Ezekiel Lesson 10-11

Introduction

We have the nine o’clock service. We generally have opportunity to start a little bit earlier. Uh even in this class, and that’s that’s good.

All right.

Uh uh I observed there’s a couple or three or four that might be uh new with us this morning. Our lesson this morning actually is uh in Ezekiel. We’re in chapters ten and eleven. And I would say that if you just dropped in, and this is the first time you’ve read anything about Ezekiel, you might be, where are we, and what is this talking about? In fact, I think it’s a good lesson for us to say, even in studying the Bible, we need to know a context to make sense. There’s so many people who really misuse the Bible by a failure to keep a verse or a lesson in its context. And for example, if you were to you know, today it’s uh pretty common to hear those who are premillennialists as we call them, who are saying that uh you know the day’s gonna come that the Jews are gonna go back to Israel.

Y’all ever heard that? Yeah, they’re destined to go to Israel. And you know the Bible says that. Why, Ezekiel chapter 11, and in verse uh verse 17. Thus says the Lord God, I’ll gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you’ve been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. There it is. Yeah, they’re still trying to. There it is. And so their preachers read that, and people say, Well, the Bible says it. That God’s going to gather them and take them back to Israel, right? Didn’t it say that? How would you answer that?

They already did that. They’ve already gone back, right? In fact, the context is not talking about today, is it? No. It’s talking about the period of time in Ezekiel’s day and what they were looking forward to. But that’s an illustration of how people just misuse the Bible. They take a verse, it says what they want it to say, and somebody has said, Well, you can take the Bible and prove anything you want to prove. Yes, that is correct. If you mishandle it, if you take it out of context. If you take maybe even just a piece of a verse. And it’s a sad thing that there are a lot of people who do not check the scriptures for themselves to find out whether it’s uh saying what how it’s being used.

And so our lesson today, though, really is as I said to the class Wednesday night, it’s the completion of a section. Uh chapters 10 and 11 really do not make full understanding of sense if you don’t know chapters eight and nine. And really, eight, nine, ten, and eleven go together, but even they are precipitated on the balance of what does chapters four, five, six, and seven say.

1. God Is Love, But Doesn’t Overlook Everything

You know, there’s a lot of blood, and there’s a lot of death, and it’s just not the God, the God of the New Testament is love. But God of the Old Testament is one of a really uh vicious uh uh action. Why there’s war and there’s putting to death. And actually, if you just read Ezekiel, if you’d read Ezekiel chapter four and five. Anybody remember what was Ezekiel illustrating in chapter four? When he said, Take the Lord took a clay tablet and he drew a picture of Jerusalem and he built what around it. C T. And what was he illustrating? What’s going to happen to Jerusalem? And in fact, he got an iron plate and stood between him and the city, saying, You won’t escape. There’s gonna be death here.

And then he was then he illustrated by what he was to uh well, first of all, to lay on one side for how many days? Three ninety for the sin of Israel. Forty 40 for the sin of Judah, and I say the northern kingdom, southern kingdom, and and during that time, what would he eat? Bread of poverty, really. And to illustrate, that’s what’s going to happen during this siege. And indeed, uh, not only that, uh anything else gonna happen. Why would all this happen to God’s people? I’ll say it that way. When you get into chapter 5, he says, This is Jerusalem, and I’ve said Jerusalem to be what and you’re not. What was it? Well, you’re right in the middle of the nations, and I want you to be a light to those around.

You should illustrate to the Gentiles who the Lord is, but instead, what have you done?

You’ve done worse. You became like them. You you’ve done worse. And so when we follow through that, in fact, in uh uh we we came in chapter seven and eight, and what was happening in chapter seven and eight were illustrations of what? God’s gonna judgments come. In fact uh the end of chapter seven and verse 2, an end, the end has come upon the land. In fact, in chapter 6, he said, pound your fist uh fists and stamp your feet, let people know. Well, that sounded like a horrible God. You know, all this is gonna happen. Why? Well, we start in chapter 8, and this next video, you know, chapter, as I said, I believe four, five, six, and seven really go together to illustrate this is what’s going to come on you.

