THE GLORY OF GOD DEPARTS FROM THE CITY The vision comes to an end. In the previous chapter, the prophet spoke of the departure of the glory of God from the temple - but not without cause; He clarified the extent of abominations to which the temple has reached (Chapter 8). And after putting a holy mark on the foreheads of His servants, to keep them against perdition (Chapter 9). He proclaims His departure from the whole city - also not without cause - He proclaims the evil that the rulers of Judah and the counselors have reached. 1- The proverb of the meat and the caldron 1-12. 2- The corruption of the bad counsel 13-21. 3- The glory of God departs from the city 22-25. 1- THE PROVERB OF THE MEAT AND THE CALDRON Before proclaiming the departure of God’s glory from the whole city, the prophet referred to the twenty-five men who devised iniquity and gave wicked counsel in the city, contradicting what the prophet Jeremiah had previously proclaimed. Those men confirmed that the city was safe; and gave their counsel to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, with the help of the Pharaoh of Egypt (Jer 28:16); and to break the covenant between their king and the Chaldeans (2 Kings 26:13). They supported their counsel by saying: “The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron and we are the meat” (Ez 11:3). A vague statement, that the Septuagint version explains; that the city was safe, as proved by the fact that the conditions were stable and houses are built until very recently. By this they were contradicting the counsel of the prophet Jeremiah, who proclaimed the wisdom of accepting the divine chastisement, through the Babylonian captivity. They claimed that those captivated in the first stage, have been deprived of their land and their temple; whereas those who stayed back in the city, are building houses as a sign of their enjoyment of security. Some believe that Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, knew that captivity was going to last for 70 years; and that they would settle down there, and build houses in that foreign land. Yet many were against this issue; on the assumption that God would surely intervene and get them back home. Many false prophets appeared and encouraged them on that belief. Just as they did before captivity, when they calmed down the people’s consciences, expecting that God would never allow His city and temple to be destroyed; they are now, as captivity became a matter of fact, still carrying the spirit of lying, assuring swift return. They kept saying: “The city is the caldron, and we are the meat” (Ez 11:3); namely, if we are the meat, Jerusalem is the caldron that keeps and protects us against the attacks of the Chaldeans. But the Spirit of the Lord revealed to Ezekiel the falsity of this counsel; and proclaimed to him that what is in the caldron is not meat, but corpses of those killed, not by the Chaldeans, but as a result of that bad counsel. If they listened to the counsel of Jeremiah, and abided to the Chaldean’s decree, the blood of those killed would have been spared. That is why the Lord confirms: “The city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst” (Ez 11:11 It is as though He is saying to them: Jerusalem would not keep nor protect you, as long as I, Myself, am against you,’ “I will judge you at the border of Israel” (Ez 11:11). Although the city is My city and you 5 take refuge in it, yet I, Myself, am against you, because you did not walk in My statutes, nor kept My laws. At the border of Israel, I will judge you; and you will find no protection or refuge. Thus, if God has clarified His departure from His house; namely, the diversion of the worshippers, on the highest level of leadership, He is going, as well, to depart from the whole city; because its rulers rejected the divine counsel, and forsook the commandment! If the temple refers to the soul, and the city refers to the body, that houses the soul within it; nothing would destroy the soul (the temple), like formal worshipping; and nothing would destroy the body, like the counsel of the wicked, and the rejection of the divine counsel. It is noteworthy that, in order to expose the bad counsel, the prophet confirmed that “The Spirit of the Lord fell upon him” (Ez 11:5) - He, who knows even the hidden thoughts. If those men received the leadership, yet they lacked the Spirit of the Lord, who truly provides the good counsel; Ezekiel, on the other hand has got this divine Spirit that is able to lead. St. Cyril of Jerusalem says [Behold how the Holy Spirit discerns, calls, and sends with authority1]; [t is a living Spirit, that grants wisdom to speak and to preach2.]; and [We should understand the words, “fell upon me” properly; to mean that it fell upon him with love; like when Jacob fell upon Joseph’s neck, on encountering him; and like what came in the gospels, about the compassionate father, when he fell upon the neck of his prodigal son, who returned to him (Luke 15:20)3.] This is the divine Spirit that fell upon the prophet, to grant him the Spirit of leadership, wisdom, and good counsel; for the sake of his love for the Lord, and his call for the people, to share with him that same love. 2- THE CORRUPTION OF THE BAD COUNSEL The Lord proved the corruption of that bad counsel, through two aspects: a- One of those counselors died, Pelatiah Son of Banaiah;’ something that terrified the prophet Ezekiel; because, if the counselor perishes, what would happen to the rest of the people?! That is why he fell on his face and cried with a loud voice, and said: “Ah, Lord God! