Ezekiel 11:5

Ezekiel 11 continues Ezekiel’s vision where he is in Jerusalem (whereas in reality he is in Babylon). He sees 25 leaders of the people, who God says are ‘devising iniquity’. I found the passage quite difficult to understand, but I think the leaders that he sees are currently actually remaining in Jerusalem, but instead of going about normal life, and rebuilding after the devastation of the siege (see vs. 3), they are afraid, and inspire fear in the hearts of the remnant. Neither do they turn back to God, but instead carry on the traditions followed by the Gentile nations all around them. Thus God says that he will bring the sword upon them on the border of the city. I am not sure of the significance of the border of the city, but the significance of the sword is made clear when one of the leaders that Ezekiel sees falls down dead midway through his prophecy. Ezekiel is mortified, and he asks God whether the whole remnant will be done away with, but God reassures him, saying that although they will be scattered, they will be brought back to Israel and they will rebuild it. The verse that struck me was this verse:

‘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.’ (Ezekiel 11:5)

Here the LORD equates things that the house of Israel has said, with things that have come into their mind. How often do sinful things stop with our minds? How often do they reach our minds before we stop them going any further? We may think we are better off that way – and in some respects it is better that way, because at least our exemplary appearance is maintained, but God can see to the heart, and He knows. And what starts in the mind will inevitably reach our actions if we do not fight it. In effect, what we think, we are saying.

Let’s examine our minds, and be careful of what we find there. Let’s be brutally honest with ourselves because the mind can be the breeding ground of so much evil.