And God said, I will not pity, right? I’ll have no pity at all. That’s a hard God. Is that the God of love? A God won’t pity. How could that be? Well, in chapter eight and verse one, where do we find? And we started this with when he gives a date. We kind of start off by saying, It’s how many months after he began his prophecy. Not after he got there. In fact, he got there in 592. Quick. No. He got there in 597. He was with that group of 10,000. He was how old at that time? 25. 25. But he didn’t begin prophesying at that time. He didn’t start his prophecy until five years later. And so at 592 and in chapter 1, verse 1, he’s 30 years old when he begins his prophecy.

So 14 months later, he’s going to be maybe 31 and to 32, somewhere in there. And it’s how many years before Jerusalem actually falls. He’s over by the land in Babylon as a captive by the river Kibar. And he’s foretelling when he does all that illustration that we just went through. Yet it hasn’t all happened yet, has it? It didn’t happen until some years later. Actually, the siege began before this. How long was it that they were under siege? When you go to 2 King 25, that we’ve read. Two years, about two and a half years. So when Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem, how long were they under siege before the fall the city fell? Two years. And a half. Thank you. I know everybody knew it, but you were old now.

They were under siege two and a half years. So if you were to say, well, instead of 586, 588, maybe even 589, and this is in the 590, he’s saying this that we’re into right now, maybe two years before the siege began. And then maybe you say four to five years before actually Jerusalem fell. So get that in your mind, and I think it helps you understand. In chapter 8 of verse 1, that we had Wednesday night, the very first verse, it came to pass in the sixth year in the sixth month on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with whom? The elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell upon me. Now, how old is he?

31, 32 at best, right? And he’s with who? The elders. Now, how’s he going to explain why all this that if God’s going to be without pity? And God’s going to do all this to his people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the promised people, and Jerusalem, where the temple was? That doesn’t sound like a loving God, does it? How can he explain all of this? You know, there are modern people who want to put God as just, you know, everything is going to work out heaven on earth. He’s a grandfather, who you he just tolerates anything and everything. I’ll tell you, you go back and study the prophets, you learn God is love. But he’s not that grandfather kind of love. He doesn’t just overlook everything.

He does give opportunity to repent before he brings about destruction. But he he certainly demands obedience. And you have a point. Do you think that uh Ananias and Sapphira would disagree that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament? I didn’t get the whole point. Do I know? So don’t you think Ananias and Sapphira would disagree? Oh God, Ananias and Sapphire is different than the same thing. I didn’t get Ananias to say Ananias and Sapphira, who uh who were hypocrites in Acts 5, yeah, they would say it’s the same God, that’s for sure. But but still, you know, that’s the way a lot of people talk today, and they want to describe it. It’s not the same God, but it is the same God.

2. Greater Abominations at the Temple

He is one. But now, what I want to get to in our lesson for today, he’s got to explain this to the elders. You think here’s a young man trying to tell these older people, why is this? This is the God you love, isn’t it? And this is the God who loves us. Why would he do these things to the people that he’s chosen to be his people? Well, in chapter 8, and if you’ll look at your questions on pages 26 and 7 of your workbook, we’ll kind of use that as a form of review. Uh question one, I’ve just answered. When did the elders come and sit before Ezekiel, chapter 8, verse 1. It’s up here on the board if you didn’t get it. But number two, where was Ezekiel brought, quote, in the visions of God?

Question number two. Jerusalem. All right. To Jerusalem. To the door of the north gate of the inner court. Now, I uh I oh did we lose it again. I don’t know. Stay up there here. But I I did lose it, didn’t I? I found this, and I I felt like it uh showed better. Well my word I did scroll up or down. I can’t do it. There it is, there it is. There it is. Okay.

As you know, I’m not very efficient with the computer and all that goes on. But maybe you can see some things. For 60 years, I’ve been trying to learn how to use computer, and I never had it 60 years ago, so I use the chalkboard. But here the the temple would face east. And so the north gate, now what this shows, and I didn’t have on Wednesday night, you’ve got you’ve got the the temple itself in front of it, the brazen altar, and then there’s this is upper or inner court. There was a court around it, and then you have the great or outer court around that. So as he comes from the north side, somewhere in here, evidently as he comes to the north gate, somewhere in here, and the gates are not pictured on this at the north gate.

