I quoted from Ezekiel 11 yesterday in reminding ourselves of people’s never-ending bent toward disobedience:

For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules… (Ezekiel 11.12, ESV)

There’s more in Ezekiel 11: prophecy against wicked counselors:

The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the LORD, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. And he said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city; who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’ Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man.” (Ezekiel 11.1 – 4, ESV)

Ezekiel names 2 of the 25 counselors, Jaazaniah and Pelatiah. It’s the only mention they get in the Bible…except for Pelatiah:

And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the LORD: So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind…”

And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. (Ezekiel 11.5, 13, ESV)

How would you like to be on the receiving end of that prophecy? “Pelatiah, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you will be immortalized in the pages of holy scripture. The bad news is that you won’t like what you’ll be immortalized for!”

But there’s hope right in the same chapter:

Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’

Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:

• I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and
• I will give you the land of Israel.’ And
• when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. And
• I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them.
• I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
  • that they may walk in my statutes and
  • keep my rules and obey them. And
• they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11.16 – 20, ESV, bulleted for clarity)