Ezekiel 9

Eze 9:1-11.

CONTINUATION OF THE

PRECEDING

VISION:

THE

SEALING OF THE

FAITHFUL.

1. cried--contrasted with their "cry" for mercy

(Eze 8:18)

is the "cry" here for vengeance, showing how vain was the former.

them that have charge--literally, officers; so "officers"

(Isa 60:17),

having the city in charge, not to guard, but to punish it. The angels

who as "watchers" fulfil God's judgments

(Da 4:13, 17, 23; 10:20, 21);

the "princes"

(Jer 39:3)

of Nebuchadnezzar's army were under their guidance.

draw near--in the Hebrew intensive, "to draw near quickly."

2. clothed with linen--

(Da 10:5; 12:6, 7).

His clothing marked his office as distinct from that of the six

officers of vengeance; "linen" characterized the high priest

(Le 16:4);

emblematic of purity. The same garment is assigned to the angel of the

Lord (for whom Michael is but another name) by the contemporary prophet

Daniel

(Da 10:5; 12:6, 7).

Therefore the intercessory High Priest in heaven must be meant

(Zec 1:12).

The six with Him are His subordinates; therefore He is said to be

"among them," literally, "in the midst of them," as their recognized

Lord

(Heb 1:6).

He appears as a "man," implying His incarnation; as "one" (compare

1Ti 2:5).

Salvation is peculiarly assigned to Him, and so He bears the "inkhorn"

in order to "mark" His elect

(Eze 9:4;

compare

Ex 12:7;

Re 7:3; 9:4; 13:16, 17; 20:4),

and to write their names in His book of life

(Re 13:8).

As Oriental scribes suspend their inkhorn at their side in the present

day, and as a "scribe of the host is found in Assyrian inscriptions

accompanying the host" to number the heads of the slain, so He stands

ready for the work before Him. "The higher gate" was probably where now

the gate of Damascus is. The six with Him make up the sacred and

perfect number, seven

(Zec 3:9;

Re 5:6).

The executors of judgment on the wicked, in Scripture teaching, are

good, not bad, angels; the bad have permitted to them the trial of the

pious

(Job 1:12;

2Co 12:7).

The judgment is executed by Him

(Eze 10:2, 7;

Joh 5:22, 27)

through the six

(Mt 13:41; 25:31);

so

beautifully does the Old Testament harmonize with the New Testament. The

seven come "from the way of the north"; for it was there the idolatries

were seen, and from the same quarter must proceed the judgment (Babylon

lying northeast of Judea). So

Mt 24:28.

stood--the attitude of waiting reverently for Jehovah's commands.

brazen altar--the altar of burnt offerings, not the altar of incense,

which was of gold. They "stood" there to imply reverent obedience;

for there God gave His answers to prayer

[CALVIN]; also as being about

to slay victims to God's justice, they stand where sacrifices are

usually slain [GROTIUS],

(Eze 39:17;

Isa 34:6;

Jer 12:3; 46:10).

3. glory of . . . God--which had heretofore, as a bright cloud, rested

on the mercy seat between the cherubim in the holy of holies

(2Sa 6:2;

Ps 80:1);

its departure was the presage of the temple being given up to ruin; its

going from the inner sanctuary to the threshold without, towards the

officers standing at the altar outside, was in order to give them the

commission of vengeance.

4. midst of . . . city . . . midst of Jerusalem--This twofold

designation marks more emphatically the scene of the divine judgments.

a mark--literally, the Hebrew letter Tau, the last in the

alphabet, used as a mark ("my sign,"

Job 31:35,

Margin); literally, Tau; originally written in the form

of a cross, which TERTULLIAN explains as

referring to the badge and only means of salvation, the cross of

Christ. But nowhere in Scripture are the words which are now employed

as names of letters used to denote the letters themselves or their

figures [VITRINGA]. The noun here is cognate to

the verb, "mark a mark." So in

Re 7:3

no particular mark is specified. We seal what we wish to guard

securely. When all things else on earth are confounded, God will secure

His people from the common ruin. God gives the first charge as

to their safety before He orders the punishment of the rest

(Ps 31:20;

Isa 26:20, 21).

