Ezekiel Times

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.” 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.

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. And the Lordsaid 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.” 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. 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. 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. 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?”

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.’ As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”

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.” Ezekiel 9:1-11

There was so much here in Ezekiel 9 that I decided to post the entire chapter here. 

Ezekiel is presented visions, and the visions are not friendly. God essentially places judgment upon men of Israel. The mark that is to be the identifying factor for those who live is given to "the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed." 

Despite the common societal notions of the elderly, the women and children needing special care, God commands the death of everyone. The mark is the only ticket to being saved. 

I have met quite a few non-Christians who point exactly to passages such as these. God is portrayed as violent and destructive. They challenge that God is all loving and kind. I guess I could start arguing on points of theology, but I am no expert. I did want to mention a short clip from the movie Dark Knight.

There is a scene when an employee for Wayne Enterprises catches on who Batman really is. He then begins to blackmail an associate to Bruce Wayne, Mr. Fox. The reaction is priceless, as Mr. Fox says, "Let me get this straight. You think that your client, one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands; and your plan, is to blackmail this person?"

Though this may be a stretch, I wanted to ask those who questioned passages such as these. If God truly is violent and destructive, would you not want to know how to get on his good side?

On a different note, this passage shows that God wants his children to mourn for the sins of the world. I questioned myself, "Would I be able to get that mark on my forehead?" The question carried on: "Would I be able to mourn for those damned to destruction just like Ezekiel did?" 

It is natural for me to starting looking to myself only. It is easy for me to swing around the Word of God as judgment towards others, as if it were my authority, but honestly, all I should be doing is to kneel before God and pray, beg, yearn for his grace continually. 

I keep forgetting that the breath I just took was another gift from God.