Ezekiel 11:21

Ezekiel 11:21 says, But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God. Ezekiel said God was going to repay those whose hearts were on detestable things the punishment that they had earned.  All we will ever know as lost people is the punishment of God.  He will be justified in this because He has made away for us to be redeemed from punishment for our sins which is to put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We can never earn salvation, but God has given it to us by His grace. 

Verse twenty-two adds, Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.  Ezekiel said the cherubim then lifted their wings with wheels beside them and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.  The angels had done what God sent them to do, so they were lifted up out of the world, but were still under the glory of God and not equal to or above Him.  When God’s work of redemption is done in the world because no one believes in Him, He will lift all those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ up to our heavenly home, but we will still be underneath God’s grace, and we will never be equal to Him.   

Verse twenty-three continues, And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.  Ezekiel said God's glory departed the city and stood on the mountain.  If we refuse to accept God’s gift of salvation, His glory is going to leave us and will always be above our ability to claim if we aren’t followers of Christ.

Verse twenty-four states, Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.  Ezekiel said that the Spirit took him up to where he could see a vision of the captivity of the people of Israel and then the vision departed him.  We don’t need a vision today to see what is going to happen to the lost people of the world, because God has already told us in His word.  If we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, God’s glory will never leave us, and if we don’t, we will never see His glory.  

Verse twenty-five adds, Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the Lord had shewed me.  Ezekiel said he then told the people in captivity all that God had shown him.  Ezekiel didn’t give his opinion, but he simply told the people what God had revealed to him.  We cannot add anything to God’s word today but must simply share it with the people around us. 

 

Ezekiel 11:17

Ezekiel 11:17 says, Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.  God gave a message of hope to the remnant that remained true to Him.  He would one day gather them together once more in the land of Israel, the land that He had already given them but they had polluted by their disobedience to Him.  We are already promised an everlasting home with God in heaven if we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and one day He will gather us all together, no matter where we may be in the world nor what our situation may be.   

Verse eighteen adds, And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.  God said when He brought the remnant back to the land of Israel that they would then remove all the detestable things and the abominations from the land.  As followers of Christ, we also need to remove anything that is detestable to God from our lives.   

Verse nineteen continues, And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:  God said that He would give those who remained faithful a new heart that was not like stone but like flesh.  They would once more begin to rejoice in the Lord for all that He had given them instead of being downcast and questioning Him.  As Christians, God has already given us a new heart, and we should rejoice in His goodness no matter what is going on in our lives.   

Verse twenty concludes, That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.  God then told Ezekiel that after God gave them a new heart that they would then live in obedience to His word.  As followers of Christ, we not only have a new heart, but we have been born again spiritually, and God is our God, and we should show the people around us that we are His.by keeping His commandments. 

Ezekiel 11:13

Ezekiel 11:13 says, And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?  After Ezekiel’s prophesy, Pelatiah fell dead and Ezekiel asked if God was going to make an end of the remnant of Israel.  We can be certain that as long as Christ delays His return, there will be a remnant of His people in the world.  God will never give up on calling people to salvation, but they often give up on hearing His call, but this will always be their choice and not something that God forces them to do.   

Verse fourteen adds, Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,  Since God was still speaking to Ezekiel, this should have answered His question about whether God had given up on the remnant of Israel.  As long as we cry out to God by faith and He answers us, we can be certain that He is still at work in the world calling people to salvation and those who have accepted His gift of salvation to obedience to His word.  Even if Jerusalem fell to the enemy, God had not failed the people, but they had failed Him.  Even if the world around us falls, God will still be God and we should continue to put our faith in Him, even if we sometimes wonder if He is still with us.   

Verse fifteen continues, Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the Lord: unto us is this land given in possession.  God asked Ezekiel if all the people of Israel had not turned away from Him and begin to put their faith in the powers of the world.  The rest of the people of Israel had told those who were faithful to God to get far away from them, even though they were all supposed to be a part of the same family.  It would be sad indeed if those who profess to be the church today, told those who really have put their faith in God to get far away from them because they don’t want to hear God’s word but put their faith in the powers of the world instead.   

Verse sixteen concludes, Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.  God told Ezekiel to tell those who still put their faith in Him to know that even though they were scattered throughout the world that He was still with them.  No matter where we as followers of Christ might be in the world today, even if we are physically scattered throughout the world, God is still with us as long as we remain faithful to Him.