Ezekiel 8
Idolatry in the Lord’s Temple
“In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign Lord came on me there” (Ezekiel 8:1).
This particular vision begins with a specific date, which, according to biblical scholars, would have been on or around September 18, 592 B.C., six years into the first round of Babylonian exiles’ captivity. This vision occurred a year after Ezekiel’s first vision at the Chebar River. The elders of Judah were gathered at Ezekiel’s home, possibly in wait for a favorable word from the Lord regarding their captivity. Unfortunately, if that were the case, they would be greatly disappointed, for there was to be no reprieve from their captivity, and it would be just as the Lord had deemed it. False prophets, such as Hananiah, were prophesying lies, giving the people false hopes regarding the briefness of their captivity and the imminent demise of the Babylonian kingdom. The Bible says: “ In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon’ ” (Jeremiah 28:1-4). Sadly, this was not a true word from the Lord. Hananiah was a false prophet, and only raised false hope, but failed to honor the Lord by telling the people of Judah to turn from their wicked ways. Nevertheless, the Lord had a Word for Ezekiel to give to those sitting in His home, which would not be a word they would want to hear.
The idolatry in Judah had not ceased despite seeing the Babylonians outside their walls. Unfortunately, the people did not want to hear a true Word from the Lord, but preferred being comforted in lies from the false prophets that Babylon would fall at that time. Although, this would be a true word for the future, this was not a right-now Word from the Lord. Judah rejected the message of genuine sorrow and returning to the Lord. They wanted to skip the judgment, the act of repentance, the call for humility, and the process of change. Therefore, the Lord was not about to give them a stay of execution when they had not shown that they had learned their lesson. There was indeed a lesson to be learned, which served as a reminder of their failure to keep covenant with Him. The Bible says: “They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes. You, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 11:10-12). How foolish they had become in preferring man-made idols over the God of Heaven.
“I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal. He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain” (Ezekiel 8:2-4).
Ezekiel has another vision in which he sees a figure in the likeness of a man. Ezekiel describes the man as being like fire from the waist down and his upward appearance being as bright as metal. The Apostle John had a similar description in the vision the Lord had given to him. The Bible says: “…and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters” (Revelation 1:13-15). This description was important because the fire-like and metal analogies, or in some biblical translations, the color amber, symbolize the Lord’s judgment. Therefore, the Lord’s hand of judgment was against Judah and its inhabitants.
The Lord reached down, snatched Ezekiel by his hair, and took him between Heaven and earth. Now, one may possibly think of a child being scolded by their mother, thus being grabbed in such a manner. However, this was not a scolding for Ezekiel, but more so to get his attention and focus on what the Lord would show him. Ezekiel was taken in the vision to the inner north gate of Jerusalem where an abominable idol had been placed. The glory of the Lord was with Ezekiel as he watched what was bringing the jealousy and wrath of God upon the nation. The Lord’s glory had once been inside the temple, but had departed because of the idolatry and desecration that had been allowed to take place in the Lord’s house. There was no reverence for God nor His house. Judah dared to have a false god in place of Him, thus committing adultery against Him in His own house.
“Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy”
(Ezekiel 8:5).
The Lord directed Ezekiel to look towards the north, which was the direction of the abominable idol shown to him in his vision. The idol was possibly placed in the north to guard the city from its enemies, which would have been the direction enemy attacks would have come.[1] This idol may have been a Canaanite god, which was one of many they were known to worship. Nevertheless, none of their gods could protect them against the instruments of destruction the Lord had allowed to come their way. The only thing their gods were able to do was to bring about God’s jealousy and judgment. The Bible says: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24). Therefore, since their gods were in the north, their enemies would trample their gods to nothing upon breaking through the walls, for the Lord will not share anything nor be second to any other gods. Yet, this was not all that the Lord had to show Ezekiel, for there were even more despicable things the people were doing.
“And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable” (Ezekiel 8:6).
The people made various types of idols, from gold, silver, wood, and stone. They placed these idols inside of God’s house and in His presence as if He would not see. In so doing, they caused the glory of the Lord to leave His temple where they would no longer experience His presence. The glory of the Lord will not reside where He is not welcome nor respected. The Bible says: “And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, ‘The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed. The has departed from Israel,’ she said, “for the ark of God has been captured” ( 1 Samuel 4:22). Once again, we can look at the story of Eli and his sons who did not honor the Lord and caused Israel to sin. Similarly, just as the Lord departed their presence during Eli’s day, He did it again with Judah.
