12/8/23 - What The Lord Sees
Ezekiel 8 records a fascinating event. While Ezekiel is in his house (v. 1), he has a vision where God takes him by the hair (v. 3) and transports him to Jerusalem (v. 3-5). To show Ezekiel the reason He is allowing His people to be overthrown by the Babylonians, God brings Ezekiel to the Temple and asks, “Do you see what I see?” (v. 5-6, 9, 12, 14-17).
Reading this chapter shows us the idolatry and wickedness happening in and around Solomon’s Temple, which had been dedicated to God’s worship. When God spoke to Jeremiah, He said, “Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD” (Jer. 7:9-11). In Ezekiel 8, we read a detailed account of the gods that were worshipped and the actions those folks took in opposition to the God who gave them the land in the first place (Josh. 21:43-45).
As God takes Ezekiel on a tour of the Temple in his vision, people are shown worshipping various false gods. Some are out in the open, while others are hiding. Regardless of where the people are, God makes the point that He sees them and their sin (Jer. 16:17, 23:24; Prov. 15:3; Heb. 4:13).
When you read this chapter, what do you see? Do you see the utter affront this is to God? First, there was an idol at the north entrance of the altar gate (Ezek. 8:5-6). The northern gate was where the people brought animals in to sacrifice to God (Lev. 1:11). Yet, before they could reach the altar, the people would have to walk around an altar dedicated to a false god! Second, we see the hypocrisy of the elders of the people who met and worshipped false gods in secret (v. 7-12). They even spoke blasphemy about God in this place! What irony that Jaazaniah, a man whose name means “God hears,” is leading worship to gods who cannot hear because they are not real!
How low these people had sunk when Ezekiel observed a woman “weeping for Tammuz” in his vision (Ezek. 8:14-15). Tammuz was a Babylonian god worshipped as far back as 3000 BC. In Babylonian times, Tammuz was the god of rain and vegetation. Every fall, when the rains stopped for a season, Tammuz was said to “die.” The people would weep over his “death” but then rejoice when he “resurrected” in the spring when the rains returned. Think about this: Ezekiel is witnessing an Israelite woman “weeping for Tammuz,” which means she is worshipping the Babylonian god of rain and vegetation in the very shadow of God’s Temple at the northern gate!
Finally, Ezekiel was shown 25 men worshipping the sun (Ezek. 8:16-17). The phrase, “their backs toward the temple of the Lord,” means they were turning their backs on God and demonstrating their belief in a sun god! Though Ezekiel was many miles away in Babylonian exile, God used this vision to educate him and make it known that the Lord sees all of these things. Nothing is hidden from Him. Is there any wonder why God would punish His people when they have gone so far away from Him (Ezek. 8:17-18)?
What applications might be made to us today? I think the obvious application is that God hears and sees us. There is nowhere we can go that God is unaware of us (Ps. 139:7-12). We are not going to hide from Him. If you do not believe this, talk to Adam, Jonah, the elders of the Jews in Ezekiel 8, and others who tried to hide from God and failed miserably.
Secondly, consider those who portray God in the Old Testament as some tyrant or some vengeful deity just waiting for man to slip up. Those people never read passages like Ezekiel 8! God allows Ezekiel to be a “material witness” in His case against the people. God has been patient and has sent numerous prophets to the people. He has shown His grace, but there comes a time when it is enough. God is longsuffering (Num. 14:18; Ps. 86:15; Rom. 2:4; II Pet. 3:9, 15), but there is still a limit to how far He will allow man to go into sin
Third, in the words of Solomon, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” (Ecc. 7:29). Man when left to his own devices, will make a mess out of things. In this chapter, we see men worshipping those things that please them. We see men getting steadily worse as well. It is just as God described in Romans 1:18-32 when talking about the Gentiles. When men do not glorify God as God (as seen in Jer. 2:11-13), nor are thankful, they will first make false idols for themselves and then descend into denying any God exists (Ezek. 8:12; Rom. 1:28). As we can see in Ezekiel 8, the Jews were living what we are warned about in Romans 1!
Friend, please pay close attention to these warnings. These things are happening in our country and in our culture. Don’t allow history to repeat itself! Let us take a good look at ourselves and let us repent of wrongdoing and turn back to God while we still have the opportunity. Let us raise our children and grandchildren in the Lord! God is longsuffering, but His patience has a limit! In His patience and mercy, He sent His Son to the cross (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8). How will we respond? Many have chosen to ignore the facts. What will you do (I Cor. 10:11-12)?
- Jarrod M. Jacobs
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