Comments for September 13

v.3 - this 'childbirth' picture would be a common one in the days of this writing, I suppose, and must represent one of the worst of human tragedies - a very apt description for Hezekiah to use of the people who were no longer able to bring forth fruit to God, due to lack of Spiritual strength through their total lack of spiritual exercise. Isaiah picks up this language in two places - ch.26:17-18, 66:9

v.21 The phrase 'daughter of Jerusalem' 2 Kings 19:21 Isaiah 37:22 Lamentations 2:13,15 Micah 4:8 Zephaniah 3:14 Zechariah 9:9 is a phrase used almost exclusively in the context of deliverance from the enemy.

v.14 - Here is an example of a person who made a special effort to bring his problem to God. He didn't just stop and pray where he was. He went up to the House of the Lord, and he took the letter with him and presented it before God. He made a special effort to arrange circumstances that he felt God would accept. God is there for those who arrange their hearts in humility and make the effort to present themselves a living sacrifice before Him. Our 'House of the Lord' is embodied in Jesus. This is where we must meet with God.

19:29 The language of this verse is reminiscent of the language of the year of release or Jubilee. Is this an indication that this year was a seventh year and that Israel's experience of the provision of God for that year would be an indicator that they could be confident that he would deliver them from the Assyrian?

:21 That God had 'laughed' at Sennacherib echoes what God says He will do when Christ - the Messiah - is set upon his throne (Psalm 2:4 and context)

19:1 Uzziah (2Chron 26:16) had gone into the temple presumptuously. Now Hezekiah, in humility enters the temple. The two men were so different - and so was the response of Yahweh.

V.4 Hezekiah was presented with the agonising choice: resistance or surrender. This time his answer was to seek the help of God. At last he had learned the lesson of faith. With clothes rent and sackcloth covering he and his counsellors prostrated themselves in grief. Isaiah then delivered the answer to the prayer. (V.6-7) The first part of the answer was soon fulfilled. The army contingent withdrew from Jerusalem to find that Sennacherib had other troubles to deal with. We now see that Hezekiah is now fully committed to trust in God. (V19)

There's a lovely picture of a spiritual and humble man in today's chapter.  Hezekiah was again faced with a real problem, presented once again by Assyria.  The letter from the king of Assyria decried the power of Hezekiah's God.  It drove fear into his heart.  So what did he do?  2Kin 19:14-19tells us that Hezekiah went into the Temple, and spread the letter out before God, and in effect said, "Please Lord, read this." And the result?  That same night God's angel killed 185,000 Assyrians, and Hezekiah and his people lived to see another day.  We can do what Hezekiah did. God can read our problems, too.

V.35 The messengers of the Assyrian king were sent away empty handed, and the city waited in trepidation for the outcome. They had not long to wait, for that very night the Lord redeemed his promise. Death, swift, sudden and devastating, reduced the vast army to a remnant.  A question:  Was it outside of Jerusalem that this happened?

V.1 Hezekiah had already been promised deliverance from the Assyrians before this incident (Isa 38:6).  We shall read tomorrow about his illness and subsequent promises which occurred before Sennacherib came against Jerusalem.

19:4  Hezekiah spoke of God as the ‘living God’ as did David when he went against Goliath 1Sam 17:26  . Both men realised that they were fighting an enemy much bigger than themselves but both men also realised that they had a different kind of God to their enemies. Their God was alive.

All men and women of faith can approach Yahweh directly in prayer.  Contrast two incidents where a prophet was approached to speak to Yahweh on behalf of others.

Johanan and the army officers asked Jeremiah to pray for them for guidance (Jer 42:1-3).  They made no effort to pray to Yahweh directly. Jeremiah did pray for them, but they refused to believe Yahweh's answer as true (Jer 43:2).  Subsequently, they suffered the penalty of their disbelief and wrong actions (Jer 42:20-22). 

Now consider Hezekiah who asked Isaiah to pray to Yahweh (v.4).  He received words of encouragement from Isaiah, but then he prayed to Yahweh himself (vs.15-19).  Yahweh heard and accepted Hezekiah's prayer and the problem was solved (v.20). 

We should be encouraged by knowing that we have the same direct access to Yahweh, in prayer, as Hezekiah, and need no-one to speak on our behalf (although we recognize Jesus' role as mediator allowing this to happen).

19:4  Hezekiah’s response ‘it may be …’ is not a lack of faith. Rather it is the mind of the man who says, in effect, ‘God willing.’ He was neither faithless nor presumptuous. He was happy to leave things in God’s hand to do as He saw best.

19:19 Hezekiah is now fully committed to trust in God, so he takes the letter and spreads it before the Lord, and offers this prayer.

V.28 Yahweh says of the northern invader Assyria: I will turn thee back (KJV). Here, Yahweh makes a promise to chase Assyria back home. Yahweh uses the same phrase of Gog, another northern invader in the end times: I will turn thee back (Eze 38:4; 39:2-4).

Subsequently, Yahweh is going to drag Gog into Israel to confront His people: and I will bring thee forth. Much destruction will take place, but Gog shall be ultimately annihilated by the hand of Jesus on the mountains of Israel.

19:8 When the Assyrians returned from besieging Jerusalem there must have been those there who rejoiced thinking that the problem was now resolved and they could carry on as they had previously been doing. However the Assyrian did return. A little like the later event when Jerusalem was compassed with armies – the Romans – who retreated for a while and then returned to complete the destruction of Jerusalem.

19:15-16The way in which Hezekiah prayed to God is echoed in the way in which Peter and John speak – Acts 4:24-29 – about the way in which the Jewish leaders sought to oppose their preaching.

