Ezekiel 11

CHAPTER 11

Judgment on Israel’s Leaders (11:1–15)

1–4 The vision described in the previous three chapters continues. Here Ezekiel sees a group of twenty–five men who were plotting evil and giving wicked advice to the people of Jerusalem (verses 1–2). They were telling the people that there was no danger from the Babylonians and that soon they could go ahead and build houses (verse 3). Quoting a proverb, they told the people that they were as secure as meat inside a pot—the “pot” being the walled city of Jerusalem. Ezekiel was instructed to prophesy against these twenty–five men (verse 4).

5–12 Ezekiel prophesied that the men would be driven out of the “pot” (verse 7) and would fall by the sword of foreigners, the Babylonians (verse 10).

13–15 Even as Ezekiel was prophesying (in his vision), one of the twenty–five men died (verse 13). Ezekiel again feared that the Lord was going to destroy everyone in Judah (see Ezekiel 9:8). But the Lord reassured him that those who were sent into exile—those who were said to be far away from the LORD (verse 15)—would be spared. The people of Jerusalem thought they were the ones favored by God, that they were the rightful possessors of the land. But they would soon find out otherwise! (see Jeremiah 24:1–10 and comment).

Promised Return of Israel (11:16–25)

16 Not only would the Lord preserve the remnant of His people during the Exile, but He would also be a sanctuary for them. For centuries the sanctuary (temple) in Jerusalem had symbolized God’s protection and God’s presence. Now God was going to abandon His sanctuary in Jerusalem; He was going to withdraw His protection from the city. Instead, He Himself would become the “sanctuary” for the exiles; His presence and protection would be with them. Those who remained in Jerusalem would have the temple, but without God; those who were in exile would have God, but without the temple. But if one has God, one needs nothing else.

17 The Lord would not only protect His scattered remnant but He would also gather them together and bring them back to the land of Israel (see Leviticus 26:4045; Deuteronomy 30:1–5 and comments).

18 Having disciplined His exiled people and having brought them back to their land, the Lord would then cleanse the land of its images and idols.

19–20 Finally, the Lord would give His restored people an undivided heart and a new spirit (verse 19). With an “undivided heart,” they would then love and obey the Lord with all their heart (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; 30:2); they would not be “half–hearted.” God would remove their heart of stone; that is, He would “circumcise” the hardness from their hearts (see Deuteronomy 30:6 and comment). Then they would have a heart of flesh on which God’s LAW could be “written” (see Jeremiah 31:33). In other words, God was promising to make a “new covenant” with the Israelites, a covenant written on their hearts (see Jeremiah 31:31–34 and comment). This new covenant would come into effect after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 8:6–13; 9:15).

Not only would God change the people’s hearts but He would also give them a new spirit¹⁹ (verse 19), which would empower them to obey His commands and lead a godly life. “Then,” says the Lord, “they will follow my decrees and . . . keep my laws” (verse 20). Then the essence of the covenant would be realized:the renewed people would be God’s people, and He would be their God (see Exodus 6:7; Leviticus 26:12).

21 But all these promises would not come true for those who refused to repent and turn to God; instead, they would be judged according to their evil deeds.

22–25 Here Ezekiel comes to the end of his vision. The last thing he sees is the glory of the Lord leaving Jerusalem (verses 2223). Then the Holy Spirit “brought” Ezekiel back to Babylonia, and Ezekiel told the exiles everything he had seen in his vision (verses 24–25).

Before we leave this chapter, it’s well to reflect on that temple in Jerusalem. Once the glory of the Lord departed, that temple became an empty, meaningless shell. And so it is with church buildings today. As we go week after week to our house of worship, this one thing should be foremost in our minds: Is the glory of the Lord present in our church or not? The glory of the Lord has been manifested in Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Any church in which the crucified, risen and glorified Christ is not given central place is nothing but an empty shell; the glory of the Lord has departed from that church.