The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. 2 And he said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city; 3 who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’ 4 Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man.”
5 And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the Lord: So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind. 6 You have multiplied your slain in this city and have filled its streets with the slain. 7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, they are the meat, and this city is the cauldron, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it. 8 You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord God. 9 And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and give you into the hands of foreigners, and execute judgments upon you. 10 You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord. 11 This city shall not be your cauldron, nor shall you be the meat in the midst of it. I will judge you at the border of Israel, 12 and you shall know that I am the Lord. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you.”
13 And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?”
Israel's New Heart and Spirit
14 And the word of the Lord came to me: 15 “Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far from the Lord; to us this land is given for a possession.’ 16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’ 17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ 18 And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. 19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord God.”
22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. 23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city. 24 And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25 And I told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me. Ezekiel 11 ESV
Ezekiel 11: 1-13 Judgement on Wicked Counselors
Brought me to the East Gate - This is where we last saw the glory of the Lord as it is departing from the temple, and before this was the direction that the 25 elders were facing worshiping that lesser light of the sun.
Jaazaniah and Pelatiah - All were guilty but these represented the group, and would be familiar names to those elders who had already been deported. These were important figures in that they were well known, but also listened to.
Devise iniquity and give wicked counsel - Israel has been plagued with false prophets, those that the Lord did not send, those that offer alternative ways, that encourage sin, and either add or take away from what God has declared. Jeremiah spoke against such as well. See the passages linked below:
The time is not near to build houses - Now this would be truly difficult on it's own, but I believe the understanding of it can be found in Jeremiah 29, where there is communication occurring between the exiles and people in Jerusalem. The false prophets that have been taken into exile are telling the people that the exile will only last 2 years, and the false prophets in Jerusalem are in agreement. Jeremiah is saying in his letter to the people in Babylon, buy houses and settle in for the long haul, you will be there 70 years. They even wrote the leaders in Jerusalem back asking them to shut Jeremiah up; though his words were true they were not popular to those having itching ears.
…4This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5“Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce. 6Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.… Jeremiah 29: 4-6
The city is the cauldron and we are the meat - So this is a form of speaking that was obviously familiar to these people back then, but by itself the analogy is lost on me. Thankfully from what we have of Jeremiah above, and what is said later in verses 14 and 15, we understand that these men are advising against God's word. He is saying repent and be saved, then surrender to Babylon, but these false prophets, apostate priests and wicked governors are saying hold the fort, resist the invasion. They are telling the people in verse 15 that surrender or are taken captive, "go far from the Lord, to us this land is given". They basically see Jerusalem as a force field around them, that the Lord has to be with them as long as they are there, but they have prayed to other gods while the glory of the Lord is departing.
You have multiplied your slain in this city - Your advice, this pseudo faith, that is really just blind will and determination, what you have mustered up and convinced yourself of, this faith that is only stubbornness, unfounded in God's word, you have shared with others. They have followed you into famine, thirst, pestilence, and now comes the sword followed by fire. Your "wisdom" has caused many to perish.
…13But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. 14Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” 15Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”… Matthew 15: 13-15
But you shall be brought out of the midst of it - Your slain are the meat, they will remain, those you have starved and eaten of, that you told to wait this out or fight. They will cook in this cauldron, but you, however, will be taken outside the camp, the city will not preserve them, nor will it protect you. You will realize that too late, and run for fear of the sword, yet you will be caught and it will devour you. "Oh, but we have the wall, and the temple," and you thought so much of it that you defiled it. Your house is left to you desolate.
…5but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him. 6The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him. 7And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.… 2 Kings 25: 5-7
…25Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as seven trusted royal advisers. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city. 26Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.… Jeremiah 52: 25-27
For you have not walked in my statutes - You trusted in symbols, in feast, in the blood of bulls and goats, but God would have obedience rather than sacrifice. You are judged outside the gate, oh what a picture, as one who is cursed, like everyone who is hung upon a tree. Israel wanted the land, but they lived like those who were thrown out, cast away from the land, because of their sin and unbelief.
10And the LORD said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will perform wonders that have never been done in any nation in all the world. All the people among whom you live will see the LORD’s work, for it is an awesome thing that I am doing with you. 11Observe what I command you this day. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 12Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst.… Exodus 34: 10-12
…15Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent. 16And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them. 17On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’… Deuteronomy 31: 15-17
Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died -
“Pelatiah may have been the leader of those who scoffed at God’s word (vv. 1-3). His death was a foretaste of what awaited the rest whom Ezekiel had warned.” (Feinberg)
ii. Vawter and Hoppe say the name Pelatiah means Yahweh preserves a remnant. Block gives the meaning as Yahweh has rescued.
Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel - Like Moses, Ezekiel falls straight way into the gap, praying for the remnant of Israel, and the next part is immense so I will save it for it's own post, but it is a beautiful thing. God is still on His throne.
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