20250729 [새벽묵상] 생각은 결과를 낳는다 | Thoughts Produce Results (겔/Ezk 9:1~11)

9:1 또 그가 큰 소리로 내 귀에 외쳐 이르시되 이 성읍을 관할하는 자들이 각기 죽이는 무기를 손에 들고 나아오게 하라 하시더라

9:2 내가 보니 여섯 사람이 북향한 윗문 길로부터 오는데 각 사람의 손에 죽이는 무기를 잡았고 그 중의 한 사람은 가는 베 옷을 입고 허리에 서기관의 먹 그릇을 찼더라 그들이 들어와서 놋 제단 곁에 서더라

1 Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” 2 And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

9:3 그룹에 머물러 있던 이스라엘 하나님의 영광이 성전 문지방에 이르더니 여호와께서 그 가는 베 옷을 입고 서기관의 먹 그릇을 찬 사람을 불러

9:4 여호와께서 이르시되 너는 예루살렘 성읍 중에 순행하여 그 가운데에서 행하는 모든 가증한 일로 말미암아 탄식하며 우는 자의 이마에 표를 그리라

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”

9:5 그들에 대하여 내 귀에 이르시되 너희는 그를 따라 성읍 중에 다니며 불쌍히 여기지 말며 긍휼을 베풀지 말고 쳐서

9:6 늙은 자와 젊은 자와 처녀와 어린이와 여자를 다 죽이되 이마에 표 있는 자에게는 가까이 하지 말라 내 성소에서 시작할지니라 하시매 그들이 성전 앞에 있는 늙은 자들로부터 시작하더라

5 As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. 6 Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple.

9:7 그가 또 그들에게 이르시되 너희는 성전을 더럽혀 시체로 모든 뜰에 채우라 너희는 나가라 하시매 그들이 나가서 성읍 중에서 치더라

9:8 그들이 칠 때에 내가 홀로 있었는지라 엎드려 부르짖어 이르되 아하 주 여호와여 예루살렘을 향하여 분노를 쏟으시오니 이스라엘의 남은 자를 모두 멸하려 하시나이까

7 Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. 8 While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

9:9 그가 내게 이르시되 이스라엘과 유다 족속의 죄악이 심히 중하여 그 땅에 피가 가득하며 그 성읍에 불법이 찼나니 이는 그들이 이르기를 여호와께서 이 땅을 버리셨으며 여호와께서 보지 아니하신다 함이라

9:10 그러므로 내가 그들을 불쌍히 여기지 아니하며 긍휼을 베풀지 아니하고 그들의 행위대로 그들의 머리에 갚으리라 하시더라

9 He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’ 10 So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”

9:11 보라 가는 베 옷을 입고 허리에 먹 그릇을 찬 사람이 복명하여 이르되 주께서 내게 명령하신 대로 내가 준행하였나이다 하더라

11 Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”

                  어제 우리는 하나님의 성소에서 우상을 숭배하는 그야말로 가증스러운 일들을 행하던 이스라엘의 지도자들의 모습에 대해 이야기 했습니다. 그들이 각각 그 우상의 방 안 어두운 가운데서 행하며 말하였던 것이 바로 이것입니다. “여호와께서 우리를 보지 아니하시며, 여호와께서 이 땅을 버리셨다” (8:12) 이 말은 오늘 본문의 말씀 9:9에서도 똑같이 반복됩니다. 이 말이 그들의 우상숭배를 정당화 해줄 순 없습니다. 그러나 그들이 당시에 처한 상황을 생각한다면 그들이 왜 이런 말을 했는지는 인간적으로는 이해할 수 있습니다. 이미 북이스라엘은 앗시리아에게 멸망한지 125년 가까이 되었습니다. 남유다도 바벨론의 느브갓네살이 침공하여 왕인 여호야긴을 포로로 사로잡아갔습니다. 그 때에 느부갓네살 왕은 왕궁 뿐만 아니라 하나님의 처소이신 성전마저 약탈하였습니다. 엄청난 충격이었겠지요. 게다가 예루살렘 성에 가난한 사람들만 빼고 모두 포로로 잡아가버렸습니다. 에스겔이 환상을 본 곳이 어디입니까? 1:3 “갈대아 땅 그발강 가에서 여호와의 말씀이 부시의 아들 제사장 나 에스겔에게 특별히 임하고.” 갈대아 땅 그발강 가, 즉 바벨론 땅입니다. 에스겔도 포로로 잡혀가서 바벨론 땅에서 예루살렘 성에 대한 환상을 보고 있는 것입니다. 나라가 이미 만신창이입니다. 하나님의 성전도 약탈당하였습니다. 지도자들의 입에서 “여호와께서 이 땅을 버리셨으며 여호와께서 보지 아니하신다” 라는 말이 인간적으로 나올 만한 상황인 것입니다. 그러나 하나님께서는 그들에게 이미 수많은 선지자들을 통하여 이런 상황이 올 것을 경고하셨었습니다. 그런데도 그들은 지금 그들이 처해 있는 상황이 자신들의 죄악이 불러일으킨 결과라는 사실은 쏙 빼놓고 그저 여호와께서 우리를 버리셨다고 말하고 있는 것입니다. 이것이 그들의 생각이었습니다. 그리고 그들의 이런 생각은 그대로 가증한 죄악으로 이어졌고 결국 하나님의 돌이킬 수 없는 심판이라는 엄청난 결과를 불러일으키게 됩니다. 오늘은 생각은 결과를 낳는다 라는 제목으로 말씀을 전하기 원합니다.

