After Nebuchadnezzar hauled his Jewish captives away to Babylon, those left behind considered themselves the favored few. In reality, the king had chosen to deport the most capable and gifted of Jerusalem’s leaders. But that’s not how the remaining leaders saw it! In Ezekiel 11, the prophet sees 25 of these arrogant men, led by two whose influence was especially wicked (v 1). Despite the prophetic warnings of further judgment to fall upon the city, these self-righteous leaders considered their situation to be totally secure. They encouraged everyone to build houses, confident about the future. And with an odd-sounding boast, they added, “This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.” What it meant was something like this: “As good meat belongs in a cooking pot, we are right where we belong. Those faraway exiles, though, are the undesirable portions that have been thrown out of the pot!” (v 2-4). In other words, the leaders who had survived the initial Babylonian invasion figured that God must be pleased with them, while the folks who had been shipped out must be under His judgment. But the LORD rejects their way of reasoning. This city will not be a pot for them at all. Because of their violent crimes, the city will provide no protection, and the LORD will drive them out. Rather than possessing the land, they will die outside its boundaries, for they have not lived according to God’s righteous laws (v 5-12). As Ezekiel was proclaiming this sobering message, one of the two prominent leaders falls dead on the spot, a foreshadowing of the executions that lie ahead. Ezekiel responds with heartfelt grief, fearing that God’s holy judgment could mean that no one will be saved (v 13). But God’s reply is encouraging! He is, in fact, determined to save His people and re-gather them in the land of promise. The LORD promises a dramatic reversal, as the Jerusalemites will be destroyed, while those presently in exile (and dismissed by the Jerusalemites as people of no account) will be coming home to experience the LORD’s blessing. Yes, He had scattered them, but He would never abandon them. Even while in a distant land, far removed from the temple, God Himself has been “a sanctuary to them” (v 14-18). Ultimately, the transformation envisioned here will take place only through the work of Jesus and the pouring out of His Spirit. Then God will establish a new covenant with His people, giving them new hearts that are undivided in their loyalty to Him (v 19-21). And on this hopeful note, Ezekiel is transported back to Babylon, telling the people everything he has seen or heard (v 22-25). For further meditation: