Eekiel 11:1-21

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Jeremiah prophecies during 627 BC

Daniel prophecies during 605 BC (1st deportation)

Ezekiel prophecies during 527 BC (2nd deportation)

Ezekiel 11:2-4

Ezekiel 11:2–4 (NKJV)

2 And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city, 3 who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.’ 4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!”

“Rather than encouraging the people to repent and follow God, they continued giving wicked advice, and the general population followed them into folly” (LG, p25).

According to Unger’s Commentary on the OT, the bad advice that these men gave had to do with rebelling against King Nebuchadnezzar (p1510).

A few years after the beginning of Ezekiel’s ministry, Judah’s King Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, who retaliated by destroying Jerusalem after two more years of brutal attack (2 Kgs 25; Jer 39:1–10). (Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)

Through the prophet Isaiah God says, “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;” (Isa. 30:1).

Haven’t our houses been recently built? Apparently, these religious elders (8:15-16) were saying that there was nothing to worry about. That the Lord’s judgement was over and they were protected from the heat of His wrath like meat in a pot is protected from the fire.

But, God reversed the meaning of the proverb (11:7).

Ezekiel 11:14-17

Ezekiel 11:14–15 (NKJV)

14 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Get far away from the Lord; this land has been given to us as a possession.’

The inhabitants of Jerusalem wrongly assumed that because these Jews were in captivity that somehow God had abandoned them. They saw God confined to the temple in Jerusalem and unable to reach them in Babylon. True, the Lord had certainly given them the land and that should have been evidence that He had not abandoned them.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 11:13–15

They localized God and thought in terms of geographical rather than spiritual proximity. They also assumed that their right to the land was absolute since it was given to them as their possession. This was a correct but incomplete statement. God had given Israel the land, but He had also threatened to remove them from it for disobedience (cf. Deut. 28:36, 64–68). God would spare a remnant (Ezek. 6:8; 12:16), as Ezekiel asked, but it would not include the smug, self-righteous leaders of Jerusalem.

But listen to the beautiful compassion the Lord has for His people. They do not need to rely on the temple in order to see the Lord at work.

Ezekiel 11:16–17 (NKJV)

16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ’ 17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ’

I love these words! This all shows the sovereignty of God and I think that this should be of great encouragement to each of us.

The Lord acknowledges that He is responsible for their captivity.

I have cast them far off...

I have scattered them...

But here’s the part that I love. God confirms,

I will be a sanctuary for them...

I will gather them

I will give you the land of Israel.

You see, they didn’t need the temple to worship God because God Himself was their resting place (Rev. 21:22).

In the midst of our difficulty God is still at work preserving us, loving us, and caring for us. One of my all-time favorite verses is Lam. 3:31-32, “For the Lord will not cast off forever. 32 Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies.” And so it was will the people God sent Ezekiel to.

Ezekiel 11:18-21

Ezekiel 11:18–21 (NKJV)

18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. 19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

“Israel’s physical return will be accompanied by a spiritual renewal” (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Ezekiel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1248). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.). The land will be cleansed of its sin and so will the people. God promises to do 4 things for His people.

I will give them one heart.

I will put a new spirit within them

I will be their God

I will repay their deeds

Notice, before God gives them a new heart and spirit, they must repent. Repentance must precede renewal and restoration. The people have to get rid of the detestable things in the land first and then God, seeing their seriousness to surrender to His way, will get rid of the detestable things in their hearts. But, if they will not rid themselves of physical sin, then God would repay them harshly. God would give them up to uncleanness, in the lust of their hearts. He would give them over to their vile passions and debased minds (Romans 1:24, 26, 28).

However, to those who would obey the Lord’s commands, “they would be His people and He would be their God.”