Introduction
In this session, Ezekiel 9:1-11, we focus on understanding a chilling yet hopeful vision of divine judgment and preservation. After revealing Jerusalem’s detestable sins and idolatry in Chapter 8, God assigns six executioners and one angel with a writing kit to sweep through the city. The faithful remnant is sealed for protection before the wrath occurs.
Objectives
By the end of this session, the learner will have:
- understood the reality of divine judgment by exploring how persistent unrepentance and idolatry eventually provoke God’s righteous wrath.
- recognized God’s grace and mercy by understanding how He secures and marks those who stay faithful to Him.
- examined personal accountability by understanding why privilege requires responsibility, noting that judgment began right at “God’s sanctuary.”
- I connected with God’s heart by reflecting on the ideas of grieving and lamenting over the moral decay in our world.
Outline
- Reality of divine judgment
- Recognized God’s grace and mercy
- Understanding why privilege requires responsibility
Group Study Time
Ezekiel 9: 1-11
Connecting
- Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
- Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
- Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
- Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.
Comprehending
- Read Ezekiel 9: 1-2. Why do these verses speak about God calling judgment?. God actively summons His executioners to the city. What does the imagery of the slaughter weapons tell us about how seriously God views national and individual sin?
- Read Ezekiel 9:3-4. What is said about applying the mark of God’s protection? The man in linen is instructed to mark the foreheads of those who “sigh and cry” over the abominations around them. Who is the Remnant in this passage, and what does it reveal about God’s desire to save the faithful?
- Read Ezekiel 9:5-7. What is revealed when judgment begins in God’s house? Why does God command the executioners to start their judgment at His own house, beginning with the elders? How does 1 Peter 4:17 support the idea that greater spiritual responsibility leads to greater accountability?
- Read Ezekiel 9:8. What is the role of the prophet’s intercession? Ezekiel falls on his face and cries out in distress, “Ah, Lord GOD! will you destroy all the remnant of Israel…?” How does Ezekiel’s heartbreak mirror the heart of God when it comes to the punishment of the wicked?
- Ezekiel 9:9-11. What do these verses reveal about Justice and Mercy? The executioners report that their task is complete. Discuss the connection between God’s Justice and His mercy in this chapter. How can we learn to mourn our country’s sins today without becoming harsh or self-righteous?
Committing
- Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
- List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
- Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
- Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
- Sin to confess
- Promise to claim
- Attitude to change
- Command to keep
- Error to change
- Prayer to make
- Example to copy
- Truth to obey and
- Something praiseworthy
Communicating
- Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
- Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
- Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.