In our study of Ezekiel chapter eight, we look at the charges presented against Israel prior to her judgment at the hand of God. In our world today, this list of charges against the accused is called an indictment.
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On the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year, as I was sitting in my house, and the leaders of Y'hudah were sitting there with me, the hand of Adonai ELOHIM fell on me. I looked and saw what seemed like a man made of fire. From what appeared to be his waist downward was fire, and from his waist upward was what appeared to be a gleaming amber-colored brilliance.
We see the timing of the events of this chapter and are reminded that there is significance in the details of the numbers. Throughout the Bible, the number six is associated with man's works and the number five is associated with grace (God's work on our behalf). In the timing of this vision, we see that there was a battle going on between works and grace. We also see that some of those that are going to be indicted were sitting with Ezekiel in his house. That reminds us of the fact that our relationship with God is not about our physical location but about the condition of our hearts. Ezekiel saw a vision of Jesus Christ and the top part was light which comes from the very words of God (see Genesis 1:3). The bottom half was like fire which is a symbol of the holiness and presence of God. In this vision of Christ, we see that this indictment is being handed down by God Himself as the Creator of the world.
The form of a hand was put out, which took me by a lock of my hair; and a spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me, in these visions from God, to Yerushalayim, to the entrance of the inner [courtyard] gate that faces north. There stood the idol that [arouses God's] jealousy and provokes [his] zealous indignation. There before me was the glory of the God of Isra'el, as in the vision I had seen in the valley.
Jesus grabbed Ezekiel by the hair and lifted him up to take him to Jerusalem. Why would Jesus lift him up by the hair? We have probably all seen a parent grab their child by the hair and it is not a good thing as it is usually done as a last resort to get their attention. We saw that some of the people that were taking part in Israel's idolatry were sitting with Ezekiel in his house. This grabbing him by the hair to take him to see what they were doing was a last resort to get Ezekiel to see them as they were and not as they appeared to be. The first charge against Israel is presented by the fact that they had a graven image set up in the temple with the very presence of God.
Then he said to me, "Human being, raise your eyes toward the north." I raised my eyes toward the north and saw, north of the Altar Gate, this image that [arouses God's] jealousy in the entryway. He asked me, "Human being, do you see what they are doing, the horribly disgusting practices that the house of Isra'el is committing here, so that I must distance myself from my own sanctuary? But you will see even worse abominations."
What was this "idol of jealousy"? In 2 Kings 21, we see that Manasseh had set up an Asherah pole in the temple which was removed by Josiah. This idol is probably that Asherah pole that they had kept and now brought out like Manasseh had done before.
He brought me to the entrance of the courtyard; and when I looked, I saw a hole in the wall. He said to me, "Human being, dig into the wall." After digging in the wall, I saw a door. "Go in," he said, "and see the wicked practices they are engaged in here." So I went in and looked, and there, carved on the walls all around, were every kind of reptile and repulsive animal, along with all the idols of the house of Isra'el.
Now, Ezekiel is taken to a basement area where there were all kinds of pictures of animals and idols on the wall. This would have been like a secret sanctuary but, as we see, God knew that it was there even though the common people may not have.
Standing in front of them were seventy of the leading men of the house of Isra'el - in the center stood Ya'azanyahu the son of Shafan. Each man had his incense-burner in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up. Then he said to me, "Human being, did you see what the leaders of the house of Isra'el are doing in the dark, each one in the room of his own carved image, because they say, 'ADONAI can't see us; ADONAI has left the land.'?" He also said to me, "You will see even worse abominations that they are doing."
We see that the leaders of Israel were in this little secret sanctuary bowing down to idols. These were the same elders that were sitting with Ezekiel in his house. They were saying in their hearts that they would replace God with all kinds of animal gods because He had abandoned them.
He brought me to the entrance of the north gate to ADONAI's house; and there before me were women weeping for Tammuz. "Human being," he asked me, "have you seen this? You will see practices even more disgusting than these."
Tammuz was the Babylonian god of spring vegetation and supposed died in the fall only to be resurrected in the spring. These women were the nature worshippers of the time and worshipped the creation instead of the Creator. Today, there are the same type of people that praise the creation while denying the hand of the Creator.
He brought me into the inner courtyard of ADONAI's house; and there, at the entrance to the temple of ADONAI, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of ADONAI and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east.
The lowest was when they drew near the entrance to the temple and saw men worshiping the rising sun. They had their back to the temple and this was like a slap in the face to God. The equivalent today would be those that do all of the astrology stuff.
He asked me, "Human being, have you seen this? Does the house of Y'hudah consider it a casual matter that they commit the disgusting practices they are committing here, thus filling the land with violence, provoking me still more? Look! They are even putting the branch to their nose! Therefore I will act in fury, my eye will not spare, I will have no pity. Even if they cry loudly right in my ears, I will not listen to them."
The sins of the people did not even bother them as they would take part in their idolatry and then attend the temple worship. Putting the branch to their nose was a ceremonial gesture of honoring idols. This was also a reminder that God's people had become a stench to Him. Israel was supposed to be a blessing and a light to the world but now they have sunk even lower than some of the nations around them.
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