Ichabod: When Elvis Is Not the Only One to Leave the Building

The prophet is not left wondering how God will discipline His people in Jerusalem. He hears God call in a loud voice, “Come near, executioners of the city, each of you with a destructive weapon in his hand” (9:1). The prophet then sees six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a war club in his hand. They came and stood beside the bronze altar. God instructed the men to “pass through the city . . . and start killing; do not show pity or spare them! Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, as well as the older women and little children.” They were to begin at His sanctuary and with the elders who were in front of the temple. The Lord told the executioners to “defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out killing people in the city.

In Ezekiel 9 we are taught afresh that God will not let sin go unpunished forever. Most likely what Ezekiel saw in the vision as “six men” would be invading countries in reality—Babylon in particular. God disciplines those who do what is detestable in His sight. But we are left wondering, what about the older women and little children? And the answer is that God never punishes an innocent person. Jerusalem was not full of victims but sinners (12:19).

God informed Ezekiel,

The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity. For they say, “The Lord has abandoned the land; He does not see.” But as for Me, I will not show pity or spare them. I will bring their actions down on their own heads. (9:9-10)

God is not doing something strange. He is doing what He told them He would do (Lev 26:14-33). He is punishing sin. It is a sad day when God’s judgment is more surprising than His grace. God is exercising His sovereign right to withhold mercy and instead to repay His people’s rebellion with His wrath.

All of God’s enemies will ultimately be destroyed (Phil 3:19; Matt 7:13; Rev 20:13-15). When we think of the Devil and death, then we rejoice in their destruction and the Lord’s triumph. We affirm the repayment of their wrongs. But when we think of our loved ones, our friends, our neighbors, and our coworkers who have never yielded their lives to Christ, then celebrating the judgment of God is a little more difficult. When we think of people groups who have never heard the gospel, we know they will be without excuse before the Father, but we are broken that many of them are perishing without ever hearing of Christ. Neither ignorance nor innocence will be an acceptable plea before the Lord’s throne. All will receive what is fair—the punishment of their sin.

It would be a mistake to consider God’s judgment in this passage and think we deserve any less. Even more tragic would be to see the events of the chapter and to sit silent with the gospel. The wonder in this passage is not that so many are being disciplined but that any would be delivered. Yet God will have His remnant.

God’s Deliverance

In his day Moses once stood at the entrance of the camp of God’s people and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me,” and we are told that all the Levites gathered around him (Exod 32:26). Based on all that has been revealed so far in Ezekiel 1–9, if Ezekiel stood at the gates of Jerusalem and asked the same question, we might doubt any would gather around the prophet. But we would be wrong.

God’s judgment is so severe in Jerusalem that Ezekiel is left wondering, “Oh, Lord God! Are You going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel when You pour out Your wrath on Jerusalem?” (9:8). But the Lord knows those who are His (2 Tim 2:19). When God called the executioners of the city, there was another man among them, clothed in linen, with writing equipment at his side. God told this man to “pass throughout the city of Jerusalem . . . and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the detestable practices committed in it.” He also told the executioners, “Do not come near anyone who has the mark.” The man clothed in linen with the writing equipment at his side reported back, “I have done as You commanded me.”

Apparently all is not lost in Jerusalem. Or more correctly, apparently all are not lost in Jerusalem. Despite rampant idolatry and depravity, God still had those who shone like stars in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation (Phil 2:15). There were some who, rather than joining the sin that surrounded them, grieved it. Perhaps some of these were the Levitical priests descended from Zadok (44:15). Ezekiel is not told the exact number in the group that will be preserved, only that the man clothed in linen with the writing equipment at his side had done his job. If the events of Ezekiel 9 were to take place today, how many of us would be in the group that was sighing, and how many of us would be in the group that was sinning? Are we grieved when those around us go away from God or act as if He does not see them? Or are we joining them?

As God’s children, we should never be content with sin in our lives or the lives of those around us. We should not lead others to sin, nor should we sit silent, like Adam, when they head toward it themselves. Doing and saying nothing while others engage in rebellion toward God is never a loving action. The best way, of course, to feel the same way God does toward sin is to ask Him. We should pray and ask God to put distaste for sin in our lives and to break our hearts for what breaks His.2 I pray it will be clear in our cities that we are on the side of our Savior and not the side of sin.

Though we may not have a physical sign on our forehead, as God’s children we too have been marked. We who are in Christ have been “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph 1:13-14). We are both preserved and persevere because of His presence in our lives. As He leads us to obey, one of the clearest ways we can identify as being on the Lord’s side is with our baptism. If the Spirit is our seal, then baptism is our sign. We profess to all that we are no longer our own but have been purchased by Christ. Our lives are now yielded to His purposes and no longer to just our cravings.

