Ezekiel 11
Ruin & Restoration
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Intro
√ Ruin and Restoration
You’ll remember that chapters 8-11 record a new vision that Ezekiel received from God that details the…
Trouble in the
The Judgment of God ~ chapter 9
God’s glory leaves the
God’s judgment on the rulers ~ chapter 11
Chapter 11 is could be titled, “Ruin & Restoration” as it has two sections…
Vs. 1-13 ~ Judgment
Vs. 14-25 ~ Restoration
Specifically the section on judgment is directed against the leaders in
Worse, they persecuted Jeremiah and the other righteous
servants of God in
The section that speaks of the restoration of the nation is directed to those in captivity
in
Once again showing us the silver lining of God’s Grace even in the darkest storms of His judgment.
Lots of cools stuff!
√ God’s best may not be immediately obvious
For the Jewish people like Ezekiel who had been carried off
captive to
…as compared to those Jews still living free in
But, the reality was that those in
…and providing them a future and a hope.
This 4th installment of the Ezekiel’s vision opens the eyes of the captives to this truth, that God’s best isn’t always obvious!
Ap. God’s best may not be immediately obvious
Corrie Ten Boom’s testimony about the lice in the concentration camps and how what they thought was bad, the lice…
…turned out to be good because it kept the Nazi guards away.
Judgment for their Disobedience (vs. 1-3)
Ezek. 11:1 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the East Gate of the LORD’S house, which faces eastward; and there at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
Ezek. 11:2 And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city,
Ezek. 11:3 who say, “The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.’
√ Judgment for disobedience
As we’ve already seen in Ezekiel’s prophecy the main subject
in the first 32 chapters is God’s judgment (on
…so this isn’t a new theme.
What is unique about this section is that Ezekiel’s words of
judgment are directed at the leadership
in
Note the following clues…
1) The 25 men are congregated at the “door” of the East Gate ~ the city “courtroom” where the leaders sat and made judgment on matters of law and leadership (vs. 1 & Jer. 26:10).
In times of antiquity the city gate was were the elders sat and conducted business and arbitrated disputes.
Ex. Boaz negotiating for Ruth ~ Ruth 4:1-2
2) They are called “princes of the people” ~ the title of the elders, or judges of the city (vs. 1).
So, God’s words of judgment are directed at the leadership
in
√ Their sin
The sin for which God was bringing judgment is that they…
“devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in the city” ~ vs. 2
How so? Couple of interesting nuggets hidden here!
1) Giving false prophecy? (“dives iniquity”)
Note that vs. 1 identifies one of the elders as a man named…
“Jaazaniah the son of Azzur”
There are a number of men mentioned in scripture by the name of Jaazaniah, but only one whose father is named Azzur.
That’s fascinating because there was a false prophet in
“Hananiah the son of Azur” ~ Jer. 28
“Azur” is a variant spelling of “Azzur” (similar to Rob and Bob).
If true that would mean they were brothers!
The false prophecies of Hananiah (supported by the leaders
in
Ex. Dueling prophets ~ Jeremiah 28
Jeremiah predicted that the Babylonians were God’s tool of discipline and that they would destroy the city.
The only hope for life and blessing was to surrender and go
to
Hananiah
predicted that God would break the power of the Babylonians and that they would
never enter
His counsel was to resist Nebuchadnezzar.
To make it even more dramatic Hananiah took the yoke that
Jeremiah was wearing (by God’s instruction) off his neck and broke it to
signify that the “yoke” of
Obviously one of them wasn’t speaking for God, so God confirmed who was working for Him…
First through the death of Hananiah that same year!
Second through the success of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege.
So, God brought judgment upon the leaders in
2) Giving ungodly counsel
The second reason that God was bringing judgment upon the elders of the city was that they gave ungodly counsel, note what they said…
“The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.” ~ vs. 2
Their counsel completely contradicts
the counsel of Jeremiah to the people of
Ex. Jeremiah writes a letter to the captives
Jer. 29:4 Thus
says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive,
whom I have caused to be carried away from
Jer. 29:5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.
