Ezekiel 11:9

Ezekiel 11:9 says, And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.  Ezekiel said God was going to deliver them out of the city and into the hands of strangers to execute judgment on them. This was brought about by their refusal to obey God and putting their faith in material things instead.  We should never think that the powers of this world will keep us safe if we are living under the grace of God and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. 

Verse ten adds, Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.  Ezekiel said that God had proclaimed that they would fall by the sword in spite of their believing they were safe because of the fact that they were in His holy city.  Being in a church building with our name on the membership roll without having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will never keep us safe spiritually.   

Verse eleven continues, This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel:  God told Ezekiel that they weren’t going to die in the city, but that He would judge them outside the city.  God may not judge us in the world today if we haven't accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but one day He will judge us.

Versed twelve concludes, And ye shall know that I am the Lord: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.  God said that when the people saw the city of Jerusalem fall due to their disobedience to Him that they would know that He is God.  We may never accept the fact that God is God and that the only way to salvation is through accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord while we have the opportunity, but one day, when this world falls under His judgment we will.   

Ezekiel, 11:4

Ezekiel 11:4 says, Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.  Ezekiel was told to prophesy against these twenty-five men.  God will always first send us a message of grace and hope, but if we do not accept it, then He will send a message of doom.   

Verse five adds, And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.  Ezekiel said the Spirit of the Lord fell on him and gave him the message to proclaim to these men.  Ezekiel said he was to tell them that God knew not only what they were doing but also their thoughts about it.  This message was not just to these twenty-five men but was also to all the house of Israel.  When God’s judgment comes, it will not just be on religious and government officials, but it will apply to all the world.   

Verse six continues, Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.  God said that they had multiplied their slain in the city, even though they thought they were safe from judgment simply because they were in Jerusalem, God’s Holy City by name, but this was not the case.  We today may think that God's judgment is far off if it comes at all and that we are safe from His judgment because we have our name on a church roll without having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but this will never be the case, just as these men were not safe because they were a part of God’s chosen people in name alone.   

Verse seven states, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.  God said because of their stubbornness in refusing to repent and turn to Him by faith for protection that their actions had led to the streets being filled with dead people.  As followers of Christ, we need to pray that our actions will never lead to the death of others but will lead them to new life in Christ.   

Verse eight concludes, Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord God.  Ezekiel said that they had been acting out of fear of the sword of those around them, but that He was going to bring the sword of righteousness upon them.   We should never fear what the world may do to us more than we fear what disobedience to God will bring to us.  There is no place of safety outside the will of God.   

Ezekiel 11:1

Ezekiel 11:1 says, Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the Lord's house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.  Ezekiel said he was next lifted up by the Spirit to the east gate of the temple and saw twenty-five men at the gate, two of whom were identified as Jaazaniah and Pelatiah. Matthew Henry says these were a different twenty-five men than those mentioned earlier, who were priests, and that these men were charged with not administering justice to the people fairly.  Not just religious leaders in administering the affairs of the church relating to worship, but all people charged with administering justice to people will be held accountable for their actions.  Two were mentioned by name, but this was a different Jaazaniah than was mentioned in chapter eight, verse eleven, since he had aa different father.  We cannot separate the world into secular and religious, but everything we do should be seen as under the authority of God.   

Verse two adds, Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:  These men were not pointed out because of their fairness in judgment but because of their corruption.  We need to pray that if God points us out that it is not because we have become corrupt in the way we treat others.   

Verse three continues, Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.  These men believed that the destruction of the city of Jerusalem was not near and that they would not soon be held accountable by God for their actions.  There are still many people today who believe that if there is a God, that He is far off and so is His judgment.  Just as these twenty-five men were wrong then, so is anyone who believes that today.  We just need to pray that those who profess to be Christians do not feel this way.   

Ezekiel 10:18

Ezekiel 10:18 says, Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.  When the cherubim rose, the glory of the Lord went with them.  When God’s Holy Spirit leaves, the glory of God will always go with Him.   

Verse nineteen adds, And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.  Ezekiel said that when the cherubim rose, they stood at the east gate of the temple, the Lord’s House, and the glory of Israel was over them.  The Holy Spirit should aways be at the door of the church today to welcome everyone in, and He will fill the church with the glory of God.   

Verse twenty continues, This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.  Ezekiel said this Living Creature was the same One that he saw under the God of Israel by the by the river Chebar, and he knew that they were the same cherubim.  We should always recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in the world today and realize that He will always be the same, no matter where we encounter Him.   

Verse twenty-one states, Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.  Ezekiel then gives a description of cherubim, which was the same as he gave before.   

Verse twenty-two-adds, And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.  Ezekiel said their appearance was the same and that they all went straight forward.  As Christians, if we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we should always look the same spiritually and move straight ahead in doing what God has called us to do.