SCRIPTURE: EZEKIEL 8
IDOLATRY IN THE TEMPLE (vs. 1-18)
God showed Ezekiel 4 pictures:
- There was a man whose waist down is like a fire. His appearance was as bright as glazing metal. The God took Ezekiel to the north gate of the entrance at the inner court of Jerusalem. There were idols that provoke to jealousy. And there Ezekiel saw the vision of the glory of the God of Israel. (vs. 1-5)
- The Ezekiel was brought to the entrance of the court. There was a hole in the wall with a doorway there. Ezekiel went in and saw all kinds of crawling things and detestable animals and all the idols of the house of Israel. In front of them stood 70 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. (vs. 7-13)
- From the entrance to the north gate of the house of the Lord, Ezekiel saw women sitting there mourning for Tammuz. (vs. 14-15)
- Then Ezekiel went into the inner court of the house of the Lord at the entrance of the temple between the portico and the altar were about 25 men. They were bowing down to the sun in the east. (v. 16)
Because of all the detestable things they are doing, God had deal with them in anger. He will not look on them nor pity them. He will not listen to them nor spare them.
THOUGHTS:
God gave Ezekiel vision of the defilement of the temple. It shows that the nation was given over to the worship of idols. There was an image at the door. There were idolatrous picture in the inner chamber. Men and women worship idols openly. Their sins brought violence to the land and removed God’s glory from His house.
Tammuz was the Babylonian god of spring. He was the husband or lover of the goddess Ishtar. The followers of this cult believed that the green vegetation shriveled and died in the hot summer because Tammuz had died and descended into the underworld. Thus, the worshipers wept and mourned his death. In the springtime, when the new vegetation appeared, they rejoiced, believing that Tammuz had come back to life. We must be careful not to spend so much time thinking about the benefits of creation that we lose sight of the Creator. (Life Application Bible)