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Home , Ezekiel 8, Jaazaniah

The LORD’s Judgment & Restoration Study 2020/2021; Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 p.m. by Zoom

Class #9, November 17, 2020

The Visionary :1-10:22; 11:22-25; 43:1-14

Notes, observations, and questions on Ezekiel 8:1-18

1. We come here to the vision Yahweh gives Ezekiel of Yahweh’s departure from the temple back in . In these sections of the book, we find three distinct visionary events:

(a) The departure of the glory (8:8; 9:3: 10:1-22; 11:22-23) (b) The abominations being perpetrated in the temple (8:5-18) (c) The judgment inflicted on Jerusalem (9:1-2, 4-11)

2. Intersecting this vision is an account of a disputation with some of the leading men of Jerusalem and an oracle declaration of God’s salvation of a remnant of his people. Every visionary event in Ezekiel’s ministry is complex and includes the work of God in various ways. Such is the life of one totally under the Spirit’s control and power.

3. While the idea of the LORD abandoning his people was well known in past prophetic utterance, only rarely is his forsaking of the land of contemplated. Ezekiel is the one who develops the theme of Yahweh’s abandonment of his temple and city most fully.

4. 8:1-4, the preamble to the first temple vision

(a) This preamble serves three functions leading into the vision: (1) It establishes the historical context of the prophetic experience. We can calculate it exactly to September 18, 592 BC on our calendar. (2) It establishes the occasion of the vision. Ezekiel is visited by “the elders of Judah.” They no doubt wanted to know which side of the debate Ezekiel was on. They had heard that the (false) Hananiah in Jerusalem had predicted the exile would soon end, while Jerimiah said it would continue (cf. Jer 28-29). a. This takes places about a year after Ezekiel’s calling. He is lying bound by ropes in his house. As the vison comes upon him, could the elders tell something was happening to the prophet? Such details are not known to us. (3) It describes the nature of Ezekiel’s prophetic experience: God’s hand suddenly falls upon him. (b) With the descent of the divine hand upon him, a luminous figure of a man appears before Ezekiel. (1) This figure is the Third Person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit, for we learn that the hand of “the Spirit” comes upon Ezekiel to transport him to Jerusalem in this visionary experience. (2) The helps us to understand rightly the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is a real Person, alongside the Persons of the Father and the Son, as shown here with a hand and a figure of a man. Yes, the Holy Spirit is also described as a “wind or breath,” but let us never refer to the Spirit as “it” but always “he.” (c) The Holy Spirit takes Ezekiel to the north gate of the inner court of the . He stands at the gate of this inner court which is the opening through the inner wall by which access is gained to the courtyard surrounding the temple building itself. What Ezekiel sees there is astonishing in its idolatry. (1) He sees a “statue” (“the image of jealousy”). It’s the same word used in Dt 4:16, the prohibition against any physical image or statue that would take the Israelites away from their complete devotion to Yahweh. It’s a profane idol that’s been placed in the temple. (2) This image is further described “the jealousy that provokes jealousy.” God is impassioned in his revulsion of this idol/image his own people have erected in the very place of his dwelling on earth. The idol is a direct challenge to Yahweh and his sovereign authority and care alone over Israel. (3) But the carved image is a pathetic contrast to the second sight that catches Ezekiel’s attention: the divine glory of the God of Israel. a. Yahweh is the God of Israel. Israel has no business whoring after other gods! b. His temple is his sacred space. To bring an image of a pagan deity into the temple is a violation of this holy place.

5. 8:5-18, the abominations in the temple

(a) In this tightly knit account, God himself leads Ezekiel around the temple complex. He encourages the prophet to make careful observations and interpretations of what he sees. In the process, through these four scenes, Yahweh develops his case against Israel. In the end, if God abandons Israel, Ezekiel will know it is not without cause. Israel has violated the covenant; they have inflamed the LORD’s passion. (b) Three different expressions are used to refer to the sacred space of the temple: (1) “my sanctuary” (v 6) (2) “the house of Yahweh” (vv 14, 16) (3) “the palace of Yahweh” (v 16a) (c) 8:5-6, Scene 1 (1) Ezekiel sees the pagan idol. It causes God himself to be alienated from his sanctuary. The image presents a direct challenge to the LORD’s presence in his temple. Either Yahweh alone is Israel’s God or he is not their God at all. (d) 8:7-13, Scene 2 (1) Ezekiel now sees even more shocking sights. The significant elements include: a. The location of the abominations: these strange, abominable activities are being done in the dark, in a secretive room, as if they can hide their idolatry from the LORD. b. The participants in the activities: Ezekiel counts 70 men, representing the elders of the house of Israel. Their primary responsibility was to offer counsel in civil and governmental affairs. This number brings to mind the group that assisted Moses in the wilderness (Ex 24:1, 9). But here it probably reflects the number of images that had been set up in this dark room. Then Ezekiel sees an important man in Jerusalem leading this abominable work: , son of . Ezekiel obviously knew him prior to his deportation in 597 BC. Jaazaniah had three brothers who were supportive of in Jerusalem and loyal to the LORD. Jaazaniah’s presence in this room shows how far the spiritual rot had extended in Jerusalem: it had reached the upper levels of government and community. c. The focus of the abominations: Each of the 70 men was stationed before one of the images. This suggests that these images were idolatrous figures carved in the wall or created with inlaid tiles. d. The nature of the abominations: Each man stands before his image, holding a censer in his hand, offering the smoke of incense to the pagan idol. The men were praying to and worshiping these images in God’s own sacred house. e. The rationalizations of the activities: The men think that the LORD does not see them (v 12), for God has abandoned the land. The men have turned from God, no longer holding to the covenant in this time of crisis in Jerusalem. They are now desperate for divine help from any source. Their belief that God has abandons them is not yet true, but theirs becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Their very actions will cause the LORD to leave them. (e) 8:14-15, Scene 3 (1) God escorts Ezekiel giving the prophet the full view of the temple forecourt. (2) He sees the women sitting in front of the temple bewailing “for Tammuz.” (3) It’s the only reference in the OT to Tammuz. It comes from an ancient Sumerian text, the early people of Mesopotamia. They worshiped him as a god who had died and gone to the netherworld, losing his earthly kingship and power. (4) These women weep in God’s house, not for the LORD, but for this false deity. (f) 8:16-18, Scene 4 (1) Like the second scene, we see the key elements in this fourth scene: a. The location of the activities: the inner court of the temple b. The participants: 25 men involved in this pagan ritual c. The nature of the abominations: physical expressions of worship to the sun, which is expressly forbidden in Dt 4:19 and 17:2-5; violence filling the land, which results from false worship; and, they are “sticking the branch up my nose,” declares the LORD, which is an insulting physical gesture akin to “giving someone the finger,” putting it crudely. (2) The whole nation suffers from spiritual rot. The biggest threat to Israel comes not from outside dangers but from the internal, spiritual ones. a. Yahweh’s judgment is set. His ears are now closed to their pleas for mercy.