And and so the question is at the north gate of the inner court, chapter 8 and verse 3. So, question number three: what did he see northward at the gate uh of the altar? You see this? Oh my god.

Here’s the altar, and what did he see at the gate of the north gate? Image of jealousy. And what was the image of jealousy? We said we’re really not told here, are we? But probably even back then Manasseh’s day when he built this idol God and set it right there at the temple, very well still there. And might be, but it made God jealous, right? Because God is holy. We’re not to build anything else, any image or worship any other God. So, in that sense. Well, isn’t that enough to make God just displeased with him? But what did God say to Ezekiel? I’m gonna show you greater abominations. So, question number four, what did he see portrayed on the temple wall as he as he began the sort of saw a door and dug through, evidently some way or another?

And I don’t know where there was some kind of a room, secret room that was built in that area. And no doubt to his astounding, he sees what in verse uh question number four. All kinds of creeping things.

Chapter 8 and verse 10. And who was there? Who was there worshiping all those images? Seventy elders. Wow. Is that not enough to make God a little bit angry at his people and disappointed his people? And yet God said one more time, yet I’ll show you greater abominations. Number five, question needs to be said in between here. It’s from chapter eight and verse 12. The answer, what did the ancients or elders of Israel say? The Lord doesn’t see us. We’re all right. The Lord doesn’t see us. Anyway, he left us. What an attitude. And so, question number six, what did Ezekiel see at the gate of the Lord’s house? From chapter 8 and verse 14. If it’s what enough, there’s the image of jealousy. There’s 70 men portrayed on the walls, worshiping all every kind of creature and beast unclean, and yet worshiping them.

And what does he see somewhere around here? It says the north gate of well. Women. And they’re crying. Sure, they ought to be crying because of the sins of their men, right?

But they’re not. What are they crying for? Timothy. Of Tamil. God of the Sabbath. Who is Temas? Pardon? A fertility God. It was an idle God of the heathen. And the weeping is part of the worship of this idle God. And so again, God says, come on, turn again we’ll do what? Show you train or if that’s not enough. We’ve got three different things already. Isn’t that enough? No, not yet, because then oh yeah. Number seven. What did he see between the porch and the altar? From chapter 8 and verse 16. What did he see?

Now the thing here is there at the eastern. And so here’s the entrance into the temple, the holy place, and the holy of holies. And and what are they doing?

They’ve got their backs. Oh, they got their backs to the temple. And they’re worshiping what? The sun god. Isn’t that enough? You know, what I’m saying, when you when you think about all these things, here, what is God showing to Ezekiel? Here’s a young man, and you’ve got to tell these elders back at home about why God is going to destroy his people, why God’s going to take them captive. Is this not reason? Does this not make sense to you somewhat? Now, how does he see all this? First of all, is he literally there? How is he there? The Spirit has lifted him up and it’s in a vision. So you have to understand heaven and earth. Pardon? It says he’s between heaven and earth. Yeah, well, he’s in a vision, though.

So that’s the point. But also in verse 1 of chapter 8, it says that the elders are there when this happens. Yeah. So are they seeing it? No, no. No, at the river key bars where they are, at his house. In fact, if you would, and this is part of our lesson today, go to chapter 11 and verse 24. Last two verses, chapter 11. And we get the summation. This is why I said these go together. Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me, so I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the Lord had shown me. So I believe up through from chapter 8, verse 1 until right here, he’s in a vision and he’s gone into Jerusalem.

He sees these things at the temple, and what it really does is solidify. Here’s the reason why that God is going to uh be without pity on his people. They are a people who’ve turned their backs on him. In fact, one more, a couple more questions back in chapter uh uh page 27, number eight. How would God deal with Israel since they had, quote, provoked him? From chapter 8, verse 18. I’ll act in fury. My eye will not spare it or have pity. And when he called out to me, I will not hear them. You mean God won’t hear the prayer of everybody? Well, the world today says everybody. But God said, I won’t hear everybody. Who is it that he turns a deaf ear to?