Vs.1,2 The rending (tearing) of clothes was an overt sign of horror and disgust at blasphemy against Yahweh.  The wearing of sackcloth was intended to show anguish and piety in the face of Yahweh.

Outward expressions might underscore genuine emotions, or they might be a false public display of godliness.  The scribes and Pharisees were guilty of this.  Conversely, we should be discreet and true in our approach to Yahweh (Matt 6:5,6).  Let us remember that Yahweh sees the inner man: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts (1Chron 28:9) (KJV).

V.7 The rumour was that Tirhakah king of Ethiopia had invaded Assyria (v.9).

Vs.7,35 Some commentators (e.g. Clarke, Jamieson et al) contend that the blast (KJV) was a simoon, the hot, dry southerly wind that occurs in the region.  This stifling wind has been known to suffocate many a caravan, man and beast.

This simoon, ordered by Yahweh, could have suffocated the 185,000 contingent of Assyrian troops during the night.

V.37 Sennacherib was assassinated in 681 BC and his son Esarhaddon ascended to the throne in 680 BC.

19:7 ‘I will cause him to hear a rumour’ shows that God can work and achieve His objectives in a very quiet and unobtrusive way.

2Kin 19:4,29-36 - Hezekiah is considered by some a type of Christ; a remnant will survive to enjoy a godly, peaceful and prosperous reign of the king perhaps echoes Christ's millenial reign (Psa 72:1-20;Isa 2:2-4).

2Kin 19:19 - similar to being delivered from Gog in the last days (Eze 38:17-23;Isa 2:2-4).

2Kin 19:35-37 - Hezekiah is considered by some a type of Christ; the destruction of Sennacherib perhaps echoes the coming overthrow of Gog (Eze 38:17-23).

19:10  In challenging the God of Israel the Assyrian, in reality, had sealed his own fate. There are a significant number of occasions in Scripture when God prevails simply because he is blasphemed by other nations – against the gods of Egypt Exo 12:12 is but one example.

FAITHFUL FRIEND

It was a bad day for Hezekiah. Having just heard all the threats and blasphemies of the proud commanders of the Assyrian army, Hezekiah needed support. He needed a friend who could relate to his needs and could help him to trust in the Lord. It seems that Hezekiah's special friend was Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet of the LORD and obviously a very faithful person.

Just as Isaiah was a faithful person, so Hezekiah was the most faithful king Judah had ever had. Hezekiah and Isaiah were kindred spirits. They both loved and trusted the LORD with all their hearts. So as Hezekiah had heard the message of the Assyrians, he sent messengers to Isaiah the prophet to seek his support, his prayers and maybe even his advice. Spurred on by the message of the LORD, Isaiah gave Hezekiah the assurance and encouragement he needed to hear.

If at all possible, we need to find ourselves faithful friends who share our values and encourage us in the Lord, especially when times are tough. We need people who can share the wisdom of God with us when we need to hear it. Let us also be that friend to the people around us. Whether we are an Isaiah or a Hezekiah, let's be a faithful friend whose love of God inspires the other.

19:1     We might conclude that Hezekiah had been told by God to weaer the sackcloth – Isa 22:12certainly records a time in Hezekiah’s reign when God called for the wearing of sackcloth.

2Kin 19:29 -

19:21 The phrase 'daughter of Jerusalem' 2Kin 19:21, Isa 37:22, Lam 2:13,15, Mic 4:8, Zeph 3:14, Zech 9:9 is a phrase used almost exclusively in the context of deliverance from the enemy.

A new birth by faith

"Thus says Hezekiah: 'This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth." 2Kin 19:3

The children mentioned here are the people of Israel and Judah that Hezekiah had influenced through his Godly example, the Passover feast, his reinstatement of the Levites and their Bible teaching regime. All this Hezekiah planned to do after he learned of God's wrath against Israel (see 2Chron 31:3-10) and planned to turn God's wrath away by bringing the people back to God.

We see then that it requires faith for new spiritual birth to happen. Teaching the word of God can bring about conception of a new spiritual child, but it is by faith that the child comes to birth as a "new creation". In this case, it was their faith in the salvation of God from the Assyrian army that formed the focus of that faith. For us it may be any number of trials and challenges in life that cause us to trust in God's help. Most especially it is the times where our human nature ("the flesh" in Bible speak) demands a certain course of action that the spiritually developed part of our mind ("the spirit" in Bible speak) rejects. It is by prayer to God, through Jesus, that we will overcome these temptations and be born again as sons of God.

"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Rom 8:13-14
 

19:35 The way that Gog is to be destroyed – Eze 39:4 is reminiscent of the destruction of the Assyrian army here.

19:35   The destruction of the Assyrian host in the days of Hezekiah is prophesies, along with the overthrow of the northern kingdom in the days of Hoshea in Hos 1:6-7

19:2        Whilst Shebna the scribe was clothed in sackcloth here we see that he probably lacked faith a little later for the prophet reproved him for thinking he was going to die in Jerusalem Isa 22:16

19:37  there is a strong irony here. Hezekiah trusted his god and spread the letter from the Assyrians before Him, doubtless in an area of the temple. God heard and delivered Hezekiah. By contrast Sennacherib was in the temple of his god who was unable to deliver him from his enemies.

19:3       Hezekiah recognised that he was unable to save Jerusalem from the Assyrians and so turns to God. How long does it take for us to realise that we are unable to resolve some of the problems that we encounter in our lives before we turn to God in prayer?