God’s Departure

Though more dramatic moves of the glory of the Lord will be revealed in the next two chapters, one can already see the beginning of the Lord’s departure from Jerusalem in Ezekiel 9. Ezekiel saw the glory of the God of Israel rise from above the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. As severe as the Lord’s discipline is, nothing is more tragic than His departure. In Ezekiel 9 the Lord begins to move His glory away from those who had moved away from Him.

Our God Is a Consuming Fire

Ezekiel 10:1-22

The Removal of His Glory (10:18-22)

If a contemporary idiom were used to describe God’s actions in Ezekiel 10, it would be “going out in a blaze of glory.” God is clearly on the move. This is why Ezekiel is given another vision of God’s throne chariot (10:1). The prophet will see God’s glory fill the temple and the court (v. 4) and then move from the threshold of the temple to the entrance to the eastern gate of the Lord’s house (vv. 18-20). Ultimately God’s glory will leave the city (11:23).

God’s presence is a blessing. Stuart notes, “The presence of God is a sign of His favor (Deut 4:29,31) whereas the absence of God is a sign of His rejection (Deut 31:17,18)” (Stuart, Preacher’s Commentary, 92). God has been patient with those in Jerusalem; yet they never wavered in their rebellion. His patience has run out, and His punishment is beginning with the most severe consequence—not their death but His departure.

The Refining of His Glory (10:1-8)

Before leaving town, God has one more assignment for the man clothed in linen. In the previous chapter he passed through Jerusalem and marked those who sighed and groaned over all the detestable practices committed in it (9:4). His next assignment from the Lord is to go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim, fill his hands with hot coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city. While Ezekiel watched, the man went in and stood beside a wheel. A cherub reached out his hand to the fire that was among the cherubim. He took some, and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out.

With hands full of coals that originated from the blazing glory of God, the man will rain down God’s punishment on Jerusalem. As much as the residents of Jerusalem might have hoped for an experience like Isaiah had with God’s coals (Isa 6:6-7), they were going to get an experience more consistent with Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:1-29). With their destruction and God’s departure, the people of Jerusalem will know firsthand what it means for God to be a consuming fire (Heb 12:29).

The Reminder of His Glory (10:9-17)

Why is Ezekiel given the privilege of seeing God’s throne chariot for a second time? I believe one reason is so he will be humbled again by God’s glory. Who can see what Ezekiel saw and not be led to humility, worship, and appreciation for how awesome the Lord’s presence is? I think a second reason Ezekiel is shown the wheelwork again is to be reminded God is free to go wherever He wants to go. The temple is not a prison for God but a protection for His people so He can dwell with them and not destroy them. He is done with His people in Jerusalem, but He is not done with His people in exile. Though they cannot come to His sanctuary, He will go to them and be theirs (11:16).

To Be in the Midst of Discipline with the Lord Is Better Than Being in the Middle of Disobedience Without Him

Ezekiel 11:1-25

God’s Declaration to the Deceitful (11:1-13)

To be self-deceived is one thing; to spread those delusions and contribute to the destruction and death of others is another. On His way out of town, God stops at the eastern gate of the Lord’s house. Lifted by the Spirit, Ezekiel joins Him there and sees 25 men, among whom are Jaazaniah son of Azzur (not the same man from 8:11) and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. We do not know anything about these men except they had risen to a position of influence over others in Jerusalem.

Considering that the best and brightest leaders of God’s people had already been carried to Babylon, those who remained in Jerusalem should have been careful whom they chose to be their leaders. Tragically, they picked men who planned evil and gave wicked advice in Jerusalem. Jaazaniah and Pelatiah would say to the people, “Isn’t the time near to build houses? The city is the pot, and we are the meat.” In case you do not use this phrase too often, the leaders were saying, “We are the chosen ones, and just like the meat goes in the pot and the entrails are discarded, we’ve been kept in the city and the others taken away.” They were encouraging the people to build houses because they believed the land had been given to them as a possession (11:15). Their inflated view of themselves had to be based on their location because it was certainly not based on their sanctification. “We are in Jerusalem. We have the temple. Nothing is going to harm us. Let’s settle down again and build homes. We are safe.” Sadly, nothing could have been further from the truth.

After seeing the leaders and hearing what they were saying, Ezekiel is informed that he is to prophesy against them. The Spirit of the Lord came on the prophet and he told them, I know the thoughts that arise in your mind. You have multiplied your slain in this city, filling its streets with the dead. Their distorted thinking led to disobedient living. They failed to follow Yahweh’s statutes and practice His ordinances, choosing instead to act according to the nations around them (11:12). God would not tolerate their evil leadership anymore; instead He would bring their actions down on their own heads (v. 21).

