Ezekiel 8 -- Evil In The Church

Ezekiel flashes back 24 years, remembering something that happened 6 years after their arrival in Babylon.  The older leaders of the exiles had gathered in his house and God enabled him to view what was happening in Jerusalem from Babylon!  He felt the power of God and saw the glory of God. My commentary said, “Above everything else, God’s servants need to focus on the glory of God.”  God wanted to show him what was really going on in the Temple.  “God was about to remove His glory and Ezekiel would watch it occur.  Without the presence of God, the temple was just another building,” my commentary added.

Ezekiel was allowed to see seventy elders burning incense before various idols, women openly participating in ceremonies to bring back a fertility god named Tammuz, and twenty-five men turning their backs on the Temple to worship the sun.  “While believers today may not bow before grotesque idols … we must still beware of idols, for an idol is anything that has our devotion and commands our will and takes the place of the true and living God,” it added.

Ezekiel now knew that the very core of the Jewish theocracy was afflicted by sin.  “Except for the faithful remnant, the Jewish people no longer feared God or cared about pleasing Him … When people lose their fear of God, they do as they please and don’t worry about the consequences.”  The people were justifying their sin by saying that God had forsaken the land.  “But the people had forsaken the Lord long before He forsook them.”

Father God, help us to examine what we’re doing today.  Examine our worship and our attitudes as a church and show us if there is anything or anyone we’ve placed above You.  Help us to make sure that it is You who commands our will and has our devotion and no one else.  Remind us that we must fear You and care about pleasing You.  Reveal anything that is separating us from You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford