Daily Devotions
Ezekiel
"Worshiping the sun toward the east"
Text: Ezekiel 8:16
IDOLATROUS TO THE CORE
The LORD revealed the abominable activities of Jerusalem. Each revelation was worse than the previous one.
“Then He said to me, ‘Have you seen this, O son of man?
Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.’
So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house;
and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD,
between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men
with their backs toward the temple of the LORD
and their faces toward the east,
and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.”
Ezekiel 8:15-16
1. Greater abominations.
a) The image of jealousy was bad enough.
b) Greater abominations were revealed to Ezekiel.
c) The idolaters thought that no one could ever detect their hidden activities.
d) Their knowledge of God was erroneous and totally defective.
2. The inner court of the LORD’s house.
a) This was supposed to be “a holy place”.
b) There were strict rules as to who may enter into the inner court.
i) If priests were religiously defiled, they were not allowed to enter in.
ii) Only the religiously clean priests would be allowed into the inner court.
3. Twenty-five men.
a) The elders of the land worshipped in secret (Ezekiel 8:11-12).
b) These men worshipped the sun openly.
c) The worship of all the heavenly hosts was introduced by King Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-5).
d) Where the priests would have stood to bless the congregation, these twenty-five men turned their backs to the Temple and worship the sun instead.
e) This was just adding insult to injury.