Those Who Sigh and Cry

Ezekiel 9 is a hard chapter in the temple vision, and it should be read with care. Ezekiel says he saw six men come from the upper gate and stand beside the bronze altar. Among them was a man clothed in linen, the clothing of a priest, with a writer's inkhorn by his side. The glory of the God of Israel rose from the cherub to the threshold of the house, a sign that God's presence was preparing to leave.

Before any judgment fell, God made provision for the faithful. The man in linen was to set a mark on the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations. They did not join the idolatry of chapter 8; they grieved over it. God knew each of them by name, and the mark showed they belonged to him. The judgment that followed began at the sanctuary, where the leaders had sinned most, and no one with the mark was to be touched.

Ezekiel, the watchman, fell on his face and interceded: Ah Lord Yahweh! Will you destroy all the residue of Israel? God answered that the iniquity of Israel and Judah was exceedingly great, because they claimed Yahweh does not see. The chapter ends with the faithful servant reporting that he had done just as he was commanded. Revelation 7:3 also describes God's servants sealed on their foreheads. In the New Testament, 2 Timothy 2:19 says: The Lord knows those who are his.