7 And He bringeth me in unto an opening of the court, and I look, and lo, a hole in the wall; 8 and He saith unto me, 'Son of man, dig, I pray thee, through the wall;' and I dig through the wall, and lo, an opening. 9 And He saith to me, 'Go in, and see the evil abominations that they are doing here.' 10 And I go in, and look, and lo, every form of creeping thing, and detestable beast—and all the Idols of the house of Israel—graved on the wall, all round about, 11 and seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel—and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing in their midst—are standing before them, and each his censer in his hand, and the abundance of the cloud of perfume is going up. 12 And He saith unto me, 'Hast thou seen, son of man, that which elders of the house of Israel are doing in darkness, each in the inner chambers of his imagery, for they are saying, Jehovah is not seeing us, Jehovah hath forsaken the land?'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 8:7-12
Commentary on Ezekiel 8:7-12
(Read Ezekiel 8:7-12)
A secret place was, as it were, opened, where the prophet saw creatures painted on the walls, and a number of the elders of Israel worshipped before them. No superiority in worldly matters will preserve men from lust, or idolatries, when they are left to their own deceitful hearts; and those who are soon wearied in the service of God, often grudge no toil nor expense when following their superstitions. When hypocrites screen themselves behind the wall of an outward profession, there is some hole or other left in the wall, something that betrays them to those who look diligently. There is a great deal of secret wickedness in the world. They think themselves out of God's sight. But those are ripe indeed for ruin, who lay the blame of their sins upon the Lord.