EZEKIEL - CHAPTERS 5-8 The Word Which I have spoken shall be Done, Saith the Lord
“The Word Which I have spoken shall be Done, Saith the Lord”
(Ezekiel 12:28b)
Jehovah-Makkeh
(The Lord Who Strikes)
And
His Holy Remnant
(Ezekiel 5-8)
Taught by: Carolyn Sissom
Chapter five is the conclusion of the four prophetic symbolic acts the Lord required of Ezekiel to portray the coming desolation of Jerusalem.
- The Sign of the tile (4: 1-3)
- The Sign of the Prophet’s Position(4:4-8)
- The Sign of the Polluted Bread 4:9-17)
- The Sign of the Barber’s Razor (5: 1-4)
“It is interesting that God chose to use His dumb-stricken prophet as a sidewalk artist and a side show demonstration of Judah’s troubles. For sure, the crowd did not understand Ezekiel’s frenzied shave and a haircut as the parallel of Jerusalem.
Multiple times with loosened tongue, clapping hands, and stomping feet, the prophet spoke to the mountains and man’s methods of worship so they should know who is the Lord. In chapter Seven, the prophet announces Jehovah-Makkeh, the Lord who strikes. The prophet was told to declare that it would be counterproductive to withhold judgment. The people should anticipate financial and social disintegration.
There were numerous abominations that brought the judgment:
- At the king’s entrance, the image of jealousy;
- Within the secret enclosure, seventy elders’ chambers of imagery;
- Into the outer court of the Temple, women weeping for a vegetable god;
- In the inner court, twenty-five priest worshiping the sun!
Having close association with the process of judgment, the cherubims escorted the visible evidence of God’s glory from the inner court of the Temple beyond the eastern gate.
Overwhelmed by the blindness of Judah’s leaders, Ezekiel is comforted by the promise of one heart and a new Spirit for a remnant. But presently, the glory departs eastward to the mountain to brood over the city.
What a dramatic presentation: Scene One, Ezekiel packs with nowhere to go; and Scene Two, Ezekiel shivers over starvation rations: Curtain Call, “What I have spoken, now will I do, saith the Lord.”(12:28b)” P.P.T. K.V.
5:1: The sign of the shaved head and the beard. After the famine of Chapter four, Judah will suffer the humiliation of military defeat at the hands of the armies of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Jerusalem who set in the midst of the nations had rebelled against Jehovah, and for this He was against her. A third part of the people were to die by the pestilence in the midst of the city, another third would die in battle round about her, and the remaining third would be scattered to the winds. Yet there would be a righteous remnant protected by God and his prophets.
The sign of the shaved head and beard speaks of the shameful military defeat of Jerusalem. Israel was called to be a light and witness of the one True God. This points to the idolatry in the end time move of God of those who fall prey to:
- The fire (tale bearing) = famine (no bread or water, Word and Worship) inside the city, church or nation. (11-17)
- The sword (1 Pet. 5:8) = (outside influences) “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. Who resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
- The Wind of strange doctrines (Eph. 4: 13-16) “that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning, craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”
Here the sword is a symbol for the king of Babylon as it was of the king of Assyria in Isa. 7:20. The hair of the priest was a mark of his consecration to God’s service (Lev. 21:5; 19:27). Shaving all the hair was a sign of humiliation (11 Sam. 10: 4-5), catastrophe (Jer. 41:5), and mourning (Job. 1:21; Isa. 22:12; J34. 7:29). The balances showed that the judgment was a fair and discriminate one. God is just. (Jer. 15:2)
5:3: “You shall take a few in number and bind them to your skirts”. This verse indicates a righteous remnant and points to the overcomer.
Sue Baird’s Outline:
- Hair-raising illustration.
- Heart-rending explanation.
As the explanation for these judgment were given there is the repetition, “I the Lord have spoken it.”
Chapter Six and Seven are a Dirge (funeral song) over the destruction and desolation of the land of Israel whereby they would come to know that He is God. Chapter Six deals with judgments upon the Mountains of Israel. These were the high places used as outdoor pagan sanctuaries. The symbolic meaning of mountains in the Bible are kingdoms. Thus we see God’s judgment upon idolatrous kingdoms among God’s people. (Dan. 7:2: 33-44; Ex. 20: 1-4).
The word of the Lord had been addressed to Jerusalem. Now the prophet begins to speak against the whole land. In contrast with this chapter, 36:1-5 the mountains of Israel are again addressed in the context of promised restoration.
