The Marked Ones – Part 1

Ezekiel 9: 3-6

3. Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case.

4. The Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.

5. But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare.

6. “Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders before the temple.

God knows who are His own. From time immemorial, God always knew who remained steadfast in their faith despite the circumstances. During the time of Moses, when the Israelites were in bondage, God heard them groan under the burdensome and cruel hand of the Pharoah. God sent Moses to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and led them into the Promised Land.

In the passage above, the Israelites were in exile in Babylon under the tyrannical rule of Nebuchadnezzar. While in captivity, Ezekiel was taken in spirit to Jerusalem to see the abominations that were being committed in the temple and in the city. A Holy God, enraged after witnessing the evil in the temple, moved out to the threshold of the temple. They had defiled the temple with all kinds of abominations. Filled with wrath, God summoned a few executioners, six of them with a destroying weapon in their hand.

However, among them there was one executioner clothed in linen with a writing case about his waist. God Almighty, gave him a special task: to place a mark on the foreheads of those who sighed and groaned over all the abominations occurring amongst them. We do not know if they prayed to God but they had groaned in their spirits over the evil which was in their midst. That was all which was required for God to send out His angels to rescue them. In the times that we are living, with evil abounding, and our hearts overwhelmed about the evil in our midst, if our hearts groan or sigh for God’s righteousness to return, then God is faithful to rescue us. He is also faithful in bringing about peace and justice to the oppressed.

The other five executioners were commanded to slay anyone who didn’t have the mark. They were not to pity anyone but to slay them ruthlessly. Those five executioners followed the one with the writing case and slew those who did not have the mark of God on their foreheads. Ezekiel fell on his face and cried out to the Lord if God was going to slaughter the entire remnant of Israel from the land. God argued that the sins of Israel and Judah were so great that He cannot have any pity. Such was evil in the land of Israel!

God did spare the remnant that was marked. It is interesting to notice that God knew who groaned and longed for His righteousness and He rescued them from His wrath. There could have been a handful or many who sought after God. In this instance, God rescued these faithful few by coming to them. God placed the mark on them. He separated and spared them from His wrath.  Imagine the ghastly sight these people who were spared saw all around them – people falling dead around them. Imagine the screams emanating from the temple and in the streets of Jerusalem. Imagine the frenzy and chaos all around. These marked people probably neither saw the executioners nor the angel with the writing case, marking the faithful.

Our Faithful God did send the ultimate Savior to rescue us from sin – Lord Jesus Christ. The Good Shepherd calls His own and His sheep hear Him. If only we believe in the name of our Lord Jesus and commit our lives and hearts to Him, we are marked for all eternity, sanctified for all eternity and preserved for all eternity. If we are marked by Him, then we can escape His wrath.