Ezekiel 24

Ezekiel 24 HAS ARRIVEDChapter 24 begins with an important chronological note. Three things of importance happened in the ministry of Ezekiel on that date. Ezekiel (1) delivered a judgment parable (Ezekiel 24:1-14), (2) received word concerning two judgment signs (Ezekiel 24:15-27), and (3) uttered four oracles condemning neighboring nations (Ezekiel 25:1-17).

Ezekiel 24:1-2 The word of the LORD came unto me in the ninth year, the tenth month, the tenth day of the month, saying, (2) Son of man, write for yourself the name of the day, this very day. This very day the king of Babylon has leaned upon Jerusalem. According to Ezekiel 24:1, Nebuchadnezzar began his attack against Jerusalem in the ninth year (of Zedekiah), the tenth day of the tenth month. The Jews commemorated this date for centuries by fasting (Zechariah 8:19). Ezekiel was told to write the name of the day of the week and the day of the month (this very day). This written record was to be made so that later when the news filtered back to the captives in Babylon the genuine prophetic foresight of Ezekiel would be authenticated.

PARABLE OF THE COOKING POT Ezekiel 24:3-14 The Parable Introduced (Ezekiel 24:3-5) Preparing the pot (Ezekiel 24:3): Utter a parable against this rebellious house, and say unto them; Thus says the Lord GOD: Set on the pot. Set it on. Pour water into it. On that fateful day, Ezekiel set forth a parable concerning Jerusalem. For the third time he expresses his thoughts in a song. The inhabitants of Jerusalem previously had used the image of a caldron to support their delusion of invincibility (cf. Ezekiel 11:3). Now Ezekiel gives the true interpretation to that image. A pot is filled with water and placed on the stove. This symbolizes the first stage of the siege of Jerusalem.

Filling the pot (Ezekiel 24:4-5): Gather into it the pieces belonging to it, every good piece— the thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with the choice bones. (5) Take the choice of the flock, and also pile the bones under it. Boil it well, that its bones may boil in the midst of it. The chunks of meat placed in the pot symbolize the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the fugitives from other towns who sought refuge there. The good pieces of meat and choice bones represent the civil and military leaders (Ezekiel 24:4) who come from the choice of the flock, i.e., the upper classes. Bones as well as meat— the total population— were to be placed in that pot, with the bones under the meat.

Ezekiel is then to bring the pot to a boil until even the bones— the toughest members of society— are brought to a boil (Ezekiel 24:5). The boiling water points to the destructive turbulence of the Babylonian siege. First Woe (Ezekiel 24:6-8) Judgment announced (Ezekiel 24:6): Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose filth is in it, and whose filth has not gone out of it! Bring it out piece by piece. No lot is fallen upon it. The prophet drops the symbolism in Ezekiel 24:6 and sets his message in plain prose. He pronounces a woe on the bloody city of Jerusalem, the pot whose filth had never been removed. The reference is to the bloodstains of the innocent who had been murdered in Jerusalem.

Piece by piece the chunks of meat in that pot will be removed. By this the prophet means that the destruction of the city and the deportation of the inhabitants will take place in stages. No lot is fallen on the content of that pot, i.e., the deportation will be indiscriminate.Judgment explained (Ezekiel 24:7-8): For her blood is in the midst of her. Upon the bare rock she set it. She did not pour it out upon the ground to cover it with dust, (Ezekiel 24:8) to cause fury to go up, that vengeance might be taken. I have set the blood upon a bare rock, that it should not be covered.

Openly and unashamedly crimes had been committed in Jerusalem. Evidence of bloodshed could be seen throughout the place. It was as though Jerusalem had smeared blood on a bare rock that was in plain view. The law required animal blood to be poured to the ground and covered with dust (cf. Leviticus 17:13). However, no similar effort had been made to conceal the blood of humankind unjustly slain (Ezekiel 24:7).

