Through reading the story of Israel’s relationship with God, we observe not only His justice and punishment of the wicked, but also about God’s mercy and compassion to always save for Himself a remnant. In this chapter, Ezekiel described a time when God reserved a remnant of righteous people for Himself.
“Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, ‘Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.’ And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar. Now the glory of the Lord went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple” (Ezekiel 9:1-3). 
- God summoned those who were appointed in the city to carry weapons of destruction.
- A man clothed in linen came with the men.
- Priests wore linen; people also assumed divine beings wore linen.1
- This man would record what was said and done.
- They stood before the Lord at the altar, the place of sacrifice.
- In Isaiah, we see the altar also as a place of cleansing and confession.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:5-7).
- The glory of the Lord went up from above the cherubim.
- We learned in chapter 1 that cherubim guard the holy presence of God.2
- God’s glory moved to the entrance of the temple, as if guarding God’s dwelling place.
*How might the altar have served as a place of sacrifice, confession, and cleansing for the men the Lord summoned?
*Why do you think the glory of the Lord moved from the cherubim to the entrance of the temple?
“Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, ‘Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.’ As I listened, he said to the others, ‘Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.’ So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple. Then he said to them, ‘Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!’ So they went out and began killing throughout the city (Ezekiel 9:3-7).
- God called to the man clothed in linen.
- This man—priest, angelic being, or whomever he was—would mark certain people.
- He marked a remnant as exempt from judgment3–those who grieved over the detestable things done in Jerusalem.
- He marked those who cried with “groans…, who [were] devastated and shocked by moral and spiritual atrocities” around them.4
- The guards followed the scribe and struck, wounded, and killed everyone else without pity or compassion.
- But the men were not to approach or harm anyone who had the mark.
- They began by cleansing God’s holy and sacred place.
- Israel’s elders, corrupt leaders who led the people astray5, were the first slain.
- The guards carried the slain into the temple, defiling it with that which was unclean (the dead).
- Such desecration made the temple impure and corrupt in God’s sight.6
*What is significant about the fact the man clothed in linen might have been a priest?
*Who do you think the scribe was?
*Which people qualified as a remnant in this scene?
*What do we learn in these verses about how God wants us to live as His elect?
“While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?’ (Ezekiel 9:8).
- Ezekiel was left alone as one who remained, one of God’s remnant, and he cried out to the Lord.
- Based on God’s command in verses 4 and 6, Ezekiel’s question was rhetorical:
- Would God destroy the entire remnant in Israel?
- No, “God … sovereignly acted to preserve for Himself a remnant of people who will worship Him alone.”7
- Ezekiel feared the total destruction of Israel, but as in the days of Noah, “even in total destruction meant to punish the evil of humans, God [would be] sure to save a remnant and therefore keep His part of the covenant.”8
*Why do you think Ezekiel was left alone?
*If God already stated the answer, why did Ezekiel ask God if He would destroy the remnant?
*What do you suppose God actually said to Ezekiel in answer to his question?
He answered me, ‘The sin of the people 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.”’ (Ezekiel 9:9).
- Israel’s sin was “exceedingly great.” These two words emphasize the importance of their evil and guilt. Used together, they often “attribute theological importance to things of great significance.”9 Certainly appropriate in this scene.
- The land was full of bloodshed from pagan sacrifices.
- The city was full of those who twisted and distorted God’s Law and justice.10
- Israel believed God had forsaken them. We read in chapter 8 they used this as an excuse for their wicked practices. They said God would not see them [in the darkness]. (8:12)
- The Israelites practiced evil deeds in darkness.
- As a result, God abandoned them.
*What do we learn about Israel’s sin and God’s reaction to it?
*How do we twist and distort God’s law and justice today?
*How do you feel about God abandoning Israel in this scene?
“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. Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded” (Ezekiel 9:10-11).
- God chose to turn His face away.
- He would not spare them.
- He would bring their wickedness down on their heads as punishment and judgment.
- The scribe returned to report back, his task complete.
- He didn’t elaborate to describe how many people he had saved.
*What had the Israelites done that God brought down on their heads?
*What is the significance of the man clothed in linen reporting back?
*What do you think happened next to those who were saved, God’s remnant?
*How might the principle of God preserving a remnant apply today?
- Warren Baker, D.R.E., General Editor. The Complete Word Study Old Testament (King James Version). (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1994) 118
- also Baker, 524
- Baker, 1215
- Ibid., 79
- Ibid., 300-310, Ezekiel 7:26, 8:11)
- Ibid., 404
- Ibid., 1088
- Ibid., 1124
- Ibid., 186
- Ibid., 601