Read Ezekiel 11
God’s Sure Judgment on Jerusalem
11 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east. There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city. 3 They say, ‘Haven’t our houses been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot, and we are the meat in it.’ 4 Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, son of man.”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and he told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind. 6 You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead.
7 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot, but I will drive you out of it. 8 You fear the sword, and the sword is what I will bring against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. 9 I will drive you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners and inflict punishment on you. 10 You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 11 This city will not be a potfor you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. 12 And you will know that I am the Lord, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.”
13 Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?”
The Promise of Israel’s Return
14 The word of the Lord came to me: 15 “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession.’
16 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’
17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’
18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols.19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
22 Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 23 The glory of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it. 24 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia in the vision given by the Spirit of God.
Then the vision I had seen went up from me, 25 and I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.
Go Deeper
Ezekiel 11 is the conclusion of one grand vision God gave to Ezekiel that began in Ezekiel 8. While the previous chapters have been dark and heavy, it actually concludes with a lot of hope! Ezekiel begins by saying he has received a vision from the Lord concerning the leaders in Jerusalem. While they were living wickedly, they felt safe in the protection they had built. They felt no threat from the outside so they built houses and said “we are the meat and the city is a pot.”
The “pot” was viewed as protection from any outside forces coming in. However, the Lord says you are indeed the meat in a pot, but the pot will not protect you rather it will cook you. These leaders felt safe in their sin, but God is making clear that He sees their sin and will judge their sin. God’s biggest qualm with these people was made clear in verse 12: “And you will know that I am the Lord, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.” Rather than being set apart for His purposes, they fell in line with how the rest of the world was living.
Although Jerusalem has fallen and the people are scattered, the Lord declares that He will be their sanctuary no matter where the people of God are. His presence becomes more important than the place they are in. However, God also declares that he will bring His people back to their land, and they will have a change of heart. While they had lived with a heart of stone, God will give them an undivided heart of flesh guided by His spirit.
The main lesson in this chapter is that whenever we feel safe in our sin, we should be prepared for a coming collapse. When we pursue things other than the heart of God, we lose the protection of God. However, the hope in this chapter is that even though our sin has consequences, God’s grace is not far off. When the proverbial walls of our city collapse, that’s oftentimes we open up our eyes to our need for God. In those moments he’ll meet you with grace, and offer to restore your heart into one that is wholly His.
Questions
- What stuck out to you most about this chapter?
- What sin have you felt comfortable with, only for it to ultimately hurt you?
- What parts of your heart are still not undivided towards God?
A Quote
Check out this quote from Daniel I. Block, a former Old Testament professor at Wheaton College, on v. 16:
“This statement is without parallel in the OT. The sanctuary was normally conceived of as a cult site or building rendered sacred by the presence of the deity. Here Yahweh promises to be for the exiles what the temple has heretofore been for them in Jerusalem.”
7 thoughts on “Ezekiel 11”
I see the justice and kindness of God on full display in this chapter. Justice for those who defied God’s command of not copying pagan customs and religions of nations around them. Kindness for the exiles who remained faithful to God despite their physical location, that no matter where they were he would not abandon them. My takeaway for today connects to Romans 12:2,
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Praying for tender hearts that find contentment in God’s ways and protection apart from the world.
A new heart. We (meaning I) have a deceitful heart, in that people pleasing mode of making things look good for me that others see me through a certain lens. I want to have a completely complete heart for God, in all things, about all things. Undivided heart, fully God’s, no longer sin-focused but God-focused. Only the Holy Spirit can do this work in and with me being obedient, every time, first time to God’s voice.
Thank You God for such a time as this. I am so grateful that Your grace and mercy are new every morning. Thank You doing a work in me to encourage me to be You focused and no longer sin focused. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit showing me the way, Your Word guiding me, Your love encompassing me in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!
Amy, I LOVE this!
“A completely complete heart,” not “sin-focused, but GOD-focused.”
Thank you for sharing—I needed this today!
❤️
So good!!❤️
LIVING IN EXILE
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.”
-Ezekiel 11:16-17
Few things are more agonizing than living a displaced life. To make a home where home is not. To plant our feet and put down roots when all the while our hearts long to be where the heart truly belongs.
The exile story is as common as it is painful, and each time we read it, as fellow displaced citizens ourselves, we feel our hearts ache in agreement.
The object of my addiction, the “show-which-must-not-be-named”, echoes with this theme of exile. From the moment the story opens, no one is where they’re supposed to be. Our hero and heroine are continually on the run, fleeing danger, seeking refuge … and always, always trying to get HOME. After multiple seasons of heartbreaking separations and hopelessly brief reunions, at last they find their long-awaited homecoming, not in a place, but in each other.
And oddly enough, it is that prospect that brings me the most comfort. I know an Eternal Home awaits me — God promises to gather me up and bring me back where *I* truly belong.
In the meantime, I plant my feet on hope reflected in verse 16, which reminds me that until then … for now … and all the time in between … I find my perfect refuge.
Not in a place.
But in my Perfect Savior.
What stuck out to you most about this chapter? How the Lord explains to us how we are truly comfortable in our sins when we don’t even realize it. We are the meat; instead of being protected by the pot, we’re being cooked.
What sin have you felt comfortable with, only for it to ultimately hurt you? The sin of having idols in my life. Certain things like my phone and sports always are on my mind instead of God.
What parts of your heart are still not undivided towards God? The parts where I only want to spend time with friends doing activities and busy myself on my phone at night. I need to remember that the Word is more important and spend more time in it instead.