Ezekiel:8

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* Verse 1-6 - The glorious personage Ezekiel beheld in vision , seemed to take hold upon him , and he was conveyed in spirit to Jerusalem . There , in the inner court of the temple , was prepared a place for some base idol . The whole was presented in vision to the prophet . If it should please God to give any man a clear view of his glory and majesty , and of all the abominations committing in any one city , he would then admit the justice of the severest punishments God should inflict thereon . * Verse 7-12 - A secret place was , as it were , opened , where the prophet saw creatures painted on the walls , and a number of the elders of Israel worshipped before them . No superiority in worldly matters will preserve men from lust , or idolatries , when they are left to their own deceitful hearts ; and those who are soon wearied in the service of God , often grudge no toil nor expense when following their superstitions . When hypocrites screen themselves behind the wall of an outward profession , there is some hole or other left in the wall , something that betrays them to those who look diligently . There is a great deal of secret wickedness in the world . They think themselves out of God 's sight . But those are ripe indeed for ruin , who lay the blame of their sins upon the Lord . * Verse 13-18 - The yearly lamenting for Tammuz was attended with infamous practices ; and the worshippers of the sun here described , are supposed to have been priests . The Lord appeals to the prophet concerning the heinousness of the crime ; "and lo , they put the branch to their nose ," denoting some custom used by idolaters in honour of the idols they served . The more we examine human nature and our own hearts , the more abominations we shall discover ; and the longer the believer searches himself , the more he will humble himself before God , and the more will he value the fountain open for sin , and seek to wash therein . **** Matthew Henry 's Commentary ****

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