Ezekiel's Denunciations of Judah - Ezekiel 8:1-18, 9:1-11, 10:1-22, 11:1-25
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 those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it." Ezekiel 9:3-4
The man clothed in linen marks the saved. The mark as a means of salvation goes back to Cain, who was marked as a murderer but the mark kept others from killing him. The mark on the door frame in Egypt protected Israel from the Angel of Death who took the first born. It was the final plague on Egypt that served to free God's people. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is a mark of our salvation. So here continues this model, this motif, salvation's refrain. And this man clothed in linen, marking those who are saved, is he Christ? One wonders. And Lord knows.
There is also a very inspirational passage in today's reading, underscoring that the purpose of punishment and pain and trial in life is to bring us closer to God. And in that renewed relationship there is blessing:
"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people and I will be their God." Ezekiel 11:19-20
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