God Judges Leadership: Ezekiel 11

All across the world, there are countries that are governed by corrupt leaders. Some of them had good intentions when they were elected and were eventually taken in by the lure of power and money; others went into the government because they wanted the power that came with being in a position of leadership. Sometimes the people rise up and demand change because they've had enough, like they recently did in Egypt. Sometimes, the people live under oppression for decades. Whether or not the people decide to take the government into their own hands or not, God always sees what is going on. In Ezekiel 11, we see that even when the leadership of a country does not think that anyone knows of their wicked ways, God sees when someone is corrupt, and he will eventually bring judgement upon them.

People Aren't Always the Way They Portray Themselves

In the first verse, God shows Ezekiel twenty-five leaders of the people of Israel, who were living in captivity in Babylon. These may be the same people that were worshipping the sun in Ezekiel 8:16. Ezekiel recognized two of these people: one was Jaazaniah, and the other was Pelatiah. Jaazaniah means "whom the Lord will hear" and Pelatiah means "whom the Lord will assist." In Bible days, people's names meant something. The people expected the Lord to hear and assist these two leaders, yet they were doing wicked things. God would not hear and assist these people. Proverbs 15:29 says that "The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous." They were portraying themselves to the public as people that they were not. We get a lot of that in governments around the world today.

The Leaders Lied to the People

Israel's leaders had lied to their people. They knew that the Lord had promised destruction, yet they told everyone to go on living life as normal (v. 3). They did not have the best interests of their people at heart, and were abusing their power. As a result of what the leadership was doing, people were being killed.

God Will Have the Last Say

Corrupt leadership will not have their say forever. In this case, God promised to execute judgement on these leaders (vv. 7-10). The leaders were not God, and they didn't have the right to use and abuse the people. God would show his power to them, and they would know that he was the Lord. To show that God was serious, he took the life of Pelatiah as Ezekiel was speaking to them (v. 13). Years later, God would also take the life of Herod when he allowed others to think of him and praise him as god (Acts 12:21-23). Although God would judge the leadership and the people, he would still be with his people. A remnant would remain faithful to him, and he would eventually bring the people together, and they would once again follow him (vv. 17-20).

A Promise for Today

Some people may not think that God is active in the governments of today. Although there is no shortage of corrupt leaders around the world today, he hasn't done anything dramatic like strike them with lightning or anything like that. The people that they are oppressing may feel like there is no hope for them, but God still sees everything. In places like the United States, the people may not see the corrupt bargains going on in the back rooms; they may not be able to root out corruption by themselves. In places like Mexico, the people may not be able to get rid of the drug cartels that are terrorizing them. God will eventually step in. He may not act today or tomorrow, but he will act. Whether he judges now or during the afterlife, everyone will receive a reward or a punishment for the things that they do. It is better to recognize God's authority now, and act with integrity now, than to act later, when his judgement comes.

Sources:

Bible

Inspired by sermon notes from a sermon given at Gospel Light Baptist Church by Pastor Gary Schwer in 2010.