Ezekiel 12:5

Ezekiel 12:5 says, Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.  God told Ezekiel to dig through the wall and go out that way.  The people of Isreal were depending on the wall and not God to defend them, and I believe this was God’s way of showing them how useless the wall would be if they were depending on it instead of repenting and turning to God.  No matter what we are looking to for security in the world today other than faith in God will always fail us.   

Verse six adds, In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.  Matthew Henry said Ezekiel covering his face represented those who were carried away captive and often had their faces covered so they couldn’t see where they were going.  As long as we are a captive of sin, we will never see where we are ultimately going, which is to everlasting punishment separated from God.   

Verse seven continues, And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.  Ezekiel said he did as he had been told to do, digging through the wall and carrying all his stuff, which he said was stuff of captivity, in the twilight but in the sight of all the people.  Matthew Henry said Ezekiel had to dig through the wall because the gates were guarded.  Once we know what God wants us to do, even if it might seem strange to us, we need to do whatever it is that He has commanded us to do.   

Ezekiel 12:1

Ezekiel 12:1 says, The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,  After telling about the vision that he had, Ezekiel said the word of God came to him again.  After we have done what God is leading us to do, He will most likely send us on another mission. Just because we see what God has told us would happen occur, that doesn’t mean that we are to just sit back and do nothing then. God will always call His people to work for Him.   

Verse two adds, Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.  God told Ezekiel that he lived in the midst of a rebellious house who would not listen to God and His word.  These were people who were supposed to be God’s people, but who weren't obeying His word. As Christians, we live in the midst of a world that does not hear or obey God’s word, but we need to pray that those who call themselves Christians will not be in this group.   

Verse three continues, Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.  Ezekiel was told to prepare his stuff for removal from Jerusalem, and maybe the people would consider what was about to happen to them, even though they were rebellious people.  I believe that God will always give people ample opportunity to repent and that we as followers of Christ should always be pointing them to God and His word.   

Verse four concludes, Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.  God told Ezekiel that he was to do this in the sight of all the people so that they would know that they were going to be taken away captive, whether they believed it or not.  As Christians, we need to always be pointing out to lost people that they will be taken away in captivity to sin if they do not repent and ask for God’s forgiveness by putting their faith in Jesus Christ.  This is something that we should do openly so that all the world see that we are a part of God’s people. 

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.