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?” (Ez 11:13). b- If those who stayed in the land of Judah, and were not carried into captivity (in its first stage), thought of themselves as more fortunate than those who did (like Ezekiel himself); yet they were deceiving themselves. They were happy because they stayed in their land, and beside the Temple that was not then destroyed. Yet this situation would soon change, and captivity would be consummated fast in a later stage, through which the city would be burned, the Temple would be destroyed, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem would be killed; whereas those who were carried into captivity, would not be forsaken by God. They were deprived of the divine sanctuaries in the city of the great King. Yet the King Himself became a sanctuary for them in their sojourn. “I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone” (Ez 11:16). The Lord shall be their sanctuary; sanctifying their hearts with repentance; promising them salvation. Here God proclaims His amazing love for men; as, even after chastening them, and the departure of God’s glory from the temple and the city, He does not forsake the captives, but promises to collect them in the land of their captivity. He is waiting for one single soul in captivity, to turn it into a temple and a little sanctuary that 1 Lect. Cat. 16:14. 2 Lect. Cat. 16:13. 3 Lect. Cat. 16:30. 6 gives Him pleasure. He chastens, not to avenge, but to mend and renew! Here, He transfers them to the Messianic salvation, saying: “Then I will give them one (another LXX) heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh; that they may walk in My statutes and keep my judgments and do them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God” (Ez 11:19, 20). He does not promise to bring them back from captivity to the Temple in Jerusalem - the city of the great King; but to what is far greater. He is going to destroy their old man, and replace him with a new man; they would become themselves the Lord’s temple and holy city; and His statutes and judgments would become their natural Law. That was what the Lord Christ presented to us in the holy water of Baptism; He brought us back from the captivity of the devil, and of sin; and made of each of us a new man, according to the image of our Creator. He took the stony heart out of our body, and gave us a spiritual heart of flesh. He takes the stony heart; namely, the killing and literal understanding of the Law, that takes away from us all feelings; and gives us by the Holy Spirit a heart of flesh; namely, a spiritual understanding of the commandment, that grants us life. And as St. Augustine1 says, quoting the apostle Paul: “not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh” (2 Cor 3:3). 3- THE GLORY OF GOD DEPARTS FROM THE CITY The temple was located on the eastern side of Jerusalem; but here, the glory of God stands in the middle of the city. He does not only depart from the Temple, but also departs from the whole city. He departs from the people, as well as from the priests, and from all who work in the temple. He departs from the flesh, as well as from the spirit! The mount on which God’s glory stood, was the Mount of Olives, near Cedron (Zech 14:4). There it stood for a while, as though grieving for departing from His people who persisted on rejecting Him. On this same mountain, the Lord Christ stood in the midst of the procession of His followers; saw the city and wept over it, saying: “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:41- 44). The Lord Himself stands to weep over the city that rejected Him, and it became itself rejected; it killed His prophets, so death entered therein. 1 Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, 18:14. 7 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF E ZEKIEL 11 I WISH YOUR GLORY WOULD NOT DEPART FROM MY CITY In the old days, Your glory departed from the Temple, then from Jerusalem. Likewise, as sin infiltrates into my life, My soul and my flesh lose Your glory! Have compassion on me... I wish Your glory does not depart from me! After Your glory departed from the Temple and the city, You were waiting for just one soul to come back to You. As you yearn to sanctify all by You! Your love fills me with hope, I sinned and caused Your Holy Spirit to grieve; Your glory departed from my inner Jerusalem. Yet there remains Your true promise: ‘I shall be a sanctuary for you!’ Your promise is amazing: ‘I shall make in them a new spirit!’ Let Your Spirit work in me; Let Him renew my spirit and all my being! Take the stony heart away from me, And give me a holy heart of flesh! You promised to set from stones, children for Abraham. Here I am in Your hands; set from me a holy child!
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