19:36 “so Sennacherib king of Assyria departed …” is so telling. He is given his title “king of Assyria” but he is powerless against Yahweh. As we watch the turmoil in the world and leaders with their “solutions” we do well to remember who is in control of world affairs. Whilst “men’s hearts fail them for fear” we rest in the assurance that nothing will happen that the Creator is not in control of.

19:6 “Thus saith the Lord” is the stamp of authority which counters the words of a mere mortal -   18:29 – where we read “thus saith the king”. Hezekiah now heard that the words of the mighty king of Assyria had been rebuffed by one mightier than him – by Yahweh Himself.

19:5 “so the servants of Hezekiah came to Isaiah” speaks volumes. They came distressed expecting support and help. Such was Hezekiah’s trust in God and His prophets. This must have helped to sustain Hezekiah in the difficulties he experienced. The lesson for us is that communications with other believers is helpful and we should seek to do it

19:1 scripture presents a stark contrast for us to consider here. We saw Hoshea looking to Assyria for help -17:3 Hezekiah, by contrast, sough God.

It is such a simple point but stands as a reminder to us as to where our reliance should be.

INSTANT REACTION
What do we do when trials suddenly hit us, when bad things happen, or when it looks like the world as we know it will fall apart and swallow us up? Hezekiah had an instant reaction. When the Rabshakeh called out his threats and promises to Hezekiah in the hearing of all the people on the wall in Jerusalem, this is what Hezekiah did. "As soon as Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD." (2Kin 19:1).

Then, when the Rabshakeh sent a letter to Hezekiah continuing the blasphemy, Hezekiah did this: "Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD." (v.14-15).

Humbling himself and turning to God were his instant reactions. It takes practice in little things, so that we can be ready for the big ones. Let us be humble and turn to God today.

19:22  Here is the key point that explains the arrogance of the Assyrians. They had “blasphemed “ the Creator. This was the charge that David levelled at Goliath -  1Sam 17:45.

v.9 I personally find it a frightening thought that these people, who were in the same position as we are - potentially heirs to the promises - should turn aside with such ease. How much we need the grace of God.

Notice that there are six men with destroying weapons in their hands. See the list in JJer 39:3 of the Babylonians who sat in the 'middle gate' - Is Ezekiel seeking what Jeremiah speaks about?
The 'mark upon the forehead' catches what we saw in chapter 3. The parallel with Rev 7 is stark in both cases those who are sealed for God are the ones who sigh for Jerusalem.
Rather like those who mourn Matthew 5:4.

v.6 suggests that judgement begins with the most responsible. It was the oldest - the ones who had had the greatest chance to change their ways, that were destroyed first.

9:4 That God waited until the men who 'sighed for Jerusalem' were sealed before the judgement began is the way that God works. He does not destroy the righteous with the wicked. Thus when Sodom and Gomorrah were to be destroyed two angels were sent to deliver Lot and those that would come out with him (Genesis 19)

9:4 The mark on the faithful contrasts with the mark upon Cain (Genesis 4:15)

9:6  When the slaughter began at the 'ancients' this is the same people who are called 'elders' <02205> in Eze 8:1,4. Remember we are still in this same vision which these elders where hearing.

V.11 When the work of judgement is completed the man clothed in linen declares "I have done as thou hast commanded me"  In his first letter Peter writes, with a clear allusion to Eze 9  (1Pet 4:17) In the immediate context the apostle appears to be referring to the impending Roman judgement that was to overtake the people of Israel. It seems that both Ezekiel and Peter have established a principle of Divine judgement to come.

Vs.4,5 Ezekiel witnessed the mark of salvation on those who were true to Yahweh.  Yahweh has often marked out people for various reasons:

-Cain was marked for his preservation (Gen 4:15)

-The door frames of the Hebrews were marked with blood for their salvation (Exo 12:22,23)

-The one marked for death cannot be redeemed (Lev 27:29)

-The perfect man is marked for peace (Psa 37:37)

-Those causing divisions are marked for avoidance (Rom 16:17)

-Those who have willingly followed the apostasy are marked for destruction (Rev 14:9-11). 

As individuals, it is important to think about what mark we bear.  Are we marked for salvation or destruction?

In vision Ezekiel saw a killing of everyone who supported the evils done in Jerusalem. Only those who had received the mark (which showed their hatred of these evil things), were saved (Eze 9:4). Are there any beside the prophet who are not killed, (see Eze 9:8)?

9:4  Those who ‘sighed and cried’ were typical of those that Isaiah spoke of – Isa 61:2-3. They lamented what was happening in Jerusalem, even though they could not change the hearts of others. Likewise ourselves. We are not expected to change the world order by political or any other means. However we are to lament the sorry state of the world and anticipate its repair at the return of Jesus Christ.

Vs.3,7 The glory of Yahweh rested between the cherubim over the mercy seat in the inner sanctuary (Exo 25:20-22).  But now, as the temple was about to be defiled the glory of Yahweh could no longer rest there but moved to the threshold of the temple (Eze 10:4).

As Jerusalem's destruction continued, the glory of Yahweh moved again, this time to the east gate (Eze 10:18,19); and finally it moved to the Mount of Olives (Eze 11:22,23). 

It will again rest in the inner sanctuary of the new temple in Jerusalem when Christ returns (Eze 43:2-5).  We are told: For we are the temple of the living God  (2Cor 2:16).  But, as we have seen, Yahweh's glory cannot dwell in a place of corruption. How is our status?

9:1-2 The men with destroying weapons had been seen by Jeremiah the prophet – Jer 39:3

Vs.4-6 True worshippers of Yahweh have His mark (seal) placed upon them and will be saved (Rev 7:2,3). Those who worship the god of this world will be marked for destruction (2Cor 4:4; Rev 16:2;19:20). The god of this world can take many forms: false religion, humanism, hedonism etc. - any object of adoration other than correct worship of Yahweh (John 4:24).

9:8 So in some way Ezekiel can engage in conversation with God in this vision and his concern is for the ‘remnant’ thinking that the whole city was going to be wiped out. So even though he had seen the man marking the faithful he had this concern. So the fury he saw in the vision must have been terrible.

9:1 One might have thought that those who had ‘charge over the city’ were faithful priests but no. They were Israel’s enemies. God had set them in this position of authority to execute His judgements. However doubtless those ‘elders’ in the city thought that they were the ones ‘in charge’

BEYOND THE LAST MINUTE

Judgement time. God sent seven men throughout the city of Jerusalem. One of them had a writing kit. His job was to "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it." (Eze 9:4) The other six men were armed with deadly weapons. Their job was to "Follow him throughout the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion ... but do not touch anyone who has the mark." (v.5,6) Time and again the people had been warned of the result of their actions by all God's prophets. Now all of a sudden, it was judgement time. There was no time to swap sides, no time to change minds, and all opportunities had gone to change their way of life. Who they were and what they had done was how it was. They were either in or out.

What if Jesus came right now? The test is over. Last minute death-bed repentance are out of the question. It is your attitude and the way you have lived up until this moment that will be the decider of life or death. That moment is not quite here yet. We still have time to change, but who knows how long it will be? Have we developed God's mark in our minds, attitudes and way of life? Will he be pleased with our faith and way of life?

V.2 The number six is the number of man because man was created on the sixth day (Gen 1:27,31). Therefore, six men is a phrase which indicates the (human) invasion of the Babylonians. 

Being clothed with linen was indicative of the high priest (Lev 16:4); but also of divine angels (e.g. Dan 12:6,7; Rev 15:6).  And so, one of the invading avengers stood by the bronze altar on which burnt offerings were made, to receive his divine commission to mark the righteous populace.

Vs.5,6,10 Yahweh does not have to deal with any Human Rights Tribunals. In His eyes, you are either considered righteous or not – there are no extenuating circumstances given to anyone.  Those who are not true are His enemies.  And, Yahweh will destroy His enemies (Nah 1:2).

9:3 We see the departure of the glory of God is a reversal of what Ezekiel saw in chapter 1. We know what it signifies – the final destruction of Jerusalem – however when Ezekiel saw this it must have filled him with great sorrow and foreboding.

9:2  Even though destruction was to come from the hand of the Lord He took care to ensure that those faithful were preserved by sending the man in linen.

9:4     The way that the faithful lamented over the state of Jerusalem at the time of the Babylonian captivity is taken up by Jesus – Rev 9:4– to encourage those who would be suffering persecution in Jesus’ day when he moved John to write the book of Revelation.

9:5      God would not pity because of the idolatry of the people. He has already stated this – Eze 5:11 and we see the same assertion in verse :10. Israel had now reached the position where there was “no remedy” 2Chron 36:16 – that is the nation could no longer be healed.

1. Eze 9:4 - the man in linen goes through the midst of Jerusalem putting protective marks on the foreheads of the faithful so destruction will pass over them.

2. Eze 9:5-11 - accomplishment of the judgment:

3. Eze 9:6 - "begin at my sanctuary" (2Chron 36:17).

4. Eze 9:9-10 - iniquity of Israel and Judah was great and they said, "the Lord seeth not"...God "will recompense their way upon their head" (1Kin 8:32).

5. Eze 9:11 - it seems likely that in Ezekiel and Peter (1Pet 4:17) there is an echo of the Divine judgment yet to come; when this judgment to come (Rev 16:1;14:1;4:1-11;19:4-8,11-16;21:23-27) is finished, the one clothed in linen - the Great High Priest - will declare "I have done as thou commandeth me"; these events yet to come were built on a foundation previously finished (John 17:4).

Eze 9:6 Some interesting points seen already here on the word Mark. We have seen that Cain had a Mark of protection Gen 4:15. It must have been an outward sign to those around that Cain was a Jew rather than just simply a divine protection. During WW2 the Jews were easily identified by their natural physical features. Matt 25:5 Shows us how the Jews when prosperous show with pride that they are in fact Jews, interesting how 1930's Germany began to "turn"on the Jew for their apperant prosperity their success then in Germany was ultimatly their downfall. The mark on Cain though it offered protection also showed that he was a sinner the mark could also show then as in Lev 27:29 a mark of death.

Gods people the Jew suffered terribly at the hands of the Nazi's but they were easily identified by their "marks" or physical differences to Germans, and were even given badges in the shape of Star of Davids to identify them as ones marked for death. They were of course guilty like Cain of causing a son of God to die.

Yet Yahweh in his mercy had also marked them for salvation, that so some may be punished some may live. They await one more time when their current pride shown in the middle east as a nation not need God will be punished once more yet a remant will be marked for salvation.

Psa 37:37 tells us we are to mark the perfect man, the word mark here is "observe" to get peace we are to observe him in all his ways and seek to emulate him, for that we willbe marked with eternal peace.

9:7    The temple had been defiled already by the evil behaviour of the nation. However they did not recognise their behaviour as defiling God’s house. So now there is going to be clear visual evidence – dead bodies lying in the temple. Hopefully we can see how our actions defile our relationship with God. Hopefully we do not need visual evidence.

God makes a distinction

The fulfilment of this chapter came when the Babylonians destroyed the city, so what we see here is only a representation of the events that would come to pass. There were not literally six angels, but God chooses to portray the vision in this way to Ezekiel so that he can understand. What is particularly clear is that there would be a distinction made between the wicked and the righteous (see Eze 9:4-6). How do you think this would work in practice?

For further examples see:

Lot / Sodom in Genesis 19

Israel / Egypt in Exodus 9-12

Rahab / Jericho in Joshua 6

9:4     The way the men sighed for Jerusalem showed their faithfulness to God.  They were amongst those that mourned – Isa 61:2 – for Zion.

9:2  The men clothed in linen are clothed as the high priest who, on the Day of Atonement, made atonement for the nation – LLev 16:32. Thus we see this is not just saving people from destruction by the Babylonians. It is an atoning work.

Eze 9:4,5

“And the LORD (Yahweh) said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof…”

The Mark of Yahweh:

Mark as read in Eze 9:4 is the Hebrew word tav, Strong’s # <8420>. In ancient Hebrew, during the time of the prophets, the T in tav tilted approximately 30 degrees to the right. It was crossed not at the top, but a little bit above the half-way mark. It was not meant to be interpreted or written as the sign of the cross.

Tav is composed of two Hebrew letters, tav and vav, which lends to its pronunciation "tawv.” Tav is the 22^nd and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet used by Yahweh, Himself, to identify His faithful remnant and spiritually imprinted on them for protection.

Tav is known as the “Seal of Yahweh,” the “Seal of Truth,” and the “Seal of Creation.” It is the covenant letter. In Rev 7:2-4 we read about the “seal of the living God.” Seal is sphragis, # <4973>, “…  (as fencing in or protecting from misappropriation… mark of privacy}”. Tav is Yahweh’s seal, or mark of protection on His servants.

Eze 9:4
“And the LORD {Yahweh} said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.”
Sighing and crying are not just emotions, or feelings, but also matters of the head, because attached to the sighs and cries are thoughts. Matters of reason underlie our expressions of emotions.
Sigh in Strong’s is # <584>, anach, “groan, mourn.” This word is first found in Exo 2:23-25.
Cry in Strong’s is # <602>, anaq, “to shriek: cry, groan.” It is a rare word used twice in Eze 9, once in Mal 2:13 (anaqah, # <603>), and once in Psa 12:5 (anaqah # <604>).
These words all involve our innermost feelings, every one of which is connected neurologically to reason in the brain. Emotion, knowledge, and reason are not separate, but function together. To sigh and cry are not just about our emotions, our feelings, or matters of the heart, but also matters of the head.
To know what these abominations are, we must have knowledge of what Yahweh defines as abominations in His Word and believe it (cf. Psa 119:126; Rom 7:7 Col 2:8; 2Pet 2:6-8), so the sighs and cries are real feelings connected with understanding, watching and listening to what goes on around us. God’s Word is our benchmark by which we measure the deeds of others as well of ourselves. We cannot march in step with the world and sigh and cry at its sins at the same time.
There is a line in the Bee Gees song, which goes like this: “I started to cry which started the whole world laughing.” Messiah said: “… ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice…” The world rejects Yahweh’s standards; they rejoice at all the injustices, rationalize sin, call good evil and evil good. We must interpret current events in light of Yahweh’s law. We ought only to be the spectators, watching from the sidelines, and not its participants. We are not part of the world, though in it.
Yahweh made a covenant with His people and delivered them. Yahweh also made a covenant with us and we with Him and His Son, through whom by extension we are also His sons and daughters, and Abraham’s seed. If we are obedient, we will also sigh and cry with the righteous and we will be delivered. In these days, we witness unprecedented evil, and  may we not be found to be the world’s participants and have the angel with the inkhorn pass us by.

9:4      Setting a mark on the faithful here contrasts with the way in which Cain was marked –Gen 4:15.

Eze 9:4
“And the LORD (Yahweh) said unto him, Go through the midst of the city , through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.”
A Tale of Two Marks
We read in Exo 12:3, “And the blood shall be for you a token…” Token Is # <226>, owth, and means “sign” It is so translated in Exo 4:8; Exo 8:23; Exo 13:9; Exo 31:13,17. What is the sign the angel used to mark the homes of the Israelites?
We read in Eze 9:4,5 that a mark was placed by Yahweh’s angel on the righteous and thus they were protected, while all the others were set for destruction. The mark here is symbolic. We read in Psa 37:37 that it is also a mark of character. Their whole-hearted allegiance is to Yahweh guards them. Yahweh’s piercing eyes penetrate to the very depths and intents of the heart. He knows those who are truly His. It is Yahweh’s mark of deliverance of the righteous.
The Mark of Yahweh
Mark as read in Eze 9:4 is the Hebrew word tav,  # <8420>. In ancient Hebrew, during the time of the prophets, Tav was the letter T tilted approximately 30 degrees to the right. It was crossed not at the top, but a little bit above the half-way mark. It was not meant to be interpreted as the sign of the cross.
It is composed of two Hebrew letters, tav and vav, which lends to its pronunciation tawv.” Tav is the 22^nd and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet used by Yahweh, Himself, to identify His faithful remnant and spiritually imprinted on them for protection (cf. Rev 7:2-4). Tav is known as the “Seal of Yahweh,” the “Seal of Truth,” and the “Seal of Creation.” It is the covenant letter. In Rev 7:2-4 we read about the “seal of the living God.” Seal is sphragis, # <4973>, “…  (as fencing in or protecting from misappropriation… mark of privacy”). Tav is Yahweh’s seal, or mark of protection on His servants.
The Mark of the Beast
The primary purpose of this mark is to show allegiance and worship to the beast (Rev 14:11,19; Rev 19:20; Rev 20:4).
We read in Rev 13:16 " a mark,” Rev 13:17  " the mark," Rev 14:9 "his mark," Rev 14:11 "mark of his name," Rev 15:2, "his mark," Rev 16:2 "the mark of the beast," Rev 19:20 "the mark of the beast," Rev 20:4 "his mark."
Mark is the Greek word charagma, # <5480> (cf. # <5482>). This word was reserved for slaves, signifies ownership, and demonstrates allegiance to the master. Scripture identifies these as the unfaithful that have whole-heartedly joined and given their allegiance to the apostate system of the Beast. Those that have this mark are assigned for destruction by Yahweh.
Three times the Bible refers to "receiving" the mark specifically "in their right hand, or in their foreheads:" (13:16, 14:9, 20:4). The mark is associated with a number 666, and the mark is associated with his name (Rev 15:2). Scripture does not identify the mark, but it is interesting to note that the Roman Catholics assign the mark of the cross on the forehead or right hand, thus identifying themselves with the apostate worship of the Beast system, which includes her daughters of various names and denominations. The priests drink wine on their altar in churches during every Sunday’s communion service (cf. Rev 14:9-11). Those who refused to take their mark were assigned for destruction, as History has proven, and may still come to pass.

