Introduction
The angels which smite Jerusalem. Slaughter of the inhabitants.
The appearance of the servants to execute judgments. Ezekiel 9:1-2.
The Divine command. Ezekiel 9:3-7.
Intercession of the prophet, and answer of the Lord. Ezekiel 9:8-11.
Summary
1. The innocent are marked by a man clothed in linen.
2. Six men slaughter the unmarked people.
3. The judgement begins at the sanctuary.
Marking of the innocent
‘Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, ‘Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.’ And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar. Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, ‘Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.’ Ezekiel 9:1-4
7 men appear in the vision described as executioners of the city. 6 of them have weapons for destroying. These ‘destroying weapons’ are war clubs/instruments, Hebrew, ‘keli’. This word is used of Medo/Persia as God’s weapon of destruction on Babylon. Jeremiah 51:20.
There is no mistaking what these men are here for. They have one job to do and are equipped to do it well. Exodus 12:23 / 2 Samuel 24:15-17. 1 man is clothed in linen and has a writing case at his side, the equipment of a scribe.
These men come from the north, past the upper gate. Ezekiel 1:4 / Ezekiel 8:5. They stood by the bronze altar, which was the altar of burnt offerings in the temple court. Exodus 38:1ff. It is like they are standing at attention awaiting orders.
The orders come as God gets off his chariot and speaks with the seven men. First, to the one in the linen, he instructs him to go through the city and put a mark on all those who are actively groaning over the idolatry etc. Those who disapprove of it, and say so. The mark is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ‘taw’. This was something like an ‘X’. Genesis 4:15 Cain marked was a sign of God’s protection.
The Slaughter
‘As I listened, he said to the others, ‘Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.’ So, they began with the old men who were in front of the temple. Then he said to them, ‘Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!’ So, they went out and began killing throughout the city.’ Ezekiel 9:5-7
After the marking, the 6 men with the slaughter weapons are told to go through the city and kill everyone who does not have the mark. It is important to note that all without the mark were killed, and all with the mark were survivors. Hence to emphasize this they are told to spare no one, even those who may seem innocent, e.g. old men, children etc.
Two important elements in this vision need to be stated here to properly understand it, and to make sure we do not misunderstand what is happening. Part of the vision can be literally understood, i.e. there will be a destruction of the city and people. Other parts of it cannot be understood literally, e.g. The vision says all the righteous survived. Yet Ezekiel 21:3-4 tells us that both righteous and wicked would be killed.
It was not historically fulfilled as Ezekiel 9 tells us. Now, this is not a great problem for us, for we expect to see figurative things in a vision anyway, if we get some literal truths in there too, then that is like a bonus for us.
The men are told to ‘begin at my sanctuary.’ You recall the ‘your’ altars, high places, etc. of Ezekiel 6. They begin right at the very place where God dwelt.
Here are those who should know better. The priests and officials of the temple should have been pure, righteous, and God-fearing, but they were the worst offenders. They then would be punished first.
This would break Ezekiel’s heart, for maybe those he knew were amongst this group in the sanctuary. If he had trained as a priest, then he would undoubtedly know those involved in the temple.
Those who are closest to God gave them greater responsibility. With greater knowledge comes greater responsibility. This is a principle that the New Testament echoes.
The person who has become a Christian knows more, has shared more blessings from God, and consequently has more responsibility. If the Christian leaves God, then he will face the same punishment as the priests viewed in this chapter of Ezekiel. 2 Peter 2:20-22 / Hebrews 6:4-8.
The prophet’s plea
‘While they were killing, and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, ‘Alas, Sovereign LORD! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?’ He answered me, ‘The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’ So, I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.’ Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, ‘I have done as you commanded.’ Ezekiel 9:8-11
Here is a heart-breaking sigh by the prophet, ‘are you going to kill everybody?’ The answer comes back, ‘yes, almost!’
We know there was a remnant from the previous marking, but it is very clear that the man in linen did not need much ink. Abraham, Genesis 18:22ff / Amos 7:1-6.
This man comes back and reports that his work is done.
