Introduction: Does it sometimes seem that God is not real? Or, if He
is real, He is not very concerned about us? Or, if He is concerned,
that He is falling down on the job for reasons we do not understand?
When this happens, who do we blame? All the questions I just asked
put the blame on God. Pinning blame is a complex issue that
generally turns on the facts. But, we should always question our
attitude if we blame God. Let’s dive into the our study of the Bible
to learn more about the exile of God’s people, their attitude, and
the attitude we should have towards God!

  1. Background


    1. Recall that we studied how King David was dancing with
      delight as he brought the Ark of God into Jerusalem (2
      Samuel 6:12-15). David’s son, King Solomon, built the
      Temple of God in Jerusalem and had the Ark placed in it
      (1 Kings 8). Let’s read a part of King Solomon’s prayer
      of dedication for the Temple and the Ark. Read 1 Kings
      8:46-49. What does Solomon pray about sin and punishment?
      (He connects the two.)


      1. What is the way out of the punishment? (Turning to
        God “with all their heart.”)


    2. Read 1 Kings 8:59-61. What does Solomon say is the
      purpose of his prayer? (That God and His people would
      have such a relationship that everyone who lives on the
      earth would know that “the Lord is God and that there is
      no other.”)


      1. Is that the goal of your life?


  2. Secret Worship


    1. Read Ezekiel 8:1 Ezekiel says that he is in his house
      with the Elder of Judah. What does that suggest? (He must
      have been in some sort of administrative or religious
      meeting.)


      1. What does it mean to have “the hand of the … Lord
        [come] upon me?” (The Holy Spirit is reaching out to
        Ezekiel.)


    2. Read Ezekiel 8:2-4. Ezekiel is taken by the Holy Spirit
      into a vision. Where does his vision take him? (To the
      capital city, Jerusalem, and to the north gate of the
      Temple – the same Temple dedicated by Solomon to the
      glory of God.)


    3. Read Ezekiel 8:5-6. Are the people worshiping jealousy?
      (No. Exodus 20:5 tells the people not to worship false
      gods, for Jehovah is “a jealous God.”)


      1. Are we only taking about one person worshiping one
        idol? (No. God says “the House of Israel” is doing
        detestable things.)


      2. The Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old
        Testament tells us that sacrificial animals were
        taken through this gate to be offered as sacrifices.
        What does this suggest about the nature of this sin?
        (That instead of relying on God in their worship,
        the people were now relying on false gods.)


    4. Read Ezekiel 8:7-11. Ezekiel sees what is going on by
      enlarging a hole in the wall of the temple. What do you
      think this symbolism means? (This is not public worship.
      Ezekiel was looking through a peep hole, which he
      enlarged to a door. This worship was being done behind
      closed doors.)


      1. Read Numbers 11:16. Do you think that Ezekiel was
        watching seventy men? Or, do you think the term
        “seventy elders” is symbolic? (This number seems to
        refer back to the seventy men who were the leaders
        of Israel during the Exodus. Thus, I think this is
        symbolic of all the leadership of the nation.)


    5. Think back over these texts. What are we to conclude
      about the worship of Judah during this time? (Ezekiel is
      having a big meeting with the leadership, and God shows
      him that they are secretly worshiping other gods. The
      whole purpose of the Temple is being corrupted.)


      1. How can we apply this warning today? I’m rather
        sure that no “secret” practices are taking place in
        my church, but what about our homes? Are we
        worshiping other gods through the television,
        Internet, magazines or books?


      2. Are we corrupting the message that the true God is
        the One to whom all glory is due?


    6. Read Ezekiel 8:12. Why are the people secretly turning
      away from God? (They either think God doesn’t care (“The
      Lord has forsaken the land”) or God doesn’t know (“The
      Lord does not see us.”))


      1. Would people worship other gods through the
        television, Internet, magazines or books because
        they thought God did not care or does not know? Or,
        is this just a bad fit – the lesson does not really
        apply very well to us today?


