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God's Mark of Salvation

Ezekiel 9 introduces us to the Lord's manner of judgment upon Judah. The prophet is given a vision of executioners coming to the city. But strangely, these men of death are accompanied by a scribe. The pen is mightier than the sword.  Ezekiel 9:1–2 (ESV) Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, “Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.” 2 And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar. The movement starts with the Lord instructing the scribe to mark the foreheads of certain people. Sound familiar? Ezekiel 9:3–4 (ESV) Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. 4 And the
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The Glory Keeps You Going

Men seek glory. There's no doubt they will do almost anything to achieve it. They will write songs or plays to shock or inspire. They will fight in dangerous matches for sport against one another, or play a dangerous sport to win an award. They will even kill or destroy for their own name. Why? Because there's an inner desire for glory that cannot be quenched by self-glorification. The glory we were made for is the glory of God.  Ezekiel's prophetic work had to be hard among the exiles of Israel. Here was a nation in disarray and confused by false prophets, memories of former national glory, and an endless tunnel of exile in which there seemed to be no light to mark its end. To minister God's Word in such circumstances would have been demanding and exhausting. For Ezekiel, the one thing that kept him going had to be the repeated experiences with the GLORY of God. The glory of God keeps God's men and women going.  In the 8th chapter, we have another overpowering expe
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Getting to the End of God's Patience

Israel experienced centuries-long idolatry and cyclical obedience to God. But eventually, the end of God's grace came upon them. Ezekiel 7 picks up on that very word, "End" by repeating it several times in the early part of the chapter.  Ezekiel 7:1–2 (ESV) The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Ezekiel 7:5–6 (ESV) “Thus says the Lord GOD: Disaster after disaster! Behold, it comes. 6 An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes. There comes a time when God's grace ceases to overlook sin and starts to deal with sin in tangible "ends" for people in hard-hearted rebellion. For Israel, the end of their time in the land had finally come. They first welcomed sin into the land from the idolatrous practices of the other nations. Now the Lord would remove them from that land for a season of discipline.  Th
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Sin Pains the Heart of God

Ezekiel begins to pronounce judgment upon the people starting with the land and their idols. These alternative worship structures led Israel's heart away from the Lord. In dramatic language, Ezekiel 6 captures the nature of sin in a way we often don't think about. Sin breaks the heart of God.  Ezekiel 6:8–9 (ESV) “Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, 9 then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. God's work of discipline upon His people is always to reveal the nature of sin. Sometimes the cost that we incur upon ourselves through hurtful actions, and here by the brokenness of G
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The Economy of God's Calling

There's a Bible statement that every believer must take very seriously: To whom much is given, much is required (see Luke 12:48). That is, the more we know of the Lord, the more we understand His ways, the more revelation we have of Him, and the more blessings we have received of Him, the more accountable we are to Him. This is the case for Israel. Why does this nation suffer so much still to this day under the constant threat of persecution and suffering? They are His chosen. They are the people He called to Himself to bear His witness to the world. And they have done so in many ways. All of the Bible is written by them. All that we know of Christ has come from them. And much of our societal advancements originate in them. The wisdom of Solomon, which is STILL unmatched 2800 years later, is a testament to the depth of their heritage. The law of God is STILL the basis for much of society's social agreement.  But make no mistake, to whom much is given, much will be required. Eze
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Preacher Illustration

Every preacher loves a good sermon illustration. Sometimes, they use props. These are communication devices intended to help the hearer better catch the truth of God's Word in a multi-sensory experience that hearers can feel and experience. They are often what people remember after the sermon.  In Ezekiel's case, the sermon illustration was himself. The first part of chapter four seems harmless enough. He's asked to arrange some cookware and bricks around his house.  Ezekiel 4:1–3 (ESV) “And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. 2 And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around. 3 And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the house of Isra
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Binding of a Prophet

After the Lord calls Ezekiel to be His watchman over the people of Israel, the prophet has another powerful moment with the Holy Spirit that catches the reader's attention.  Ezekiel 3:22–23 (ESV) And the hand of the LORD was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my face. At first, this seems like a wonderful invitation from the Lord. Ezekiel is called to a valley and when he arrives, the glory of the Lord revisits the prophet. Yet consider what happens next: Ezekiel 3:24–25 (ESV) But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. The prophet bows d
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