11:1-4God had abandoned his altar and Temple (chapters 9-11); here his judgment was complete as his glory stopped above the mountain east of the city (11:23). The city gate was where merchants and politicians conducted business, so the 25 men may have represented the nation’s rulers. Because of their leadership positions, they were responsible for leading the people astray. They had wrongly said that they were secure from another attack customs instead of God’s laws always got them into trouble. Today, believers are still tempted to conform to the ways of the World. But we must get our standards of right and wrong from God, not from the popular trends of society.
Life Application Study BibleEzekielChapter 11
Ezekiel 11
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1320, 1321
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
11Ezekiel 11
1Then the Spirit lifted me and brought me to the east gateway of the LORD’s Temple, 11:2 where I saw twenty-five prominent men of the city. Among them were Jaazaniah son Mood of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders among the people. 11:3 2The Spirit said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are planning evil and giving Fe oa, 6 wicked counsel in this city. 3They say to the people, ‘Is it not a good time to build houses? 2 Pet 3:4 This city is like an iron pot. We are safe inside it like meat in a pot.*’ Therefore, son of man, 18 a: : zek 3:4, 17 prophesy against them loudly and clearly.” 145 5Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon me, and he told me to say, “ This is what the LORD Jer 11:20; 17:10 says to the people of Israel: 1 know what you are saying, for I know every thought thatcomes 11:6 into your minds. 6You have murdered many in this city and filled its streets with the dead. sa Pag, 22:2-6, 7“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: This city is an iron pot all right, but the Prat 25.35 pieces of meat are the victims of your injustice. As for you, I willsoon drag you from this pot. 44.7 8I will bring on you the sword of war you so greatly fear, says the Sovereign LORD. 91 will 9Kgs 25:18-22 : Fy. + Jer 52:24-27 drive you out of Jerusalem and hand you over to foreigners, who willcarry outmyjudgments |, 5 against you. 10You will be slaughtered all the way to the borders of Israel. I willexecute judg- Deut 28:36, 49-50 ment on you, and you will know that I am the LORD. 11No, this city will not be an iron pot for Ps 106:41 you, and you will not be like meat safe inside it. will judge you even to the borders of Israel, 110. 8-9 12and you will know that I am the LORD. For you have refused to obey my decrees andregula- Josh 13:5 tions; instead, you have copied the standards of the nations around you.” Mat2 Ezek 8:10, 14, 16; 40:14 Hebrew the face of a cherub; compare 1:10. 11:3 Hebrew This city is the pot, and we are the meat. 18:8-9 i by the Babylonians. “This city is like an iron pot. We are safe inside it ike meat in a pot” means they believed that they were the elite, the influential, the ones who would be protected from all harm. Without God, however, our situation is always precarious. 13While I was still prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah suddenly died. Then I fell face down on the ground and cried out, “O Sovereign LORD, are you going to kill everyone in Israel?” Hope for Exiled Israel; 14Then this message came to me from the LORD: 15“Son of man, the people still left in Jerusalem are talking about you and your relatives and all the people of Israel who are in exile. They are saying, ‘Those people are far away from the LORD, so now he has given their land to ust’ 16“ Therefore, tell the exiles, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, Iwill be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile. 17], the Sovereign LORD, will gather you back from the nations where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel once again.’ 18“”When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols. 2And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart * 20so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. 21But as for those who long for vile images and detestable idols, I will repay them fully for their sins. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!”
The LORD’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem
2222Then the cherubim lifted their wings and rose into the air with their wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. 23Then the glory of the Lop went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east. 24Afterward the Spirit of God carried me back again to Babylonia,* to the people in exile there. And so ended the vision of my visit to Jerusalem. 25And I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.
Textual footnotes
- thoughts, He also knows everything about us, even the sins
- we try to hide. Instead of worrying about people noticing how
- we look or what we do, we should care about what God thinks,
- for he sees everything. Trying to hide our thoughts and actions
- from God is futile. “Secret” sins are never secret from God. The
- only effective way to deal with our sins is to confess them and
- ask God to help us overcome them.
- ites were warned not to copy the customs and religious practices
- of other nations. Disobeying this command and following pagan
- 11:5 God knew everything about the Israelites, even their
- 11:19 Hebrew a heart of flesh.
- 11:24 Or Chaldea.
Life Application Notes 4 notes
11:14ffGod promised the exiles in Babylonia that he would Continue to be with them even though they were not in Jerusalem. This was a major concern to the Jews because they believed that God was present primarily in the Temple. But God assured them that he would continue to be their God regardless of where they were. In the midst of Ezekiel’s burning message of judgment stands a cool oasis—God’s promise to restore the faithful few to their homeland. God's arms are now open to receive those who will repent of their sins.
11:15-21God’s messages through Ezekiel are full of irony. 'Here God says that the Jews in captivity are the faithful ones, ‘and those in Jerusalem are the sinful and wicked ones. This was the opposite of the people’s perception. Appearances can be deceiving. God will evaluate your life by your faith and obedience, hot by your apparent earthly success. Furthermore, we should Not judge others by outward appearances. ‘19:16 God was a sanctuary for the righteous remnant. Idolatrous people, even though they worshiped in the Jerusalem Temple (11:15), would find no true sanctuary; but the faithful -exiles, though they were far from home, would be protected by God. Likewise, our external circumstances do not truly indicate ‘Our standing with God. Those who appear safe and secure may be far from him, while those going through difficult times may be safely under God’s protection. We can depend on God to keep us safe if we pledge ourselves to his care.
11:18,19“Singleness of heart” indicates a unanimous singleness of purpose. No longer will God’s people seek many gods, they will be content with God. Their stony, stubborn hearts of stone will be radically transplanted with tender, responsive hearts (see Jeremiah 32:39; Ezekiel 18:31; 36:26). This new life can only be the work of the Holy Spirit. It is God’s work, but we must recognize and turn from our sin. When we do, God will give us new motives, new guidelines, and new purpose. Have you received your new heart?