Survival Is Not Favor

Twenty-five men stand at the east gate giving counsel, and Ezekiel is told to prophesy against them. They are not priests. They are an elite, a ruling-class group - politicians and government officials.
Their saying is hard to pin down: the time is not near to build houses; this city is the cauldron and we are the meat. The commentators offer several readings and the sources walk through them rather than settling it. One possibility is that they are mocking Jeremiah's warning about exile.
What is clear is the posture. They are still in the city, and they treat that as proof they are safe.
Scripture links:
- Ezekiel 11:3 - this city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.
Being left standing is not the same as being approved of.