Sins. Well, not just I don’t like the word sinners because he will hear sinners. The rebellion, not a wish of people who reject him. You can’t spit in God’s face all your life and all of a sudden say, God, here I am, now please help me. I’m in desperate need. It doesn’t work that way.

And yes, sinners, God will hear, but we’re sinners who are seeking him and who are wanting to do what’s right, not just saying, Now, God, this is the way I want it, but I want you to help me. No. Am I willing to submit unto the Lord? These 25 men who have their backs to the temple, you think God’s going to hear their prayers? No. That’s a different attitude, isn’t it? Wrong attitude. Can men today have that same attitude? Can we learn a lesson from the old testament about how God’s nature and character is? Is God a God of love? Even in Ezekiel? Yeah, and we’re going to see that in this lesson about hurry up when we get to the end. But I want you to get the setting.

3. A Mark on Those Whose Hearts Are Right

You know, like I said, this doesn’t make a lot of sense if you just dropped in and read chapter 10 and didn’t really have the background to it. And really, what also seems unfair, maybe hard, number nine question: upon whose foreheads would a mark be set. So we need to back up. In chapter 9, after showing Ezekiel all these abominations that the people have done, he then has seven men who come forward. Six of them are with what? Swords. Well, a battle axe, evidently. Something to slay. The seventh man is dressed in what? Linen, like a priest would be. And what are the six men with a battle axe to do? Well, no, let’s start with a man with a linen. What’s he to do? He goes through and puts a mark on the part of who?

Those who are servants. Oh, there are some people who do still want to serve the Lord, right? It’s not total, everybody. And so it’s kind of a separation. Here the God is marking those whose hearts are right. But the six men with the battle axe come behind, and what are they doing? Kill everybody else. Yeah. Men, women, and children even. And those who are sinners whose hearts are wrong, whose hearts are against God. That sounds like an unfair God? Or does it sound like a God who has justice? Somebody said, you know, even in a lesson today, we also have the man in linen who’s to take fire, and he’s to cast it in the Jerusalem. He’s the one who’s marked the heads of the righteous.

But he also takes the fire and casts it into the city, doesn’t he? In our lesson today. Mercy without justice is really not mercy. A river without banks becomes a swamp. God has justice.

And if you’re going to ignore God, then how would you ever measure mercy? There is none.

4. The Throne of the Lord and the Cherubim

Well, in the question then number nine, upon whose forears would a mark be set, the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations. Question number 10: What were the six men to slay? The old and young men. We’ve answered that. So with those behind us, let’s go now and if you have your Bibles open to Ezekiel chapter 10. And this is really, I said the two certainly do go together. In chapter 10 and verse 1, and I looked there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim. There appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of a likeness of a phone. Then he spoke to the man clothed with linen and said, Go in among the wheels under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scattered them over the city, and he went in as I watched.

Well, and this kind of gives us another problem. Again, chapter 10. If you were not with us in chapter 1, you may really be lost because chapter 1, we saw the prawn scene, didn’t we? We learned all about how it really looked, and everybody drew a good picture of this class. If you weren’t here, you should have been, because you should have seen the pictures everybody drew, right? It’s a hard chapter and try to even visualize, and I’m not sure this visualizes it exactly. But it’s one that I felt came probably as close. At least it says some things. Because the sapphire, the color sapphire is what? Anybody know? It’s a blue, it’s a deep blue. And we often, you know, we we sometimes uh uh things that are of royalty will be maybe colored in blue or something like that.