9:5,10  That there should be no pity on the wicked echoes the way Israel wee to treat their enemies – Deut 13:8. However, sadly, the ones who are not pitied are not Israel’s enemies. They are God’s children!    

9:4-5 Even in these sad words of judgment on Jerusalem we can see the mercy of God and His care for the faithful. Before the judgment the faithful were recognised and preserved.

9:11 It might seem obvious that the man with the inkhorn did what he was commanded to do. However the significance is that before God brought destruction He knew that the faithful were safely identified. In like manner today he knows who are His.

9:3-4 The lifting up of the glory of God symbolises that Yahweh had left the temple. However He had not left His people – he ensured that the faithful were “sealed” to protect them. We should never think that God had forsaken His children when times of trouble come

9:3-5 When Ezekiel was in captivity at this time the city of Jerusalem had not been finally overthrown by the Babylonians. Ezekiel sees the glory departing and two categories of individuals in the city. Those who lamented the godlessness and those who did not. The warning we saw in chapter 7(The end is come) was being worked out in Jerusalem. However there were still some faithful in the city.

Just like God spared Lot from the destruction of Sodom Yahweh was planning to spare those in Jerusalem who sighed and cried because of the abominations done by the godless people in the city.

We can take great comfort that our God is discriminate in His judgments. He spares those who are faithful despite the apparent chaos around them.

9:2  The vision is specific. The six men came “from the north” which is exactly the way that the Babylonians came down upon Jerusalem, taking the cities of Judah on the way to Jerusalem.

9:9 That people in Jerusalem were disobedient, disregarding God’s instruction and call to repentance by the prophets God uses the word “perverseness” to describe them.

Not only were they disregarding God’s word. They made a conscious choice to disregard Him as Jeremiah records – Jer 18:12 – words that those sitting before Ezekiel may well have heard form the lips of Jeremiah whilst they were still in Jerusalem.

v. 8 - Peter's reaction here is quite interesting. He sees the power as making him ashamed, where he could quite easily have seen it as the way to his future fortune. The mind of the chosen disciple is salutary for us here. Should we feel the same fear at the power of Jesus at his return, perhaps Rev.1:17 would be helpful to us.

5:1 This would appear to have been early in the morning because 5:5 'we have toiled all night'
5:10 'from henceforth ye shall be fishers of men' answers to Matthew 4:19.
5:11 Though they 'forsook all' and followed Jesus it would appear that they did not divest themselves completely of the ability to fish for we find them fishing after the death of Jesus - John 21:3 though there is no evidence of them fishing during the ministry of Jesus even though they had access to boats from time to time.
5:13 Jesus' touched' the leper. Below is a list of all occasions when the gospels speak of Jesus touching, or being touched, in the context of healing. Notice that not one of them is in John's gospel. Matthew 8:3 15 9:20 21 29 14:36 17:7 20:34 Mark 1:41 3:10 5:27 28 30 31 6:56 7:33 8:22 10:13 Luke 5:13 6:19 7:14 39 8:44 45 46 47 18:15 22:51
5:18 - 19 The healing of the man let down through the roof took place at 'his own city' Matthew 9:1 which is Capernaum Mark 2:1 One wonders whether he was in Peter's house.

5:27 'Levi' is 'the son of Alphaeus' (Mark 2:14) and so his brother, who was also a disciple, was 'James the son of Alphaeus' (Mark 3:18) One wonders how they got on together. Tax gatherers were despised. Doubtless James and the family thought little of Matthew / Levi whilst he was a tax gatherer so now they would have to change their view of him. Can we say that we do not judge people on their past life?

RAGS TO RICHES
In one dreadful moment the poor boy tripped and fell headlong onto the rough stone path. As he stood up and brushed the stones from his hands and well worn trousers, he discovered that he had ripped both the knees of his longs, ruining them for good. They were the only pair he had and he was sure they would be ripped so badly that they couldn't be fixed. As he walked home he wondered what to do. Where would he ever get a new pair? Could he patch them? Could he cut some material off the trousers that were too big for him yet, and patch the ruined ones with it? If they were patched would they look even worse than they did now? Would the patch pull away?
In our life without Christ, the Bible describes us as wearing filthy rags. The rags we wear are so full of dirt and holes that they are beyond repair. So what do we do? Can we take the parts of the gospel message - the parts that we like - to patch up the old life? No! That is just like cutting up next year's trousers to patch the ruined ones. Instead we must completely change. We can either wear our old dirty rags or the rich, pure white garments of sinlessness we are given in Christ. Patches won't work. We cannot mix the two.
Change your rags for riches today

The Pharisees were right in their question "who can forgive sins, but God only?". I don't think anyone had ever been able to forgive sins but God....that is, until Jesus came along. So where did Jesus get the ability from? Where does it say in scripture that Jesus would be able to forgive sins?

