SPF

"'Therefore, as I live'--[this is] the declaration of the Lord God--I am going to cut [you] off and show [you] no pity, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable practices and abominations. Yes, I will not spare [you]. A third of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine within you; a third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter a third to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword [to chase] after them.'" (Ezekiel 5:11, 12 HCSB)

SPF--you've seen this on a bottle of sunscreen, haven't you? The letters stand for Sun Protection Factor. The number attached to it indicates the amount of protection provided.

As we examine Ezekiel 5-8, I want to assign another meaning to those letters--and it isn't about protection, but punishment. SPF in this context will stand for Sword, Plague and Famine. God told His prophet to tell the inhabitants of Jerusalem this would be the judgment that would befall them because of their sins.

The theme in chapter five is A SHAVE AND A HAIR CUT.

"Now you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as you would a barber's razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair. You are to burn up a third [of it] in the city when the days of the siege have ended; you are to take a third and slash [it] with the sword all around the city; and you are to scatter a third to the wind, for I will draw a sword [to chase] after them. But you are to take a few strands from the hair and secure them in the folds of your [robe]." (Ezekiel 5:1-3 HCSB)

Ezekiel's grooming was symbolic. It was a visual of the vengeance God would visit upon the nation: the sword, plague and famine.

We who have lived in a time of relative safety from invasion, plenty of food and healthy lives due to medical advances, find it difficult to imagine what the Jews experienced. To be slashed by a sword was a brutal thing. The pain of a plague ravaging the body with no hope of a cure had to be agonizing. Then, the slow gnawing of hunger, eating away your life because there was nothing to eat to sustain your life, consumed people with despair. In fact, the desperation drove them to cannibalism. It was a real case, "Night of the Living Dead." If we do not repent, it may soon be coming to a city near you!

The theme in chapter six is A SHOUT AND A HIGH COUNTRY.

"The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, turn your face toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them. You are to say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. Your altars will be desolated and your incense altars smashed. I will throw down your slain in front of your idols.'" (Ezekiel 6:1-4 HCSB)

God molded the mountains. They stood--a testimony to the glory of the Creator. Their peaks pointed to the sky toward the Living God whom the people were to worship. But, the perverse heart of sinful man instead erected pagan altars on them, and gave themselves to idolatry. God was going to smash the high places and slay the wicked people. Ezekiel was to shout to the mountains. His voice would be as the rumble of thunder echoing through the valleys.

We live in a time when people do not want to hear a message about sin and judgment. They especially don't want to hear a loud one! Ezekiel would have been classified with the street preachers with a megaphone if he were around today.

Doubtless, there are extremists who do more harm than good with their rabid manner. When they preach about hell, there is a certain maniacal glee as though they are rather glad sinners are going there. Throw in a spiritual smugness--a sense of self-righteousness--and a method of communicating God's message which is millennia old is roundly condemned.

I agree--but not entirely. Almost all of this megaphone messaging is counter-productive. But, there are some exceptions--I think of Whitfield and Wesley with their open air preaching. Though not in their category, I have preached in a public park, in a parking lot, at a ball field and in a school yard--and witnessed the salvation of some--and, of course, the apathy of most and antagonism of several.

Suppose you woke up one night by the flickering light of flames outside your bedroom window. You spring to your feet and see your neighbor's house on fire. You would race across the street, beat on the door, yell as loud as you could, "Wake up! Get out! Your house is on fire!" Yet, those around us face a worse fire than that.

The theme of chapter seven is A SHAME AND A HORRIBLE CRY.

"They will put on sackcloth, and horror will overwhelm them. Shame will cover all [their] faces, and all their heads will be bald." (Ezekiel 7:18 HCSB)

The doom of the nation of Judah was imminent. They were repeatedly warned to repent. Yet, they were steadfastly stubborn in their sin. A Holy God had seen enough. His great patience had come to end. The Judge's gracious offer of pardon, so long extended, would now be taken off the table. They would not humble themselves in sackcloth and cry out in penitence so they might live, thus God would humble them and they would put on sackcloth and cry out in pain for the dead. It was fitting fashion for the funeral of a nation.

The reality is that nations are living things--they are born, they thrive, they age and may not survive. Life is given by the King of kings and if a nation rejects His governance, they do so to their own peril. America is young--compared to many nations--but not too young to die. We have been militarily strong, but are morally sick. The United States has been economically bountiful, but now ethically bankrupt. If we do not swiftly cry out in confession, we will shortly cry out under condemnation!

The theme of chapter eight is A SHAM AND A HEATHEN CULTURE.

"I saw the glory of the God of Israel there, like the vision I had seen in the plain.
The Lord said to me, 'Son of man, look toward the north.' I looked to the north, and there was this offensive statue north of the altar gate, at the entrance. He said to me, 'Son of man, do you see what they are doing here, more detestable things that the house of Israel is committing, so that I must depart from My sanctuary? You will see even more detestable things.'

Then He brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked there was a hole in the wall. He said to me, 'Son of man, dig through the wall.' So I dug through the wall, and there was a doorway. He said to me, 'Go in and see the terrible and detestable things they are committing here.' I went in and looked, and there engraved all around the wall was every form of detestable thing, crawling creatures and beasts, as well as all the idols of the house of Israel.

Seventy elders from the house of Israel were standing before them, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had a firepan in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising up. Then He said to me, 'Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his idol? For they are saying, "The Lord does not see us. The Lord has abandoned the land."'" (Ezekiel 8:4-12 HCSB)

It was the House of God consecrated to His worship--the place where His glory dwelled. The elders--the spiritual leaders who ministered there--were called to direct the people to honor the Lord. But, it was a sham!

They House of God now housed abominable idols. The glory would depart! The priests were secretly giving themselves to demonic spirits. In the darkness they thought they could hide from God. Instead of holiness, there was heathenism. But, God knew--and He poked a hole in the Temple wall, giving Ezekiel a peek into their corrupt practices.

Syncretism is the term for this amalgamation of abominations. It is gaining impetus by the day in our world. Apostasy is sweeping the church. Many members profess the name of Christian, but have departed from that faith. The generation of twenty-somethings are radically unchurched.

Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel--these were of the remnant who resisted the tide. Let us follow their standard. By the grace of God, we can.

SPF! Stand up! Pray hard! Follow on! If enough of us will, things can turn around!

I like that better than this SPF--sword, plague and famine. Don't you?