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Royalty and Ruin
the inner court of the Lord’s house. See
Ezekiel 8:10
. Those who
should have been spiritual leaders—“elders of the house of Israel”
(
verse 11
)—were offering incense before the pagan images brought
into hidden chambers within the temple court. “The Lord does not
see us,” they declared blasphemously.
Verse 12
.
The prophet was shown “women sitting there weeping for Tam-
muz,” and “about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple
of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping
the sun toward the east.”
Verses 14, 16
. Now the glorious Being who
accompanied Ezekiel during this astonishing vision inquired of the
prophet: “Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the
abominations which they commit here? ... My eye will not spare nor
will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I
will not hear them.”
Verses 17, 18
.
Through Jeremiah the Lord had declared, “Both prophet and
priest are profane; yes, in My house I have found their wickedness.”
Jeremiah 23:11
. In the closing account of Zedekiah’s reign, this
charge of violating the temple was repeated: “All the leaders of the
priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all
the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord
which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.”
2 Chronicles 36:14
.
The day of doom for the kingdom of Judah was fast approaching.
Again “the word of the Lord came to” Ezekiel: “Son of man, what
is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which
says, ... ‘Every vision fails’?” “Therefore say to them, ... ‘The word
which I speak will be done,’ says the Lord God.”
Ezekiel 12:21, 22,
28
.
Chief among those rapidly leading the nation to ruin was
Zedekiah their king. Forsaking the counsels of the Lord, forget-
ting the debt of gratitude he owed Nebuchadnezzar, violating his
solemn oath of allegiance taken in the name of the God of Israel,
Judah’s king rebelled against the prophets, against his benefactor,
and against his God. In his own wisdom he turned to the ancient
enemy of Israel, “sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might
give him horses and many people.”
Ezekiel 17:15
.
“Will he prosper?” the Lord inquired. “Will he who does such
things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered? ... Nor
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will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything