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Ezekiel 8:5&6 - What is being done in secret - Day 248

Good evening friends,

Writing from a cold and rainy Madison.  48F on May 27.  This is like March.  Another passage about the serious nature of idolatry.  We can't escape God's presence by doing things in secret.  God's presence is a great comfort to believers, but it is a terror to those who deceive themselves and others.

Blessings,

Jeff

The image of jealousy. Refers back to Deuteronomy 4 and the expanded version of second commandment.  Every idol stirs up God's jealousy for His own name.  So "image of jealousy" isn't an image that looks like jealousy, but the idols of Judah that provoked God to jealousy.

Ezekiel is physically in Babylon but he was "lifted up" by the Spirit and given visions of what was happening in Jerusalem.  Despite many people already going into exile, those still in Jerusalem refuse to change their ways.

Great abominations that drive God from his sanctuary.  The vision of the "four living creatures" and  "wheels within a wheel" represent God's glory.  He will eventually see this vision leaving the temple signifying that God has abandoned His sanctuary.

Sometimes, I can dismiss prophetic writings because they are hard to understand.  Trying to understand the details of the vision can make me miss the purpose.  The sign can become an obstacle to what is being signified.  And all the bizarre things in Ezekiel's life.  In this case, being "brought to Jerusalem".  I think God was showing Ezekiel that God knows about all the hidden secrets of His people.  Things that Ezekiel could never know on his own.  

Somewhat like conspiracy theories of our day.  We can never know what is going on in the hearts and minds of people who commit acts of terrorism.  Investigations can determine facts of what happened, but the why is much harder to find.  We can rest assured that God knows the why and will judge the thoughts and intents of the heart

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