"God abandons His home" by Rod Bayley, 31 August 2008, AM Service, Ezekiel 8-11

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At the end of 1999, Christine and I were fortunate enough to spend a
few weeks in Europe, and while we were there we did two tours. Now
tours and tour guides can sometimes be disappointing. On the whole we
did quite well, but the second tour through Spain and Portugal had its
moments. Firstly, someone had some virus which was caught by most of
our tour party, including myself, and even the tour leader, whose
leadership was lacking for a couple of days as a result - it’s hard to
avoid when you’re all travelling on an air-conditioned bus. Secondly,
we also had almost non-stop rain for our 3 days in Portugal, and had
the most expensive taxi ride ever when we got caught in a traffic jam
in the rain. And on the one fine day in Portugal we were taken to a
backwater in the north of the country to see a Catholic church because
3 children had supposedly seen Mary in 1919 and lately the statue of
Mary there had apparently been crying real tears, so thousands of
people were visiting each year. Needless to say, I could think of
better ways to spend our one fine day in Portugal.

But these small disappointments are nothing compared to the horrendous
guided tour which Ezekiel had through his home town of Jerusalem. The
tour promised so much with God as his tour guide, but it was anything
but enjoyable. We know about ‘Australian idol’, the show where people
with average voices are worshipped, but this was ‘Jerusalem idol’ and
it was a different kind of show. It was more a behind the scenes
documentary film where the contestants didn’t know they were being
observed, with God as the narrator and Ezekiel as the shocked
observer.

Notice in verses 1 to 4 of chapter 8, how the timing and scene for
this next vision is set. We are given the exact date of this vision
in verse 1 when Ezekiel mentions the 5th day of the sixth month of the
sixth year - remember that these dates relate to the exiled king of
Judah, Jehoiachin. So we can determine that the date is 17 September
592 BC, about 14 months after Ezekiel’s first vision in chapter 1. He
gets this vision while sitting in his house, notice in verse 1, where
he has some elders of Judah with him. And then in verse 2 we have
similar descriptions to chapter 1, where a fiery man-like figure
appears, which again indicates an appearance of the glory of God - God
appearing to him in a form. In verse 3 he is transported by the
Spirit in his vision to Jerusalem, where he arrives at the north gate
to the court of the temple. He has been transported in his vision to
the centre of Jerusalem, the temple, which marked the presence of God
- and so it makes sense that in verse 4 he is met by God - or the
glory of God which he’d seen in his first vision in chapter 1. He has
arrived ready for a tour of Jerusalem, and God is going to show him
what is going on.

The tour begins in verse 5 and continues through to the end of the
chapter. By the end of the chapter God will have shown Ezekiel four
scenes of ugly idol worship nearby God’s own temple, some of which is
done openly, some secretly. The first scene of idolatry is observed
in verses 5 and 6. Notice what is stated:
“Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, look toward the north.’ So I looked,
and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of
jealousy. 6And he said to me, ‘Son of man, do you see what they are
doing - the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing
here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will
see things that are even more detestable’.”

It is thought that the idol is probably to Asherah, the Canaanite
goddess considered the mother of Baal. We read of such a wooden
statue being erected during the reign of a former wicked king Manasseh
(2 Kgs 21:7), although it was later removed by the reforming King
Josiah (2 Kgs 23:6). It seems it had been replaced by the present
puppet king. It is described as a “statue of jealousy”, which relates
to the peoples betrayal of their love for God. Since God had saved
them and made a covenant with them, He alone is to be their object of
worship and obedience. A blatant huge idol right outside God’s house,
the temple, cannot be tolerated - that is why in verse 6 God announces
that he will be leaving.

Well, as we read at the end of verse 6, there were even more
detestable things to see on this tour. In verses 7 to 13 we observe
the second scene of idol worship - this time it is in secret, and the
idols are Egyptian - “crawling things and detestable animals.”
Seventy elders or leaders of the people are secretly worshipping and
burning incense to idols. The irony is that God quotes these leaders
in verse 12, who say: “The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken
the land.” The third scene is given in verses 14 to 15, closer again
to the holy of holies in the temple which represented God’s presence -
probably in the main forecourt in front of the temple. This time it
is a group of women involved in a mourning ritual for a Babylonian god
Tammuz. In Babylonian mythology he reigned for 36,000 years before
the flood - the worship was linked with return of seasons and
fertility. What we have is a cult of the dead going on at the temple
of the living God. The fourth and final scene is from verses 16 to 18
- here, in the inner court was the closest you could get to God
without actually entering the temple. In fact with their backs to the
temple door, 25 leaders are worshipping the sun. They have their
backs to God, and are preferring to worship what He made - this was
explicitly forbidden in God’s law (Deut.4:19). Again, this form of
worship was popular in Babylon. What a picture of widespread idolatry
- various idols from Canaan, Egypt and Babylon being worshipped, but
all the time God goes unacknowledged at His own house - it is no
wonder he is preparing to leave.

