以西結書9:1-6

9:1 他向我耳中大聲喊叫說：「要使那監管這城的人手中各拿滅命的兵器前來。」

9:2 忽然有六個人從朝北的上門而來，各人手拿殺人的兵器；內中有一人身穿細麻衣，腰間帶著墨盒子。他們進來，站在銅祭壇旁。

9:3 以色列上帝的榮耀本在基路伯上，現今從那裡升到殿的門檻。上帝將那身穿細麻衣、腰間帶著墨盒子的人召來。

9:4 耶和華對他說：「你去走遍耶路撒冷全城，那些因城中所行可憎之事歎息哀哭的人，畫記號在額上。」

9:5 我耳中聽見他對其餘的人說：「要跟隨他走遍全城，以行擊殺。你們的眼不要顧惜，也不要可憐他們。

9:6 要將年老的、年少的，並處女、嬰孩，和婦女，從聖所起全都殺盡，只是凡有記號的人不要挨近他。」於是他們從殿前的長老殺起。

1 Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, "Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand." 2 And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. 4 And the Lord said to him, "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it." 5 And to the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. 6 Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were before the house.

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    六個行刑者的異象。這六人正如第2節所說：「忽然有六個人從朝北的上門而來，各人手拿殺人的兵器；內中有一人身穿細麻衣，腰間帶著墨盒子。他們進來，站在銅祭壇旁。」

    而這六人中有一位是腰間帶著墨盒子，上帝命令這人去做記號，就是「為罪憂傷」的人，就在他們的額頭上做記號，好分辨出來，因為這些人是屬乎上帝的，是上帝所看重的義人，上帝不忍心滅絕他們，還特別吩咐「凡有記號的人不要挨近他」！

    看到這樣的記載，讓我想到主耶穌所說的：「哀慟的人有福了！因為他們必得安慰。」

    因為「哀慟的人」就是為罪憂傷的人，這樣的人是上帝所看重，所愛護的人，主必拯救、主必保護！

以西結書8:13-18

8:13 他又說：「你還要看見他們另外行大可憎的事。」

8:14 他領我到耶和華殿外院朝北的門口。誰知，在那裡有婦女坐著，為搭模斯哭泣。

8:15 他對我說：「人子啊，你看見了嗎？你還要看見比這更可憎的事。」

8:16 他又領我到耶和華殿的內院。誰知，在耶和華的殿門口、廊子和祭壇中間，約有二十五個人背向耶和華的殿，面向東方拜日頭。

8:17 他對我說：「人子啊，你看見了嗎？猶大家在此行這可憎的事還算為小嗎？他們在這地遍行強暴，再三惹我發怒，他們手拿枝條舉向鼻前。

8:18 因此，我也要以忿怒行事，我眼必不顧惜，也不可憐他們；他們雖向我耳中大聲呼求，我還是不聽。」

13 He said also to me, "You will see still greater abominations that they commit."

14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these."

16 And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty- five men, with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east. 17 Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them."

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    搭模斯是當時巴比倫人所敬拜的神，名叫杜祖，被說成是女神伊師塔的兄弟，兒子，丈夫或情人。此神主管農作物和牧場，是畜牧的保護神。根據傳說，他每年死去一次，降到陰間。他的去世造成農作物、牧場和水流的枯乾。在當時的四月（陽曆的六月或七月），要舉行哀哭和唱輓歌的儀式，來紀念搭模斯的去世。女神伊師塔也一年一度要降到陰間，喚醒死去的搭模斯。搭模斯的回歸使植物再次繁榮起來。這個過程就混雜了淫亂的儀式。這個傳統與巴力崇拜相似，事實上巴力就是腓尼基流傳的搭模斯崇拜形式。

    「手拿枝條舉向鼻前」：原文是「看哪，他們手拿枝條舉向自己的鼻前」。這段經文是個解經難題，有學者認為這是「一種敬拜的儀式」。也有人認為這是「把惡臭舉到上帝的鼻子前」，經文呈現目前這種形式，是文士們修改經文，以避免太過褻瀆上帝。

    這一整段的異象說明了整個猶大的信仰已經都破產。從一般人、領導階層、婦女甚至到宗教人士，都已經敬拜別神了。因此18節中上帝的審判就是：「既然猶大人要上帝發怒，上帝就發怒，不可憐、顧惜猶大人」。

