Reflections on Ezekiel 11

Ezekiel 11 (Contemporary English Version)
1. The LORD's Spirit lifted me up and took me to the east gate of the temple, where I saw twenty-five men, including the two leaders, Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah.
2. The LORD said, "Ezekiel, son of man, these men are making evil plans and giving dangerous advice to the people of Jerusalem.
3. They say things like, 'Let's build more houses. This city is like a cooking pot over a fire, and we are the meat, but at least the pot keeps us from being burned in the fire.'
4. So, Ezekiel, condemn them!"
5. The LORD's Spirit took control of me and told me to tell these leaders: I, the LORD God, know what you leaders are saying.
6. You have murdered so many people that the city is filled with dead bodies!
7. This city is indeed a cooking pot, but the bodies of those you killed are the meat. And so I will force you to leave Jerusalem,
8. and I'll send armies to attack you, just as you fear.
9. Then you will be captured and punished by foreign enemies.
10. You will be killed in your own country, but not before you realize that I, the LORD, have done these things.
11. You leaders claim to be meat in a cooking pot, but you won't be protected by this city. No, you will die at the border of Israel.
12. You will realize that while you were following the laws of nearby nations, you were disobeying my laws and teachings. And I am the LORD!
13. Before I finished speaking, Pelatiah dropped dead. I bowed down and cried out, "Please, LORD God, don't kill everyone left in Israel."
14. The LORD replied:
15. Ezekiel, son of man, the people living in Jerusalem claim that you and the other Israelites who were taken to Babylonia are too far away to worship me. They also claim that the land of Israel now belongs only to them.
16. But here is what I want you to tell the Israelites in Babylonia: It's true that I, the LORD God, have forced you out of your own country and made you live among foreign nations. But for now, I will be with you wherever you are, so that you can worship me.
17. And someday, I will gather you from the nations where you are scattered and let you live in Israel again.
18. When that happens, I want you to clear the land of all disgusting idols.
19. Then I will take away your stubbornness and make you eager to be completely faithful to me. You will want to obey me
20. and all my laws and teachings. You will be my people, and I will be your God.
21. But those who worship idols will be punished and get what they deserve. I, the LORD God, have spoken.
22. After the LORD had finished speaking, the winged creatures spread their wings and flew into the air, and the wheels were beside them. The brightness of the LORD's glory above them
23. left Jerusalem and stopped at a hill east of the city.
24. Then in my vision, the LORD's Spirit lifted me up and carried me back to the other exiles in Babylonia. The vision faded away,
25. and I told them everything the LORD had shown me.
    
    

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    Ezekiel's vision concludes in chapter 11 with the withdrawal of God's glory from the city of Jerusalem. Those remaining there were left to their fate at the hands of the Babylonians. They could not depend on God's help. They had left God, and now He had left them. As long as God's presence was with them they could have repented and He would have turned away the destruction, but it was now too late.
    
    What appears to be in our best interest is not always the case. We should not be too quick to assume what is in our best interest and instead to trust ourselves to God's direction even when we don't understand what He is doing and it appears we are headed into trouble. If we have given ourselves to Him to direct our lives, He will not fail us. As for the people of Judah, it would appear that those taken captive and exiled to Babylon before the fall of Jerusalem were the unfortunate ones. This would especially seem true if one was holding out hope that Jerusalem would not fall. If it did not fall, those remaining in Jerusalem would be safe and those taken exile would not.
    
    This was the belief of the leaders of Jerusalem. In this final portion of Ezekiel's vision, he was shown 25 men, leaders of the city, standing at the entrance to the eastern gate. This was where the city's leaders handled the affairs of the city and handed out justice. But the Lord said of these men that they were "the men who plan evil and give wicked advice in this city." (11:2) These leaders were telling the people, "Isn't the time near to build houses? The city is the pot, and we are the meat." (11:3)  This was a rejection of what the prophets had been telling them. The building of houses is an anticipation of prosperity and peace which was far from the reality. The statement, "The city is the pot, and we are the meat," was a reference to their security within the city walls. These leaders were communicating a false sense of security. Instead of pointing the people to God who was their real security, they gave them a false security while leading them into the fire of their destruction.
    
    In reality, the opposite of what these leaders communicated was the truth. It was not the people of Jerusalem who were the meat that was safe in the pot. It was the exiles in Babylon who were the meat safe in the pot. God had withdrawn them from the destruction that was to come on Jerusalem. They were the remnant that would be saved from the fate of Judah and would be part of God's restoration of Israel. Before withdrawing His glory and presence from the city, God gave a glimpse of hope for the restoration that would one day come to Israel. God would assemble those that were scattered to other countries and return them to the land of Israel. When that happened the people would remove the abominations that led to their fall and would give themselves to God. This is a promise that was only partially fulfilled following the Babylonian captivity. It's fuller accomplishment is yet to come in the Millennium.