Ezekiel 11:24
And the Spirit lifted me up and carried me back to Chaldea, to the exiles in the vision given by the Spirit of God. After the vision had gone up from me,
And the Spirit lifted me up

Ezekiel was moved by God’s direct power, not by ordinary means, as the Spirit brought him from the vision of Jerusalem.

Ezk 3:12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard…
Ezk 8:3 He stretched out what looked like a hand…
Act 8:39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit…

and carried me back to Chaldea,

He was returned to Babylonia, the land where Judah’s captives lived under Babylonian rule.

Ezk 1:1 In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month,…
2Ki 24:15 Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon,…

to the exiles

The vision concerned the people among whom Ezekiel ministered, assuring them that God had not abandoned them in captivity and that His judgment on Jerusalem was certain.

Jer 29:4 This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says…
Ezk 3:15 I came to the exiles at Tel-abib who dwelt by the River…
Psa 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept…

in the vision given by the Spirit of God.

Though Ezekiel experienced the journey as real, it occurred through a divinely given vision that revealed God’s purposes.

Num 24:2-4 When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe…
Jol 2:28 And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people.…
2Pe 1:21 For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will…

After the vision had gone up from me,

The revelation ended, leaving Ezekiel to report what God had shown him to the exiles.

Act 10:16 This happened three times, and all at once…
Act 10:17 While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision…
Dan 10:8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision.…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet and priest during the Babylonian exile, Ezekiel is the central figure in this passage, receiving visions from God.

2. The Spirit of God
The Holy Spirit, who empowers and guides Ezekiel, lifting him up and transporting him in visions.

3. The Exiles
The Israelites who were taken captive and are living in Babylonia, representing the people to whom Ezekiel is sent.

4. Babylonia
The land where the Israelites are exiled, a place of both physical and spiritual captivity.

5. The Vision
A divine revelation given to Ezekiel, which is a means of communication from God to His people.
Teaching Points
The Role of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is active in guiding, empowering, and revealing God's will to His people. We should seek to be sensitive to the Spirit's leading in our lives.

God's Presence in Exile
Even in times of exile or hardship, God is present and actively communicating with His people. We can trust that God is with us in our own "exiles" or difficult seasons.

The Importance of Vision
Spiritual vision is crucial for understanding God's plans and purposes. We should pray for clarity and insight into God's will for our lives.

Obedience to God's Call
Ezekiel's willingness to be led by the Spirit is a model for us. We should be open and obedient to God's call, even when it leads us into challenging situations.

Hope for Restoration
The vision given to Ezekiel is part of a larger account of hope and restoration for Israel. We can hold onto hope that God will restore and redeem our circumstances.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the role of the Holy Spirit in Ezekiel's vision compare to the Spirit's role in the New Testament?

2. In what ways can we be more attentive to the Holy Spirit's guidance in our daily lives?

3. How does understanding God's presence in exile encourage us in our own times of difficulty?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to seek and understand God's vision for our lives?

5. How can the theme of hope and restoration in Ezekiel's visions inspire us to trust in God's promises today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Acts 8:39
Similar to Ezekiel's experience, Philip is carried away by the Spirit after baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch, illustrating the Spirit's power to transport and guide.

Revelation 1:10
John, like Ezekiel, is in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, receiving visions that reveal God's plans and purposes.

2 Kings 2:16
The sons of the prophets suggest that the Spirit of the Lord might have carried Elijah away, showing a consistent theme of the Spirit's ability to transport individuals.
Departure of God from His TempleC. Simeon, M. A.
People
Azur, Azzur, Benaiah, Ezekiel, Jaazaniah, Pelatiah
Places
Chaldea, Chebar, Jerusalem
Topics
Afterwards, Babylonia, Bringeth, Captivity, Chaldaea, Chaldea, Chalde'a, Exiles, Lifted, Lifting, Prisoners, Removed, Spirit, Vision, Visions, Wind
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 11:24

     1403   God, revelation
     1466   vision
     3015   Holy Spirit, divinity
     3272   Holy Spirit, in OT

Ezekiel 11:24-25

     1431   prophecy, OT methods
     3236   Holy Spirit, and Scripture
     5263   communication
     5841   ecstasy

Library
A Little Sanctuary
The Lord hears the unkind speeches of the prosperous when they speak bitterly of those who are plunged in adversity. Read the context--"Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the Lord: unto us is this land given in possession." This unbrotherly language moved the Lord to send the prophet Ezekiel with good and profitable words to the children of the captivity.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 34: 1888

A Mystery! Saints Sorrowing and Jesus Glad!
Jesus is talking of the death of His friend, let us listen to His words; perhaps we may find the key to His actions in the words of His lips. How surprising! He does not say, "I regret that I have tarried so long." He does not say, "I ought to have hastened, but even now it is not too late." Hear, and marvel! Wonder of wonders, He says, "I am glad that I was not there." Glad! the word is out of place? Lazarus, by this time, stinketh in his tomb,and here is the Saviour glad! Martha and Mary are weeping
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 10: 1864

The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
"The Holy Spirit was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified."--John vii. 39. We have come to the most difficult part in the discussion of the work of the Holy Spirit, viz., the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the tenth day after the ascension. In the treatment of this subject it is not our aim to create a new interest in the celebration of Pentecost. We consider this almost impossible. Man's nature is too unspiritual for this. But we shall reverently endeavor to give a clearer insight
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Covenanting Enforced by the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals.
To declare emphatically that the people of God are a covenant people, various signs were in sovereignty vouchsafed. The lights in the firmament of heaven were appointed to be for signs, affording direction to the mariner, the husbandman, and others. Miracles wrought on memorable occasions, were constituted signs or tokens of God's universal government. The gracious grant of covenant signs was made in order to proclaim the truth of the existence of God's covenant with his people, to urge the performance
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

An Appendix to the Beatitudes
His commandments are not grievous 1 John 5:3 You have seen what Christ calls for poverty of spirit, pureness of heart, meekness, mercifulness, cheerfulness in suffering persecution, etc. Now that none may hesitate or be troubled at these commands of Christ, I thought good (as a closure to the former discourse) to take off the surmises and prejudices in men's spirits by this sweet, mollifying Scripture, His commandments are not grievous.' The censuring world objects against religion that it is difficult
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Blasphemous Accusations of the Jews.
(Galilee.) ^A Matt. XII. 22-37; ^B Mark III. 19-30; ^C Luke XI. 14-23. ^b 19 And he cometh into a house. [Whose house is not stated.] 20 And the multitude cometh together again [as on a previous occasion--Mark ii. 1], so that they could not so much as eat bread. [They could not sit down to a regular meal. A wonderful picture of the intense importunity of people and the corresponding eagerness of Jesus, who was as willing to do as they were to have done.] 21 And when his friends heard it, they went
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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