Ezekiel 9:4-6 and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark (Tav in Hebrew) on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark (Tav in Hebrew); and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple.
Yesterday, we began identifying the ancient Hebrew alphabet and exploring the potential symbolic meanings of its letters. The last letter, “Tav”, as we saw, strongly resembles a cross. Today, we’re going to look at how “Tav” is spelled in ancient Hebrew. The phonetic spelling of “Tav” is Tav (T)-Vav (V). Now the ancient letter, “Vav” strongly resembled a commonly used tent peg, and then, later, a common nail. So the spelling of “Tav” contains a cross and a nail.
This word in Hebrew is translated, “mark”, in the verses above; so, this ancient Hebrew “mark” that was on the foreheads of righteous men who grieved over abominations in the Lord’s house, was identified by a word containing a cross and a nail. Interesting…since the prophet is told to pass over all those that have that mark, beginning at the Lord’s sanctuary, we have an Old Testament picture of the protection of the the Lord’s cross, expressed by ancient Hebrew letters. Perhaps this is just another way in which the Lord has expressed His sovereignty, weaving His revelation into the entire fabric of His Word, revealing the protection of the cross in both the Old and New Testaments.
Another interesting aspect of this verse is the location where the Lord’s judgment begins: the Lord’s sanctuary. 1 Peter 4:17 states that, “it is time for judgment to begin with the house of God.” I understand this to mean that those who are most accountable, who stand, as it were, closest to place where God dwells, will come under His judgment first. For us who believe, this judgment will be purification, possibly through suffering, as Peter suggests. For the wicked, who are increasingly distant from God, His judgment means eternal condemnation.
The Lord is returning for a bride who is prepared to meet Him. She will be pure and spotless, made white by His cross and purified through her submission to His careful preparation. Illustrated by the letter “Tav” in ancient Hebrew, her identifying mark will be that very cross. Are you prepared as a bride should be for her husband? Your sorrow and weeping over the abominations in our Lord’s world, and even in His body, confirm the mark which is upon you. Wear the sign with honor — glorying in it, and carry your cross faithfully to the end, protected from the eternal judgment which awaits all men at His coming.
I enjoy your devotions they are very inspiring. Thank you, I appreciate the revelations you share, and I often save and or use thoughts from them for my sharing as I teach my congregation. Just a comment on today’s devotion on the mark (Ezekiel 9:4-6). I looked up the meaning of ‘mark’ from my dictionary (BDD) and it said “a sign of exemption from judgment”. I was wondering if your interpretation in the devotion could be more as I read in the context of the verses, that those who were obedient to the Law who”sigh and cry for the abominations” starting in the sanctuary they are exempted from judgment. We who carry the mark of Christ’s cross in our lives (on our foreheads), so to speak, we are exempted from judgment because He already paid the price of our judgment on the cross. Yes it is time for judgment to begin in the house of the Lord i fully agree, but that is just another appplication of the interpretation of the verses. thank you for taking time to read. Pastor Linda Jones.
George, that is awesome! Thank you for posting that.
Thank you Lord for the finished work of the Cross and for your Son’s blood that washes us clean from all sins, amen.