So here’s the throne of the Lord. And and even underneath the throne were the cherubim, and while this isn’t a full picture, at least the cherubim had wings, they had hands like a man, they had four different faces. The base, anybody remember the four? One face like an oxen. The male like a lion, like an eagle, and like man. Anywhere else in the Bible do we have uh an image like that around the throne of God? Revelations. Yeah, Revelation chapter 4, the throne of God is pictured. They’re called living creatures, and there’s some differences, but at least the living creatures are around the throne of God, and they’re able to see and to work. And so what does what does Ezekiel see here? But the throne scene and the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

But in verse uh three, uh, the man in linen, uh, verse 2, the man in linen to fill his hands with fire. I was saying a moment ago, he’s to go in between or among the wheels under the cherubim and fill your hands with coals of fire. Maybe that gives us a little bit of a beginning of saying, well, okay. The wheels were evidently inside of a throne chariot type of a thing. I’m not quite sure how to illustrate it. But as we will read, they would go in one direction or another direction, only as they were directed by the Lord above. What are what are they representing though? And let me just kind of stop and ask. These living creatures that are described in Revelation and really in Ezekiel 1 are cherubim.

So let’s ask, first of all, what are cherubim or who are cherubim? Angels. Angels of the highest order. I like to say, when do we first read of them? Maybe a good start there. In Genesis, right? At the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden, what was placed at the gate? Cherubim with a flaming sword. So the man could not enter in and eat of the tree of life and live forever. And when he when they built the temple and the Holy of Holies, what was to be placed in the Holy of Holies? Well, first of all, the Ark of the Covenant, God said, I’ll meet you there. The high priest would come once a year to offer sacrifice.

And what would overshadow the Ark of the Covenant? The Holy, the mercy seat. The cherubim. So cherubim are illustrated or talked about in other places. And you would expect cherubim around the throne of God Almighty, full of eyes, able to see in every direction and to move in any direction. For God, who is all powerful, yet at his bidding are the highest order of angels, or cherubim. So with that with that in mind, maybe it helps us somewhat. When now he says in verse 3, the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man, the man being with linen, went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherubim and passed over the threshold of the temple.

And the house was filled with a cloud, and the court was full of brightness of the Lord’s glory. And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even in the outer court, like the voice of Almighty God when he speaks. I’m sure we could actually be there and see the scene, and maybe you know, if you best you can try to visualize what Ezekiel is seeing. It is in the vision, but no doubt real to him at the time. And when he’s seeing this this uh throne chariot is at the very uh time of the south side of the temple, and the cloud filled that inner court that we’re looking at a while ago. What’s the significance of why a cloud would fill that?

Anybody in any past history or other scriptures make you think of a cloud associated with the Lord’s presence? When they traveled across the fused trail. Yeah, alright. There was a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Moses, but I’m not sure. Cloud that descended over the um ark when God spoke to Moses. Okay. And also when he came back, he’s coming with clouds. Well, but no, yeah. Okay. On top of the mountain. How about when the temple was dedicated? Anybody know that verse? 1 Kings chapter 8. A cloud filled the temple. Even when Moses went up on Mount Sinai, there was the cloud that surrounded. So the very presence of God Himself. And so I believe what we’re looking at, or what Ezekiel is seeing even here, is a presence of the Lord.

The throne of the Lord is what is his throne cherry representing. And so even as the verse 4, the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub and paused over the threshold of the temple. And it’s at that point that the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory. But then the sound of the wings of the cherubim. Now back in chapter 1, we had something that’s talked about the sound of the wings of the cherubim. You remember what they were what it was like?

Sound of the wings of the cherubim. Chapter 1 and verse 24. When they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of many waters.

Well, I’m literally.

What’s the sound that you think it is equal to hearing? The voice of the Almighty God when he speaks is overwhelming with authority. And verse six, then it happened. When he commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, Take fire from among the wheels from among the cherubim. That he went in and stood beside the wheels. And the cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire. And he took some of it and put it in the hand of the man clothed with linen who took it and went out. Verse 8, the cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings. Well, we’ve already had that really back. Much of this is, if you’ve read chapter 1, it’s a repeat of what is described even in chapter 1.

Chapter 1 and verse 8, there was the hand of a man like on each of the cherubim. In verse 9, when I looked there were four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub, another wheel by each other cherub, and the wheels appeared to have the color of a barrel stone. Why does it say cherub versus cherubim? Cherub singular, cherubim plural. In fact, in my workbook, I’d like to go back and correct. I kept putting cherubim sss. That’s not correct. It’s cherubim is the plural form. You don’t have to have an S after that. Well, the King James has S. Does it? Does it really? Yeah. Okay, maybe that’s where it does because I did the word book with the. But literally, cherub is singular and cherubim is plural, actually.

