Daily Devotions
Ezekiel
"Weeping for Tammuz"
Text: Ezekiel 8:14
AN ANCIENT SUMERIAN DEITY
Israel was especially formed by the LORD to be His own people. He had taken the children of Israel out of Egypt and even gave them the land of Canaan. Israel had pledged to be faithful to the LORD in a covenant established in the days of Moses (Exodus 24). But Israel reneged on its commitment to be faithful to the LORD. Israel chose idols to worship. One of them was mentioned here in this text.
“And He said to me, ‘Turn again,
and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.’
So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD’s house;
and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.”
Ezekiel 8: 13-14
1. Great abominations
a) There was the image of jealousy situated at the North of the alter in the Temple.
b) To have an idol in the Temple was an abomination to the LORD.
2. Greater abominations
a) Many other idols were worshipped in the secret hiding places in the Temple.
b) These were concealed from the general public.
c) The elders of Israel were worshipping them devotedly.
3. The worship of Tammuz.
a) This was an old Sumerian deity.
b) He was worshipped as a pastoral deity by shepherds.
c) Tammuz also became the god of fertility and thus became an agricultural deity.
4. Many were the folk stories of this ancient Sumerian deity.
a) He was supposedly slain by demons from the netherworld.
b) But he received help and he regained his life.
c) This became a central feature of the worship of Tammuz.
d) Many of the worshippers were women devotees.
i) Some of the stories were enacted.
ii) They were done so well that women devotees wept at the death of Tammuz.
iii) They were emotionally involved.
5. Ezekiel’s reaction as this revelation was shown to him.
a) Ezekiel was in dismay.
b) How could Israel abandon its faith in the living God for such folk stories?