In the previous post, I considered what had been permitted within the place associated with Jehovah’s dwelling. But that raises another question: what about those who are troubled by what is happening around them?
The study now brings me to a distinction within the city itself.
A different response to the same surroundings
In Ezekiel 9:1–4, a man clothed in linen carries a scribe’s case. Glory moves to the threshold, and Jehovah gives him an assignment: mark the foreheads of those grieving over the abominations committed in Jerusalem.
These people are within the city, yet their response differs from those practicing its corruption.
That matters to me. Sharing a location does not mean sharing approval of everything happening there.
The distinction comes before judgment
The others are instructed to follow the man who marks the foreheads. Those bearing the mark are not to be touched. Judgment begins at the sanctuary, with the elders before the house. Ezekiel 9:5–7
The sanctuary setting provides no automatic exemption.
Ezekiel himself falls down and cries out over the destruction. Jehovah’s answer identifies bloodshed, injustice, and the people’s claim that He does not see. The chapter closes with the linen-clothed man reporting that he has obeyed. Ezekiel 9:8–11
For me, this keeps the account from becoming a detached discussion of symbols. There are people, actions, grief, and consequences.
A connection with Revelation
In Revelation 7:1–8, harm is restrained while God’s servants are sealed on their foreheads. John then hears the number of those sealed.
Here I notice a connection worth following: identification takes place before the permitted harm proceeds.
Ezekiel describes a mark upon those grieving over abominations. Revelation describes the sealing of God’s servants. Their shared forehead detail draws the passages together for comparison, while each account supplies its own setting and description.
In my study, I connect this sealing with the chosen remnant. I also keep the large crowd appearing afterward in Revelation 7:9 distinct, rather than allowing the comparison to flatten the progression we have been following.
What does our response reveal?
This leaves me considering more than whether I can recognize something wrong. What is my response once I recognize it? Have I become comfortable with something because it is familiar, widely accepted, or defended by people I respect?
These are questions I want to bring to my own reading, too. Studying abomination should lead me to examine what I accept and excuse, not merely look for faults somewhere else.
Threads to Follow
Those who practice abominations and those who grieve over them.
Forehead marking and sealing before judgment.
The remnant, the large crowd, and the distinctions preserved within each passage.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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