That is, he’s telling them to settle down and make a new
life in
70 years to be exact! (ref. Jer. 25:11-12)
But notice what the city elders are telling the people…
“The time is not near to build houses…”
That is, they’re siding with Hananiah by counseling the
people to stay in
Ap. Don’t go against the Word of the Lord!
We find examples in both the Old and New Testaments where God took the life of a person(s) who had set themselves to oppose His work, His Word, or His people.
Herod Agrippa 1 (Acts 12)
Ananias & Sapphira (Acts 5)
Surely God can still do the same.
While I wouldn’t claim that I know for sure that He’s done the same in my experience…
…I’ve seen some strange things in my life where people who had opposed God and/or His servants died suddenly and without any hint of “natural” causes.
So, while I’m sure that God is merciful and gracious I think it’s wise not to get in His face!
Judgment for their sin (vs. 4-12)
Ezek. 11:4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!”
Ezek. 11:5 Then the
Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! “Thus says the LORD:
‘Thus you have said, O house of
Ezek. 11:6 You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.”
Ezek. 11:7 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; but I shall bring you out of the midst of it.
Ezek. 11:8 You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you,” says the Lord GOD.
Ezek. 11:9 “And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and execute judgments on you.
Ezek. 11:10 You shall
fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of
Ezek. 11:11 This city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel.
Ezek. 11:12 And you shall know that I am the LORD; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.” ’ ”
√ Judgment for sin
In response to the false prophecies that the leaders promoted and believed God spoke a prophecy through Ezekiel against them for their sin.
Specifically God tells them that the city that they trust in for protection will fail…
…and that the evil that they fear will come upon them!
Back in vs. 3 the leaders boasted…
Ezek. 11:3 who say, “The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.’
It’s a Old Testament kind of way of saying that they
believed they were as safe
inside the walls of
…a pot roast in a big iron pot!
(Note ~ doesn’t really make sense to me either, best I can come up with is that the idea is that just as a pot protects meat from a wild animal…
…so the walls of
So, here in vs. 11 God turns their proverb around to communicate that they weren’t safe because no wall could protect them from God’s judgment!
Ezek. 11:10 You shall
fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of
Ezek. 11:11 This city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel.
Ex. Perhaps this is the origin of the term “dead meat”?
Interestingly God’s word of judgment was fulfilled to the letter!
The elders, the priests, the officers and all the royal family (except for the king ~ Zedekiah) tried to escape from the city and were executed with a sword on the border of Israel and Ancient Syria in the city of Riblah (ref. 2 Kings 25:18-21 & Jer. 52:8-11)
So, Ezekiel predicts that the elders, or leaders, in
Judgment Confirmed (vs. 13)
Ezek. 11:13 Now it
happened, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah
the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried with a loud
voice, and said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of
√ Judgment confirmed
This is an interesting postscript, or postmortem script! Pretty powerful prophecy!
Right in the middle of speaking the Word that God gave him…
…one of the elders croaks!
I think that the Lord is communicating to the people whom is really speaking the word of the Lord…
…Hannaniah and the elders, or Jeremiah and Ezekiel?
Hannaniah opposed Jeremiah and died.
Pelatiah resisted Jeremiah and Ezekiel and he died!
The point is that Ezekiel sees all this in the Spirit before it happens, he shares the prophecy with the elders in captivity…
…months later they’ll get the news from
Ap. Test the prophets
God tells us very clearly in His Word (Old and New Testaments) to test every prophet because they are not all sent by Him!
Moses instructs the Jewish people to test anyone who claims to be a prophet by the fulfillment of their prophecy.
John tells Christians to test prophets by their doctrine of Christ.
We have to be just as cautious as there are many false prophets today!
Ex. Cults
The
1914, 1915, 1918, 1925, a number of times in the 1940’s, and in 1975.
Joseph Smith and his book of Mormon ~ the number of false and unfulfilled prophecies is staggering!
One example, in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon predicts that Native Americans (called “Lamanites”) would have their skin turn white after converting to Mormonism!
To ignore the false prophets, or pretend that it’s ungodly to address them is to ignore God’s word.
