“…and (the Lord) 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. 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.” Ezekiel 9:4-6
In Ezekiel 9, we read where the Lord tells a man who wore linen, and who possessed a writing kit, to mark the foreheads of those who grieved and lamented over all the detestable things that were done in Jerusalem. This was done in preparation for the slaughter that was to come at the hand of the six men that were appointed to execute judgment on those who sinned grievously against God; men, women; young and old, and the children of parents who did not bear the mark. Some folks today would say this passage is not applicable because it related to the Old Testament, and the Old Testament was superseded by the New Testament teachings of God’s love and mercy. However, let’s keep in mind that the book of Revelation is in the New Testament, and in Chapter 16, verse 2, we read “The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.” Other than the difference in who applied the ‘marks’ related to the passage in Ezekiel and Revelation, suffice it to say the purpose was the same: to mark those who were to be spared or destroyed.
The Reverend Edward Payson, who was the pastor of a church in Portland, Maine during the 19th century, wrote a sermon on this passage in Ezekiel, which was entitled ‘The Mark of Deliverance.’ It is interesting to note that Reverend Payson viewed sin in his time as egregious as the sin spoken of in Jerusalem during Ezekiel’s time. I suppose that would be true of every Godly man and woman who applied this passage to their own generation. I would certainly say that sin in America today, and in the world at large, is certainly comparable to Jerusalem and America in the 19th century; if not more open and blazon, but that is not the point of this blog. After I read Reverend Payson’s sermon, I had to ask myself if I truly grieve and lament what I see going on around me. I must confess, I hadn’t; not in the way that I should have wept, and in the sincerity of my love for God and others, responded to the sin of this generation. How should I have responded? I should have grieved for my country and countrymen whose sin mocks my heavenly Father, who is holy, and His Son, Jesus, who suffered the cross for my sins. I mean, don’t we defend those whom we say that we love when we learn that their character is impugned or their name is blasphemed? I didn’t, or should I say that I haven’t, because it didn’t involve me personally. Even then, when the sins of a nation may involve me personally, and I took offense, it wasn’t in defense of God’s character per se, but how it affected my pocketbook or physical well-being: healthcare; enemies abroad or crime in the streets.
And what about the sinners themselves? Shouldn’t I grieve for the destructiveness of sin, and pray for the sinner, my neighbor? Did not Jesus grieve as He looked over Jerusalem; knowing then what would happen in 70 A.D., when it was destroyed by Roman Emperor Titus? If we are sincere in our grieving, how is that displayed? Do I speak out in defense of the Gospel; against the sins of our nation? Do I give fair warning? Do I personally believe what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah was a consequence of that city’s sin and depravity? What of Noah and the transgressions of men that led to the flood? What about the captivity that Israel and Judah faced by the Chaldeans; Persians? Do I believe what happened in 70 A.D. was a consequence of God’s judgment? Just because Jesus said that there would be wars and rumors of war leading up to His glorious return, how has that affected our slumber? I hear people say, ‘Well, you know, people spoke of Christ’s return for centuries! Who is able to know for sure? Go home; let me sleep.’ And in their slumber, they’ll be marked, or awoken without any oil in their lamps.
Lastly, consider where the six men began their purge: at God’s sanctuary; at His temple, and do you not know that we are God’s temple? It must start with us. Will we bear Ezekiel’s mark? If so, our lives will characterize the same grieving and lament that the righteous of Jerusalem felt over the detestable things done in their times. If we do, then we will carry that mark by example. The greater our grieving over a neighbor’s sin, the greater our own personal sense of it in our lives and our desire to ‘put away’ the old man who is always ‘in front of the temple.’ One way or the other, he will either be slain, or he will slay you, and if that is the case, you will never be the victor; only the spoils.
