incense to the idols. God called this an abomination.
In verses 14-15, God took Ezekiel to the entrance to the north gate of the temple and there he saw women weeping for Tammuz (the Sumerian god of spring vegetation). God called this an abomination.
In verses 16-18, God brought Ezekiel to the inner court and the entrance to the temple between the porch and the altar, where he saw about 25 men. The men had their backs turned to the temple (and to God) and were worshipping the sun in the east. God called this an abomination. The evils of the worship of foreign gods had spread throughout the land. God determined to judge them, showing them no pity, and refusing to hear them when they cried out.
Tomorrow: Ezekiel 9-12
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