Restoration for their obedience (vs. 14-16)
Ezek. 11:14 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek. 11:15 “Son of
man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of
Ezek. 11:16 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.” ’
√ Restoration for their obedience
In vs. 13 when Ezekiel sees Pelatiah die, he cries out to
the Lord because he fears that God will destroy all of the people of
So, in this second
prophecy God reveals to Ezekiel that He has a great plan for him and
the rest of the captives in
Specifically God promises to protect them from harm, and to restore them to the Promised Land!
Why? Because of their obedience.
√ Disobedience
The people who were still in
Ex. Jeremiah’s prophecy
Jeremiah told the king, the priests, the elders and the
people that God promised them safety and a good life in
But, as we’ve already noted the false prophets encouraged
the people to stay in
…thereby disobeying the direct command of the Lord.
As a result of these false prophecies the elders of
“…the inhabitants of
But God declared that the captives in
Restoration Promised
Ezek. 11:17 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
Ezek. 11:18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there.
Ezek. 11:19 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,
Ezek. 11:20 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.
Ezek. 11:21 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.
√ Restoration ~ near fulfillment
Ezekiel’s predicts that the captives in
But, it’s important to note that this prediction has two parts…
…a near fulfillment and a future (or far) fulfillment.
That is, there’s a gap in the promise of restoration between verses 18 and 19.
Ex. Prophecy is like looking down a mountain range ~ can only see the peaks not the valleys between the peaks!
So, verses 15-18 speak of the near fulfillment of God’s promise to bring His people back
from captivity to inhabit
Came to pass after 70 years in captivity just as Jeremiah predicted.
Led by Nehemiah and Ezra.
While the people did not return to their idolatry…
…neither were they free of their stubborn resistance to God’s plan of Redemption (i.e. Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7).
√ Restoration ~ far fulfillment
So, verses 19-20 look to a future time when God tells us that He will do heart surgery on His people…
…removing their hard stony hearts (resisting God’s will) and replacing them with a soft heart of flesh (surrendering to God’s will)!
He also promises to give them a new “spirit” (vs. 19) a reference to the Holy Spirit (ref. Ezek. 36:26-27).
The prediction foreshadows the Millennial Kingdom in which the Jewish people will be indwelled by the Holy Spirit (as Christians are today in the Age of Grace)…
…after acknowledging Jesus as their Messiah (Zech. 12:10).
So, Ezekiel and the captives would have hope that God’s judgment would not be total…
…He would leave a remnant alive who would one day be restored to the Promised Land.
Recessional of the King (vs. 22-25)
Ezek. 11:22 So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them.
Ezek. 11:23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.
Ezek. 11:24 Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me.
Ezek. 11:25 So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the LORD had shown me.
√ Recessional of the King
In our study last week we followed Ezekiel as he described the departure of the Lord from the Holy of Holies…
…to the threshold of the Temple.
Now he describes God’s final judgment upon Jerusalem by telling us that God leaves the Temple and the city and then stood on the mountain on the east side of Jerusalem.
That is, on the Mount of Olives.
The recessional of the King from the Temple, across the Kidron valley and up to the Mount of Olives signals Jerusalem’s doom because…
“Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.” ~ Ps. 127:1
No God, no protection.
√ The path of God’s recessional
I’m sure that the significance of God’s path as He leaves the Temple didn’t escape your attention!
We see it all through scripture!
Ezekiel predicts that God’s glory will return to the Millennial Temple along the same route…
Ezek. 43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east.
Ezek. 43:2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.
Ezek. 43:3 It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.
Ezek. 43:4 And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east.
Ezek. 43:5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
It’s not coincidence that…
Jesus followed this same path into the city when He presented Himself as the Messiah during the Triumphant Entry (Matt. 21:1-17).
Jesus departed Jerusalem and returned to heaven from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9-12).
Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives, cross the Kidron Valley, and enter the Temple along the same route (Acts 1:11, Zech. 14:4 & Matt. 24:27)
So, while Ezekiel would be saddened by the departure of the Lord from the Temple and the city…
…he would also have hope for the future because God promised to one day return and redeem the city and the people that He now turned over to judgment.
Close
√ Ruin and Restoration
Be encouraged, if that path that your on, or the place where you’re at, looks bad…
…don’t panic because often times you’ll discover that your in the midst of God’s best for you and that He will give you a future and a hope!