How can we apply all this to ourselves today? God’s people today, the
Christian church, are just as prone to idolatry as were ancient
Israel. It is important to note that Ezekiel’s vision is not directed
towards non-Israelite followers of other religions - God’s anger is
aroused because His people who should know better are worshipping
other things. I believe that a strong application of this situation
in Jerusalem is a constant, deliberate rejection by Christians today
of any syncretism - that is the adding of other beliefs or idols to
our trust in God, even in the most subtle ways. It also means a
constant, deliberate rejection of pluralism which is so popular today
- the idea that all beliefs or religions have something to offer -
they don’t, they’re simply forms of idolatry before the one true
God.

Unfortunately individual Christians, and even whole denominations can
get sucked into acceptance of pluralism. The Anglican diocese of
Newark in New Jersey USA, has adopted a series of guidelines following
a convention a few years ago, which includes statements like:
“Christians always have differed on how much absolute truth
Christianity possesses, and how much truth is present in other
faiths”, and “we are called into dialogue and sharing with others as
part of a mutual enrichment of Christianity as well as other faiths -
doing this, we are witnessing to the universal action of grace.” Of
course, Newark diocese had John Spong as their previous Bishop, so
perhaps I’m only highlighting Christians who don’t believe the bible.
Well, what about someone considered more mainstream, who has a weekly
TV program which is beamed to millions of people - I’m speaking about
Robert Schuller from the Crystal Cathedral, sometimes referred to as
the evangelist without a gospel. He says that he realised after
working with various Muslim groups and speaking at their conventions,
that asking people to change their faith was utterly ridiculous.
After September 11 he said, the emphasis should move from converting
people “to just trying to help everybody who had hurts and hopes.”
Schuller is just one among many who believe in pluralism - that all
roads lead to God. Don’t be fooled by such thinking.

The temple of the one true God in Jerusalem had become a melting-pot
of religious pluralism - a mix and match collection of various beliefs
- and the glory of God could not remain with such a state of affairs.
“I am the LORD your God ... you shall have no other gods before my
face” is the literal translation of the first commandment (Ex.20:3).
Religious pluralism, saying all gods are valid, brought the true God’s
anger and his departure. We need to learn to recognise it and reject
it in the Christian church today.

In chapter nine the glory of God is defended - the tour has ended and
the executions begin. Notice in verses 1 and 2 that the scene is set
for God’s judgment to be unleashed - six guards with deadly weapons
and a scribe are called upon. In verse 6 the killing begins with the
elders at the temple, the ones who had been worshipping the sun in
chapter 8, and from verse 7 the slaughter spreads throughout the
city. God’s justice is too harsh for Ezekiel in verse 8 - notice he
cries out: “Ah sovereign LORD! Are you going to destroy the entire
remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?” God
doesn’t directly answer this question but rather affirms that the
punishment is not excessive or rash - it is well deserved and
overdue. However, the question is already answered partly by the
presence of the man in linen - God’s justice is not indiscriminate -
he still recognises the righteous amongst the many wicked. Look at
verses 4 and 6: “... Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a
mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the
detestable things that are done in it” - and verse 6: “Slaughter old
men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch
anyone who has the mark.” God knows who are his - they may be a
minority but there is still a remnant that will be saved, but it
certainly won’t include the whole population of Jerusalem as Ezekiel
appeared to hope.

A clear application from this is that God’s mercy is upheld in His
justice - His justice is just - the wicked are punished, the righteous
will be spared. Of course these executions will actually be
undertaken by the Babylonians in about 4 years - but the vision
symbolises that they wield the sword for God - it is God who has
sanctioned this judgment. God will ultimately condemn the
unrepentant, but this is no matter of joy for God. God’s justice
reveals who He is, as we saw last week, it restores the honour due to
Him, but it brings no pleasure. God states later in the book in
chapter 33:11, “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the
Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
rather that they turn from their evil ways and live. Turn! Turn from
your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?” We need to
remember this when we read the chilling words in verse 10 of chapter
9: “I will not look on them with pity or spare them.” We need to
remember that these words were being spoken by the God who longed more
than anything else to show pity, by the God who had spent centuries
withholding the full extent of his anger against their sin. As one
commentator has written, ‘if there was steel in His voice, there were
tears in the eyes and unbearable pain in the heart.’ These terrifying
words speak more loudly than anything of the detestable nature of
human sin and its need to be punished. And such reflections
ultimately drive us to think about the cross, for that is where we
find God’s infinite mercy and justice both on display before humanity
- because on the Cross, God’s love absorbed God’s justice in himself -
Jesus, God the Son, took the punishment we deserve.

