Just in these few chapters consider how often God says that He is judging Israel so that they will know that He is the Lord:

And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the LORD have spoken in my zeal (Ezekiel 5:13).

Your people will fall slain among you, and you will know that I am the Lord (Ezekiel 6:7).

And they will know that I am the Lord; I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them (Ezekiel 6:10).

And they will know that I am the Lord, when their people lie slain among their idols around their altars... (Ezekiel 6:13).

And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land a desolate waste from the desert to Diblah—wherever they live. Then they will know that I am the Lord (Ezekiel 6:14). 

I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will surely repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. “‘Then you willknow that I am the Lord.’ (Ezekiel 7:4).

I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. “‘Then you will know that it is I the Lord who strikes you (Ezekiel 7:9).

The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. “‘Then they will know that I am the Lord.’” (Ezekiel 7:27).

Did Israel not know that the LORD was the Lord? No, for they worshipped him as a lord and as a god among gods, not the one-and-only Lord God. They worshipped Him along with their many idols and the gods of the nations around them, even though He commanded them from the first, "You shall have no other gods before me" and "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them" (Exodus 20:3-4). If there was a priority of commands in the Decalogue, these were certainly the most important for Israel to keep. Not to keep them would be to forget who God is. 

Friends, do we worship the LORD God as the one-and-only God? Are we guilty, as Israel, of surrounding ourselves with gods and idols of our own making, such that we worship the LORD as one among a pantheon of gods that command our devotion. In jest we speak of being religiously devoted to our sports team, our past times, our work, our children, and any number of thing, but does our fecetiousness simply shroud a more serious idolatry?

Daniel, a prophet esteemed by God, prayed three times a day every day. When King Darius decreed that none should pray to any god but the king for a month, Daniel responded by continuing to pray three times a day to the LORD (cf. Daniel 6:6-10). Now, did God demand that Daniel pray to Him three times a day? Likely not. Perhaps he could take a month sabbatical from prayer, if only to avoid the lion's-den punishment decreed by the king for those that violated his decree. No, Daniel made no such compromises but faithfully prayed to the Lord just as he had done before. Daniel demonstrated undivided devotion to the Lord.

Friends, do we have an undivided devotion to the Lord? How many of us will forego our devotional time because of work or vacation? How many of us will allow our kids to "skip church" so that they can attend a sporting event or participate in a competition? Are we truly worshipping the LORD as God or as one among many gods that command our time and devotion? Do we pigeon-hole our faith as just one of the things we do?

Ezekiel's oracle against the people in Jerusalem was designed to remind God's people of Who God is in order that they might give Him the exclusive and total devotion that such recognition should afford. Let us, dear friends, give the LORD such devotion. I confess my failing and inconsistency in this regard, and I pray for God's mercy and grace. I acknowledge that I have allowed people, circumstances, and my own selfishness and pride to compromise my devotion to the LORD. Let us then reevaluate the practice of our devotion to the LORD today and work to correct what is amiss.

These were the things Ezekiel was shown by the Spirit of God:

The Jews had put "the idol that provokes jealousy" at the entrance of the north gate of the inner court of the temple in Jerusalem (cf. Ezekiel 8:3-4). At the entrance to the court seventy elders of Israel were burning incense toward a wall painted with all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel (cf. Ezekiel 8:10-11). At the entrance of the north gate, women were mourning for the god Tammuz (cf. Ezekiel 8:14). In the inner court, at the entrance to the temple, twenty-five men had their backs to the temple and were bowing down to the sun in the east (cf. Ezekiel 8:16). This was the extent of the idolatry in Israel. What is more, these very idolators were also spreading violence throughout the land of Israel and cotinually provoking God to anger (cf. Ezekiel 8:17). Because of this, God declared,

Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them (Ezekiel 8:18).

The amazing thing was not the rampant idolatry and violence, for this was common to the peoples and the lands of that time period; however, these things were done by God's chosen people, Israel, who had the oracles of God and the prophets of God. 

Israel simply became like the heathen nations around them. Even though they worshipped the LORD in the temple, they also worshipped the idols of their time. They committed the same sins as the heathen people around them. Except for their profession of faith in Yahweh, the LORD, their priorities, lifestyles, and practical belief system were no different than the heathen nations. And so steeped were they in the idolatry and violence of their times, Israel may not have understood the seriousness of their sinful defection from the LORD.