And in fact, write me down to verse 14, because time’s gonna get me. Each one had four faces. The first face was the face of a cherub. Then there’s one of the man, one of the lion, one of the eagle. And that may throw some say, Whoa, wait a minute. He doesn’t say the face of an oxen here. He just says face of the cherub. Evidently that’s the one he’s looking at. Here’s the cherub that he’s looking at. But when we go to chapter 10, verses 21 and 22, we know, particularly verse 22, the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces which I had seen by the river Kebar, their appearance and their persons, they each went straight forward. Main thing of the rest of this chapter 10 is he’s seeing and describing this throne chariot.

5. This City Is the Cauldron, We Are the Meat

And he’s saying that, you know, they would move and go in the direction God would happen. He was in charge. And so it’s really just an overwhelming picture. Here’s God on his throne at the temple. And God on his throne at the temple is happy with him. No. Ezekiel’s been shown now these great abominations that are there. So let’s move into chapter 11 because I think we’re going to get caught with time if I don’t. In chapter 11, then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the Lord’s house, which faces eastward. And there at the door of the gate were 25 men. Don’t we already have that? And we already have 25 men. What were they doing? Worshiping the sun.

Worshiping the sun god, weren’t they? With their backs to the holy place, the temple, and the holy of holies. Here, among them, he names a couple. Jaazaniah, the son of Azur and Halatiah the son of Beniah, princes of the people. And he said to me, Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city. Now, this Jazzaniah, we’ve already had a Jaazaniah mentioned earlier, but the son of Shaphan, and we made upon Wains and I, who Shapin was, and how that jaz and Iah, uh, even though he’s a son of a very righteous man, he himself was described as a very wicked man. This is another man. Evidently, we know nothing more about him than what’s said right here, but he’s the son of Azar rather than Shaphan.

So it’s a different Jehazaniah. But the point. Among these 25 men here, two that evidently are their leaders. And what are they doing? They’re giving wicked counsel. They’re the leaders. These 25 men are saying, and at least these two definitely are saying, verse 3, the time is not near to build houses. This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat. Hmm. What do they say? What does that mean by that? What’s so wicked about that advice? The time is not near to build houses. We’re the meat, the cholera. What are they saying?

We have served God. God hasn’t served us. That’s what it means to me, anyway. Alright. And? That’s a tale. That’s the following. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We’re the ones who really are at Jerusalem. And you know, if you study Jeremiah, you kind of know the background, especially. The false prophets would say, the temple is here. The temple is here. And in other words, peace, peace. When really there is no peace. And what would Jeremiah? What did Jeremiah kept trying to warn the people to do? When he named Nebuchadnezzar, it’s going to come from the north. What would Jeremiah say when you see that coming? Did he say, Build a fortress, get ready to battle? Is that what Jeremiah taught? He said, Go with them. He said, Submit yourself unto Nebuchadnezzar.

Why? Because this is God’s will. The fact that Jeremiah was telling them, what would happen was God’s will. Now, Ezekiel, we have the righteousness of it because of the sins of the people in Jerusalem. But my point is that even the prophet now, Ezekiel also would say, Don’t try to defend yourself against Nebuchadnezzar. You’re going to lose if you do. Because God’s will is give submission to them. But these 25 men are not saying that. They’re part of that group that says, Defend yourself. Build a fortress. Well, here’s the cauldron. The cauldron protects the meat from the fire. And it’s not time to build your house now. Now is not the time. In fact, to fortify and defend yourself against Babylon. Don’t do like Jeremiah or even Ezekiel would urge you to do.

