Judgment on Evil Leaders

Ezekiel 11:1-13 

1 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 twenty-five men, among whom I saw 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 give wicked counsel in this city, 3 who say, 'The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.' 4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!"

5 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. 6 You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain." 7 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; but I shall bring you out of the midst of it. 8 You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you," says the Lord GOD. 9 "And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and execute judgments on you. 10 You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. 11 This city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. 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 executed My judgments, but have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you."'"

13 Now it happened, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then 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?"

There was judgment pronounced on evil leaders of God’s people who advised contrary to His word and stated will.  God’s Spirit picked up the prophet Ezekiel and placed him at the East Gate of the temple of the LORD where twenty-five leaders of Judah were gathered.  According to the Bible and tradition, the Messiah will come from the east of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:4), bringing deliverance from the wrath of God on such sin as they had committed and as we all do.  Here the leaders had assembled who were not looking for the Messiah but further plotted iniquity and came up with bad counsel for the people, city, and nation which was wicked because it went against all the LORD was telling them through the prophets and as it was written in the scriptures.  They had given up hope and called the holy city a boiling cauldron where they all would die in the oppression of their enemies.  God reminded them that they had caused the deaths of many but that they would be taken out of the cauldron and die by the sword in battle which they referred more instead because of their continued unrepentant sin and misleading counsel to the people.  They would be judged by the unholy nations and killed at Israel’s border instead of in the city once set aside for worship and sacrifice to the one true God whom they despised and rejected.  They had rejected God’s word as the measure and rule of life and lived according to the unholy nations around them which they never completely drove out of the promised land as commanded in the beginning.  Because they walked off the path set before them and despised His word of Law and judgments, they would feel the consequences and confess He is the LORD.  Ezekiel saw another die and asked God if this was the complete end of the remnant of His people.  We will see that it is not the absolute end because there is always a remnant according to grace (Romans 9:27, 11:1-2, 5) in God’s plan.  There is hope for the righteous in Christ but none for the rest.  Evil leaders of God’s people will face certain judgment for leading the sheep astray, but the Shepherd will lead the remnant to a certain eternal home in His time.