Today’s passage: Ezekiel 8
Helpful thoughts:
- Prior to Babylon’s defeat of Jerusalem, the elders of Judah come to the prophet Ezekiel for wisdom. Instead, God shows Ezekiel the grave sins of the Jewish people.
- Tammuz was a false god from Mesopotamian culture. All of these visions have to do with idolatry in various forms.
- There seems to be an increasing of shock and severity with each vision as names of families and locations within the temple are mentioned.
- God’s jealousy is right and without sin (Exodus 20:4-5).
Questions to consider:
- What is ironic about the fact that these elders of Judah would seek out Ezekiel for guidance if they had previously been busy with all this idolatry? What would have made them decide to seek out the Lord?
- If they were worshipping many false gods simultaneously, would their trip to Ezekiel have been evidence of repentance or were they simply imploring God to fix their present situation? How would we have been able to know the difference?
- How does the world use false gods? Why are they worshipped? What do people want or expect from them? How and why is worshiping the one true God different than all other forms of worship?