Links for today’s readings:
Read: Ezekiel 8 Listen: (3:21)
Read: Romans 10 Listen: (5:23)
Scripture Focus: Ezekiel 8.3-11
3 He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. 4 And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.
5 Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy.
6 And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.”
7 Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.
9 And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” 10 So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel. 11 In front of them stood seventy elders of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.
Reflection: Grabbed By The Hair
By John Tillman
Commentaries describe God “transporting” Ezekiel in a vision to Jerusalem. Most fail to mention Ezekiel is grabbed by his hair.
I’ve never been grabbed by the hair except in a fight. But I’ve been forced to look at things I had done, broken, or allowed to happen. “Look what you did!”
God took Ezekiel by the hair to show him Jerusalm’s wickedness. He started with an idol openly standing in the temple. “But it gets worse,” he says. He has Ezekiel dig into the wall. Like Alice going through the looking glass, Ezekiel goes through the wall, witnessing the secret sins of Judah’s leaders. “Do you see this?,” God asked. “Is this trivial?”
We may ignore, downplay, defend, or minimize our sins or those of our communities, churches, or leaders. God won’t.
Within a few months in 2024, nine pastors from large churches in the DFW metroplex area left ministry due to various secret sins. Many find this upsetting or embarrassing. It may feel like being grabbed by the hair and forced to see unpleasant things. But it is necessary. Embarrassment leading to purification is a blessing. Complacency that leads to destruction is a curse.
These men needed to be (and must remain) removed from ministry. Just because their sins were secret didn’t mean they were not hurting the church before they were discovered. We should pray not only that our pastors do not sin in disqualifying ways, but also pray that if they are currently doing so, the truth would be exposed.
But if we only point at leaders and do not examine ourselves, we are foolish. We may be similarly blinded to our own sins.
We tend to look away from things we have done wrong or neglected. This includes small and large things, spiritual issues, and physical issues. They either become normal to us, like the idol in public, or invisible to us, like the sins hidden in the wall.
Are there sins that have become normal or trivial to you?
Are there sins that have become invisible to you, hidden behind a wall or in your heart?
If Ezekiel dug through the wall in your home or church like in the temple, what sins would he see?
Holy Spirit, arrest our attention!
Grab us by the hair if needed.
Dig into our walls if needed.
Bring sin to light, both in us and in our leaders.
Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
I put my trust in your mercy; my heart is joyful because of your saving help. — Psalm 13.5
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.
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