Jesus uses the phrase "the son of man is able to forgive sins". Why did he do this? It would seem logical that the "son of God" would be able to forgive sins, because he was the offspring of the one being who could already do it. In using the title "son of man", Jesus seems to be leading us away from this conclusion.

There are other people who were called the "son of man". In Psalm 8v4 it refers to Jesus. In Ezekiel 2v1 it refers to Ezekiel, and is then used of him, by God, throughout the book. In Daniel 8v17 it refers to Daniel, and in 7v13 we have "one like the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven". The rest of the occurrences of the title, however, are used of mankind in general. Interestingly also, the reference to Jesus refers to him whilst still mortal "thou hast made him a little lower than the angels".

So what does all this mean? Well, the point seems to be that Jesus, while he was still like you and me in every way, was able to forgive sins! This brings up many questions: Was this part of the gift of the spirit "without measure"? Was every healing also an act of forgiveness? Was this gift also to the apostles and believers who were given the Holy spirit? Was it only Jesus, the son of God, who could do this, or would it be likewise for those who were "in Christ" after his resurrection, who were now called "sons of God" through him? Was the forgiveness temporary, or eternal?

5:17 Whilst we see the doctors of the law 'sitting' we should appreciate that this was in a house that was so full of people that some could not even get in(Mark 2:2) . One supposes that more people would have been able to get into the house if these doctors of the law could have brought themselves to stand also.

V.5 Because you said to do it; Peter is saying "I will trust and obey"  What a multitude of excuses we can offer to show why the business of spreading the gospel net should be left to others to look after.

V.32 - The Pharisees lacked humility and thought they were righteous and spiritually healthy. Jesus knew their thoughts.

V.35 - Christ is the bridegroom and until he returns we will fast for spiritual food.

Though Christ fulfilled the law and the prophets, there was an incompatibility between the old teachings of the Pharisees possibly symbolized by the old garment and the new teachings of Christ possibly symbolized by the new garment  v.36.

V.37-39 - The old wine skins are perhaps the people who were only open to the old ways of thinking and animal sacrifices (old wine). The new wine skins are perhaps the people open to the new teachings of Christ and his sacrifice (new wine). Those who were ingrained in the old way of thinking couldn't accept Christ.

V.2 By all accounts, the family fish business of Peter and Andrew, and their partners James and John, was a profitable one.  It afforded them a comfortable living. 

Had Jesus asked them to leave a struggling business, it would not have had the same impact as leaving a successful one. 

Jesus showed them that greater success through his miracle (Luke 5:5-7).  Of course, He was indicating the spiritual success which lay ahead for them (Matt 4:19).

5:21 The Pharisees were correct in thinking that only God could forgive sins. Isa 43:25 However they should have recognised that Jesus was standing in the place of God – as His representative.

ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE
 
It takes all kinds of people to reach all kinds of people. Jesus chose a huge variety of different men to be his disciples. They were not all people with the same traits or characteristics who would fit into the mould of a closely knit bunch of itinerant preachers, they came from all sorts of backgrounds in all sorts of jobs and had a range of social connections. Luke 5 has some good examples of the range of people who were influential in bringing others to Jesus.
 
The first we see mentioned is Simon. Simon was a fisherman and Jesus told him to let down his net for a catch.  When Simon did as he was told, he caught so many fish that he called other fishermen to help, and all of them saw the miracle performed by Jesus and became his followers.
 
Jesus healed a leper. He was a sick man, an outcast from society. But the news of the leper's cure spread like wild fire and soon sick people all over the place were flocking to see Jesus.
 
The Pharisees and teachers of the law were probably the most reluctant group, but even they witnessed the Lord in action. His teaching and miracles would have been a hot topic among that crowd from then on.
 
And Jesus called Levi, a tax collector. No-one else would have reached out to other tax collectors and sinners like Levi did, and many of them came to know Jesus at the great banquet Levi held.
 
God gave us our position, our personality, our jobs and our experiences for good reasons. One reason is that we are uniquely suited to spreading the gospel message in our own environment. Let's get on with it and do it.

5:26 Why did the people say ‘we have seen strange things today’? They had seen Jesus heal people before. The reason, it seems, is that the overt forgiveness of sins was the unusual feature seen on this day.

Vs.13,14 Jesus urged those He healed, like this leper, to present themselves to the priest.

He did this to show that:

1) He was the fulfilment of the Law (Matt 5:17).

2) His order of priesthood surpassed that of the priesthood under the Law (Heb 9:11).

5:32    In our preaching we should remember the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees- it is all too easy to be prejudiced in our preaching.

5:11 This total commitment – ‘forsook all’ – comes up again – Matt 19:27 – when specifically Peter draws Jesus’ attention to this fact

Vs.9,11 The fishing industry in the time of Christ was a profitable one.  Fish was not only supplied to the Jewish markets but to the Romans also.  Peter and Andrew lived (in a house) in Bethsaida (John 1:44).  Their partners, James and John had hired servants (Mark 1:20).  And so, they all must have made a comfortable living.  Thus, it was all the more remarkable that they up and left the business to follow Jesus.  This after, probably, their best catch ever.