Yesterday, we talked about the utterly abominable acts of the leaders of Israel, who worshipped idols in God's sanctuary. What they said while acting in the darkness of their idol chambers was this: "The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land" (Ezekiel 8:12). This exact sentiment is repeated in today's passage, Ezekiel 9:9. Their words certainly don't justify their idolatry. However, if we consider their situation at the time, we can understand, from a human perspective, why they might have said such things.

Northern Israel had already been destroyed by Assyria almost 125 years prior. Southern Judah had also been invaded by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who captured King Jehoiachin as a prisoner. At that time, King Nebuchadnezzar plundered not only the royal palace but also the temple, God's dwelling place. Imagine the immense shock! Furthermore, everyone in Jerusalem was taken captive, except for the poorest people. Where was Ezekiel when he saw this vision? Ezekiel 1:3 says, "the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar Canal." The land of the Chaldeans, by the Chebar Canal—that is, Babylon. Ezekiel himself was in exile in Babylon, seeing this vision of Jerusalem. Their nation was in shambles. God's temple had been plundered. It was a situation where, humanly speaking, the leaders might utter, "The Lord has forsaken this land; the Lord does not see us."

Yet, God had already warned them of this very situation through numerous prophets. But they conveniently ignored the fact that their current predicament was the direct result of their own wickedness, simply stating that the Lord had forsaken them. This was their mindset. And this way of thinking directly led to abominable sins, which in turn brought about the irreversible consequence of God's judgment. Today, I want to preach on the title: "Thoughts Produce Results."

                  오늘의 본문은 하나님의 심판의 예언 중에 두가지 다른 부류의 사람들을 이야기합니다. 그 첫번째는 이마에 표를 받는 사람들입니다. 1절입니다. 하나님께서 큰소리로 예루살렘의 심판자들을 부르십니다. 그들은 각기 무기를 손에 들었는데 그 무기는 죽이는 무기라고 하십니다. 그냥 무기도 아니고 왜 굳이 ‘죽이는’ 무기라고 하셨을까요? 아주 죽여주는 무기일까요? 끝내주게 멋있는? 아니지요. 이 무기는 확실한 죽음을 가져온다는 뜻이겠지요. 그들은 죽음의 심판자로서 이 무기에 당하는 사람들은 반드시 죽는다는 것을 말씀하시는 것일 것입니다. 2절을 보니 여섯 사람이 각자의 손에 그 죽이는 무기를 들었는데 그 중에 한 사람은 가는베 옷을 입고 허리에 서기관의 먹그릇을 찼다고 합니다. ‘가는베 옷’은 주로 하나님의 사자가 입는 옷이며 제사장의 의복이기도 합니다. 이 사람은 왜 다른가 싶었더니 3절에서 하나님이 그를 따로 부르시지요. 그리고는 4절에서 그에게만 먼저 특별한 임무를 맡기십니다. 4절 한 번 같이 읽어보시겠습니다. “여호와께서 이르시되 너는 예루살렘 성읍 중에 순행하여 그 가운데에서 행하는 모든 가증한 일로 말미암아 탄식하며 우는 자의 이마에 표를 그리라 하시고” 이 표를 왜 그리라 하셨을까요? 6절에 그 답이 있습니다. 남녀노소를 막론하고 모든 사람을 다 죽이라고 하시는데 이마에 표 있는 이 사람들에게는 가까이하지 말라고 하시지요. 즉 이들은 하나님의 심판에서 제외되는 것입니다. 5절을 보시면 그들, 나머지 다섯명의 심판자들로 하여금 불쌍히 여기지 말고 치라고 하시는데 가만히 보면 가는베 입은 심판자, ‘그를 따라 성읍 중에 다니며’ 라고 하십니다. 무슨 말입니까? 표를 그리는 자를 앞서 가지 말라는 말입니다. 하나님께서 심판자들을 부르셔서 예루살렘 성을 심판하시려는데 표 그리는 자를 먼저 부르시고 그를 심판자들 중에 가장 선두에 세우시는 이유가 무엇이겠습니까? 표 받을 자들을 보호하시기 위함입니다. 심판자들에게 이마에 표 있는 자에게는 가까이 하지도 말라고 하시지 않습니까? 그렇다면 이런 보호를 받는 이들은 대체 어떤 사람들이었습니까? 바로 하나님께서 가증하게 여기시는 일을 보고 탄식하며 우는 자들이었습니다. 나라가 패망하여 왕궁과 하나님의 성전마저 노략 당하는 때입니다. 다른 사람들은 하나님이 우리를 떠나셨다. 성전마저 약탈 당하는 마당에 하나님이 무슨 소용이냐? 라고 말하며 하나님을 떠나 온갖 우상들을 섬길 때입니다. 바로 그 때에 그들은 하나님의 근심을 알고 탄식하고 울었습니다. 모든 사람들이 환경을 보고 하나님을 저버릴 때에 그들은 하나님의 마음을 알고 아파하며 눈물로 회개하는 사람들이었던 것입니다. 그 결과가 무엇입니까? 모든 이들에게 심판이 임할 때 오히려 그들은 하나님의 보호아래에 있었습니다. 하나님의 마음을 알았던 그들의 생각이 탄식과 울음의 행동으로 이어졌고 하나님의 보호하심이라는 결과를 낳은 것입니다.

