“…behold a hole in the wall. Ezekiel 8:7″
The Word of The Lord Came
In March 597 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon captured the City of Jerusalem, installed a king of his own choosing and in course of time headed back to his own land with the Temple Treasures and approximately 10,000 Jewish captives including the deposed King Jehoiachin. (M. Coogan, The Oxford History of the Biblical World)
Ezekiel was among those captives five years into their exile when the “…word of the Lord came…” (1:3) Historians believe that was in the year 597 B.C. By that time, Nebuchadnezzar had survived several attempts to remove him from the throne as well as attempts of the vassal kings to throw off his rule. His contemporary Jeremiah had been allowed to stay in Jerusalem and continued his ministry there.
He warned the nation of the impending invasion and captivity only to be rebuke by other prophets and imprisoned by the King! Jeremiah had prophesied seventy years of captivity in Babylon. (Jer. 25:11) and at the instruction of the Lord he had made a yoke and worn it around his neck as a visual aid to his message.
Hananiah the prophet came into the Temple, and in the Name of the Lord prophesied the Captivity would end within two years and physically removed the Yoke from Jeremiah’s neck!(Jer. 28) He insisted the Captives and the Treasure would be returned in two years. A meeting of representatives from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon took place in Jerusalem in 594 B.C.
Disbelief
The purpose of that meeting was to plan a joint military action against Nebuchadnezzar! (Coogan) Talk of rebellion was all over the Kingdom! It came to nothing. It is easy to understand, whether among the Captives or hundreds of miles away in the decimated yet beloved City of David that there would be total DISBELIEF of the situation! How could this have ever happened?
- Rebellion, “…I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me…” (Ezekiel 2:3)
- Impudence, “…they are impudent…” (Ezekiel 2:4)
- Stubbornness, “…stiffhearted.” “Ezekiel 2:4) The NKJV translates this “Stubborn.”
- Bloodshed, “…the land is full of bloody crimes” (7:23)
- Ignorance of God’s Omniscience, “…they say, The LORD seeth us not” (8:12)
- Perversity, “…the city full of perverseness” (9:9)
Consequences
This message was extremely difficult for the Prophet to deliver, because along with it came the terrible list of consequences!
Ezekiel wrote, “I came to them… by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.”
We modern day preachers are seldom so seriously affected by the Message Heaven has called us to deliver or by the plight of the Peopleamong whom we dwell! If we understood the awfulness of SIN perhaps, we could be more convincing when we talk about a Savior!
Judgement
If our own experiences with God were more intense, perhaps when we tell them God Knows and God will Judge and nothing is hidden from His view they would listen. Perhaps, when we insist the WALLthey have erected to hide their transgressions, the Wall of Arrogance, or Willfulness, or Selfishness isn’t going to keep Him out, they would sense the imminent danger and Repent!
Let the Message of the Church to every Sinner be, “behold a hole in the wall!”
Ezekiel foretold a Day of Judgment that would result in an economic crash! “…They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them…”(7:20) A day of Sacrilege “…they shall pollute my secret place…” (7:22) A day of a Silent Heaven “…they seek a vision of the prophet.” (7:26) A day of Lawlessness “…the law shall perish.” (7:26)
I don’t know if our generation is about to see something similar, I pray not. I do know that God is a Holy God and it is very possible to insult Him and grieve His Holy Spirit. I also know it is impossible to hide from Him! He will see through the Wall! And I know something else!
Good News
There is some Good News! Before Judgment came on Ezekiel’s Generation an extraordinary thing happened. When the destroyingAngels were drawing near, God gave a command that a “mark” be put on the forehead of those who “sigh and that cry for all the abominations.” (9:4)
The word “mark” according to Strong’s is “by implication a signature.”(8420) God puts His own Signature on those who despise Sin! The Destroying Angels were told, “…Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark.” Are you Marked by Heaven? God’s Signature will preserve you regardless of what the future holds!