Ezekiel 9:1-11

II. DESTRUCTION BY THE LORD 9:1-10:22

The visions which are recorded in Chapter s 9 and 10 follow logically the terrible indictment of the previous chapter. A fourfold development is evident in the visions at this point: (1) he first sees Jerusalem destroyed by slaughter (Ezekiel 9:1-11); and then (2) by fire (Ezekiel 10:1-8). His attention is then drawn again (3) to the divine throne-chariot (Ezekiel 10:9-17); and finally (4) to the departure of the divine presence from the Jerusalem Temple. (Ezekiel 10:18-22).

A. Jerusalem Destroyed by Slaughter 9:1-11

TRANSLATION

(1) And a great voice called in my ears, saying, Bring nigh the overseers of the city, each one with his weapon of destruction in his hand. (2) And behold, six men were coming from the way of the upper gate which faced northward, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand. And one man was among them clothed in linen, with a scribe's writing case at his side. And they came and stood beside the bronze altar. (3) And the glory of the God of Israel was going up from upon the Cherub which was over it unto the threshold of the house. And He called unto the man clothed in linen who had the scribe's writing case at his side. (4) And the LORD said unto him, Pass over in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the brows of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations which are done in the midst of her. (5) And to these others He said in my hearing, Pass over in the city after him and smite; do not let your eyes look with compassion, and do not have pity. (6) Slay utterly old, young man and maiden, and child and women; but do not approach any man who has the mark upon him; and begin at My sanctuary. Then they began with the elders who were before the house. (7) And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with slain; go forth, and they went forth and smote in the city. (8) And it came to pass when they were smiting and I was left that I fell upon my face and cried out, and said, Ah Lord GOD! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel when You pour out Your wrath upon Jerusalem? (9) And He said unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is filled with blood, and the city is full of perversion; for they say, The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see. (10) And as for Me also, My eye shall not have compassion, nor will I show pity. Their way I will bring upon their head. (11) And behold the man clothed in linen who had the writer's case at his side, reported, saying, I have done as You commanded me.

COMMENTS

Whereas the vision in chapter 8 was symbolically descriptive, the one in chapter 9 is symbolically predictive. Here Ezekiel saw in dreadful symbolic detail what would befall Jerusalem six years later in the catastrophe of 587 B.C. The prophet's attention was first attracted to a loud voice summoning the divinely appointed executioners to discharge their duty. The voice came from the human form seen as a theophany in the midst of the divine glory. Each of these agents of judgment was to come prepared for the dreadful deed with a weapon of destruction in his hand (Ezekiel 9:1).

Six men answered the summons. Jewish tradition is probably correct in identifying these men as angels.[228] These angels symbolized the armies of Babylon which would crush Jerusalem. They therefore came from the north, the usual attack route against Jerusalem. Each angelic agent carried a weapon of destruction in his hand (Ezekiel 9:2). The Hebrew word implies an instrument used for crushing into fragments. Probably a battle-ax or mace is intended.[229]

[228] Cf. the men (angels) who visited Sodom (Genesis 19:1), Blackwood (EPH, p. 77) supposes that the six represent Babylonian generals.

[229] The same Hebrew word is used in Jeremiah 9:2. A cognate word in Jeremiah 51:20 is translated battle-ax and the Septuagint gives that meaning here.

A seventh angelic agent was in the midst of the first six. He was clothed in linen, the material used for priestly garments and for the clothing of others in authority. Daniel once encountered an angel wearing linen (Daniel 10:5 f.). Hence white linen is the apparel of the hosts of heaven as well as priests on earth. The material is probably intended to symbolize purity. This angel of mercy had a scribe's writing case (not an inkhorn as in KJV) at his side (Ezekiel 9:2). A scribe carried his pens and receptacle for mixing ink in a case at his side. Sometimes these cases were made of silver and elaborately and beautifully engraved. Most writing at this time was done with a reed pen on papyrus or parchment.[230]

[230] There is probably a connection between this angelic scribe and the oft-recurring thought of the book of life and death in heaven, See Exodus 32:32; Psalms 69:28; Psalms 139:16; Isaiah 4:3; Daniel 12:1; Philippians 4:3.

All seven angelic agents of God entered the Temple courtyard and stood beside the bronze altar (Ezekiel 9:2). Both judgment and salvation proceed from the altar of God. The angels are seven in number because that is the number of perfection or completeness throughout the Bible. No connection is to be made between the number seven here and the seven evil spirits or seven planet gods among whom was Nabu the heavenly scribe, in Babylonian mythology.[231]

[231] The notion of seven angels is further developed in Tob. 12:15 and Revelation 15:6

Ezekiel next saw the glory of God move from over the cherubim in the Holy of Holies. In the Old Testament God is said to be enthroned above the cherubim which were molded over the ark. The glory of God moved over the threshold of the house as if to direct the action of the heavenly ministers. The Lord first dispatched the man clothed in linen who carried the scribe's writing case (Ezekiel 9:3). He was told to place a mark upon the brows of all the men of Jerusalem who sigh and cry over all the idolatrous practices done in the city (Ezekiel 9:4). How many concerned citizens there may have been cannot be determined. However, six angelic agents were needed to execute the act of judgment while only one was needed to administer the mark of salvation. Conditions were so terrible in Jerusalem at this time that those who were faithful to the worship of Yahweh could only show their faithfulness by lamentation over the national apostasy.