Friends, I have shared that my own soul is very disturbed within me. I am sometimes put on a pedestal because of the time I spend in God's Word, but then I am attacked when I confront church leaders for their failure to accurately teach the Word of God and their unwillingness to confront unbiblical and sinful attitudes and behaviors in their churches. Yet, I feel that I should be embraced for the latter and rebuked for the former. I am not spiritual in the least, for I am painfully aware of how much I am steeped in the idolatry of my own culture and times. I feel that I have only taken baby steps toward conquering the numerous idols that I have erected in my life. The more I study God's Word the more I am painfully aware of my idolatry and that of others, even those that lead the church. 

What really motivates our lives? We are in the house of God, but we come with our fancy cars and our costly jewelry. We are immaculately dressed and groomed. Our conversations focus on ourselves and our ambitions and our personal interests. We do not know God's Word and simply lap up whatever is dished out by leaders, who may know just a little more than we do. How many of us are deeply concerned with eternal matters more than our next paycheck, our next meal, or the friend who happens to be sick today. Others have the spiritual talk down to an art form, but they scarcely know what God has said in His Word. These are worse because they have an appearance of spirituality but are simply false guides, who do not know God's truth and lead others into perilous deception. 

The church is sick and, in many respects, ripe for judgment. I pray for God's longsuffering grace, not to simply allow our disobedience to grow to the breaking point but to jolt us out of our spiritual stupor. When I got rid of my iPhone and cancelled Cable TV, some people thought these were radical actions. They are not. I merely lightened the load of what I perceived to be my spiritually sinking ship. I truly hope in God's grace, both for myself and for everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord, but I am under no delusion into thinking that anyone I know is truly spiritual. I even question my ability to discern such things for the planks I must still remove from my own eye.

For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’” (Ezekiel 8:12).

The Israelites have concluded that God has forsaken the land of Israel and that He refuses to listen to their petitions for healing and deliverance. Therefore, they have chosen to petition the gods of the nations around them. 

Friends, do you see what is going on here? Because God is not answering them on their own terms, the people have turned away from Him and against Him. To them what they are doing is not idolatry but pragmatism. They decided that God did not work so well for them anymore; therefore, they would try something else. They would set up an idol of jealousy at the north entrance of the altar gate (cf. Ezekiel 8:5-6). They would carve every form of creeping things and beasts and detestable things on the walls and have the elders offer incense to them. They would go to the inner court of the LORD's house and turn their backs to the temple, while falling prostrate eastward toward the sun in worship. 

One thing that they do not do is repent of their sins and simply wait on God's mercy. They refuse to simply trust and obey the Word of the LORD that they have already received. 

Now, let's bring this home. Even though God has clearly said that the Bible is completely sufficient for the Chistian to do any and every good work (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17), many people strive for more revelation. Now, it is not so much that they earnestly desire to know God or His will, but they want a revelation that is useful and beneficial for them. As Paul also warned,

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3).

Who are these people? They are people in the church, for what does the world care about teaching? Who were the people doing these idolatrous acts in Ezekiel, they were the people of God, even the leaders and elders. They were exploring different avenues to get what they want.

Friends, I have warned you in the past that the church today has been plagued by this clamoring for "something more" than the Bible. Church members make pilgrimmages to the International House of Prayer (IHOP) to get some prophecy or divine word of encouragement to direct their ministries, to find some insight for their business, or to help them with any number of areas, about which God has said that the Bible is sufficient. They make a kind of pilgrimmage there, as if it were some super-spiritual place. Like those who consult the zodiac and will not make any decisions without going to a psychic, these people are completely taken in by the forbidden fruit offered by this neo-charismatic movement. By Christianizing this idolatry, they are trying to legitimize this abomination.

How is this any different from the idolatry of the elders of Israel in the Temple of God? Isn't it the same "pragmatism" that drives people to it? They say, "It is not enough to read and obey God's Word." "I must retreat from the world by going to a special place." "I need to receive a prophecy." To them, it is not sufficient that God has already spoken in His Word. They are more interested in what has God will tell them today. And He must say something to them today. And often, ignoring all biblical context, they read this or that portion of Scripture as it supports their own experience and self-invented revelation. 

Friends, not everything people say is from Holy Spirit is from the Holy Spirit. Not everything people call revelation is revelation. Do not be decieved. 

I'm struck with the painful reality that Israel was God's special, chosen people & He was still willing to punish them for their idolatry.  God was willing for Israel to suffer for a short time so that she would wake up, admit her sin, repent & seek God.

