Explore the Bible: December 12

Saves • Ezekiel 11:2-4,14-21

By Wayne VanHorn

Ezekiel is one of the most perplexing prophets due to his vivid symbolism. Yet to the determined Bible student, the prophet’s message is too rich a blessing to avoid. Keeping true to form with other Hebrew prophets, Ezekiel blended together messages of judgment and hope, the so-called “woe and weal” of the prophetic tradition.

The divisions of Ezekiel 11 move us from focusing on sinful leaders “called out” for their evil plotting and wicked advice, to the introduction of future hope, and finally to the departure of God and His glory from Jerusalem (NAC).

Called out (Ezek. 11:2-4). At a time when the dark cloud of Babylonian enslavement hung over them, Jerusalem’s leaders were uttering messages of false hope. Though the Babylonians had already exiled many inhabitants of Judah in 605 BC and a larger group in 597 BC, the leaders counseled that the time of distress was nearly over, saying, “Isn’t the time near to build houses?” (Ezek. 11:2-3a CSB).

Their statement, “The city is the pot, and we are the meat,” was probably a reference to the choice meat placed in a pot to keep it from burning while being cooked (NAC; 11:3b). The basic idea is that the religious leaders, anxious to avoid mass panic and hysteria, were calming the people with false notions of hope.

While God was in the process of judging them for their sins, the people were being lulled into a false sense of security and imminent restoration. Therefore, God commanded Ezekiel, twice using the imperative verb, “Therefore, prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man!” (11:4).

God called out these misleaders of His people. Instead of preparing to build houses and follow their dreams, they needed to confess their sins, repent, and return to the Lord. God had called Ezekiel to be His prophet to call out His people in their wickedness.

Gathered (Ezek. 11:14-17). The bleak reality of their future was laid out in 11:5-13. In 11:14, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, offering a sure word of encouragement. Apparently, while many Jews languished in exile in distant Babylon, other Jews were claiming their property back home (11:15).

God instructed Ezekiel to remind them that He had scattered them among the nations, but He also had been “a sanctuary for them” in those distant countries (11:16). More striking were the next words the Sovereign Lord spoke to His people in the midst of judgment and exile. He promised to gather them.

The modern term, “kibbutz,” derives from the Hebrew word translated, “gather,” in Ezekiel 11:17. The Jewish people were to be gathered by the Lord from “the countries” where they had been scattered. Then, in addition to the promise to gather the scattered people, the Lord promised to give them the land of Israel.

To this day, Israeli government officials cite passages like this to affirm their possession of the southern Levant as a God-fulfilled promise.

Sanctified (Ezek. 11:18-21). The return to the land of Israel would see four major trends among God’s people. First, they would take away all “the detestable things and all the abominations” (11:18) After all, it is hard to live a clean life in a dirty land.

Secondly, God would give His people one heart (“integrity of heart;” CSB), indicative of a national desire to serve Yahweh alone. He would also give the nation of Israel a “new spirit,” suggesting a renewed spiritual drive to honor God and to keep His commandments.

To provide one heart and new spirit, He had to take away the “heart of stone,” referring to a mind insensitive to the promptings of God’s Spirit. In place of the “heart of stone,” God would transplant a “heart of flesh,” a heart made alive to God’s presence and aware of His guidance (11:19).

Thirdly, the one heart and new spirit would enable God’s people to live according to His statutes and ordinances. The desired result, “They will be my people, and I will be their God,” would be obtainable through the Lord’s empowerment (11:20).

Finally, for those who chose to pursue “abhorrent acts and detestable practices,” God promised retributive justice, “bringing their conduct down on their own heads” (11:21). Interestingly, about the same time Ezekiel was commissioned to deliver this prophecy to Israel, the Lord inspired the prophet Obadiah to utter the same message concerning the Edomites (Obad. 15).

God judges those who rebel, but He sanctifies those who love Him.

VanHorn is dean of the School of Christian Studies & the Arts at Mississippi College, Clinton.