Ezekiel 10-11 (Click Here To Read The Passage)
There is a very mixed message in these chapters, but we must remember that it's part of one continuous vision for Ezekiel that spans chapters 8-11. Some of the details of the vision are difficult for us to grasp, the description of the wheels and the cherubim for example, and it’s easy to get lost in trying to sort it all out, which is why we need to stay focused on the movement of the glory of the Lord in this vision.
What Ezekiel is witnessing is the presence of the Lord leaving the temple. The glory of the Lord moves from the Most Holy Place to the threshold of the temple (10.4). From there the glory moves to the east gate of the temple courtyard (10.19). And then finally the glory moves out from the Temple to the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, outside the city limits. The glory of the Lord is leaving the temple and Jerusalem, and the city is now cut off from the Lord, its true protector, and handed over to what the people are worshipping: the empty false idols. It’s a horrible moment for the people of God as the Lord has left the temple, Jerusalem, and abandoned the people to the “protection” of their false idols.
This is something that we really have to think about because we lack the cultural connection here. Ezekiel would have been utterly devastated to witness the departure of the Lord from the Temple. The Temple was the center of everything for the Jewish people and signified their relationship with the Lord. But now the glory of the Lord no longer rests there and has departed towards the East. Can you imagine what Ezekiel is feeling at this moment?
Things are so bad, so corrupted, so false, and the people's hearts have turned towards other things, these lifeless idols that they created with their own hands. Ezekiel must have been shattered at this sight, and if this was the end of things, then it would be a terrible fate for the people of God.
But in the midst of this overwhelming, heart-wrenching vision…, there is still hope because the Lord is faithful. It’s in 11:16-20. The Lord has made a promise, and He will see it through. The light of a single candle appears in the darkness and despair of this vision.
Fortunately for us we know the rest of the story. Ezekiel doesn’t know this yet, but God will return and will restore Israel, and the vision that Ezekiel has is one of the Messiah, Jesus.
So what do we do with this passage? Whenever you have a narrative, a story, you have to ask, "Why am I being told this?" In this instance, there is the understanding that there are consequences for our choices. The people of God have sinned and have done so in epic, titanic, and blockbuster fashion. So the worst possible outcome happens: the resting place of God's glory and God's name in the Temple is no longer suitable, and the glory of the Lord leaves that place.
This is the moment where Ezekiel realizes the total and complete failure of the people. It reminds me of movies where there isn't a good outcome at the end, like where the invading army can’t be stopped or the bad guy triumphs, and there is nothing that we can do to alter the ending of the movie—you leave the movie feeling as if you’ve been drained of emotion and you’re unsatisfied rather than excited. It's like getting a report card with a big fat "F" on it and the kick in the gut realization that you failed to do anything to have a better grade.
Fortunately for us, the Lord loves us, and the Lord is faithful, and there are better things to come. In this moment the people of God have to deal with their failure; but God, but God has a plan for their redemption and ultimately for ours.
What encourages me so deeply in this passage is this realization; if these people failed so enormously and yet God somehow restored them…., how much more so for you and I? If we but come to Jesus.
God bless you and have a great day, and know that I am praying for you.
Scott