What is the meaning of Ezekiel 11:15? Son of man • The Lord begins with the familiar title He gives Ezekiel. It reminds the prophet—and us—of two truths: – Ezekiel is merely human, dependent on divine revelation (Ezekiel 2:1–2). – God graciously speaks to people through a human messenger. • By using the same address each time, God underscores continuity in His message. What follows is not a passing thought but part of an unbroken, Spirit-breathed narrative (2 Peter 1:21). your brothers—your relatives, your fellow exiles, and the whole house of Israel • The Lord stacks four descriptions to make sure Ezekiel identifies every fellow sufferer in Babylon. – They are “brothers”…family ties still matter even in judgment. – They are “relatives”…bloodlines have not been erased by distance. – They are “fellow exiles”…they share the same hardship (Ezekiel 1:1–3). – They are “the whole house of Israel”…God still sees the divided, scattered nation as one covenant people (Jeremiah 31:1). • The captives had probably begun to think God was finished with them. This clause tells them He is not (Jeremiah 29:11–14). are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said • A second group now steps into view—the residents still living in the city. • These inhabitants form their own commentary on the exiles: – They speak as self-appointed theologians, deciding who is near or far from God (Ezekiel 33:24). – Their words reveal pride; they assume possession because they remain inside the walls, not because of faith. • God exposes the thinking of Jerusalem’s leaders so Ezekiel can confront it (Ezekiel 11:2). ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.’ • Two claims sit side by side: – “They are far away from the LORD.” The assumption is that physical distance equals spiritual abandonment. Yet Psalm 139:7–10 refutes that idea. – “This land has been given to us.” They confuse temporary survival with an unconditional title deed. Leviticus 25:23 had already declared, “The land is Mine.” • God flips their verdict in the very next verses: – He will be “a sanctuary” to the exiles even in foreign territory (Ezekiel 11:16). – He will “gather you from the peoples” and “give you the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 11:17). The true heirs are the ones now despised. • The statement also anticipates the broader biblical pattern where the proud are humbled and the humbled are lifted up (1 Peter 5:5; Luke 1:52). summary God invites Ezekiel to see the captives through divine eyes. Though men in Jerusalem declare the exiles abandoned and claim the land, the Lord affirms that His covenant family extends beyond city walls. He Himself will be present with the displaced, and in His timing He will restore them to the very inheritance others tried to seize. The passage reminds believers that human verdicts never overturn God’s promises; nearness to the Lord is measured by His grace, not geography. |
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