Ezekiel 8:5

In the first abomination, the large idol was probably an image of the Canaanite goddess Asherah. The people had placed it at the gate to guard the city from attack.

Most of Jerusalem’s enemies had attacked from the north. This may explain why the idol stood at the north gate. The people believed this false goddess would protect them.

This idol made the Lord very jealous. The Lord alone deserved honor and worship as Israel’s protector (Psalm 121:1–4). The Lord was offended because the people trusted an idol to guard the city he had chosen.

God showed Ezekiel four scenes of increasing abomination (a deeply offensive act). In each scene, the people of Israel were worshiping false gods inside the Lord’s temple.

Jerusalem’s defilement (moral and spiritual uncleanness) was complete. Idolatry (the worship of false gods) took place in many parts of the temple. Different groups of people were involved. They worshiped different gods. These gods came from many foreign cultures.

This was not one small sin. It was a mixture of many false religions brought together in one place. One abomination was added to another.

In a vision, the prophet Ezekiel saw four ways the people defiled their land. This vision explains why the Lord's presence left his sanctuary.

This section describes how the people defiled (made unclean by sin) the temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8). Because of this sin, the Lord left the temple. After he left, the city and the temple were destroyed (9:1–11:13).

At first, this sounds like only bad news. But for those already living in exile, it was also good news. The Lord was not limited to the temple in Jerusalem. He would come to be with his people in exile.

By coming to dwell with them, the Lord showed that the exiles were not forgotten. They were the ones who carried hope for the future of God’s people.