SERIES: “EXCERPTS FROM EZEKIEL”
TEXT: EZEKIEL 8, 9, 10, & 11 **(8:6; 10:4, 18-19; 11:22-23) {Pew Bibles – p.825}
TITLE: “FROM ICHABOD TO EBENEZER”
INTRODUCTION: A. Paul Harvey told a story about an attractive female flight attendant who was being
hounded by two flirts – one at the front of the plane and the other at the back. She was
obviously put-off by the very forward advances being made by these two men, but she
kept right on doing her job.
Near the end of the flight one of the men became particularly bold. As the plane
was about to land he handed her a key to his apartment, a note with the address
and said, “See you tonight.” The flight attendant took them and walked directly to the
back of the plane. She handed the key and the note to the other flirt, winked and said,
“Don’t be late.”
--I’ll bet that there were two very confused men at that apartment that evening.
B. I’ll also bet that the title of this morning’s message has you just a little confused, too.
--“Ichabod” and “Ebenezer” are names from the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel
1. Ichabod – “the glory has departed”
a. In 1 Samuel, we read about a priest named Eli who had two sons – Hophni and
Phineas
b. The Israelites were at war with the Philistines and had been soundly defeated in
battle
--The Philistines captured the ark of the covenant and killed Eli’s two sons
c. When Eli heard what had happened, he fell out of his chair and broke his neck
e. 1 Sam. 4:19-21 – “His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and
near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been
captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into
labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. As she was dying,
the women attending her said, ‘Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.’
But she did not respond or pay any attention. She named the boy Ichabod,
saying, ‘The glory has departed from Israel’-because of the capture of the ark of
God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.”
2. Ebenezer – “God is my help”
--1 Sam. 7:12, the prophet Samuel named the place between two towns “Ebenezer”
because God had helped the Israelites there in their struggle with the Philistines
B. At first glance, today’s message may seem difficult to follow
1. But I promise you, if you’ll stay with me, you’ll hear a message that God wants you
to hear
2. As I summarize each chapter, have your Bible open, your mind ready to hear,
reading along with the verses as I talk about them
3. There are some very important lessons for our own times
a. Let’s look together at the events that transpire in these four chapters
b. Let’s covenant together this morning to open our hearts to what the Holy Spirit
says
I. GOD INDICTS THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL (Chapter 8)
--Ezek. 8:6 – “And he [God] said to me, ‘Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable
things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see
things that are even more detestable.’”
A. Ezekiel receives another vision from God
1. God shows Ezekiel the reason for judgment
2. He shows Ezekiel the spiritual condition of the people who are supposed to be HIS people
B. God takes Ezekiel and transports him from Babylon to the Temple in Jerusalem and shows him the
awful sinfulness of the supposed people of God.
1. vss. 5 – the idol of jealousy
a. Many scholars believe this idol to be an Asherah pole
--Asherah was a Canaanite goddess of sexual immorality and self-gratification
b. God referred to Himself as Israel’s husband. Israel was joined to him by covenant and God wanted
her exclusive devotion.
--However, Israel willingly and openly adulterates herself and becomes spiritually unfaithful
2. vss. 7-13 – Following God’s command, Ezekiel digs through a hole in the wall of the Temple
a. On the other side, he finds a hidden door.
--The door is hidden because those on the other side planned to keep hiding what they were doing
b. On the walls in this room are drawings of all kinds of animals and crawling things
1). Most likely, these were the creature idols worshipped in Egypt
2). The plagues that God brought against Egypt all dealt with a different form of their creature idols
--frogs, livestock, gnats, flies, locusts, and so on…
c. What Ezekiel finds is that the elders of God’s people are involved in hidden idolatrous practices
1). Reference to 70+1 = leadership of Israel as represented by 70 elders and Moses
2). The claim made by these leaders is that God can’t see what they’re doing and can’t do anything
about it even if he could see
--This ridiculous statement was their rationalization for their sinfulness
a). What excuses or rationalizations do you make for the sin in your life?
b). Do they sound something like this:
i. “It doesn’t really matter anyway.”
ii. “Everybody is doing it.”
iii. “No one will ever know.”
c). One commentator: “Rationalizing sin makes it easier to commit, but rationalization does
not convince God or cancel the punishment.”