5:16 It seems that Jesus’ need to pray was a direct consequence of the crowds coming as a consequence of his healing of the leper. What was Jesus praying for? Well of course we do not know. However the temptations he had experienced in the wilderness were only gone temporarily – Luke 4:13 – he is now in a position again when he could have taken ‘all the kingdoms of the world’. Maybe that is why he had to pray.

5:17  This was not a casual gathering of the doctors of the law. They had come from all round the land of Israel in a pre organised way so that together they could confront Jesus.

5:15  We learnt - Luke 4:14-15 – that Jesus went around teaching but his message was so powerful that people started to make journeys to listen to him.

5:8      Peter’s words “depart ... I am a sinful man” is contrasted with – Luke 5:20– Jesus’ words to the man who was let down through the roof – “thy sins are forgiven” the events so close together would teach Peter that forgiveness was available to men of faith. He need not be worried about his sinful nature if he believed – the same is true of ourselves.

5:30   In saying that the Scribes and Pharisees “murmured” we see that, through the holy spirit Luke is moved to liken them to the rebels in the wilderness – Exo 17:3 for example.

5:7     A man being able to heal the sick was not a common sight in Israel.  However the religious leaders were more concerned to discredit Jesus than to wonder how he managed to perform his miracles. So obsessed were they in the view that Jesus was a threat to them that they were blind to the evidence!

5:22-24         The Jewish leaders could see no further than their prejudices. So Jesus’ challenge should have brought them up with a start. The healing of the paralysed man should have changed the way that the leaders thought – but it did not as they had already made up their minds. Evidence would not change them. Are we ever so prejudiced?

Luke 5:36-39

“…. No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old…”

One would never think of putting a piece of an old garment to mend a new one and vice versa. With time, the wine skin made of animal skin becomes brittle and ruptures easily. The fermentation process produces a great deal of pressure, which only new skins were strong enough to stretch without bursting.

Christ used this metaphor to illustrate that his new doctrine cannot be mixed with the old and corrupt doctrines of the Pharisees. The Pharisees did not actually represent the Old Covenant. Their system of beliefs developed into Judaism. While they made use of the writings of Moses and the Prophets, they also leaned heavily on the traditions of Jewish scholars infused with Greek philosophy. The Pharisees did not recognize the object of the Old Covenant, which was to point to Christ and thus, they had gotten way off course.

Christ was not teaching that the moral Laws of the Old Covenant was abrogated, or totally taken away, by the New Covenant (cf. Rom 3:31). The moral Laws continue perpetually as a rule of life to us. Rather, Christ was teaching not to mix the Old Covenant with the New Covenant while denouncing Pharisaic traditions of men they had mixed with the Old.

We cannot put new ideas into old mind-sets; we cannot get new results with old behaviours. The apostle Paul grasped this principal well. He said, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Rom 12:2). “Let this same mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5).

Christ is warning against syncretism of beliefs, which simply will not work. We cannot mix his teachings into the ways of Judaism, Protestantism, Catholicism, or any other of this world’s religions. We cannot mix old religious rituals with our new faith in Christ. This mixing of two opposing principles causes confusion, and the “tear” becomes worse than the first.

5:4-6    Peter had already begun to follow Jesus at Jesus’ baptism – John 1:37-42 - so Simon Peter had already experienced Jesus’ teaching but doubtless did not see Jesus as a fisherman despite his ability to teach.

5:4-10 Luke’s inspired account of the call of Peter and the other fishermen expands the less detailed account in the other gospel records.

5:15-16 The natural man would wish to capitalise on his following consequent upon the healing. Not so Jesus. Whilst the temptation might have been there the solution was to seek his Father in prayer. Not to succumb to the temptation.

5:29 Matthew also records this event and we see that Levi is actually Matthew  – Matt 9:9.

5:10 God had promised – Jer 16:16 – that he would send “fishers” because his eyes were upon the people – Jer 16:17. So Jesus’ words to these fishermen after their miraculous catch is a fulfilment of that promise. 

PURE OBEDIENCE

They had tried everything. They had been out there all night in the cold, dark and wet, and they hadn't even caught a little one. Having dragged their boats up on shore, they set about the laborious task of washing their nets. Weeds, muck, rubbish, sticks, stones had all got caught up in them - it was just a shame there were no fish.

As they were busy about their work, Jesus was preaching. I would love to have known what he said in his teaching at this time, because it must have been very powerful. At the end of the lessons Jesus taught, Simon was willing to obey even though obedience would have given the appearance of adding to his already fruitless workload.

Jesus said, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." (Luke 5:4). Remember that Simon wasn't even a disciple of Jesus at this time, but listen to his reply:"Master, we have worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." (v.5). Simon's obedience was rewarded with a huge catch of fish.

Jesus tells us not to worry, to honour our marriages, to forgive, to give, to love... We are his disciples. Are we prepared, like Simon, to obey? "Because you say so, I will..." Let us be disciples who fully obey our Lord Jesus Christ and do what he tells us to do.
 

5:29 Matthew also records this event and we see that Levi is actually Matthew  – Matt 9:9.

5:3 we might assume that sitting down in the boat was more practical and safer than standing up in a boat on water. Whilst that might be true we should remember that teachers typically sat down to talk. Notice that Jesus stood to read the prophecy in the synagogue at Nazareth before sitting down to speak – 4:20

5:12 The leper, on realising that Jesus had the power, and by implication the authority, to heal does not presume on that possibility. “If thou wilt” indicates a man who recognised that he had no justifiable claim to be healed. It was of Jesus’ goodness that he was healed.

This is a pattern of ourselves.  Whilst we may have been baptised into Christ we had no right to expect that salvation would be extended to us.