Ezekiel 11 ~ I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone

Ezekiel became a major priest in the second of three separate battles with slave round-ups, chosen carefully by status, from Judah by Nebuchadnezzar II. Ezekiel was asked to go with the first round-up but he had deference for the Major Priest. In the second round-up, the job was vacant due to old age. By the third round-up Ezekiel's good wife had died. Nebuchadnezzar thought so much of the young priest, he gave Ezekiel a house on the Chebar River. The peace, the sound and the presence of God gave Ezekiel guidance for the enslaved nation Nebuchadnezzar quickly changed the status of out-right slavery to exiles.

Ezekiel 11

1 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?"




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.' 1

8 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.






That's quite a Chapter. Ezekiel is lifted up to Jerusalem and returns. Like Acts 5, someone drops down like Uzzah touched the Ark of God.

Does it touch us today? We are a nation barely leaning to a future where we could be divided on the Right to Bear Arms. And it seems to me to say - not to be very vocal. It's really going to be decided by the votes we bring. The rest is the sound and the fury. Perhaps we bring more violence about by focusing on the violence. The more we yell about violence the more we focus on violence. Voting is the key.

What would be our focus? Leading our Joy? Bringing our soul to Jesus. Our part of eternity to the Lord. In our gratitude to Jesus, would we bring more Heaven or more hell..

Without a focus on Daily Good, we might slip into being a people who do not believe in the future.





What does bringing this focus to every day do? Ezekiel was so convinced of God and His Goodness, he was open completely to the belief God would do amazing Works of God. Ezekiel was able to look at life with a Hope and a Future in God's Good Purpose and Plan. And in this faith of the Goodness of God, Ezekiel spoke amazing words of Hope.

We can have this spark in us. This Light of God. His Hope. And give thanks for the kindness of people around us. Giving thanks for kind words. For visitors. For the Diligent. Being diligent ourselves. We make the Circle of God's Love complete. And some days this isn't a joy, until we remember Psalm 136 His Steadfast Love endures forever. If we roll a stone, we do work. Jesus didn't skate to His Ministry - He put work going and doing. On the days of being bogged down in the typical, Ezekiel reminds us to be lifted up.

Let the circle be unbroken, by and by Lord, by and by.



Abba, Daddy, Our Father,

9Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refugeb—
10no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

We would give You Your Words, and put our cares into Your Capable
Promises.

Resting the ones we Love and all of the news and our Hope and Future
with You, and rest easily.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.