{"id":10144,"date":"2020-07-07T20:00:44","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T03:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=10144"},"modified":"2020-07-05T18:01:10","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T01:01:10","slug":"ezekiel-8_1-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/ezekiel-8_1-18\/","title":{"rendered":"You Can\u2019t Hide From God"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ezekiel 8:1-18 \u00a0 \u00a0Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Ezekiel 8:1-18.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 8:1-6 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0came upon me there.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing–the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-6:\u00a0 Ezekiel is in his house having a meeting with the elders of Judah when all of a sudden he sees a vision (v1).\u00a0 In the vision Ezekiel sees a figure who waist down is full of fire and who waist up looks like glowing metal (v2).\u00a0 As verse 5 confirms, this figure is the same figure Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 1:26-27 and is a picture of the Lord (also known as a theophany).\u00a0 The Lord reaches out what looks like a hand, grabs Ezekiel by the hair, and pulls him into a vision of the temple in Jerusalem (v3).\u00a0 Ezekiel sees an idol standing in the north gate of the temple.\u00a0 This idol is called the idol of jealousy, probably because it stirred God\u2019s jealousy to see this idol standing in what was supposed to be His temple (v3, 5), even while the Lord himself and His glory is standing before Ezekiel (v4). The Lord calls the Israelites\u2019 idolatry \u201cutterly detestable\u201d (v6) and says that these are the kind of \u201cthings that will drive me far from my sanctuary\u201d (v6).\u00a0 And yet even more detestable things are still to come, the Lord says (v6).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 God detests idolatry.\u00a0 As He says in Isaiah 42:8, \u201c”I am the\u00a0LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.\u201d \u00a0A sure-fire way to grieve God\u2019s heart is to worship other gods.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ezekiel 8:7-13 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.”
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and detestable animals and all the idols of the house of Israel.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In front of them stood seventy elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The\u00a0LORD\u00a0does not see us; the\u00a0LORD\u00a0has forsaken the land.'”
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Again, he said, “You will see them doing things that are even more detestable.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 7-13:\u00a0 In Ezekiel\u2019s vision, the Lord brings Ezekiel to the entrance of the temple court, where he sees a hole in the wall and is told to dig into it.\u00a0 Ezekiel digs into the wall, finds a doorway, and further to God\u2019s instruction, goes in and sees\u00a0pictures of idols drawn in a hidden area within the temple.\u00a0 In Ezekiel\u2019s vision, 70 elders of Israel (possibly some of whom are in real life sitting in Ezekiel\u2019s house while Ezekiel is seeing this vision) are burning incense to these images.\u00a0 Among these elders is Jaazaniah, possibly the son of a former royal secretary to King Josiah called Shaphan and who had numerous family members in high places of authority (v11).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 The Israelite elders tried to keep their idolatry hidden and secret, but\u00a0you can\u2019t hide or keep secrets from God<\/strong>.\u00a0 As Psalm 90:8 says, \u201cYou have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cNothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.\u201d (Hebrews 4:13)\u00a0\u00a0And as Jesus Himself says, \u201cThere is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.\u201d (Matthew 10:26)<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 8:14-15 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then he brought me to the entrance to the north gate of the house of the\u00a0LORD, and I saw women sitting there, mourning for Tammuz.
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 14-15:\u00a0 This time Ezekiel sees women sitting at the entrance to the north gate of the temple.\u00a0 There they are mourning for Tammuz, the god of vegetation in Babylonian culture.\u00a0 This is yet another sign of the Israelites\u2019 idolatry.<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 8:16-18 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the\u00a0LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the house of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually provoke me to anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose!
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 16-18:\u00a0 In Ezekiel\u2019s vision, Ezekiel finds himself now in the inner court of God\u2019s house, known as one of the holiest areas of the temple where only priests could enter.\u00a0 There he finds men engaging in sun worship.\u00a0 It is not clear if these men are priests.\u00a0 If they are not priests, then they are twice violating God\u2019s law by entering an area where they were not allowed to be and also by worshiping an idol in this sacred place.\u00a0 If they are priests, then to allow idol worship in one of the most sacred areas of the temple and to engage in such idol worship themselves would be a total repudiation of their role as representatives of God.\u00a0 In response to all of this idolatry, God promises not to listen to these idol worshipers or spare them (v18).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from all this?\u00a0 All the idol worship that Ezekiel sees in this vision is taking place in the temple of God.\u00a0 Keep in mind that, as those who believe in Jesus Christ, our bodies and lives are called the temple of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0Since we are God\u2019s temple, we must be careful not to bow down to any idol.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, thank You for showing us through Your Word that nothing we do is hidden from Your sight.\u00a0 Thank You that even though nothing I do, think or say is hidden from You, still You love me with an unconditional love, which You expressed most of all when You sent Jesus Christ to die for all of my idolatrous ways.\u00a0 Now that by faith my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, I pray that I would put nothing else or no one else before You, that I would not bow down to any god other than You.\u00a0 You alone are worthy of my worship.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Ezekiel 8:1-18.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

On verses 1-6:\u00a0 Ezekiel is in his house having a meeting with the elders of Judah when all of a sudden he sees a vision (v1).\u00a0 In the vision Ezekiel sees a figure who waist down is full of fire and who waist up looks like glowing metal (v2).\u00a0 As verse 5 confirms, this figure is the same figure Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 1:26-27 and is a picture of the Lord (also known as a theophany).\u00a0 The Lord reaches out what looks like a hand, grabs Ezekiel by the hair, and pulls him into a vision of the temple in Jerusalem (v3).\u00a0 Ezekiel sees an idol standing in the north gate of the temple.\u00a0 This idol is called the idol of jealousy, probably because it stirred God\u2019s jealousy to see this idol standing in what was supposed to be His temple (v3, 5), even while the Lord himself and His glory is standing before Ezekiel (v4). The Lord calls the Israelites\u2019 idolatry \u201cutterly detestable\u201d (v6) and says that these are the kind of \u201cthings that will drive me far from my sanctuary\u201d (v6).\u00a0 And yet even more detestable things are still to come, the Lord says (v6).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 God detests idolatry.\u00a0 As He says in Isaiah 42:8, \u201c”I am the\u00a0LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.\u201d \u00a0A sure-fire way to grieve God\u2019s heart is to worship other gods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10145,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10144"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10147,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10144\/revisions\/10147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}