    這不只是對以色列人的警告，也是對基督徒的警告，要悔改歸向上帝，不要再拜其他偶像，尤其是不要高舉自己，讓基督真的在教會做主做王！

以西結書8:5-12

8:5 上帝對我說：「人子啊，你舉目向北觀看。」我就舉目向北觀看，見祭壇門的北邊，在門口有這惹忌邪的偶像；

8:6 又對我說：「人子啊，以色列家所行的，就是在此行這大可憎的事，使我遠離我的聖所，你看見了嗎？你還要看見另有大可憎的事。」

8:7 他領我到院門口。我觀看，見牆上有個窟窿。

8:8 他對我說：「人子啊，你要挖牆。」我一挖牆，見有一門。

8:9 他說：「你進去，看他們在這裡所行可憎的惡事。」

8:10 我進去一看，誰知，在四面牆上畫著各樣爬物和可憎的走獸，並以色列家一切的偶像。

8:11 在這些像前有以色列家的七十個長老站立，沙番的兒子雅撒尼亞也站在其中。各人手拿香爐，煙雲的香氣上騰。

8:12 他對我說：「人子啊，以色列家的長老暗中在各人畫像屋裡所行的，你看見了嗎？他們常說：『耶和華看不見我們；耶和華已經離棄這地。』」

5 Then he said to me, "Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north." So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy. 6 And he said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations."

7 And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. 8 Then he said to me, "Son of man, dig in the wall." So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. 9 And he said to me, "Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here." 10 So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. 11 And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. 12 Then he said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land. '"

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    上帝因著以色列人拜偶像離開祂的聖所。這也是耶和華信仰的特點，上帝如果不是某人獨一的上帝，那上帝也不願意當那個人的「上帝之一」。

    上帝甚至讓以西結用「透視」（挖牆）的方式看見：文士沙番的兒子雅撒尼亞也在敬拜偶像的行列中，那就表示曾經是約西亞復興運動要角的文士沙番，他的兒子已經墮落到在密室中拜偶像了，這樣的墮落真是讓人震驚。但實際上我們的生活周遭，也難免出現這樣的例子，令人不勝唏噓。

    「在各人畫像屋裡」，顯示每個長老都有自己的一個房間，讓自己偷偷地進行偶像崇拜。此處的這些長老所敬拜的爬行物應該就是由埃及引進的宗教信仰。當時的猶大國，政治上有時偏向埃及，有時偏向巴比倫，信仰上似乎也是如此。

    這些景象讓我們想起，台灣的教會中是否還有些人信耶穌之後，仍然受到過去宗教或生活習慣之影響，沒有完全信靠主呢？相信還有許多，願主憐憫，使我們的弟兄姊妹真正覺醒，只單單敬拜獨一的上帝！

以西結書8章

         以西結書8:1-4     ,   以西結書8:5-12  ,

以西結書8:1-4

8:1 第六年六月初五日，我坐在家中；猶大的眾長老坐在我面前。在那裡主耶和華的靈（原文是手）降在我身上。

8:2 我觀看，見有形像彷彿火的形狀，從他腰以下的形狀有火，從他腰以上有光輝的形狀，彷彿光耀的精金。

8:3 他伸出彷彿一隻手的樣式，抓住我的一綹頭髮，靈就將我舉到天地中間，在上帝的異象中，帶我到耶路撒冷朝北的內院門口，在那裡有觸動主怒偶像的坐位，就是惹動忌邪的。

8:4 誰知，在那裡有以色列上帝的榮耀，形狀與我在平原所見的一樣。

1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. 2 Then I looked, and behold, a form that had the appearance of a man. Below what appeared to be his waist was fire, and above his waist was something like the appearance of brightness, like gleaming metal. 3 He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. 4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley.

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    第六年六月初五日，就是西元前592年9月17日。距離以西結蒙召十四個月。如果先知的左右側臥是不重複的（左邊390天、右邊40天），那這個異象就發生在右邊側臥期間。

    長老們來找以西結恐並非解決被擄之地的疑難雜症，而是想要知道祖國的狀況，以及自己是否可以回到祖國。可惜上帝給的異象顯示了祖國毀滅之必然。這些被擄的人不會希望聽到祖國毀滅，他們當然希望祖國復興，這樣他們就有機會可以回國，不會真正變成亡國奴。

    然而以西結在異象中，被上帝由巴比倫帶到遙遠的耶路撒冷聖殿。令人震撼的是，上帝的榮耀的聖殿中，竟然有令上帝忌妒、憤怒的偶像，人們就這樣直接冒犯上帝。這也表示猶大滅亡是必然的，不是上帝不保護他們，是自己惹怒上帝。

    同樣，今日我們要棄絕偶像，才能討上帝喜悅，蒙上帝賜福！我們會說，我們哪來的偶像呢？只要我們看一些事物超過上帝，那就是我們的偶像，甚至自我中心也是偶像崇拜，看自己超過上帝就是偶像！上帝必定發怒！