So in the case of Lot and Sodom

(Ge 19:22);

also the Egyptian first-born were not slain till Israel had time to

sprinkle the blood-mark, ensuring their safety (compare

Re 7:3;

Am 9:9).

So the early Christians had Pella provided as a refuge for them,

before the destruction of Jerusalem.

upon the foreheads--the most conspicuous part of the person, to imply

how their safety would be manifested to all (compare

Jer 15:11; 39:11-18).

It was customary thus to mark worshippers

(Re 13:16; 14:1, 9)

and servants. So the Church of England marks the forehead with the sign

of the cross in baptizing. At the exodus the mark was on the

houses, for then it was families; here, it is on the

foreheads, for it is individuals whose safety is guaranteed.

sigh and . . . cry--similarly sounding verbs in Hebrew, as in

English Version, expressing the prolonged sound of their grief.

"Sigh" implies their inward grief ("groanings which cannot be

uttered,"

Ro 8:26);

"cry," the outward expression of it. So Lot

(2Pe 2:7, 8).

Tenderness should characterize the man of God, not harsh sternness in

opposing the ungodly

(Ps 119:53, 136;

Jer 13:17;

2Co 12:21);

at the same time zeal for the honor of God

(Ps 69:9, 10;

1Jo 5:19).

5. the others--the six officers of judgment

(Eze 9:2).

6. come not near any . . . upon whom . . . mark--

(Re 9:4).

It may be objected that Daniel, Jeremiah, and others were carried away,

whereas many of the vilest were left in the land. But God does not

promise believers exemption from all suffering, but only from what will

prove really and lastingly hurtful to them. His sparing the ungodly

turns to their destruction and leaves them without excuse [CALVIN]. However, the prophecy waits a fuller and final

fulfilment, for

Re 7:3-8,

in ages long after Babylon, foretells, as still future, the same

sealing of a remnant (one hundred forty-four thousand) of Israel

previous to the final outpouring of wrath on the rest of the nation;

the correspondence is exact; the same pouring of fire from the altar

follows the marking of the remnant in both (compare

Re 8:5,

with Eze 10:2).

So

Zec 13:9; 14:2,

distinguish the remnant from the rest of Israel.

begin at . . . sanctuary--For in it the greatest

abominations had been committed; it had lost the reality of

consecration by the blood of victims sacrificed to idols; it must,

therefore, lose its semblance by the dead bodies of the slain idolaters

(Eze 9:7).

God's heaviest wrath falls on those who have sinned against the highest

privileges; these are made to feel it first

(1Pe 4:17, 18).

He hates sin most in those nearest to Him; for example, the

priests, &c.

ancient men--the seventy elders.

8. I was left--literally, "there was left I." So universal seemed the

slaughter that Ezekiel thought himself the only one left

[CALVIN]. He

was the only one left of the priests "in the sanctuary."

fell upon my face--to intercede for his countrymen (so

Nu 16:22).

all the residue--a plea drawn from God's covenant promise to save the

elect remnant.

9. exceeding--literally, "very, very"; doubled.

perverseness--"apostasy" [GROTIUS];

or, "wresting aside of justice."

Lord . . . forsaken . . . earth . . .

seeth not--The order is reversed from

Eze 8:12.

There they speak of His neglect of His people in their misery; here

they go farther and deny His providence

(Ps 10:11),

so that they may sin fearlessly. God, in answer to Ezekiel's question

(Eze 9:8),

leaves the difficulty unsolved; He merely vindicates His justice by

showing it did not exceed their sin: He would have us humbly acquiesce

in His judgments, and wait and trust.

10. mine eye--to show them their mistake in saying, "The Lord seeth not."

recompense their way upon their head--

(Pr 1:31).

Retribution in kind.

11. I have done as thou hast commanded--The characteristic of Messiah

(Joh 17:4).

So the angels

(Ps 103:21);

and the apostles report their fulfilment of their orders

(Mr 6:30).