Chapters 6-7 elaborate upon the symbolism of Chapter 5. The remnant is again mentioned in 6:8 “Yet will I leave a remnant that you may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when you shall be scattered through the countries.” Again the repeated statement in 6:7; 13;14;7:4;9; “And you shall know that I am the Lord that smiteth.” (Verse 6:11) “Thus saith the Lord God; Smite with your hand and stomp with your fort, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.”
This shows that the people will be compelled to recognize God’s words by His acts of righteous judgment since they failed to recognize His Word by the mouth of his prophet. God will still be God.
12:25-28: “For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God. Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, behold they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he sees is for many days to come, and he prophesies of the times that are far off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done saith the Lord. God.
Sue Baird’s Outline of chapter six is:
6: 1-7: - Prophesy the judgment of idolatry.
6: 8-10 – Predict the Escape of a Remnant
6: 11-14 – Purpose the Return of Reverence.
Chapter Seven is a poetical lamentation and points to the Day of the Lord when every idol shall be dealt with (1 Cor. 3: 1-15) “Every man’s work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
The Day of the Lord is day and night at the same time. (Isa. 60: “Arise, shine, for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon you, and his glory shall be seen upon you.”
Supposing the date of the prophecy to be the same as that of the preceding, there were now but four or perhaps three years to the final overthrow and defeat of the Kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar.
7:6 “An end is come, the end is come.” Is the theme of this chapter.
Sue Baird’s Outline:
7: 1-2 – Certainty of the Judgment.
7: 13-18 – Paralysis of the People
7: 19-22 – Sense of Poverty
7: 23-27 – Sign of Captivity
Chapter 8: This chapter introduces a new section of the book comprising a series of visions. The visions in chapters 4-7 were directed against Judah and Israel; those in chapters 8-11 refer to Jerusalem and the remnant of Judah under King Zedekiah.
Ezekiel carefully dated the visions in this chapter. There is some discussion as to whether he was translated to Jerusalem or was in the ecstasy of prophetic vision. The Word says it was by visions. “And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looks toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.”
I posted a Word on this verse this week. He was transported in Spirit at Jerusalem where God showed him the idolatries being practiced in the temple. The image of jealousy may have been Astarte (the Syrian Venus). The worship of the Egyptian Osiris, who was thought of as guaranteeing a happy life after death (8: 7-13). It was led by Jaazaniah 11, whose father Shaphan had been a leader in Josiah’s reformation (11 Kg. 22:8), and whose brothers Ahikam and Gemariah were Jeremiah’s close friends (Jer. 26:24; 3610; 25). Even while Jeremiah himself was crying out in horror at the sacrilege, Ezekiel also saw Tammuz (8:14) who was the Babylonian Adonis, consort of the Syrian Venus, whose worship was celebrated in wild orgies of immoral indulgence. Judah had sunk into the depths of idolatrous infamy!
(4-6) Here Ezekiel sees the sins of the people and the priesthood. Sin in the outer court, (Salvation and Jesus Christ). The Holy Place (Pentecost and the Holy Ghost) and the Most Holy Place (Tabernacles, Glory and Father God). The greater abominations are in the realm of Pentecost. Yet it was still his sanctuary.
Here we are shown the Mystery of iniquity (11 Thess. 2) where the man of sin ( the carnal mind) sits enthroned in the Tempe or “Naos” of God as the very spirit of anti-christ.
Consider the turmoil of the prophet’s heart as he once again contemplates the vision of the Glory of the Lord (8: 1-3) and the contrast of the awful spiritual condition of the people. Note Jerusalem’s idolatry:
- 8:3-5 – The image of jealousy in the temple of God. (Dt. 32:16)
- 8: 6-12 – Idolatry practiced in secret by the influential leaders.
- 8: 13-14: The worship of Tammuz (or Adonis). Tammuz was a Sumerian god of vegetation who in popular mythology died and became the god of the underworld. The cult associated with him was partly a mourning ritual, but also incorporated fertility rites. He came to be linked with the names of Adonis and Aphrodite (Greek)
- 8: 15-16: The worship of the sun with the priests back to the Temple and to God. Their backs to the most Holy Place means they rejected the high calling (Phil. 3:14).
