VERSES 1-3: Bad Advice
Now we see Ezekiel taken to the eastern gate in the city of Jerusalem where he sees a group of twenty-five men. It is interesting to note that he names several of these men. Excavations of Jerusalem have uncovered more than 250 bullae (clay seals used on official documents) and the names of Jaazaniah and Pelatiah appear on some of these. (as a side note- so do the names of Jeremiah as well as his prophet, Baruch). Therefore, we know that these people were REAL people and had some official function within the government in Jerusalem.
The two things that these elders are doing that God finds objectionable are mentioned. They are plotting evil and they are giving bad advice. Young’s Literal translation says that they are “designing evil.” They are not content doing evil things, but they are developing new ways to do evil.
I’m now going to share a very sad fact of technological life with you. Much of the technology we have today has been funded and developed by people who wanted to make pornography more available. The video revolution was pushed and propelled by pornography. Today, we are able to watch television programs and movies via the internet largely because of work that was funded by folks trying to find methods to deliver pornography in a more convenient manner. We live in a society that is constantly trying to find new ways to do evil.
Recently, in Los Angeles, a tragedy occurred up at Dodger Stadium. A San Francisco Giants Fan was beaten and at this time remains in very serious condition in a coma. Though I consider myself the Anti-Dodger fan (Go Angels!!!) the illustration I am using is nothing against the team itself. While there have always been rowdy fans and there have been instances of violence at Dodger stadium before, can we really imagine a society where a person can be beaten so severely simply for wearing another team’s jersey and cheering for his favorite baseball team? Has our society gone so far from polite behavior that we cannot even cheer for our favorite team? Is this a new way to do evil? We’ve seen senseless violence before, but this is absurd.
The reference to building houses can be troublesome. It has three possible meanings, and as I often do, I have the opinion that all three are meant. First, the concept of it soon being time to build houses is one way of expressing a belief that the current crisis would soon be over. Another possible idea is that they did not think it was proper for those in exile (in Babylon) to build houses. This is in direct contradiction to what God told the people through the prophet Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 29). If the people in exile chose to refuse to build houses and abide by the instructions given through Jeremiah then they were rejecting the discipline of the Lord and not learning the lesson God meant for His people to gain. The third idea is that it wasn’t time to be building up houses, but instead preparing to defend against the Babylonian army which was marching against them. As I stated before, I believe that the interpretation is really best to consider all three of them combined. All three interpretations certainly reflect the stubborn mindset of the leaders under King Zedekiah who for some reason felt strong enough to throw off the oppressive iron handed rule of the Babylonians.
Of course, the illustration of the cooking pot seems odd. Who wants to be known as the meat inside the pot. Ryrie’s notes (from the Ryrie Study Bible) suggest that it was a poorly chosen illustration, meant to suggest that the people were in a solid cooking container and safe from Nebuchadnezzar’s forces. Instead, the problem was that the people were indeed in a cooking pot, about to be cooked in the judgment of God. To be more specific, it is interesting to note that clay pots (easily broken) were used to do cooking in. These pots were used to place the choicest cuts of meats and food in order to prevent them from burning the food. This is likely what was meant here and explains God’s statement in verse 11 that the city will not be cooking pot and will not protect them.
It seems that the leaders were much like those scoffers mentioned in II Peter 3:3-4:
Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
VERSES 4-12: Dinner is going to be burned!
God commands Ezekiel to prophesy against them. He begins by stating the obvious, God knows what you are thinking. The fact that God knows man’s thoughts is almost one of those facts we just accept, yet it remains amazing to me. I cannot escape the truth of Psalm 139:1-6, that God knows all of my thoughts, my words, and my motives. These people could not escape the knowledge that God knew all about what they were thinking and what they were planning.
