Ezekiel 9:3-6 - Put a mark on the forehead

9:3,4

The glory of God had been dwelling in the temple, but was now on the move. The cherubim was the part of the temple where the glory of God was thought to reside. The Lord then commanded the man with the writing kit to put a mark on all those “who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it”. When God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah Abraham prayed for the city (though he was probably primarily concerned about Lot). There were so few in the city that Abraham gave up after getting down to ten righteous people. Even so, God spared Lot, although Lot was far from perfect! God is merciful, and when it gets to the point where judgement is executed we can be sure that it is fully deserved, and even in that He will protect the righteous. We should also bear this marking in mind when we consider the receiving of the mark in Revelation. That mark is related to Satan. I think we get too obsessed with what form such a marj may take (eg a chip implanted in us). What counts is our behaviour. If we go along with the ways of the world (the ways of Satan) then we are “receiving the mark”, if we remain faithful to the Lord, then we receive the mark of the righteous talked about here.

9:5,6

“Kill, without showing pity or compassion”. Oh we cannot have that, is the modern day response to this, especially as it goes on to talk about slaughtering the young and the old, everyone, infact. We forget that the Lord had shown pity and compassion to Israel over hundreds of years. He had brought them out of slavery into the Promised Land. He had sent prophet after prophet when they rebelled. He had had compassion on them at the merest hint of repentance. But their rebellion had got worse and worse. Also, it was not quite everyone. Those who had received the mark were not to be touched.  This judgement was to begin at the temple. Judgement begins with the house of God.