Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Ezekiel+009

Ezekiel 9 (ESV)

1 Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, “Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.” 2 And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. 4 And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” 5 And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. 6 Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. 7 Then he said to them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So they went out and struck in the city. 8 And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon my face, and cried, “Ah, Lord God! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

9 Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.’ 10 As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”

11 And behold, the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his waist, brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded me.”

REFLECTION:

This chapter depicts the picture of God’s judgment. After Ezekiel saw the corruption of Jerusalem, God asked a messenger to leave behind a few loyal people, and then called six executioners to kill the evil people in the city. This was a judgment ordered by God. “Writing case” was a very common thing in Ezekiel’s time. It consists of a long and narrow board with a groove on it for holding a reed brush. This pen is used to write on parchment, papyrus, or dried mud. There is also a recessed place on the board to hold the black ink and the red ink block, which must be wetted before use. God told the executioner with the writing case to mark those who are loyal to God. They are “the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it” (v4), showing that they have a deep understanding of the sins committed by the people and are deeply saddened by them. The marked people were preserved when the six executioners began to destroy the wicked. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they put blood on the door lintel as a mark to save them from death. At the end of the day, God will imprint the mark on those who are redeemed (cf. Rev. 7:3). Satan will also mark his followers (cf. Rev. 13:16-17), and those who do not believe in the Lord are doomed to perish just like Satan. When God punishes sin, He will not forget the promise to protect His people. Today, God has carved His mark on our heart, and we are all people who have been saved by grace. If we follow God to the end, we will also receive grace to the end, and we will be rewarded by God and be with God in eternal glory.

PRAYER:

The Spirit himself bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God (cf. Rom. 8:16). You have received the mark of God’s children, and will never perish again. Thanks again to God for His grace and salvation for you; ask God to enable you to act with a good conscience and a sincere faith. At the judgment day you can stand up and come to God without fear and make an account to God.

HYMN:

No Longer Slaves – youtu.be/dwLFp1weuA8