Ezekiel Chapter 9 and 10

I.       Ezekiel Chapter 9: People in Jerusalem were Slain

God called the six men, each with his weapon in his hand, to destroy the entire Jerusalem. The glory of God went from the ark to the threshold of the house, indicating that God was about to leave the mercy seat to punish the people. The remnants, who had been redeemed, had a mark put upon their foreheads because they repented and groaned over all the abominations that had been committed in the city; they segregated and did not defile themselves in the tumultuous world.  The massacre started from the sanctuary; judgment began from the household of God.

A.     God summoned the men, who carried destroying weapons in their hands, to punish the sinful city. There was a man clothed in linen, and he had the writing case at his side, putting a mark upon the foreheads of the remnants (1~2).

B.     The wrath of God poured down, destroying the entire city (3~8)

1.        The glory of God departed

 a.      First it went away from the cherubim to the threshold of the house (10:4)

 b.      Next it went forth from the threshold of the house (10:18)

 c.      Then it went up from the holy city to Mount of Olives (11:23)

 d.      Later it would return (43:2~5)

2.        Putting a mark on the foreheads of the people, who grieved for all the abominations, that they would not be slain (4).

·         The sign of the blood of Lamb (Ex 12:13); the seal of the Holy Spirit (Rev 7:3, 14:1)

3.        Extermination began at the sanctuary; the house was defiled, and the courts were filled with the slain (5~7; 1 Pet 4:17)

4.        Leaving Ezekiel alone to pray for the remnants (8)

·         Intercessions of the prophets (Gen 18:23~32; Ex 32:31~32; Jer 14:17~18; Amos 7:6)

C.     Ezekiel’s prayer was not  granted (9~11)

1.        The people forsook the true God and returned to idolatry. Their guilt was exceedingly great, and the land was full of blood; they thought that God did not see (9)

2.        God would requite the deeds of the people upon their heads; He would not spare their sins, nor would He have pity (10)

3.        The man who carried the writing case executed God’s command; he protected the remnants during the destruction. (11; ref: Gen 18:15; 2 Pet 2:6; Rev 18:4)

II.    Ezekiel Chapter 10: Jerusalem was burnt with Fire

God ordered the man clothed in linen to take fire from between the cherubim and to scatter the fire over the city of Jerusalem. This is the vision about executing God’s judgment. God is holy and righteous. He punished the sinful Jerusalem, but in the city He also redeemed the ones who grieved for the abominations. The Lord’s salvation on the cross manifested God’s righteousness to people who believe in Him, show loyalty to Him, and keep His commandments; however, the Lord has distinctly announced the judgment of death to those who refuse the salvation.

In BC 586, Jerusalem was destroyed; the people were either captured or killed (2 Kings 25:9).

A.     Taking the burning coals to scatter over the city (1~8)

1.        The man clothed in linen took fire from between the cherubim to scatter it over the city. The fire of God’s wrath was poured down onto Jerusalem to execute judgment (2:6~7).

2.       An image of the throne appeared in the firmament that was over the heads of the cherubim (1). The glory of God exalted; sheen of glory filled the inner court (3~5).

B.     God’s four wheels and the cherubim (9~14)

1.        There were four wheels beside the cherubim; and they had the same likeness in color and shape. The wheels went in any of their four directions without turning as they went (9~11).

2.        The entire cherubim and the wheels were full of eyes round about (12), symbolizing the omniscience of God. In Revelation chapter four, the four living creatures were full of eyes in front and behind.

3.        The wheels spun (namely the whirling wheels). The cherubim had four faces: the face of a cherub (in chapter one it was the face of an ox), the face of a man, the face of a lion, and the face of an eagle (13~14).

·         In the Old Testaments, the cherubim protected the ark and guarded the way to the tree of life (Gen 3:24; Ezek 28:13~14).

 a.      Treasure of God? (Ezek chapter 1; 1 Sam 4:4; Ps 80:1, 99:1)

 b.      Chariot of God (Ps 18:10, 104:3)

 c.      Ornaments of the house (1 Sam 6:23~24)

C.     The glory of God left the house gradually (15~22)

·         The glory of God went over the cherubim and stood at the threshold of the house; then the glory of God and the cherubim stood at the door of the east gate, indicating that God gradually left the house and forsook His chosen people.

1.        The cherubim lifted up, and the wheels also lifted up (15~17)

2.        The glory of God lifted up with the cherubim (18~19)

3.        The cherubim were the living creatures underneath the glory of God, and they were the image of the living creatures.

·         Vision by the river Chebar:

This is the place where the people were taken. The captured people had been obedient, so the glory of God manifested when He blessed them. The rebellious people who remained in Jerusalem were being cursed, and that was the manifestation of the righteousness of God (15, 20 & 22).