יחזקאל, פרק ח׳, פסוק ו׳

The prophet is brought into a harsh vision revealing a severe desecration within the Temple. God exposes the actions of the Israelites, highlighting a devastating spiritual consequence: the departure of the Divine Presence from the sanctuary. God questions the prophet to ensure he truly grasps the reality of what is happening before him [מצודת דוד].

The terrible acts committed by the Israelites involve idolatry, specifically the placement of a pagan statue and symbol directly inside the sacred space [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The direct result of bringing such corruption into God's sanctuary is the distancing of God from the Temple, as He will not allow His presence to rest in a place shared with an idol. Taking this a step further, [מלבי״ם] explains that this consequence is actually the conscious goal of the people. They intentionally perform these acts to drive away God's presence and rid themselves of His watchful jealousy.

The vision, however, is far from over. God informs the prophet that he is about to witness acts of even greater severity [מצודת דוד]. While the initial acts of idolatry are designed specifically to push God away, the upcoming horrors serve a completely different purpose. According to [מלבי״ם], these subsequent acts represent the people's misguided attempt to draw down abundance and goodness from the stars and constellations, relying entirely on their false beliefs.