God declares (get ready for a bit more doom and gloom) that the city will not be their protective pot. Not only that, God declares to them that they (the nobles) are responsible for the deaths that have already occurred. They have brought the sword and the destruction on Jerusalem. The very people who were trying to declare all would be okay and fan the flames of the nationalistic fervor and rebellion against Babylon were the cause of the crisis to begin with. It was their encouragement of Zedekiah and continued idolatry that was bringing this judgment upon the city. Further, God declares that they would be judged at the borders of Israel (meaning judgment was coming from the North). It is interesting to note that the judgment upon King Zedekiah and the nobles of Judah took place near Israelite territory, at Riblah. (See Jeremiah 39)
Here’s God’s list of grievances towards the elders and leaders of the nation:
1) They had forgotten that God was LORD.
2) They had failed to follow God’s decrees
3) They had conformed to the standards (and practices) of nations around them.
What does this mean for us as believers today?
First, we need to remember that God is the Lord. He is in charge and we need to be carefully to continue to submit ourselves to Him. Second, we must continue to obey God’s Word at every turn. Third, we must be careful that we don’t conform to the world’s standards.
How do we conform to the world’s standards? Well, if we accept some of the moral failures of our society, friends, and family by ignoring their sin. Should we simply ignore those who are living together outside of wedlock or do we lovingly stand against it? If we ignore such activity do we not set the stage for our children to grow up and commit the same sins? Are we honest when we purchase a used car from a private party about how much we paid for it in an attempt to save money (cheat the DMV)? Do we take our car to a smog check place and slip the operator an extra twenty to give us a passing certification? Do we wink at sin and slowly slide into the same behavior as everyone else.
VERSE 13: Who is that dead Guy?
I once heard a story about a preacher who called for a moment of silence for those who had died in the service. After church, a little boy asked him mom and dad, “Were we remembering those who died in the morning service or the evening service.”
It is a shocking thing for someone to fall down dead even as you speak. Remember, Ezekiel could not have known (without this direct revelation from God) that this guy has fallen down. Ezekiel’s response to this one man’s death is somewhat disconcerting. Why does this one man’s death create such a concern for the remnant that God had already promised to preserve? Because this man’s name means “God rescues” or “The Lord sets free.” At some level Ezekiel was concerned that the death of this man meant that God would halt God’s rescue of the remnant and caused him to cry out.
Also, the fact that this man was such a prominent leader (which archaeological findings demonstrate clearly) seem to cause his death to be even more of a shock to Ezekiel. Ezekiel may have shared some of the feelings of those back in Jerusalem that caused them to be of the opinion it was really the exiles being disciplined and judged by God instead of those who remained behind in the Holy City.
Finally, the death of this man may have caused Ezekiel to feel that his prophetic ministry caused his death. This seems to have been so traumatic that Ezekiel was crying out in anguish to God, “Aren’t you going to leave anybody standing?” Sometimes, the prophet\preacher is identified so closely with the message that he gets both the credit and the blame for what God is doing. Sometimes that is a personal feeling on his part and sometimes it is the way others treat him. For example, the people of Jerusalem treated Jeremiah with great contempt and at times tended to blame him for the events that were so closely associated with his prophetic utterings. This personal identification with the power of God’s Word can be both a blessing and a problem at the same time. The prophet can be anguished about the traumatic judgment of God and feel to be a cause or he can feel pride as God vindicates him by bringing about what he spoke. Wouldn’t it have been dangerous for Peter to assume that he was the one who healed the man at the beautiful gate instead of God? For the prophet to take either the blame or the credit for what God is doing is wrong. The prophet must remember that he is only an obedient messenger, bringing God’s Word to those he was commanded to preach to.
Over the years, God has given me some powerful messages. I recognize that the power in the pulpit is weak when it comes from my preaching, but powerful when it comes from God. There have also been some messages I did not want to preach. There were some warnings I have given that were not heeded and the promised end results came to pass. If I remain steadfast and obedient then the message comes from God and not from me. Therefore, I cannot take either the blame or the credit. I’m just the messenger—the errand boy, privileged to speak on behalf of Almighty God.
VERSES 14-21: Some Hope in the midst of Doom and Gloom
It might have been simple for those who were not removed into exile in Babylon to sit back and decide that really, only those taken away to exile in Babylon were those under judgment. Some folks may have felt that those taken away were the real sinners.
