Ezekiel

Ezekiel 8:1-4

This vision is 14 months after the vision of chapters 1-3.  It's fascinating that the exiled leaders are present in Ezekiel's house when the Lord's hand falls on him.  Ezekiel is drawn into a vision; he looks and sees a similar likeness as seen in chapter one.  From the waist down this likeness is fire and from the waist up is this amber appearance.  This likeness of God reaches out the 'form' of a hand and snatches Ezekiel by the short hairs, lifting him up, bringing him to visions.  It was as if he were taken to Jerusalem to see what was happening there (remember he was in Babylon).  However, what he sees isn't the actual happenings but a playing out of the sins of Israel. 

The vision opens outside the inner court at the north gate.  There is an image there, an idol at the entrance to the inner court.  'The image' seems to be specific, but Deuteronomy speaks to any image that is worshiped as being the image that provokes to jealousy.  Ezekiel notices that the glory of God was also there.  This is the glory he saw in chapter one and again in 3:23 on the plain. 

Ezekiel 8:5-12

Ezekiel is called 'son of man' – God never calls Ezekiel by name.  Trouble always seems to come from the north.  God called for Ezekiel to look toward the north where he saw the same idol north of the altar gate.  The Lord showed Ezekiel for himself that the brought idols to the place of worship, provoking jealousy.  God would not share his glory.  To share his glory with a cold, dead, lifeless, powerless idol is an abomination.  They were driving the Lord from His sanctuary by their idolatry. 

Then the Lord, in essence, said, 'it gets worse'.  The prompted Ezekiel to dig through a hole in the wall near the door of the court.  He is instructed to go through, enter in to see what was going on.  The 'wicked abominations' were 'creeping things' which were graven images of small animals.  There were also 'abominable beasts' which is the larger size animals.  In addition were the 'idols of Israel'.  These kinds of engravings were prohibited by the Law of Moses; (Exodus 20:4, Deut 4:15-18, Lev 11:44).

Standing before these abominations were the 70 elders of Israel.  These are the elder leaders for Israel.  Shaphan was a scribe of Josiah during his reforms.  His family was noted for their loyalty to Yahweh (Jer 26:24; 29:3; 36:11–19).  This may explain the shock at seeing Jaazaniah present before the idols.  The censor is a rare word that seems to refer to a censer for burning incense.  A cloud of incense was created to shield the Chief Priest from the divine presence of God in the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement.  This cloud of incense before the idols, screens people from God.  These 70 were offering worship and incense to the idols.  This is what they did in the dark, behind closed doors.  The Lord shows Ezekiel their attitude.  They believed God was gone, defeated or departed for some reason; unable to save them.  So, they were worshiping other gods in niches throughout the temple.

Ezekiel 8:13-14

Again, as if to say, you haven't seen it all yet.  He turned again and saw women weeping for Tammuz.  The 'dismay' was shock, maybe a cry like 'Good grief!'  The Baker Encyclopedia says of Tammuz:

Tammuz. Chief Sumerian deity whose name derived from the Sumerian dumuzi. He is the god of fertility, of vegetation and agriculture, of death and resurrection, and the patron of shepherds. The son and consort of Ashtar (Inanna), Tammuz represented the annual vegetation cycle of death during the heat of summer and the rebirth of life with the coming of the fall and spring rains, as mythically recounted in the Akkadian poem, "Inanna's Descent into the Netherworld." This rejuvenation of life and defeat of death was annually celebrated during the Babylonian New Year Festival. In the OT, the prophet Ezekiel sees in a vision women weeping for Tammuz at the north gate of the temple, descriptive of coming desecrations of the Lord's house (8:14).

In subsequent cultures following the Sumerian civilization (3rd millennium bc), the Tammuz cult was carried on; it was undoubtedly embodied in the worship of Marduk of Babylon, Ashur of Assyria, Baal of Canaan, Attis of Phrygia, and Adonis of Syria (Aram) and Greece. Numerous liturgies and dirges have been found detailing Tammuz worship in ancient Mesopotamian culture. During the postexilic era, the fourth month of the Hebrew calendar was named Tammuz.^[1]

Ezekiel 8:15-18

The fourth and final abomination is shown to Ezekiel, even greater than previous.  He turned again and was in the inner court near the door of the temple.  Between the porch and altar were a group with their back to the temple (and God); facing the east to worship the sun.  The sun was worshiped as a god; as the Mesopotamian Shamash.  See 2 Kings 23:11 where Josiah had gotten rid of these previously. 

This was no trivial thing; it was things they had known not to do.  They had been warned repeatedly.  The Lord was offended.  They filled his land with violence and provoked Him to anger.  The phrase 'they put a branch under their nose' is not known.  It is thought to be a Mesopotamian religious practice where a cedar branch is held in front of their faces, a gesture of entreaty.  Cedar was associated with Tammuz.  Mesopotamian texts depict Tammuz and Shamash as temple guardians.

The Lord showed Ezekiel four abominations that drove Him to act in fury.  Each was 'even greater' than the next.  They progresses in their ability to offend God.  Together, they drove Him to judge them.

• The idol that provokes jealousy (Ezekiel 8:4). 
• Creeping things, abominable beasts, engraved on the walls (Ezekiel 8:9-11)
• Weeping for Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14).  
• Facing the east and back to God, they worshipped the sun, Shamash (Ezekiel 8:16).

©2019 Doug Ford