Two Kinds of People in God's Judgment

Today's passage describes two different kinds of people amidst God's prophetic judgment. The first kind are those who receive a mark on their foreheads. In verse 1, God calls out loudly to the executioners of Jerusalem. Each of them holds a weapon in his hand—a "destroying weapon," the text says. Why emphasize "destroying" rather than just "weapon"? Does it mean it's an awesome, super cool weapon? No. It means this weapon brings certain death. It signifies that they are agents of death and anyone struck by this weapon will surely die.

Verse 2 shows six men, each with a destroying weapon, and one among them is dressed in linen, with a writing case at his side. "Fine linen" is typically worn by messengers of God, and it's also priestly attire. We might wonder why this one is different, and indeed, in verse 3, God calls him aside. Then, in verse 4, He gives him a special, prior task. Let's read verse 4 together: "And the Lord said to him, 'Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.'" Why this mark? The answer is in verse 6. He tells the other five to kill everyone—men, women, and children—but to "not come near anyone on whom is the mark." This means those with the mark are exempted from God's judgment.

In verse 5, God instructs the other five executioners to strike without pity. But if you look closely, it says, "Follow him through the city." This means, don't go ahead of the one who is putting the mark. Why would God summon the executioners to judge Jerusalem, but first call the one who puts the mark, placing him at the forefront of the executioners? It is to protect those who are to be marked. Didn't He tell the executioners not to come near anyone with the mark? So, who were these protected people? They were precisely those who sighed and groaned over the abominations that God found detestable.

This was a time when the nation was collapsing, and even the royal palace and God's temple were plundered. While others were saying, "God has forsaken us. What good is God when His very temple is plundered?" and turning away from God to serve all kinds of idols, these individuals understood God's sorrow. They sighed and wept. When everyone else was looking at their circumstances and abandoning God, these were the ones who knew God's heart, felt His pain, and repented with tears. What was the result? When judgment came upon everyone else, they were under God's protection. Their understanding of God's heart led to actions of sighing and weeping, which in turn resulted in God's divine protection.

