In Ezekiel 20 and 21 the elders have come to counsel with Ezekiel. God recounts how time after time the people of Israel have received God’s mercy only to revert to their sinful ways. God does not want to give these elders counsel if they are not willing to give up their wickedness. They will be exiled from their land. Only when they turn to God will the land be restored.

Everyone will be banished form the land. Only the righteous will be restored.

1 Peter 2 is a reminder of what holy living entails. They are to be built into a spiritual house with Christ as their cornerstone. They are to turn from all insincerity and malice even in their dealings with the Gentiles. They are to accept the authority of human institutions so that no one may find fault in them. Their lives are a witness to Christ. If others see that they honor everyone and love each other they will know that Jesus is Lord. They may suffer as Christ suffered but they have also been redeemed by him.