Ezekiel 8:1-18
1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
7 And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
Ezekiel: ‘They shall know that I am God’
The *Sin of Judah and the Judgement of God
Ezekiel Chapter s 1 to 24
Ian Mackervoy
Chapter 8
The false god in the *temple – Ezekiel 8:1-6
v1 It was the 5th day of the 6th month in the 6th year of our *exile. I sat in my house and the leaders of Judah sat with me. There I felt the power of the *LORD our King. v2 I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From the middle down, he seemed to be like fire. From the middle up, he seemed to shine like glowing metal. v3 He reached out what seemed to be a hand. It grasped me by my hair. And the Spirit lifted me up between earth and sky. In a *vision, God took me to Jerusalem. He took me to the entrance of the *temple’s north gate. This is the inner area to the north side of the *temple. In this area was the false god that caused God to be angry. v4 I saw the *glory of the God of *Israel there, as I had seen on the plain.
v5 He said to me, ‘*Son of man, look toward the north.’ So, I looked toward the north. I saw the entrance north of the *altar gate. And there was the false god that made God so angry.
v6 God spoke to me again. ‘*Son of man, look what they are doing. See how many terrible things the *Israelites are doing here. I hate those things and they cause me to go far away from my *temple. But you will see things that are even more terrible than these.’
Verse 1 Ezekiel records the exact date of this *vision. That was during September in the year 592 *BC. At the end of the *vision, the *Lord tells of the punishment that will happen. After it happens, the people will be able to see this record. Then they will know that God brought about these events.
This *vision continues from chapter 8 to chapter 11.
The leaders of the *exiles came to the house of Ezekiel. They had come to the *prophet in order to hear from the *Lord. But Ezekiel could bring no message of comfort to them. He told them about the *vision that God had given to him. But that was all that he could do.
Ezekiel felt the power of God. It was as if God laid his hand upon Ezekiel. It was so sudden and he seemed to rise up with the *Lord. God raised him up into this *vision.
Verse 2 As Ezekiel looked, he saw a strange person. This person was a *vision of the *Lord. The fire and the bright metal show something of the *glory of God. The description here is similar to Ezekiel 1:27.
Verse 3 Since Ezekiel had to cut off all his hair (Ezekiel 5:1), it had now grown again. God grasped him by his hair. The Spirit of God lifted Ezekiel into the air. In the *vision, they flew to Jerusalem.
They went to the *temple’s north gate. This gate was by the inner area at the north side of the *temple. In this area, there was a large image of a false god. Such an image ought not to be there. It caused God to be angry. This place was to be holy for the *Lord. It was a terrible *sin to erect there the image of a false god.
Verse 4 There was the false god. But there also was the *glory of the real God. Ezekiel saw the *glory of God as he had seen it before (Ezekiel chapter 1; Ezekiel 3:23).
Verses 5-6 The *Lord told Ezekiel to look toward the north. And he saw the image of a false god. Here the people *worshipped the false god. But they still would say that they *worshipped God as well. But they cannot *worship false gods and the real God. God’s command is that his people must *worship him alone. They must have no other gods. (See Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7.)
The *worship of other gods by the people in Judah made God angry. Because of the wicked things that the people did, God could not remain in his *temple.
Ezekiel saw what the people were doing by the north gate. These things were terrible but they were just the beginning. God warned that Ezekiel would see much worse things than these.
The leaders burn *incense to false gods – Ezekiel 8:7-13
v7 Then he brought me to the entrance of the area that is about the *temple. When I looked, I saw a hole in the wall. v8 He said to me, ‘*Son of man, dig through the wall.’ So, I dug through the wall, and I saw a door.
v9 Then he said to me, ‘Go in. See the terrible, evil things that they are doing here.’ v10 I went in and looked. I saw that pictures covered the walls. They were of every kind of *creature that crawls, and of awful animals. The *Israelites had also painted their false gods on the walls. v11 70 leaders of the *Israelites stood in front of these false gods. Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan, was there with them. Each man had his pan for burning *incense in his hand. And the sweet smell of the *incense rose like a cloud.
v12 Then God said to me, ‘*Son of man, look at this. Look what the leaders of *Israel are doing in the dark. Each one of them is in front of his false god. They say, “The *LORD does not see us. The *LORD has gone from the country.’’ ’ v13 Again God spoke to me. ‘You will see even more terrible things that they are doing.’
Verses 7-10 The *Lord brought Ezekiel near to the entrance of the area about the *temple. Here was a secret room. All that Ezekiel could see was a hole in the wall. God told him to open up the wall. As he did so, he found a door.
The *Lord told him to go in. He went into the room. He saw there the 70 leaders of Judah. He watched them. And he saw what they were doing.
There were awful pictures all over the walls. These were of things that crawl and of *unclean animals. Also, the false gods of *Israel were there.
Verse 11 These 70 men were the leaders of Judah. They stood in front of the false gods. This means that they *worshipped the gods.
