NOTES for Eze 11:1-25
Those who for some reason decided to compare Jerusalem to a cauldron and themselves to meat failed to consider that meat cooking in it has already ceased to be part of living flesh. Very little time will pass before it is cooked and taken out of the cauldron. Deep down, those who speak this way must understand that they are doomed to exile, like their compatriots already in captivity. But they have not yet grasped the essential point: merely being in the city intended to be the dwelling place of God's house does not in itself bring anyone closer to God if their deeds and hearts are far from Him.
The exiles must surely have felt greatly encouraged when they heard the prophetic words that the Lord does not abandon them even in distant lands. Yet how tempting it is to replace an inward striving towards God and following Him with religious tourism and timely visits to holy places. Pilgrimage is a wonderful custom, and by touching shrines reached only after a long journey, we receive much. But a life in harmony with God's will must be built wherever we are, for He is near everywhere.