    7. Let’s explore the nature of the problem a bit more. Read
      Ezekiel 8:16-18. What do you think it means to turn your
      back to the Temple and bow down to the sun? (They were
      worshiping nature. They turned their back on the true God
      and worshiped what He had made instead. This turns the
      whole purpose for the Temple on its head.)


      1. “Putting the branch to their nose” is not a phrase
        with which I am familiar, but I have heard of
        “turning up your nose.” What else are these people
        doing? (They are hurting their neighbors and
        worshiping nature. The original goal was to bring
        glory to God through the good works of the people.)


      2. How does God respond? (God is going to execute
        justice.)


  3. The Mark


    1. Read Ezekiel 9:1-2. What a group! Who are these men?
      (Armed temple guards and a scribe.)


    2. Read Ezekiel 9:3-4. What is the basis for getting the
      mark?


    3. Read Ezekiel 9:5-6. We decided that the worship problem
      was widespread because the “seventy” elders were symbolic
      of the entire leadership. Why does the judgment begin at
      the temple in Jerusalem? (Those would be the people who
      were in leadership. Those closest to the worship system.)


      1. Notice the standard for judgment in Ezekiel 9:4. Who
        survives the judgment of God? (Those who “grieve and
        lament over all the detestable things that are
        done.”)


        1. Is this consistent with righteousness by
          faith?(Last week we decided that righteousness
          by faith is linked to the right attitude. Those
          who survived the judgment did so because of
          their attitude. They were troubled by sin.)


          1. Is this a lesson that applies to us today?
            (Yes. We see that the people were involved
            in active evil, but when it came to
            executing judgment, the decision turned on
            their attitude.)


    4. The Bible records in 2 Kings 25 the Babylonian
      destruction of the Temple built by King Solomon. The
      Temple no longer brought glory to God. The judgment
      foretold by Ezekiel and others took place. Recall the
      people said that God does not know or does not care? We
      see here that in fact God knew and cared because He
      warned the people of judgment, and then executed it.
      Let’s turn next to God’s attitude about this.


  4. God’s View


    1. Read Jeremiah 29:10-11. What we just read in Ezekiel
      seems pretty harsh. What is God’s main plan for us? (God
      wants to bless us, not harm us. Even with the Babylonian
      destruction of the Temple of God, and the killing and
      captivity of God’s people, God tells them that He will
      rescue them in seventy years.)


    2. Read Jeremiah 29:12-14. What kind of attitude is God
      looking for here? (He wants His people to seek Him with
      all of their heart.)


      1. Read again Ezekiel 8:18. What makes the difference
        in God’s willingness to listen?


    3. What relationship is there between the “grieve and
      lament” attitude of Ezekiel 9:4, and the “seek and find
      Me” attitude of Jeremiah 29:13? (If your goal in life is
      to give glory to God through your relationship with Him,
      then the sin problem in the Temple would be very
      disturbing.)


  5. The Righteous Reaction


    1. Read Nehemiah 1:4-7. When Nehemiah hears of God’s
      judgment on Jerusalem, he makes this prayer. What do you
      think are the important elements of this part of
      Nehemiah’s prayer? (He acknowledges the true God, who is
      a God of love. He confesses sin.)


      1. Can you imagine a prayer in which Nehemiah would
        accuse God of being lax or uncaring because of the
        destruction of the temple and God’s people?


    2. Let’s continue on with Nehemiah’s prayer. Read Nehemiah
      1:8-9. What important element of prayer do we find here?
      (Nehemiah recalls God’s instructions and His promises.
      Notice the goal: “a dwelling for My Name.” God’s glory is
      the goal.)


    3. Read Nehemiah 1:10-11. Where does Nehemiah place the part
      of the prayer about himself? (At the end!)


    4. Can you see in Nehemiah’s prayer the “grieve and lament”
      attitude and “seek and find Me” element? (Yes. This is
      the fusion of those two attitudes that God desires for
      us.)


    5. Friend, do you have the attitude of Nehemiah? Are you
      unhappy about the sin problem? Are you seeking God with
      all of your heart for the purpose of giving glory to Him?
      If not, why not repent today and ask the Holy Spirit to
      change your attitude?


  6. Next week: In Spirit and in Truth.