Shaphan had been a good man. He served King Josiah. When the builders found the book of God’s law in the *temple, he took it to the king. He read it. He helped to bring the people back to the *Lord God. (2 Kings 22:3-14). Now one of his sons, Jaazaniah, *worshipped false gods.
The name Jaazaniah means ‘the *Lord hears.’
In the *worship of God, only the priests would have *incense. These men were not priests. They burned *incense to the false gods. In the proper *worship of God, *incense was a sweet smell that the priests offered to him. Here the leaders took what belonged to the *Lord. And they offered it up to their false gods.
Verses 12-13 In this secret room, Ezekiel saw what the leaders did. Each one of them *worshipped his false god. The *Lord God sees all that happens, even in secret. We cannot hide anything from him. Yet, these men said that God did not see them. They said that God had gone from the country. But God is always there and he is everywhere. However, the *glory of God would not remain in that place. Soon the *glory of God would leave. And then the army from Babylon would destroy Jerusalem.
The leaders’ secret *sins were worse than anything that Ezekiel had seen before. But God said that Ezekiel would see even worse *sins.
The women *worship Tammuz – Ezekiel 8:14-15
v14 He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the *LORD’s *temple. Women were sitting there. They were crying for the god called Tammuz. v15 And God said to me, ‘*Son of man look at this. You will see things that are even more evil than these.’
Verses 14-15 Tammuz was a false god that the people had brought, long before this time, from Babylon. Another name for him was Dumuzi. This name means ‘the son of life.’ At first, he was the sun god. But later he became the god of the spring. His parents were the gods Ea and Sirdu. His wife was the female god Ishtar. His home was under the tree of life. And this tree was in the garden of Eridu. Eridu was between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates.
There were many stories about him. They tell of the death of Tammuz and how Ishtar wept for him. Then in the story Tammuz became alive again.
Tammuz became the name of a month in the year. This is about our months of June and July. In that month, the people who *worship Tammuz weep for his death. They weep as people weep after the death of their only son. This is what the women were doing at the north gate of the *temple.
It was not just the men who were *worshipping false gods. The women too had *turned away from the *Lord.
*Worship of the sun – Ezekiel 8:16-18
v16 Then God brought me into the inner area of the *temple. There I saw about 25 men at the entrance to the *temple of the *LORD. They were between the entrance and the *altar. They had their backs to the *temple of the *LORD. They looked toward the east and they *worshipped the sun in the east.
v17 God said to me, ‘*Son of man look at this. It is bad enough that the people in Judah do these awful things here. But they also fight and they have filled the country with cruelty. They have *turned from me and they make me so angry. They insult me in the worst possible way. v18 So, because of my fierce anger, I will punish them. I will not pity them; and I will not save them. Even if they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.’
Verse 16 The inner area of the *temple was a holy place for the *worship of God. Here there were 25 men. These men would have been priests who served in the *temple. Yet, they had *turned their backs to the *temple. They had *turned away from the real God. They *worshipped the sun as it rose in the east. They were *worshipping Shamas, the sun god of Babylon. It is not possible to *worship false gods and the real God.
Verses 17-18 It was not just in their *worship that the people *sinned. Their whole manner of life had become wicked. (This is similar to the situation that Paul described in Romans 1:18-32.) The *Israelites were so bad that God was angry with them. He was so angry that he would punish them. He would destroy the city and the people. He would not listen even if they cried out to him for help.
Judgement on Jerusalem and God’s *glory leaves – Ezekiel 9:1-11
Even in God’s holy *temple, people were *worshipping false gods. But God’s *glory was still present in his *temple. This situation could not continue. The punishment of the inhabitants of Jerusalem would happen soon. But first, the *glory of God would leave Jerusalem.
sin ~ Sin means the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because of their sins.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
exile ~ When people have to live in a foreign country they are in exile. Such a person is called an exile.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. It probably means ‘always God’. This name has a relationship with the special promises that God gave to his people.
vision ~ something that God shows to a person but not with the physical sight. Visions are often in the form of dreams.
glory ~ great honour and beauty.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
altar ~ the special table where people burn animals or offer other gifts to God or to false gods.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
BC ~ years before Christ was born.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. It probably means ‘always God’. This name has a relationship with the special promises that God gave to his people.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. He can sometimes say what will happen in the future. However, false prophets are people who merely pretend to speak God’s words.
sin ~ Sin means the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because of their sins.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
incense ~ something that gives a sweet smell when it burns. The priests burned it when they praised God in the temple.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
creatures ~ Things that are alive. In this Book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel saw 4 special creatures. Those 4 creatures are called the cherubim.
cherubim ~ the group of cherubs.
cherub ~ a special angel who was in the most holy place in the temple.
angel ~ God’s special servants in heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
unclean ~ unfit for sacred purposes. Unclean food is food that the Jews should not eat because of their religion. When the temple was unclean, it was not right for the worship of God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
turn ~ to change your behaviour, your friends, or your God; or, to carry out actions in order to oppose someone.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.