Ezekiel 4 - 10

Chapter 4 - Holy Poop
I think this chapter shows the beginning of the social protest movement. All you hippees that thought you had it right in the 60 had nothin' on this old man! I mean come on! Ezekiel was made to lie on his left side for 390 days and on his right for 40, one day for every sin of Judah and Israel (the split kingdoms). This is hard core, man! Almost a year and four months not being able to get up, stretch your feet, walk around, go to the bathroom... Can you imagine how sore you'd be, or the sores that would develop, or the atrophy? Gandhi's got nothin on this guy! I just wonder how God took care of him during this time and what the public reaction would be.
What's more is that God tells him in verse 12 to make his food provisions over a fire using dried human dung... If Ezekiel had ever had doubts about getting into the prophet business, now would be the time. However, even in this time God listens to his prophet and allows provisions, sort of. Instead of human dung God allows Ezekiel to use cow dung instead. Well thanks!
All this is to show Israel just how much they've defiled themselves in their sin. They might as well have eaten crap. It parallels Jesus' warnings to the Pharisees in Matthew 23, how they clean the outside but the inside is still filthy. It's not enough that your actions are holy but your mind and heart must be as well.

Chapter 5 -7 - Coming Judgement
A lot of this book is designed to warn Israel of its coming judgement. Israel has prostituted itself to other gods; lesser gods who have no feeling or any care for their followers. Verse 13 talks to God's jealous anger. After hearing what the Israelites have done, how they have completely defiled the temple, ignored the law, sent false prophets to appease the hearts of the people, and broken the covenant so completely, it's just mind blowing that God didn't wipe them out by this point, before it got to be so bad. He uses such violent imagery: parents eating their children and children their parents; that God is their enemy, that He will hide His eyes while the robbers invade and violate the land, that Israel will become an object of mockery and horror, showers of arrows, fire, and just overall devastation. Ch 7 V 13 "Not one person whole life is twisted by sin will recover"
But through it all there is still hope. Particularly in chapter 6 vs 8-10. God speaks of the remnant He will save from the destruction, a remnant of a remnant. "Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their detestable sins." You see the heart of God coming through here. He never wanted this on His people; He is pained for having to do this, but His people will not change! But those who are saved will understand God's heart, seeing all the sins they have committed, and will be so destroyed emotionally by it that they will hate themselves.
I'm not sure which people group I'd rather be in: those destroyed in God's wrath, or those who survive just to fully grasp what's going on. To be in the first and face the full fury of a jealous YHWY, or to be in the second and want to kill myself from the shame I've brought on my people.
Notice also that in 5:7&8 God talks about the sins of the community being worse than their neighbors... the pagans... who don't know any better. That's gotta be bad. It also reflects on how the sins of the few affect the whole community. God sees sin not just at a personal and individual level (as American Christians are trained to believe) but in the whole context as a community. Sin spreads, infects, festers and reproduces. How do my sins affect my community? How does something I consider small and meaningless spread and infect? How am I responsible for the judgement passed on my community in the end? Will it be for good or ill?

Chapters 8-10 - Sin within the Temple
Throughout the whole of chapter 8, God brings Ezekiel in a vision through a tour of the temple to show him the many sins and idolatry taking place. Since this is a vision (v 3) you have to wonder if these events are just symbolic or if they're actually word-for-word taking place. If they actually are taking place, I cannot believe the audacity of these men who think they can get away with this right under God's nose! On his doorstep! An idol in the courtyards, secret worship of mystical beasts behind closed doors, worship of the sun at the east gate, weeping for foreign gods. The Israelites were falling in to the same practices their neighbors were, worshiping multiple gods at one temple, a whole one-stop worship time to cover all your bases. By the time we get to chapter 10, the serephim are back and escort the Lord's presence from the Temple. Check out ch 8 verse 6, “Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple?"
When I read this I just hear the hurt in God's voice. He allowed them to build the temple for Him against his first wishes (1 Chrn 17:5), then fills it with his presence in awesome splendor complete with ark (2 Chrn 7), and has remained there faithfully and accepts their sacrifices. Now they defile it in the most abhorrent ways. If my children, living under my roof and under my protection and provision, suddenly starting bringing other adults into my home to set up as their newer and better parents, despite all I've done for them, I'd go insane! I just can't help but hear the pain in this.
How wide His shoulders must be to carry the burdens he does. How thick his skin must be to handle all the blows to his character. People may accuse Him of having a heart of stone, but for all the abuse he takes at our expense, can you blame him? And yet he is patient with us, big enough for our doubts and our fears, and readily willing to wipe us clean if we but say the word. What a great God we serve! Thank you for loving me no matter how I kick and scream and doubt and worry and pester and how self centered I am. Thank you for being big enough to handle all I throw at you.