In chapters 10 and 11, God’s glory departs the temple and then the
city of Jerusalem altogether - God abandons His home, His presence
with His people, which was symbolised by the holy of holies in the
temple. Chapter 10 is very reminiscent of the first vision in chapter
1, with similar descriptions of the living creatures and their
wheels. The two important things to note from this chapter are the
symbolic burning of Jerusalem, and the ‘glory of the LORD’ leaving the
temple. Notice in verse 2 that the “man clothed in linen” is told to
fill his hands with burning coals and then scatter them over the
city. Remember that Ezekiel had already mimed killing with the sword
and burning of the city with his hair - in chapter 9 we have the
killing by the sword replayed, and here in chapter 10 we have the
burning of Jerusalem foreshadowed again. In verses 18 and 19 we have
the description of the ‘glory of the LORD’ leaving the temple - this
manifestation of God’s presence moves from the threshold of the temple
where it had moved to in verse 4, to the entrance of the east gate.
God is departing from His people is the message - He cannot abide
their sin any longer - judgment has come.

In the first half of chapter 11 we have a final condemning of the
leaders of Judah. In verses 1 to 4 we get a description of 25
leaders, two of whom Ezekiel recognises and names. Verses 2 and 3
outline God’s assessment of their lack of leadership. Instead of
leading the people in repentance they are saying that all will be fine
- things will soon be so good that we will be building houses again.
And they see themselves as the important people - this is brought out
by the reference to the pot and the meat. The idea is that only the
choice cuts of meat were boiled in the pot - the offcuts or offal was
just thrown out or cooked on the open fire. They see themselves as
the favoured ones, while others less important are outside the pot,
such as the exiles taken from Jerusalem. As a result, God instructs
Ezekiel to prophesy against them from verses 4 to 12. They won’t be
protected by Jerusalem - God will drive them out by the sword.
Ezekiel’s words are broken by the death of one of the leaders being
spoken against in verse 13, but perhaps an even greater shock in
verses 14 and15 is Ezekiel’s discovery of what the people in Jerusalem
thought of the exiles in Babylon - they thought the exiles were being
rightly punished and that they could therefore inherit their land.

This leads to the final section of our passage in verses 16 to 25,
which is finally a prophecy of hope. In fact the shock of the
Israelites in Jerusalem not caring for their fellow countrymen in
exile is compounded here, because it will be the exiles who are the
remnant, who will return to Jerusalem in time, while those currently
still there will be destroyed. Those who seemed far away from God
would be brought close, while those in Jerusalem who thought they were
immune to judgment, were going to be undone by their continued
idolatry. This was a great surprise - and this prophecy of a return
from exile was fulfilled in another 53 years after the collapse of the
Babylonian empire, and what happened upon their return is recorded in
Ezra and Nehemiah. It was not God’s intention to annihilate his
people entirely -there was hope for Israel’s future. But even more
astounding then a promised return, was the promise that things would
be different. Look at verses 18 to 20 with me:
“They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable
idols. 19I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in
them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a
heart of flesh. 20Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to
keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.”

In verse 18, the predicted return of the exiles will see the removal
of idolatry from Judah. But this will be possible in verse 19,
because God will give them a new heart. The undivided heart and new
spirit will lead to obedience to God’s will in verse 20, and God will
once again be there God. Ezekiel realised (cf. 36:24-28) that if
things were going to change than a radical solution was needed.
Ultimately what was needed was an inward change - the heart stands for
the will. Israel’s hearts had been like stone - unconscious,
immobile, unresponsive to God. What was needed was a transformation.

In October of 1999 an 18 year old guy was driving a tractor on his
family farm near Armidale. His tractor rolled and tragically he was
crushed to death. Although brain dead, his heart was functioning.
His family decided to give his heart to someone needing a transplant,
that they might have life. They flew his body to Hunter hospital in
Newcastle and operated on his still warm body to remove his heart and
other organs. People often wait three or four years for a heart
transplant, wearing a pager that they might immediately be flown to a
donar - they need a transformation. It is ironic, but a person must
die to give them life.

It’s the same for a person spiritually - Ezekiel’s prophecy of hope is
a prediction of the new covenant, which he gives in greater detail in
chapters 36 and 37. It is fulfilled in Christ’s death and
resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. We only have
spiritual life because Christ died. We have forgiveness, a new heart,
a new life, because Christ died in our place. God’s people today are
the fulfilment of Ezekiel’s prophecy - we follow God’s decrees not
because we are better than they, but because the transformation has
occurred. God is changing us radically from within, by giving us His
Spirit. In verse 23 God had not only left the temple, He left the
city of Jerusalem, and the ‘glory of the Lord’ stopped above the
mountain to the east, the Mount of Olives. God’s judgement was
imminent, but there was a future hope for God’s people, and we’re part
of that fulfilment today.