The mark to be placed on the brow of the faithful was a tav, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In ancient Hebrew script the letter tav was a cross mark. As early as the church father Origen[232] the significance of this was noted. Those who were saved bore the sign of the cross. A mere coincidence? Or was Ezekiel seeing something here far more profound than he could ever have imagined?[233] This passage is the background for the scene in Revelation 14:1 where the redeemed wear the name of Christ on their foreheads.

[232] Also this interpretation was advanced by Tertullian. (Adv. Marcion Ezekiel 3:22)

[233] Jewish interpreters suggest that since tav is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, it here denotes completeness. Tav is also the first letter of the word torah (law).

The six executioners were to follow the angel of mercy through the city dealing a deadly blow to all who did not bear the mark (tav) upon their forehead. They were to exercise absolutely no compassion (Ezekiel 9:5). The destroyer of Exodus 12:13 was to deal the death blow to the firstborn of all the land of Egypt. Here all segments of the population were to experience the judgment old and young, male and female. Only those with the seal of salvation were to be spared.

The judgment was to begin at My sanctuary. The elders who had turned their backs upon the Temple to perform the rites of Shamash the sun god (Ezekiel 8:11) were to be the first to experience the wrath of God. It is fitting that the punishment should commence in the spot where the guilt had culminated (Ezekiel 9:6). The Temple was intended to be a place of peace and refuge from violence. But now the God of that Temple ordered the courts to be defiled with the bleeding corpses of those who had polluted that place with idolatrous rites. The final order was given: Go forth. The six executioners obediently began their dreadful mission (Ezekiel 9:7).

Ezekiel was not a passive witness in this visionary experience. He saw the slain falling all about him there in the Temple courtyard. At last only the angels of judgment and the prophet were left in that spot. As the executioners turned about to carry the slaughter into the rest of the city, Ezekiel fell on his face in mighty intercessory prayer. Ah, Lord God! he cried in desperation. Anxiously he asked the Lord if He would completely destroy the remnant of Israel in this outpouring of divine wrath (Ezekiel 9:8). The question is in reality an oblique request that God spare what was left of the once proud nation of Israel. Northern Israel had fallen in 722 B.C. Her citizens had been dispersed throughout the length and breadth of the Assyrian empire. Several thousand of the inhabitants of Judah already had been carried away by Nebuchadnezzar in the deportations of 605 and 597 B.C. NOW Ezekiel asks if the remaining people of God will also be wiped out. The question is in reality an oblique request that God spare what was left of the once proud nation of Israel.[234]

[234] Cf. the intercessory prayers of Amos in response to the visions of the destruction of Israel (Amos 7:1-6).

The anguished appeal of the prophet is forthrightly answered in Ezekiel 9:9-10. The sovereign God is not compelled to justify His actions to man, and it is a pure act of grace when he chooses to do so. Here the Lord cites four reasons why the destruction of the state of Judah was an absolute necessity.

1. God declared that the iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great (Ezekiel 9:9). The evil had gone too far.[235] The coupling of the names Israel and Judah should be noted. That which justified the yet future destruction of Judah also justified the past judgment against Israel,

[235] This note is sounded many times in the exilic period Ezekiel 11:13; Ezekiel 14:14: Jeremiah 17:16; Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11; Jeremiah 15:1, etc.

2. The land of Judah was full of blood, i.e., the violence which leads to bloodshed. No doubt the reference is to the mistreatment of the poor and helpless.

3. Jerusalem was full of perversion (muteh), i.e., the wresting of judgment (Ezekiel 9:9). The miscarriage of justice probably led to the bloodshed mentioned above. To Ezekiel, social evils were merely the by-product of a basically wrong relationship between God and man,

4. The people of Judah had lost confidence in the Lord and had begun to utter blasphemous charges against Him. The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see (Ezekiel 9:9). A similar proverb is cited in Ezekiel 8:12. The faith of the people had been shaken by recent calamities because their faith was built upon a faulty theological foundation. Prosperity was the reward for faithful religious ritual. Misfortune could only be interpreted in the light of the proposition that God was either powerless or pitiless. He either could not prevent what was happening, or else He simply did not care. Such is the logic of doubt.

Because of this blatant theological perversion God would be forced to deal with His people in wrath. He could show no compassion or pity in dealing with these sinners lest His absolute holiness be called into question. He had no choice but to bring down their way upon their head, i.e., recompense them for their conduct (Ezekiel 9:10).

This vision concludes with the report of the agent of mercy. The blessed scribe had done this work (Ezekiel 9:11). Those who truly had remained faithful to God in the midst of national corruption had been sealed with the sign of promise and hope. In his despair the prophet had forgotten about those who were to receive the mark upon their foreheads. They were the true remnant. In effect God answered the intercessory prayer of Ezekiel by allowing him to overhear the report of the angel of mercy. The true Israel of God would in fact survive the calamity which was about to befall Jerusalem.