Ezekiel 9

“Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” (Ezekiel 9:4, NKJV)

Yesterday, we saw where the LORD showed Ezekiel the abominations that were being done in secret. When we think of God seeing everything, we often consider secret sins. But God also sees our secret sighs.

The perversity, idolatry and violence of Judah had reached the point of no return. God was bringing severe judgment, and He would not relent. Now the shekinah glory of God was already leaving the Most Holy Place. The Babylonians would soon conquer, destroying Jerusalem, and burning the temple. But what about the people who remained pure during this time of perversity?

The LORD commanded a man clothed in linen (an angelic being) to mark the foreheads of everyone who sighed and cried over all the abominations that were being done. These people were living in a time of national decline. They watched as the culture around them tossed aside godly values, trampled God’s laws underfoot, and persecuted those who upheld them. There was nothing they could do but to sigh and to cry over the state of their nation. But God saw.

Now they were spiritually marked by God, and they would not be killed with the others. Throughout the Bible we see this principle: God does not slay the righteous with the wicked (Genesis 18:25). But He delivers those who trust in Him and keep His commandments.

As we see perversity, lawlessness and blasphemy permeate our culture, what are we to do? I see three reactions. We can compromise and partake in evil, as did many people who lived in Judah. We can be indifferent and have the attitude of “what will be, will be.” Or we can sigh and weep over the evil we see around us and the sins we see our loved ones committing. And God sees whenever we do that. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Godly sorrow leads to a broken heart, and a broken heart leads to positive action. In the perverse days in which we live, we desire to be reapers of souls. But first we must be weepers of souls. God sees the things done in secret, and He rewards us openly (Matthew 6:1-18).