In fact, in verse 11, Ezekiel is told, Prophesy against them, prophesy, O Son of Man. Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me and said to me, Speak, thus says the Lord. Thus you have said, O house of Israel, for I know the things that come into your mind. You multiplied your slain in the city. You filled its streets with the slain. The very things that you’re telling the people to do, defend yourself, fight, and you’ll succeed against Nebuchadnezzar. All you’re doing is just multiplying the number that’s going to get killed. If they don’t submit, they’re going to be killed by the sword. They’re going to be, they’re going to lose. Listen to God’s will that Jeremiah has spoken, or that Ezekiel is speaking, and you will live.

But that’s not their attitude. In verse 7, the 10 yeah thought, therefore, thus says the Lord God, your slain, whom you have laid in its midst. They are the meat, and this city is the cauldron. But I shall bring you out of the midst of it. You’re not going to stay in here. Verse 8, you have feared the sword, I’ll bring the sword upon you. Yeah, that’s going to happen. You think, you think you’re going to be protected inside this city, but it won’t happen that way. Verse 9, I’ll bring you out of its midst, deliver you into the hands of strangers, execute judgments on you. Verse 10, particularly, you shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

How many times is that found in his over and over already, right? Was that what happened? What’s the border of Israel? Go to 2 Kings chapter 25, one more time. We’ve done this before, and I think it’s good for you to keep kind of referring back to it. In 2 Kings 25, where it describes what happens. Came to pass in the ninth year of his reign in the tenth month, the tenth day of the month that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem, encamped against it. They built a siege wall against it all around. And verse 2 of chapter 25. So the city was besieged into the 11th year of King Zedekiah. By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. The king went by way of the plain. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah. And they pronounced judgment on him. Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze letters, and took him to Babylon. Riblah was outside the city. And even as God said, Look, you’ll die by the sword.

It won’t just be in Jerusalem itself. There’ll be those who have fought against Nebuchadnezzar, and they’re going to lose, and it’s going to be even outside the city. As though, at least in a short synopsis of it, so that it’s fulfilled, even as recorded in 2 Kings 25. Now back in verse chapter 11, verse 11. Chapter 11 of Ezekiel, verse 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 water of Israel. Verse 12, and you shall know that I am the Lord. Who’s really in charge of all this? Those 25 men standing there at the east gate, did they know? No. No. Well, why would God do this to his people, his chosen people?

6. A Little Sanctuary for the Good Figs

The rest of verse 12. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor executed my judgment. But have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you. Now it happened while I was prophesying that Pelophai, the son of Benad, died. Wow, don’t you think Ezekiel now somewhat Lord? I know these were leaders and they were wicked men, Jaz and I and Philatai. And what’s what’s Ezekiel’s reaction to that? In verse 13, I fell on my face and cried with a loud voice and said, Ah, Lord God. Will you make a complete end of the remnant of Israel? Here’s a young man, no doubt he’s filled with mercy, too. You know, this is a hard message he’s got to give his people. You think Ezekiel will say, Yuppie?

No. He is full of grief himself. We sometimes even we see it more in Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s remembers being the weeping prophet. And sometimes I think that’s misunderstood. Was Jeremiah always just crying for himself? No, he did at one point. He said, Lord, I wish I’d never been born. But he cried on behalf of the Lord. God would say, What have I done? That’s eternal away. But he cried on behalf of his people. You’ll find passages in Jeremiah because he knew this is what was going to come on his people. And so there was a weeping. And I see in Ezekiel that same kind of a spirit of a weeping. I fell on my face and cried with loud voice and said, Oh, Lord God, will you make a complete end?

Again, the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get far away from the Lord. This land has been given to us as a possession. Wait a minute, what’s that saying? Now, who are the people with Ezekiel? Where are they? They’re back over Babylon. They’re at the river Kebar. Ten thousand of the finest, no doubt their wives and others with them. There’s a great company over there, and yet there’s some left in Jerusalem. And those in Jerusalem, you know what they’re saying about you over there? Well, they’re saying in verse 15, they deserve to be there. This land of Jerusalem has been given to us for our possession.

You deserve to be overwhelmed. You’re the sinners. That’s what they were saying. That’s really what that’s saying in there. Verse 16, therefore say, thus says the Lord God, although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I should be what? A little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone. Now, who’s the who’s the one really being blessed by God? The people left in Jerusalem or the people over the river Kebar. Now the people of Jerusalem in their self-righteous way are saying, You deserve to be over there. That’s why you got taken, because you were the sinner. You know, hardship came to you because you were the sinners. People sometimes react that way.

