"Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer's inkhorn at his side; and the Lord said to him, 'Go through the midst of the city...and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.'...Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple....And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight...and the glory of the God of Israel was above them....And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city. Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea/Babylon." (Ezekiel 9:3, 4, 18, 22)
This is one of the saddest days in the history of the Covenant People. Rebellion, rejection of God's reign, had brought this day. It must have been a terrifying sight for Ezekiel to see, "....the glory of the God of Israel," slowly leaving the city of Jerusalem. What a dire picture for humanity.
What application we can make to the Church today I'm not sure, but if we are honest with ourselves, we can notice times in our lives when, even if Jesus did not "depart," we had some strain in "sensing" His Presence. Could our text have some application to that? Disobedience breaks the Heart of our Savior, Jesus, as it should ours.
Notice in our text that we read of the command to the writer to take special note of those who weep over the lost state of the Covenant People, "....put a mark on the foreheads." This is also a call to you and me today. Jesus Christ so hates sin and rebellion and what it does to you and me, that He took our sin and rebellion to Golgotha to deal it the final death blow. At the Cross, Jesus', "It is finished," did indeed finish the work of empowering forgiveness. Now, you and I are called to walk in, "a mark on foreheads."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I want Your Heart for Your People and all humanity. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