                  두번째 부류의 사람들은 앞에서 이야기했던 표를 받은 사람들이 아닌 심판의 대상이 되는 사람들입니다. 이들에게 하나님께서는 그 어떠한 자비도 허락하지 않으십니다. 5절과 10절에서 하나님께서는 그들을 불쌍히 여기지 말며 긍휼도 베풀지 말고 치라고 말씀하십니다. 심지어 7절을 보니 하나님의 거룩하신 성전마저 그들의 시체로 모든 뜰을 채워 더럽히라고 하십니다. 오죽하면 9절에서 에스겔이 “이스라엘의 남은 자를 모두 멸하려 하시나이까” 라며 엎드려 부르짖었다고 합니다. 저는 이 심판이 어떠한 것인지 상상조차 못하겠습니다. 그런데 이런 심판을 불러왔던 생각이 있습니다. 9 절 하반절 말씀입니다. “이는 그들이 이르기를 여호와께서 이 땅을 버리셨으며 여호와께서 보지 아니 하신다 함이라” 여러분 생각은 결과를 낳습니다. 이들의 이러한 생각은 절대로 그저 생각만으로 머물러 있지 않습니다. 당연히 행동으로 이어졌지요. 그 행동이 무엇입니까? 9절 상반절입니다. “이스라엘과 유다 족속의 죄악이 심히 중하여 그 땅에 피가 가득하며 그 성읍에 불법이 찼나니” 이런 행동들이 왜 이루어졌다고요? “이는 그들이 이르기를” 그들의 생각은 심히 중한 죄악의 행동으로 이어졌습니다. 여러분 이 심히 중하다는 말은 원문으로 보면 강조가 두 번입니다. 매우 매우 크다. 대단히 대단히 많다. 최대한으로 많다. 가득 찼다 라는 뜻입니다. 죄악이 가득 찼습니다. 그 땅에 피가 가득합니다. 그 성읍에 불법이 찼습니다. 가득합니다. 하나님의 진노의 그릇 또한 가득 차버렸습니다. 10절에서 “그러므로 내가 그들을 불쌍히 여기지 아니하며 긍휼 베풀지 아니하고 그들의 행위대로 그들의 머리에 갚으리라” 라고 하지 않으십니까? 이제는 더이상 피할 수 없는 심판만이 이들을 기다리고 있는 것입니다. 그런데 이런 심판을 불러온 이들의 죄악은, 이들의 행동은, 바로 이들이 하나님을 어떻게 생각하고 있었는가 그 생각으로부터 시작된 것인 것입니다. 서론에서 말씀드렸듯이 그들이 처한 상황을 고려할 때 인간적으로 보면 그런 생각을 할 수도 있지 않나 라는 생각이 들만한 생각이었을지 모릅니다. 그러나 생각은 결과를 낳습니다. 자신의 죄악을 외면하고 하나님을 원망하던 그 생각은 결국 심히 중한 죄악으로 이어지고 하나님의 돌이킬 수 없는 심판이라는 결과를 낳았습니다.

The Consequences of Our Thoughts

The second group of people are those who were not marked and became the objects of judgment. God grants them no mercy. In verses 5 and 10, God says, "Have no pity, and spare no one; strike!" He even commands, in verse 7, that His holy temple be defiled with their corpses, filling all the courts. So severe was the judgment that in verse 9, Ezekiel falls on his face and cries out, "Ah, Lord God! Will you destroy all that remains of Israel?" I cannot even imagine such judgment.

But there was a thought process that led to this judgment. It's found in the latter part of verse 9: "For they have said, 'The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.'" My friends, thoughts produce results. Their thoughts did not remain mere thoughts. They certainly led to actions. What were those actions? The first part of verse 9 tells us: "The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice." Why did these actions occur? "For they have said..." Their thoughts led to exceedingly great acts of wickedness. When the Bible says "exceedingly great," the original Hebrew emphasizes it twice. It means "very, very great," "immensely, immensely abundant," "filled to the maximum." Their iniquity was filled to the brim. The land was full of blood. The city was full of injustice. And God's cup of wrath was also full. In verse 10, God declares, "Therefore I will not spare them, nor will I have pity; but I will bring their deeds upon their own heads." Now, only inescapable judgment awaited them.

And the wickedness that brought about this judgment—their actions—began with how they thought about God. As I mentioned in the introduction, considering their circumstances, one might humanly understand why they had such thoughts. However, thoughts produce results. Their thoughts, which ignored their own sin and blamed God, ultimately led to exceedingly great wickedness and the irreversible consequence of God's judgment.

                  말씀을 맺습니다. 생각은 결과를 낳습니다. 여러분은 하나님에 대해 어떤 생각을 하십니까? 하나님에 대해 어떻게 말하십니까? 오늘은 그 생각의 차이로 심판 가운데서도 구원을 받는 사람들과 그 심판의 대상이 되는 사람들을 보았습니다. 생각을 지키십시오. 어떤 환경 속에서도 하나님을 신뢰하십시오. 하나님의 성품을 기억하십시오. 그리하여 구원의 결과를 잃지 않으시는 여러분 되시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다.

Conclusion

Thoughts produce results. What do you think about God? What do you say about God? Today, we have seen how a difference in thought led to some being saved in the midst of judgment, while others became the very objects of that judgment. Guard your thoughts. Trust God in every circumstance. Remember God's character. May you, therefore, not lose the result of salvation, but rather live a life protected and blessed by Him, by the grace of our Lord. Amen.