24:1-14Ezekiel gave this illustration in 588 B.C., about three years after the first of the previous messages (see 20:1, 2). The people in Judah thought they were the “choice pieces of meat” because they hadn’t been taken into captivity in 597 when the Babylonians last invaded the land. Ezekiel used this illustration before (chapter 11) to show that, although the people thought they were safe and secure inside the cooking pot, this pot would actually be the place of their destruction. This message was given to the exiles in Babylonia the very day that the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem (24:2), beginning a siege that lasted over two years and resulted in the city’s destruction. When God's punishment comes, it is relentless.
Life Application Study BibleEzekielChapter 24
Ezekiel 24
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1338, 1339, 1340
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24Ezekiel 24
The Sign of the Cooking Pot
12 On January 15,* during the ninth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: 2“Son of man, write down today’s date, because on this very day the king of Babylon is beginning his attack against Jerusalem.
3Then give theserebels an illustration with this message from the Sovereign LORD:“Put a pot on the fire,and pour in some water.
4Fill it with choice pieces of meat—
the rump and the shoulderand all the most tender cuts.
5Use only the best sheep from the flock,and heap fuel on the fire beneath the pot.Bring the pot to a boil,and cook the bones along with the meat.
6“Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says:What sorrow awaits Jerusalem,the city of murderers!She is a cooking potwhose corruption can’t be cleaned out.Take the meat out in random order,for no piece is better than another.
7For the blood of her murdersis splashed on the rocks.It isn’t even spilled on the ground,where the dust could cover it!
8So I will splash her blood on a rockfor all to see,an expression of my angerand vengeance against her.
9“This is what the Sovereign LORD says:What sorrow awaits Jerusalem,the city of murderers!I myself will pile up the fuel beneath her.
10Yes, heap on the wood!Let the fire roar to make the pot boil.Cook the meat with many spices,and afterward burn the bones.
11Now set the empty pot on the coals.Heat it red hot!Burn away the filth and corruption.
12But it’s hopeless;the corruption can’t be cleaned out.So throw it into the fire.
13Your impurity is your lewdnessand the corruption of your idolatry.I tried to cleanse you,but you refused.So now you will remain in your filthuntil my fury against you has been satisfied.
14“T, the LORD, have spoken! The time has come, and I won't hold back. I will not changemy mind, and I will have no pity on you. You will be judged on the basis of all your wickedactions, says the Sovereign LORD.”
The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife
1SThen this message came to me from the LORD: 15“Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears. 17Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends.” 18So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did everything I had been told to do. 19Then the people asked, “What does all this mean? What are you trying to tell us?” 200 I said to them, “A message came to me from the Lor», 21and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will defile my Temple, the source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in. Your sons and daughters whom you left behind in Judea will be slaughtered by the sword. 22Then you will do as Ezekiel has done. You will not mourn in public or console yourselves by eating the food brought by friends. 23Your heads will remain covered, and your sandals will not be taken off. You willnot mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins. You will mourn privately for all the evil you have done. 24Ezekiel is an example for you; you will do just as he has done. And when that time comes, you will know that I am the LORD.” 25Then the LORD said to me, “Son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold—their joy and glory, their heart's desire, their dearest treasure—I will also take away their sons and daughters. 26And on that day a survivor from Jerusalem will come to you in Babylon and tell you what has happened. 27And when he arrives, your voice will suddenly return so you can talk to him, and you will be a symbol for these people. Then they will know that 1am the LORD.”
B. MESSAGES AGAINST FOREIGN NATIONS (25:1—32:32)
These messages were given concerning seven nations that surrounded Judah. The Ammorites were judged because of their joy over the desecration of the Temple, the Moabites because they scorned Judah as special people, the Edomites because of their special hatred of the Jews, and the Philistines because of their vengeance. All these nations would soon realize that God is supreme. Nations today are also under limits imposed by God.
Textual footnotes
- This event occurred on January 15, 588 B.c.; also see note on 1:1.
- 24:1 Hebrew On the tenth day of the tenth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar.
Life Application Notes 5 notes
24:6-13The city of Jerusalem was like a pot so encrusted with Sin that it would not come clean. God wanted to cleanse the lives Of those who lived in Jerusalem, and he wants to cleanse our lives today. Sometimes he tries to purify us through difficulties and troublesome circumstances. When you face tough times, allow the sin to be burned from your life. Look at your problems as opportunities for your faith to grow. When these times come, unnecessary priorities and diversions are purged away. We can reexamine our lives So that we will do what really counts.
24:15-18God told Ezekiel that his wife would die and that he should not grieve for her. Ezekiel obeyed God fully, even as Hosea did when he was told to marry a prostitute (Hosea 1:2, 3). In both cases, these unusual events were intended as symbolic acts to illustrate God's relationship with his people. Obeying God can carry a high price, but not obeying God will cost you more—eternal life. We should be wholehearted in our obedience to God as Ezekiel was. We can begin by doing all that God commands us to do, even when we don't feel like it. Are you willing to serve God as completely as Ezekiel did?
24:20-24Ezekiel was not allowed to mourn for his dead wife in order to show his fellow exiles that they were not to mourn publicly over Jerusalem when it was destroyed. Any personal sorrow felt would soon be eclipsed by national sorrow over the horror of the city’s total destruction. The individuals would waste away because of their sins, which caused the city’s destruction.
24:27For some time Ezekiel had not been allowed to speak except when God gave him a message to deliver to the people (3:25-27). This restriction would soon end when Jerusalem was destroyed and all Ezekiel’s prophecies about Judah and Jerusalem had come true (33:21, 22).
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JUDAH'S ENEMIES Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia, although once united with Judah against Babylon, had abandoned Judah and rejoiced to see its ruin. But these nations were as sinful as Judah and would also feel the sting of God’s judgment.
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