3. vss. 14-15 – women openly weeping for Tammuz
a. Tammuz was the Babylonian “god of spring”
b. He was credited with all the vegetation that grew on the earth and the productivity of said
vegetation.
c. When everything “died” in the Fall and Winter, it was thought that Tammuz died
d. Therefore, the worship of Tammuz at this point of reference consisted of weeping and wailing over
his “death”
e. Every spring it was thought that he was brought back to life
--Again, as with the Asherah pole, there is open idol worship in the house of God
4. vss. 16-17a – a description of 25 men with their backs to the Temple and their faces to the east
worshipping the sun
a. These 25 men represented the 24 courses of the priests plus the high priest
b. The worship of the sun is literally “the planets and the stars” – i.e. astrology
5. vss. 17b-18 – the people of Judah as a whole are described as being dishonest, violent, and immoral
6. The elders of the people of God, the priests of the people of God, and the people of God themselves
had forsaken their allegiance to Him for false gods
II. GOD ADMINISTERS JUSTICE (Chapter 9)
--This chapter describes the judgement that God poured out
A. 6 angels with weapons stand before God
1. In various translations they are referred to as ‘weapons of slaughter,” “shattering weapons,” and
“weapons of destruction”
2. It would be good for us to take note that no matter what kind of earthly war we’re in, God’s weapons
of mass destruction are much greater than any we can devise!
B. Also an angel who is described as having writing instruments and wearing linen
1. These particular writing instruments were common objects in Ezekiel’s day
2. They consisted of a long narrow board that had grooves to hold the brush used for writing and had
hollowed-out areas to hold cakes of black and red ink.
C. These seven angels then receive their orders
1. The angel with the writing instrument is ordered to make a mark on the foreheads of the people who
“grieve and lament” over the idolatry that was so rampant in their land
--those who were sorrowful and repentant
2. The other six angels with weapons are to kill all those without the mark
3. What was this mark?
a. Many scholars believe that there is some indication that the mark was the Hebrew letter taw
--that particular letter looks like our smaller case “t” which resembles a cross
b. Is the mark of Christ on your life”
1). Is His influence so evident in your actions that people can see Him?
2). It was said about the apostles that their lives and witness were so compelling that it was
evident that “they had been with Jesus”
D. Ezekiel is heartbroken by what he sees and cries out to the Lord
1. Ezek. 9:9-10 – “He answered me, ‘The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the
land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, The LORD has forsaken the land;
the LORD does not see. So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on
their own heads what they have done.’”
2. Those are words that should strike fear in our hearts
a. However, those who mock the ways of God and the will of God will receive their due recompense
b. God will hold them accountable for their sins
III. GOD REMOVES HIS PRESENCE (Chapter 10)
--I could go into great detail about the things talked about in this chapter but for all intents and purposes,
the best thing is to be short and sweet on this chapter for today. Here are the two most important events:
A. Event #1
1. God orders the angel with the writing instruments and dressed in linen to scoop up a load of coal in
his hands and to drop these burning coals all over Jerusalem causing a judgment and punishment by
fire to be administered to the people who live there
2. Jerusalem was actually destroyed by fire
--2 Chron. 36:15-19 describes it this way: “The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them
through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling
place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the
wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. He brought up
against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the
sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of
them over to Nebuchadnezzar. He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both
large and small, and the treasures of the LORD’s temple and the treasures of the king and his
officials. They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the
palaces and destroyed everything of value there.”
B. Event #2
1. The most devastating thing in Chapter 10 is not the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
--It’s the departure of God’s Spirit from the Temple because of the idolatry, immorality, and
downright wickedness of these people who were supposed to be GOD’speople.
2. Ezek. 10:4, 18-19 – “4Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and moved to the
threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the
glory of the LORD.” “18Then the glory of the LORD departed from over the threshold of the temple
and stopped above the cherubim. 19While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from
the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance to the east
gate of the LORD’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.”
3. God did not remove His presence all at once
--In fact, we see an unhurried withdrawal of the glory of God in these four chapters
a. In 8:2&4, God’s glory was over the northern gate of the Temple
b. 9:3 – it’s at the threshold or the “door”
c. 10:3-4 – God’s glory is at the southeast side of the Temple
d. 10:18-19 and 11:1 – eastern gate
e. 11:22-23 – “Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of
the God of Israel was above them. The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and
stopped above the mountain east of it.”
3. God’s glory (His Spirit) departed in an unhurried manner because God is not fickle or capricious
with His affections
--2 Pet. 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is
patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
4. But please do understand this: there will come a time when God will remove His presence, guidance,
and protection from those who are consistently rebellious
a. Jesus promises the church at Ephesus in Rev. 2:4-5 – “Yet I hold this against you: You have
forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the
things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from
its place.”
b. Peter warns the churches in Asia Minor in 1 Pet. 4:17 – “For it is time for judgment to begin with
the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey
the gospel of God?”
5. At the end of every Elvis concert, the audience heard these words: “Ladies and gentleman, Elvis has
left the building.”
