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Ezekiel 11 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Although it was written thousands of years ago, Ezekiel 11 has a lot of application for our current society.
God said to me, “Mortal man, these men make evil plans and give bad advice in this city. 3 They say, ‘We will soon be building houses again. The city is like a cooking pot, and we are like the meat in it, but at least it protects us from the fire.’
Ezekiel 11:2-3 GNB
What did God have against these men? There are several possibilities.
First, we know that the prophet Jeremiah had warned the people to surrender to Babylon in order to save their lives. Here, it seems as if these men are suggesting that they are “about to be cooked like meat in a pot under a fire,” and should not currently be “building houses.” This advice would indicate the people should be comfortable and relaxed. They also sound like they are recommending that the people enjoy every last moment instead of being proactive in their surrender.
A second possibility is that the text could be read “Is it not now time to build houses?” If this is the case, the men are encouraging people to go about business as usual during this time. Either way you slice it, the advice is opposite of what God intended. He asked them to come forward and accept their punishment. He even guaranteed their survival if they did! But they wanted their ears tickled.
This reminds me of our current culture so much. There are so many new age and mystical philosophers that attempt to help guide people to being happy and productive. Instead of holiness, we want self-help. Instead of sanctification, we want personal happiness. Many Christians are deceived by the world’s flattering advice because they never compare it directly to Scripture.
Let’s face it, the real rebels in our society are legit Christians who seek to live a completely counter-cultural lifestyle compared to the world. That advice is not accepted by the mainstream. The world sees it as boring and dated. Meanwhile, the majority of this generation continues to ingest pseudo-Christian nonsense while the blazing fire warms their cooking pot. And as Christians yell “SURRENDER!” the so-called enlightened continue to encourage the building of houses and accumulation of knowledge and power.
Yes, Ezekiel 11 describes our western culture quite accurately. The need to repent and surrender is as great today as it was back then.