Book of Ezekiel: Chapter 9
Chapter 9 of Ezekiel paints a picture of the upcoming judgment of Jerusalem. In this vision, God shows Ezekiel how he will punish the Israelites. God calls upon six men yielding deadly weapons to the city. They are accompanied by a man with a writer’s case. The man with the writer’s case is instructed by God to go about and mark the foreheads of the citizens who are mourning for the sins of their nation. After that God instructs the six men to kill those who are not marked, starting with the seventy people present in the Temple.
This vision is intended to show God’s judgment upon a sinful people. They have long been worshiping false idols and are now ready to meet their fate. Their hurtful actions cause God to destroy Jerusalem and spare only the few who didn’t turn away from Him.
The mark of God is a theme that repeats itself a few times in the Bible. In Exodus, the Israelites marked the door to their homes with blood to spare themselves from God’s fury. In Revelation, God marks his followers who will receive salvation while Satan marks his followers who will in turn be destroyed.
Ultimately, chapter 9 of Ezekiel shows how God will impose his judgment. No one is safe from it. Those hiding from God in the Temple were the first to be judged. We should not try to hide ourselves from God. Instead we should embrace his love and his forgiveness.
Key Verses:
“The sins of the people of Israel and Judah are very, very great. The entire land is full of murder; the city is filled with injustice. They are saying, ‘The Lord doesn’t see it! The Lord has abandoned the land!’ So I will not spare them or have any pity on them. I will fully repay them for all they have done.” ~ Ezekiel 9:9-10 NLT
Questions to ponder:
- Why would God decide to go after the leaders in the Temple before He handed out his judgment across the rest of the city?
- The leaders in the Temple tried to hide their sins from the Lord. In what ways do we hide our sins from God?