--Think how frightening it was for Ezekiel to realize this statement in regard to Israel: “Ladies and
gentlemen, God has left the building.”
C. Here’s an important question for us to consider in applying this scripture to our own lives and situations
--What is it that essentially makes Christians different from other people?
1. Isn’t it the presence of God’s glory?
--the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
2. Acts 2:38 tells us that when we submit our lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior that we receive
the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit
a. Acts 5:32 tells us that the Holy Spirit is “given to those who obey Him.”
b. Col. 1:27 says that it is the presence of Christ Jesus Himself – “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
3. Have you examined your life lately?
--What is the measurable influence of the Holy Spirit on your life?
a. 1 Cor. 3:16 – “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple? And that God’s Spirit lives
in you?”
b. The Holy Spirit can be offended and driven away by our continued rebellion
1). Eph. 4:30 “…do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…”
2). 1 Thess. 5:19 – “Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire” (KJV – “Don’t quench the Spirit”)
IV. GOD PROMISES A RETURN OF HIS PRESENCE (Chapter 11)
A. God starts by reminding Ezekiel of the wickedness and immorality of the majority of the people who
claimed to be His people
1. God’s already shown Ezekiel the spiritual sins of the Jewish people
--He’s pointed it out in the lives of those who were supposed to be the spiritual leaders of God’s
people
2. He now shows him how corrupt the political leaders are
a. God takes Ezekiel out to the eastern gate of the temple
--It’s near here that the merchants and politicians conducted business
b. Two verses spell it out
1). 11:2 – “The LORD said to me, ‘Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving
wicked advice to this city.’”
2). 11:14 – (Ezekiel says)”The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, your brothers –
your brothers who are your blood relatives and the whole house of Israel – are those of whom
the people of Jerusalem have said, They are far away from the LORD…’”
B. But God then delivers the Good News – He loves us too much to leave us in our sin
1. 11:17-20 – [God says}“’Therefore say: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you
from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will
give you back the land of Israel again. They will return to it and remove all its vile images and
detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from
them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be
careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.’”
2. God in His infinite love and mercy wants us to repent and be reconciled to Him
--1 Jn. 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness.”
C. The real glory of God was revealed in His Son
1. Jn. 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (italics mine)
2. The glory of God – the Shekinah, the brilliance, the grandeur, the splendor, the beauty and wonder
that comes with God’s presence – was seen in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ.
D. Do remember the title of this message: “From Ichabod to Ebenezer”?
1. “Ichabod” – “The glory of God has departed”
--To many times, we have rebelled against God even while pretending to be committed to Him
2. “Ebenezer” – “God is our helper”
--God doesn’t want to leave us; He wants to help us. If we turn to Him, He will help us.
CONCLUSION: A. I think one of the most prevalent problems in the churche today is the fact that the glory
of God as found in the Spirit of God has removed Himself from their presence
1. Why do I think that to be true?
a. I know that God wearies of people who claim to know and have a relationship with
Him that exhibit faithless and puny attempts at worship
b. He’s done with the worldliness and outright unfaithfulness of those who claim
commitment to Christ
c. He’s finished with hearing the lifeless prayers and pleas of people who want to
escape from the consequences of their sins but refuse to abandon the practice of
those sins
d. He’s sickened by the outright immorality and idolatry of people who are called to
live upright and worshipful lives so that their goodness might bring unbelievers to
understand the goodness of God.
--Instead, the unbelievers point to the hypocrisy of those who claim to “know
Christ and him crucified” but trample His sacrifice under their feet on a daily
basis
2. When God says it’s enough, it’s enough!
--The sad thing is, God’s standing by waiting for us to ask Him to renew His presence
and His glory in our lives through the work of His Holy Spirit
B. The greatest need for the church is not new programs or even the old tried-and-true ones
--Our greatest need is the presence of Almighty God and the power of the Holy Spirit
1. Eph. 3:20-21 – “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or
imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
a. We’ve looked for God’s blessings but we’ve refused to seek His face
b. Our desire has been to fulfill our own selfish needs when God says, “All you need
is ME!”
2. We have been satisfied with a glimmer when what we really need is the power of the
presence of God
a. I like Tommy Tenney’s analogy from The God Chasers: “When you scrape your
feet across the carpet on a fresh cold day and touch the tip of someone’s nose, you
will get a spark. You will also get a spark if you grab a 220-volt power line with
your bare hands. In both cases, the power behind the spark is electricity and they
both operate from the same principle. One will just give you a spark, but the other
has the potential to instantly kill you or light up your whole world. They both
share the same source, but they differ in power, purpose, and scope.”
b. Do you know the power of the presence of God in your life?