Sometimes I think we rely too much on God's mercy & love.  How's that possible?  If we truly & honestly evaluated ourselves are we serious about "perfecting holiness in the fear of God"? (2 Corinthians 7:1)  While most Christians don't have literal statues of Buddha or something like that in our lives we might have other idols like money, possessions, pleasures, etc.  Are all of us sometimes guilty of saying "I'm not perfect, but God is merciful & forgiving" and by saying this we somehow are trying to justify not being serious about the idols in our lives.  My question is this: Since God's character has always been mercy, love & grace & He punished Israel for their idolatry, would He do the same to us today who don't take seriously His command to "have no other God's before me?" (Ex 20:)  God has NEVER expected His people to be perfect & He doesn't today.  But He has ALWAYS expected His people to give Him their hearts totally & completely so that when they do sin they continue to seek His will with their whole heart & honestly evaluate themselves everyday to ask God "Reveal my sin, open my heart to what changes I need to make & help my faith & courage to do whatever necessary to look more like Jesus."

I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them (Ezekiel 7:27 NIV)

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:2 NIV)

I find a parallel thought in Ezekiel's message against Jerusalem and Jesus' sermon against hypocrites. Ezekiel wrote that God will judge the people according to their own standards, the very standards that they apply to each other. Likewise, Jesus taught that God will judge people by the very same standard that people judge each other. 

On first consideration, this sounds very fair, until we sincerely ponder what we do. We rarely judge others by the same standards that we want to be judged. I'm talking not about academic or athletic performance but moral and spiritual aptitude. People do not naturally follow the "Golden Rule," namely, to do to others as they would want them to do to them. We don't treat each other this way, nor do we measure each other by this standard. 

The Pharisees were hypocrites because of their double standard. They put burdens on others that they were unwilling to carry themselves (Matthew 23:4). Even if God judged them by their own standards rather than His , they would still fail miserably, for they practiced an unequal justice and a merciless judgment. 

Friends, let us take this to heart. When Jesus taught, "Do not judge" in Matthew 7:1, He was not contradicting Paul, who taught "Judge those inside the church" (1 Corinthians 5:12). But He was warning against a hypocritical judgment, where we do not acknowledge that we will be judged by whatever standard we apply to others. He was warning against judgment that is blind to one's own faults. When a person recognizes their own shortcomings, even when they correct or rebuke others, they would certainly be more equitable and merciful. 

Oftentimes, when I write a rebuke or correct a brother, a friend, or even a pastor, God always makes me aware of my many shortcomings, even if it is not in the same area of wrongdoing.

But it is not for this reason that we should remain silent, for God has called us to correct, rebuke, teach and admonish one another. But it should always keep us humble, couch our correction in prayer, and always with a readiness to extend mercy and grace.

As I ponder these things, I have prayed daily that God might soften my heart and open my eyes to my own many shortcomings, so that I would not be found self-protective or complacently silent when my attitude, words or actions are shown to come short of the high standard of Jesus Christ. I pray that I will always and sincerely consider every issue of my heart and practice, especially those that my brothers and sisters bring to my attention.

Let us all practice these things, for in doing so we can more perfectly show our love for God and for each other. 

Friends, in the three chapters (Ezekiel 5-7) God conveys to Ezekiel the terrible destruction He will bring upon Jerusalem by sword, famine, plague, and wild beasts. In chapter eight Ezekiel is given a vision while sitting at home with the Elders (i.e. the leaders) of Judah. Remember, they are still in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:3); therefore, they are not experiencing any of the judgments first-hand, but they are given a vivid commentary by God as His judgments unfold upon their homeland. They were meant to watch and learn, not only for the seventy-year term of their exile in Babylon but also for when they would return to their own land. 

Ezekiel is given a vision of what is currently going on in the Temple in Jerusalem. He is given the privilege of being the proverbial "fly on the wall" in the most private areas of the Temple. He is allowed to see how the elders, the women, and the men of Israel have become so corrupt, practicing their idolatry even within the holy Temple of the LORD. What is more, they think that God cannot see them, and that God does not care what they do. We read in Ezekiel 8:12, "They say, 'The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.'" Yet God saw all too plainly. And if they thought their current situation was bad, they "hadn't seen nothin' yet." The very Temple where they were worshipping their idols would be razed to the ground. And some of them would even be found eating their own children as they desperately tried to survive.

Friends, how many of us live our lives as if God does not see or as if God is disinterested in our lives? Let us learn this lesson from Ezekiel. No matter what we think or say, God does see, and He does care. Therefore, let us not be like the remnant in Jerusalem, rejecting God's priorities for us and using His Church as just one of many props in our lives to sustain our comfortable way of life. Instead, let us "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). Let us set our minds on things above, as Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:1-4,

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.