On the other hand, some decided to invoke the right of blood relatives to redeem property from the hands of others. The law provided for the redemption of family property.
Here’s the irony of it. The people taken away to exile were the preserved remnant and the people sitting back in Jerusalem were those who were really going to suffer. The exiles were going to be away for a little while (seventy years) in the places where they were carried off. Meanwhile, the people in Jerusalem felt confident because of the presence of the temple (sanctuary) and God declares that the people that they are sneering at in exile have HIMSELF as a Sanctuary. When God’s glory moves to the East (later in this chapter) it is interesting to note that Babylon was to the east. The people in Jerusalem thought they had God’s presence and it was the people in exile that God was drawing near to. They didn’t need a dwelling place, God was going to dwell among them, even in exile.
Then God offers Ezekiel a preview of the message we will later see in chapters 34-36 about a promised physical return to the land. The promise was also one of spiritual renewal—a spirit of revival. God would create a new heart in the people, a heart that would not be a stone heart, unresponsive, but a living beating heart that would respond to Him. The people would have a whole new attitude about God’s laws and decrees.
The Heart of Stone vs. the Heart of flesh is an interesting part of this chapter. For example, we know that God granted His blessing upon King Josiah (the reform King) because his heart was “soft” and he was humble before God. (See II Chronicles 34:27).
Here’s what commentator H.H. Wolff said (as quoted in the New American Commentary), “The heart of stone is the dead heart…which is unreceptive and makes all the limbs incapable of action. The heart of flesh is the living heart, full of insight, which is at the same time ready for new action. The new ruah (heart) brings to the perception and will of the heart the new vital power to hold on steadfastly in willing obedience.”
The identity crisis these people were going through would be over. God Himself would declare that they will live like His people and that would free Him to act as their God. Restored fellowship and blessing would once again be theirs. No longer would it be in name only, but a reality.
When the remnant returned from exile, they were extremely cautious about becoming involved in idolatry. However, we discover that their wholehearted commitment really wasn’t there. Nehemiah was one of those who had to come along and urge them into obedience. They struggled with issues like rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, marriage to foreign women, easy divorce, and the need to rebuild the temple. The fulfillment of this prophecy probably could not be complete until the coming of the Holy Spirit. Only with the abiding of the Holy Spirit in the life of a committed believer can hearts truly be turned towards God.
Once more, God declares that those being judged have it coming. God is only responding to their sinfulness. It is the vile corruption of idolatry (much like today’s pornography since one major appeal of idolatry was base sexuality) that has brought God to the place where He is going to put judgment upon them. This should be a strong reminder that when we fail to give God our whole-hearted commitment that we invite his discipline and judgment to be visited upon us.
Verses 22-25: He’s really Gone!
The concluding portion of this particular vision is the final departure of God’s glory from the temple and the city. The Glory of God flies over the Mount of Olives and leaves to the East. While this was the final step in God’s judgment and seems to leave us in great sorrow for the Jews, Ezekiel’s message later included the return of God’s glory (Chapter 43) from the same direction.
There is a rabbinical tradition that the glory of God tarried over the Mount of Olives for three and a half years, waiting for some sign of repentance among the people and when there was none, that glory finally departed. While this is an interesting tradition, it is not exactly Biblical, but it is in keeping with Biblical principles. (in other words, I’m not saying that’s what happened). For example, Jesus offers the parable of the fig tree (See Luke 13) where the owner of the vineyard (a figure for God) states that he has been looking for some fruit from the fig tree (the Jewish People) for three years and seen none. The gardener (a figure for Christ) asks for time to work and minister around the tree in order to give the tree a chance to produce fruit. So, the principle of God standing off, awaiting a change in attitude and behavior is strong, even if the rabbinical tradition is not accurate.
After viewing the departure, Ezekiel is brought back, to the exiles in Babylon where he tells the exiles all the things that God had shown him. Do you note that he didn’t hold back anything? He preached the whole message, even with all of its doom and gloom. He was faithful to share his experience and message, even with those who likely despaired hearing it.