One cannot expect the glory of the Lord to reign in a defiled house or temple. He will not share himself with anyone or anything. Many people have made their pastors, positions, money, fame, possessions, and more into gods. Even as the 2024 presidential election is nearing, there are those inside and outside the church looking for a candidate to save them. Well, there is only one Saviour, and His name is Jesus Christ, Yeshua Hamashiach. He is our High Priest, Rock, Redeemer, Lord God, and Prince of Israel, who is coming back as our King of kings and Lord of lords. There is no one like Him, for He is an original and not a copy, which is all that Satan can offer. The false gods were constant reminders of Israel and Judah’s unfaithfulness to the Lord. Therefore, He no longer dwelt amongst them, as they had been given over to a reprobate mind, and the same happens today when man willfully rejects the Lord. The Bible says: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). There is only One with whom our worship belongs, and that is Jesus Christ, who displays the mighty love of the Father through which comes the Holy Spirit, enabling us to obey Him wholeheartedly.
“Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there” (Ezekiel 8:7-8).
Ezekiel was led to the temple court where those who were in the priesthood and their families lived. There was a secret passageway that Ezekiel was instructed to dig into the wall and observe. Though things were being done in secrecy, the Lord’s eyes were able to see everything. The Bible says: “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). People often make the mistake of thinking they can hold on to “secret” sins because God is too busy to notice. Well, nothing could be further from the truth because He sees and knows all even the number of hairs on our head. The Bible says: “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). Therefore, there is nothing that can slip past the Most High God unnoticed.
“And he said to me, ‘Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.’ So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel. In front of them stood seventy elders 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” (Ezekiel 8:9-11).
The Lord spoke to Ezekiel in the vision and gave him a private look into the homes of those who were supposed to minister to the people. There was defilement within their homes. Their private lives were far from the way they were supposed to live before the Lord. Their walls were full of idolatry, and they did abominable things before the Lord, thinking He and others would not see them. The leaders were supposed to set an example before Israel, but they were just as full of sin as the people. Instead of offering incense to the Lord and living holy and uprighteous lives, they offered incense to their foreign gods and partook in the same sins as the people. They were supposed to keep idolatry from the people, but they led the people into it. The Bible says: “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:1-4).
Jaazaniah, whose name means God hears was the 70 elders’ leader and believed by some biblical scholars to be the son of Shaphan who read God’s law to King Josiah (2 Kings 22:8-11). Unfortunately, Jaazaniah did not hear the Lord, as his name would suggest. There is not much written about him, but the mere mention of his name and his being shown to Ezekiel meant that the Lord had taken notice of the sins he had committed before Him. If Shaphan, counselor to Josiah, was his father, then he failed to follow in his father’s footsteps by being faithful to the Lord.[2] The Bible says: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).
“He said to me, ‘Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’ Again, he said, “You will see them doing things that are even more detestable” (Ezekiel 8:12-13).
The 70 elders did not think the Lord cared about their private works. They felt He had forsaken the place, thus not caring what they did behind closed doors. However, God was still watching His people to see if they would continue in their idolatry. The Bible says: “He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him” (Daniel 2:22). Unfortunately, the leaders were worse than the people, for they knew right from wrong and what the Lord required of them. They should have remained faithful even if they thought the Lord had abandoned the land. They had forsaken the Lord, thus bringing wrath on the entire land when they should have interceded, prayed for the people, repented of their own sins, and taught the people to do the same. The Bible says: “Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8).
“Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz. He said to me, ‘Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this’ ” (Ezekiel 8:14-15).
The women of Judah were engaged in worship to the false god Tummuz, husband and brother to Ishtar (goddess of fertility), who was believed to be the god of vegetation and fertility. The women longed for the days when they had plenty of food, and instead of crying out to God and repenting of their idolatry, they sank further into sin by weeping for a false heathen god that brought neither rain nor sunshine. They desired for things in Judah to be “great again,” thus believing in a false Messapotamian god rather than the true God of Israel. Therefore, the Lord was laying out the charges against Judah to Ezekiel so he could see for himself that the Lord’s judgments were fair and well-warranted.
“He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east” (Ezekiel 8:16).
The Lord brought Ezekiel to the Temple’s inner court, where at its entrance, 25 men were praying towards the east and bowing to the sun with their backs to the temple. This was in total defiance against the Lord as they were in His courts worshipping the sun, which He created, not for worship, but as a light for the world. One must make a choice, either for God or for Satan. The Bible says: “You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?” (1 Corinthians 10:21-22).
“He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them” (Ezekiel 8:17-18).
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