The twenty-five men speaks of the priesthood = 24 orders of courses plus the one high priest. (I Chron. 24)
Sue Baird’s Outline:
- Cause of judgment
- Crimes of idolatry.
a. Animal worship
b. Nature Worship
c. Sun Worship
d. Lust – Adonis- anti-christ and its humanistic substitutes and alternatives for the plan and ways of God. It is in the entry (the pharisaical concepts which block the eye gate and the ear gate – Matt. 23:13).
Bro. Bill Britton comments on verse 16:
There was an attitude of despising toward the House of God. And God said, ‘this is more detestable...this is worse…’ Now when people get into a bad attitude and they have spirits toward one another, or toward the House of God, or toward the leadership thereof, that’s one thing, but the leaders are judged more strictly. Those that presume to teach the word are judged by a stricter, stronger, tougher standard. So what happens when a leader, a man of God…one who has stood up and has shown the way…what happens when he falls? Is there any hope for him? Of course there’s hope for him thank God, but…God’s got a hard way for him to go…this inner court…was down here in the spirit realm, and this is where God is coming to deal with…right down in the Holy of Holies, in our spirits. It’s one thing for preachers…to be involved with drunkenness or adultery…but when you let evil spirits come in and take over in your spirit, and then you are guilty of getting up and ministering to the Body of Christ under the influence of those spirits that are in you, you are going to be imparting the thing that is living within you…” (BB)
Brother Britton notes that the prophet was caught up between heaven and earth – he calls this mid-heaven realm the realm of soul or mind. He also likens the realm of “the Chambers of (their) imagery) in verse 12 to be the realm of soul or imagination. He further notes (as seen above) the inner court of verse 16 to be the realm of Spirit.
We know this to be the “Second Heaven” or the abode of demons.
8:1-3: The Vision: The hand of the Lord God fell there upon me. Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of the loins even downward fire: and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness as the color of amber.”
Here again we see The Lord Jesus Christ with the legs as pillars of fire. The Hand is the same vision as in Chapter One which Ezekiel saw in his vision as well as The Hand of the Lord that was upon him throughout the book. As well as this hand is described in 1 Kings 18:44: “And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, behold, there arises a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand, and He said, go up, say unto Ahab, prepare your chariot, and get thee down, that the rain will not stop you.”
The Hand and the Spirit are linked together.
The Amber represents the Breastplate of judgment.
The knowledge of sin requires revelation (II Th. 2).
The inner Gate that looks toward the North (Judgment). This would be the Brazen Altar = Calvary’s Cross and his finished work. (Ex. 27: 1-8)
The Fiery One who apprehended the prophet had been through the Fire and was a flame of fire and a fire carrier. "I will make my ministers flames of fire."
The Glory of the Lord rests in the threshold of the Temple to execute vengeance before it departs from the House altogether. (10:18).
8:7-12: Bro. Britton says this is a judgment of our thoughts (11 Cor. 10: 3-6). The hole is (according to Bill Britton) a weakness in the defense of the temple through which the enemy comes in. He comes in darkness (confusion and depression). The hole is small (song 2:15) and opens the door for other spirits (Matt. 12: 43-45).
8:10: The creeping things of 8:10 pertain to the realm of the dust or the carnal mind and have two primary examples:
Serpents = humanistic wisdom, perverted and twisted, which finds expression through the Jacob nature which is scheming and manipulative. Soft-spoken flattery and deceit.
Worms = humanistic humility, perverted and twisted, which is based upon a self-righteous Pharisaical sprit that is religious but not spiritual. Syrupy sweetness.
8:11 - The Seventy Elders symbolize the sins of the whole nation.
Every man with a censer in his hand= ministry.
A thick cloud of incense = worship, praise and prayer went up with strange fire (Lev. 10) we can compare this to the strange smell in chapter 4.
It seems as one moves further into the recesses of the Temple, and closer to the throne of God, sin becomes exceeding sinful. However, the sin did not cross the golden altar. Verse 16: “he brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar.”
I do not believe that anyone with sin can pass the Golden Altar into the Glory of the Lord. By vision, I have stood at the Golden Altar and was told I could not cross over with sin in my carnal imagery. However in chapter 9, we see the Glory of the Lord leave the Temple.
In Chapter Nine, we have the slaughter of Jerusalem’s idolaters except for those who were marked and thus preserved.
9:1-2: He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lies toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand, and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.
This chapter is too rich for me to skim over it. These seven men would be Jesus and six angels of destruction.
We will continue here next week.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.