And that wasn’t really what happened at all. They were over there by God’s will. In fact, I don’t know that I have time enough. Maybe let’s do it a little bit of it. Jeremiah 24, if you would. Isaiah, Jeremiah chapter 24. In Jeremiah 24, they had uh Jeremiah had this uh from the Lord, showed him two baskets of figs. And I’m gonna read Jeremiah 24, verse 1. The Lord showed me there were two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away, after he carried away captives. Jechaniah, the son of Jehovah, king of Judah, and the princes with the craftsmen smiths from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babel. Verse 2 One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first right.

The other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten, they were so bad. Then the Lord said to me, What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs, good figs, very good, the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad. Again, the word of the Lord came to me saying, Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good into the land of Chaldeans. I will set my eyes on them for good. I will bring them back to this land. I will build them and not pull them down, I will plant them and not pluck them up.

Then I’ll give them a heart to know me that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart. As the bad figs, which cannot be eaten there so bad, surely thus says the Lord, I will give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, his princes, the residue of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in it.

What’s he saying? The very ones in our lesson who are left in Jerusalem, God says they have the bad figs. The good figs are the ones over there in Chaldea. And as you read and finish this chapter 11, what does God say to about these people? Let’s go back to chapter 11. I need about 10 more minutes rather than two. But let’s go back to chapter 11. I want I want you to just get the gist of you. Don’t have it yet. Got it. Chapter 11, and after verse 16 said, I’ll be a sanctuary for them. Verse 17. I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I’ll give you the land of Israel. I started the class this morning with that verse and saying that how misused it is.

Is it talking about today? No. It’s talking about those people that are with Ezekiel over in Babylon by the river Kebar. They are the basket of good figs. But there’s going to come a time I will bring them back. You see, God did spare a remnant. When Ezekiel raised the question, Lord, are you going to really, are you really going to make a complete end of Israel? What’s the answer? No. These people who are left here, disregarding me, sinning against me, a people who do not care about me, that are rebellious, yeah, they’ll be destroyed righteously with justice. The fire of coals that uh the man with linen cast on Jerusalem is justice for their iniquity. But the people who are over in Babylon, I’m going to bring them back.

He’s not talking about the future of 2013, something yet to happen. He’s not not about that at all. It’s something that happened way back in 590, 586 and 7’s worth. Actually, they came back in 536, the first remnant did. But verse verse 18, chapter 11, they will go there, they will take away all the detestable things, all this abomination from there. I will give them one heart. I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of uh heart of flesh. The stony heart, why would he call those people a stony heart? Back in chapter 2 and 3, what did God say to Ezekiel? I’m gonna send you to a people who are stiffness, hard-hearted, rebellious, impudent.

So there’s a stony heart, right? But God says, Yeah, they have resisted and rejected me, but I’m gonna I’m gonna sit before them my ways, and it’ll change their heart. Here are people who will seek me, who will serve me. Verse 20 they may walk in my statutes and keep my judgments and do them. They shall be my people and I will be their God. There’s a whole different attitude. That’s what’s going to happen to the good figs. But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abomination, I will recompense their deeds on their own head, says the Lord God. So the Jeroboam lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of God of Israel was high above them, and the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and sit on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.

Conclusion

God’s been driven from his temple. Verse 21, and then the Spirit took me up, brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea. To those in captivity, and the vision that I had seen went up from me. So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the Lord had shown me. There’s gonna come a change in attitude. But it’s those people who will serve me that God will bless. And he did. He brought back a remnant. Why would God bring back a remnant of Israel? Because he made a promise to Abraham, didn’t he? So here’s a remnant of faithful, and who would serve God. When they came back, they had their problems again, some of them, but you know what? They’ve never served idols again.

They were cured of that of them. Okay? Sorry, I didn’t get it all said, but I hope you’ve studied your lesson enough that you got the gist of our of Ezekiel.