Visions of the Kingdom

Visions of the Kingdom: Week 10

Ezekiel 8:1-18: The Fly in the Wall

The Spirit carries Ezekiel to Jerusalem, and God shows him many things there for the next few chapters. This chapter shows four abominations, each worse than the one before. Yes, God does rank sins.

8:1 "elders before me" - Ezekiel gives a full report when he returns at the end of chapter 11.
8:3 "carried me to Jerusalem" - Commentators are divided over whether his body also made the trip, as with Elijah and Philip, or this was strictly a vision.
"the north gate of the inner court" - this is the temple where Ezekiel would have served before his captivity.
8:4 "like the vision in the plain" - hard or impossible to describe, but recognizable.

The Corruption of the King

8:5 "the north" - the king entered the temple by the north gate. The king has corrupted himself. The vision camp is further divided over whether this is real time, or this is the idol that Manasseh set up. Manasseh removed the idol after his repentance. His son Amon put the idol back, and then Josiah destroyed the idol. If this is real time, then the idol has been replaced - an expense made possible by their wealth as in 7:20.
8:6 "drive Me far from My sanctuary" - when did the Glory depart from the sanctuary? It departed when Hophni and Phineas brought the ark into battle. It returned when Solomon dedicated the temple and departs again in chapter 10. But was that a vision of an earlier departure?

The Corruption of the Elders

The idol in the temple was passively tolerated by the people. The next abomination is worse in my opinion because of active participlation.

8:10 "crawling creatures and detestable beasts" - as in Egypt, they were again bowing down to insects and dogs (and cats?).
8:12 "rooms of their idols" - is this a reference to the secret places in their hearts as in Barfield? Or a literal hidden basement room where the elders hold their secret rites (like so many cults today)? I think both.

The Corruption of the Women

8:14 "weeping for Tammuz" - the male consort of Ishtar. This vision/trip takes place on the 5th day of the 6th month - in the fall. The ceremonial weeping is for the death of Tammuz every Fall, to be followed his coming back to life in the Spring. As with most fertility cults, the rite included impure activities.
Ironically, today is the 17th of Tammuz in the Jewish calendar, and is designated the "Fast of Tammuz" to commemorate the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem in 69AD. All the months in the Jewish calendar have Babylonian names since the return from Babylon. What are the months in our English calendar named after?
"women sitting there" - as a priest, Ezekiel was also shocked to see women in a part of the temple reserved for priests.

The Corruption of the Priests

8:16 "worship of the sun" - the elders entreated their bugs and beasts in secret. The priests openly worshipped the creature rather than the Creator.
8:17 "branch to their nose" - "thumbing their nose" is the similar expression in English.
8:18 "Although they shout loudly in My ears, I will not listen" - and neither will the Chaldeans at this point.