Mark an X

“Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark a ‘Thau’ on the foreheads of those who moan and groan over all the abominations that are practiced within it.” Ezekiel 9:4

In other versions, we read, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark an X on the foreheads of those who moan and groan over all the abominations that are practiced within it.” To moan and groan over the abominations, we need to know what these abominations are, in the sight of God. We cannot make up our own. It is not subjective. We need to know His law. In the preceding chapter, we read about the abominations in the Temple, the presence of idols and worship of other gods. But it is not only what happens in the Temple that God is concerned about, but what is happening in Jerusalem. There are societal evils arising around them. 

This shows me that God wants us to be aware of what is happening around us, that we have to “moan and groan”, not complain, but to cry out to God. We cannot be complacent when we see injustice, and freedoms being trampled upon. We cannot keep silent when the poor are being oppressed. In Exodus 2:23-25, it reads, “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel GROANED because of their bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.” 

God recognized the difficulty of what the Hebrews were going through just as He sees what is happening in our country today. He cares deeply about every person who is treated harshly, imprisoned unjustly, and killed summarily. The Father is fully aware of every little tear we shed, and every pain we endure. We can be sure God has a vision and a plan and a purpose. Let us always be reassured by the the words of Saint Paul in Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." 

Let us wait with trust and hope, with “moaning and groaning”, crying out to God, for God's plan and promise to unfold.