Humbling those with inflated egos has never been a problem for God (Dan 4:28-33; Luke 12:13-21; Acts 12:20-25). Since the leaders in Jerusalem lacked proper perspective, God would provide it for them through His prophet. Ezekiel was told to say,

The slain you have put within it are the meat, and the city is the pot, but I will remove you from it. You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you. . . . I will bring you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners; I will execute judgments against you. You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. (11:7-11)

The myth of their favored position came crashing down quickly, especially when Pelatiah son of Benaiah died while Ezekiel was prophesying.

Were it not for God’s grace, we would be no different than Jaazaniah and Pelatiah. We would be full of ourselves, full of confidence, and full of sin. We would make wrong assessments based on our own wisdom and all the while spew religious speech from our mouths. We would not only be self-deceived but also lead others in our deceit. Thankfully, God rescues us from ourselves. In seeing Him rightly we see everything else more clearly, including ourselves.

We should not move beyond the first part of Ezekiel 11 without considering those we follow. Who has influence over us? Are they giving us a true message from the Lord or just a message from themselves? Are they considering our circumstances through the Lord’s lens or their own? The best way to know if we can trust those who lead us is how they handle God’s Word and how they live it (Heb 13:7). Do they practice what they preach, and are they progressing in Christ (1 Tim 4:15)? Do those we follow look more like Jesus this year than they did last year, and are they helping us do the same? If so, then they are worthy of our trust.

God’s Deliverance of the Deported (11:15-25)

As overwhelmed as the exilic leaders in Babylon must have been due to all the Lord had revealed to them, I believe the final portion of the vision surprised them the most. Up to this point in Ezekiel 8–11, God’s actions were driven by His holiness, but what comes next is entirely because He is gracious. Ezekiel was told to speak for the Lord and say,

Though I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone. (11:16)

As unlikely as they thought it was, even in Babylon God was Jehovah-Shammah (“Yahweh is there”; 48:35). God left His temple to be their sanctuary.

They had not been deported because God was asleep or because He was weak. God had not been overpowered by another god and proven incapable of protecting His people. In fact, the opposite was true. He sent and He scattered, but He will also be the One who sustains. Those with Ezekiel will come to understand being in the midst of discipline with the Lord is better than being in the middle of disobedience without Him.

The Lord had more good news to share through Ezekiel. He would not leave His people in foreign lands forever but would gather them and give them the land of Israel. For God’s people exile is always an opportunity for exodus. Because of His mercy the time of discipline would come to an end, and He would deliver His people again.

Once home God’s people will remove all the detestable things and practices from it. The punishment will not be without purpose. Those who were sent away will one day return to Jerusalem and put away all that previously led them away from the Lord. For those of us in Christ, are we doing the same? Are we putting sin to death by the power of the Spirit (Rom 8:13)? Are we putting away what belonged to our worldly nature (Col 3:5)? Israel could never seem to remove fully the detestable things from their land. What will be different this time? Will it be because God’s people make strong resolutions and commitments within themselves to live differently? No, they will change their homeland because God will change their hearts.

God is going to give them one heart and put a new spirit within them. He will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh. The result will be that God’s people will follow His statutes and keep His ordinances. He will not only empower them to do His will but also to desire it (Phil 2:13). After all this occurs, God says, “Then they will be My people, and I will be their God” (11:20). This, of course, was the whole point of the first exodus.

As glorious as the news was for the exiles in Babylon, we have received even greater blessings. For us God is not only Jehovah-Shammah but also Emmanuel. Jesus is God dwelling with us. In Christ, God lived among His people like never before. But in the gift of His Spirit, He is now the God who dwells in us. What both Ezekiel and Jeremiah prophesied (Jer 31:31-34) we know in reality. Instead of going to the sanctuary, we have become it (1 Cor 6:19; Eph 2:18-22).

Even in exile God’s people were incapable of cleansing themselves or changing their ways. If God had waited on His people to realize the gravity of their rebellion on their own, they would have never repented. Even though they had gone away from Him, God chose still to pursue them and meet them in their worst state. He did all that was necessary to forever change them and us (Eph 2:1-10). The gospel is not a message of cleaning yourself up and doing something to get God’s attention. The gospel is not about working our way to heaven. The gospel is the news that Christ left heaven to live among, atone for, and rescue the exiles. All that God expects from us, He provides for us in Christ. This was great news for those sitting with Ezekiel in Chaldea and for wherever you are sitting today.

Reflect and Discuss