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In this passage we are reading a word from the Lord to the prophet Ezekiel, and the Lord is expressing His lament over the condition of Jerusalem; the Lord is looking for people who are expressing the same lament over the idol worship and corruption of the Priesthood going on in His Holy City. These people receive a mark on their foreheads that set them apart from the rest of their peers; this distinguishes them as having the same heart, the same sorrow, the same longing for Jerusalem to be pure and consecrated as the Lord does.
In the next passage, we read about what happens to the people who do not receive this mark on their foreheads: "And to the others He said in my hearing, Go after him trough the city, and strike! Do not let your eye spare! Do not have pity! You will slay completely old and young, virgins, little children, and women! Do not come near to anyone upon whom is the mark!" Ezekiel 9:5-6.
In plain terms, the Lord tells Ezekiel to mark the saint and strike the sinner. He fervently expresses not to have pity on the ones whom are to be stricken, and not to even come near the ones whom are marked. In reading these passages of Scripture, one is left to ponder about the depth behind them; during the time these Scriptures were being written, Judaism was in a state of lack. The Priesthood had become corrupt, and the image of jealousy has risen up in the Lord. Idol worship was practiced in the Temple, and the Priests encouraged the people to partake in foreign rituals to foreign gods.
This was Israel, the Lord's Bride, committing adultery right in front of His Face, in His Holy Temple, and telling Him, "The Lord does not see us. The Lord has forsaken the earth" [Ezekiel 8:12b]. Imagine the person in your life that you love the most, committing adultery in your private bedchambers, right in front of your eyes and mocking you all the while, as if you weren't even standing there. This is the kind of sorrow, lament, and jealousy that the Lord is experiencing for His chosen people. This is the same jealousy that raises up the saint, the one marked of the Lord, as precious in His sight and well protected from the certain death coming on the sinner.
Throughout the Book of Revelation, it is reiterated that the ones marked with the seal of the Lord on their foreheads will be the ones not to be harmed, despite the end of the age happening around them. According to the Sohd level of interpretation, the Name that is to be written on the foreheads of the saints will be "Emet", or "Truth". So, without this distinct mark on our foreheads, how is it that we are "marked", or set apart from the world, in the Lord's eyes? What does He see in our hearts that invokes Him to mark us, or set us apart from the rest of the world?
First and foremost, it says in His Word, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those who look to Him with their whole heart" [2 Chronicles 16:9a]. We know based on His Word that the Lord searches the heart, and the condition of our hearts is what He sees: are our hearts broken for what breaks His? Or are we calloused to His voice, His commandments?
Secondly, we read in His Word, "For you are saved by grace through faith. And this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God: it is not from works, so that not anyone could boast. For we are His workmanship, as we have been created in Messiah Yeshua for good works, which God prepared before hand, so that we would walk in them, the good works" [Ephesians 2:8-10]. The Hebrew word for "good works" is "Mitzvot". In the Hebrew culture, this word specifically deals with "acts of loving kindness", which goes beyond what is required righteousness by God. These good deeds are a "mark", or evidence of our relationship with the Lord.
Every aspect of our relationship with the Lord is tied up in giving. The Lord models for us His character, His likeness, and we see what a giving God He is. God gave His Son Yeshua to us as a High Priest, a King, atonement for our sin, His blood speaking salvation to us through our faith in Him. God gave Adam the breath of life, God gave His children manna in the desert, God gave His prophets vision for the future and insights into His thoughts, and He continues to give to us everyday as He commissions His children to go into the world and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and minister to the poor. He always gives the resources that are needed for outreach, and He faithfully provides for everything that is needed to fulfill the commands that He has given us in doing so.
Without this "mark" in our lives of giving, giving generously, giving with a willing heart, and giving out of our own need in faith, there really is no distinction between us as His chosen children and the rest of the world that is still seeking after their own desires. The people who received the mark of the Lord in Ezekiel's time gave the Lord their whole hearts and lamented over the abominations happening in Jerusalem. The people who are marked in the Book of Revelation have given their faith, confidence, and reliance on Yeshua Messiah as their Savior; in this giving is included outward obedience to the Lord's commands during these last days before our Savior returns for His children.
Please, as you read this, reflect on the condition of your heart and ask yourself how much you really give back to the Lord in obedience to His commands. You may be giving with tithes, but not be giving Him your heart. And you may be giving to Him your heart, but not with your tithes. A true reflection of our relationship with the Lord is well balanced, heart desires and actions of giving.
Click above to give to the mission the Lord has commanded us in bringing the Gospel of His Son Yeshua to the Nation of Israel, feeding the poor, helping the sick, and ministering to the needs of saved and unsaved Jewish people today. The needs are always urgent, and the giving is not only necessary in helping us accomplish this goal, but also deeply appreciated. [BNF 08.28.13]
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