6. Theological implications

a. When the people reject the Lord God Almighty, moral and societal failure in the nation always results. b. The sin we do against God and neighbor done in the dark will always be exposed by the light of the LORD’s light and truth. Nothing is hidden from God. c. Paganism is religion practiced individually and centers on the self. True worship is practiced in community and centers exclusively on the LORD. d. Leaders have a particular responsibility to lead the nation in obedience to the LORD. A failure of such leadership opens the whole nation to spiritual decay.

Notes, observations, and questions on :1-11

1. Yahweh now responds to the abominations in the temple. Ezekiel is the witness to the proceedings that Yahweh has brought against his people.

2. The executioners are called forward to arm themselves with weapons of destruction (vv 1-2). a. Six men emerge from the upper gate, and in their midst is a seventh figure, a man dressed in linen and equipped with a scribe’s case. b. “Linen” is the fabric used for the dress of priests and angelic beings, the two classes directly involved in divine service. Who is this mysterious seventh man? Given the events in 10:1-8, he’s probably an angelic figure. c. The seven men proceed to the bronze altar.

3. Now Ezekiel shifts his attention to the divine glory (v 3)—“the glory of the God of Israel.” (1) The word “” occurs here for the first time. (2) According to Ex 25:18-22 and 37:7-9, two sculpted golden cherubim facing each other sat on the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. (3) In the temple, Solomon placed two 15-foot cherubim inside the Holy of Holies. (4) Ezekiel sees that God has gone up from the cherub: the LORD’s departure from the temple is imminent.

4. The most important role in the execution of God’s sentence of judgment is assigned to the scribe with the writing kit (v 4). He is to look over the city for any signs of repentance. (1) Those who show repentance from all of the abominations are to be marked with a taw on their forehead. (2) Taw is the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It had the shape of a cross. Like the sign of the blood on the doorposts of the Israelites in , it is a sign of hope and salvation. (3) Taw also is a mark of ownership. Those who repent and by faith turn back to God are marked with the Cross of Christ and belong to him forever.

5. In vv 5-6 Ezekiel overhears God deliver instructions to the executioners: they are to follow the scribe through Jerusalem and slaughter everyone whom he does not mark with a Taw. (1) No one is spared God’s judgment, not even the defenseless, the frail, and the innocent. (2) Old men at God’s sanctuary fall first. These are probably the 70 elders in the dark room and the 25 sun-worshipers.

6. Ezekiel cries out asking if at least a remnant of the people will escape God’s wrath (v 8). Yahweh’s answer appears affirmative (vv 9-11). God justifies his fury by citing four causes: (1) The extent and intensity of the people’s sin (2) The violence that fills the land (3) The injustice the fills the city (4) The charge that God has abandoned his land and no longer cares for his people

7. Theological implications a. God will punish the wicked. No one escapes the LORD’s final and eternal judgment and justice. b. God desires to spare the righteous the punishment due the wicked. c. The fact that the destruction begins with the weak and defenseless highlights the totality of the people’s depravity. d. As in the days of Noah, the judgment must be thorough; the slate must be wiped clean. e. Those who are marked for protection against God’s wrath are not merely the innocent or those who cease from evil but are those actively righteous—they moan and groan over the sins of the city. f. The righteous are marked for salvation, as the wicked are marked for destruction. God’s judgment is set. g. Only by being marked with the blood of the Messiah, by grace through faith in him, are we saved from God’s wrath and the eternal sentence of hell. h. Moreover, we all fall short of God’s glory. No one deserves to be saved. Salvation is only by the mercy of God. God sends his warning of judgment out of his love for us, that we might repent from sin and turn to him by obedient faith.