God will preserve those bloodstains in plain view, so that he might execute divine wrath on those responsible (Ezekiel 24:8).Second Woe (Ezekiel 24:9-14) Boiling stage (Ezekiel 24:9-10): Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the bloody city. I also will make the pile great, (Ezekiel 24:10) heaping on the wood, kindling the fire, that the flesh may be consumed; and preparing the mixture that the bones may be burned. A second time the sentence against Jerusalem is pronounced. They had piled one sin on top of another. God will now make the pile great, i.e., he will heap up the fuel for their punishment (Ezekiel 24:9). God will gather the wood, kindle the fire, and prepare the mixture of spices to be added when the meat had been sufficiently cooked. It was God’ s purpose to consume the meat (population of Jerusalem) and burn the bones (leaders, especially military leaders) in that pot (Ezekiel 24:10). Melt-down stage (Ezekiel 24:11-12): Then I will set it empty upon its coals, that it may be hot, and the bottom of it burn, that its impurity may be melted in it, that its filth may be consumed. (Ezekiel 24:12) She has wearied (me) with toil. Yet its great filth will not go out from it. Its filth will be in the fire. After the contents of that pot (Jerusalem) had been consumed, God will see to it that the pot itself was melted down, thereby removing the filth (Ezekiel 24:11). Thus Jerusalem will be purified by the conflagration. God had attempted from time to time to purge Jerusalem, but to no avail.

This may be an allusion to the deportations of 604 B.C. and 597 B.C. The uncleanness of the city could only be removed by the drastic process of melting down the caldron, i.e., destroying Jerusalem (Ezekiel 24:12).

Conclusion(Ezekiel 24:13-14) Finality of judgment (Ezekiel 24:13): Because of your filthy lewdness, because I purged you, and you were not purged from your uncleanness, you will not be purged from your uncleanness anymore until I have satisfied my wrath on you. The prose conclusion to the Song of the Pot uses the first-person singular pronoun seven times. All efforts to reform the nation through prophetic admonition had failed. No further effort in that direction will be attempted. All that remained was for God to pour out his wrath and purge the place by total destruction. Lewdness in Ezekiel is used in a figurative sense for negotiating military treaties and idolatry.

Certainty of judgment (Ezekiel 24:14): I the LORD have spoken it. It will come to pass. I will do it. I will not go back. I will not have pity. I will not repent.

According to your ways and according to your deeds they will judge you (oracle of the Lord GOD). The Lord will hand the Judeans over to the Chaldeans who will execute a judgment upon Jerusalem that was appropriate to her sins. Such is the irrevocable divine decree. SIGNS Ezekiel 24:15-27 First Sign (Ezekiel 24:15-24): Instructions from the Lord (Ezekiel 24:15-17): The word of the LORD came unto me saying, (16) Son of man, behold, I am about to take from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke. Yet you will not lament or weep, nor will your tears come down. (Ezekiel 24:17) Sigh silently. Make no mourning for the dead. Your headdress bind upon you. Your sandals put upon your feet. Do not cover your lip. Do not eat the bread of men. A shocking announcement was made to the prophet on that day when Jerusalem came under siege. It was an announcement that caused Ezekiel much grief. The desire of your eyes— your wife— will die with a stroke, i.e., she will die suddenly without having been previously sick. The prophet was commanded to refrain from any lamentation or mourning rites (Ezekiel 24:16). Ezekiel was to sigh in silence, i.e., to internalize his agony (cf. Jeremiah 16:5-7). He was not to resort to the customary loud cries of lamentation. He was not to loosen his headgear to let his hair hang down covering his upper lip. He was not to remove his sandals nor eat. . . the bread of men, i.e., the mourner’ s meal supplied by friends and relatives (Ezekiel 24:17). What a difficult burden the Lord laid on his prophet. Ezekiel’ s silent grief was to symbolize the stupefying effect that the fall of Jerusalem will have on the Jews at home and abroad. They will be too stunned for customary expressions of grief.

Obedience by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 24:18): So I spoke unto the people in the morning. My wife died in the evening. I did in the morning as I was commanded. Even though he knew his wife will die at any moment, Ezekiel continued his ministry of preaching. That evening his wife died. The next morning Ezekiel carried out the Lord’ s command to sigh in silence. A request by the people (Ezekiel 24:19): The people said unto me: Will you not declare to us what these things are to us that you are doing? Perplexed by his strange behavior, the people sensed that the prophet was trying to convey some symbolic meaning to them. Thus they inquired concerning his conduct. Explanation by the prophet(Ezekiel 24:20-24) Shocking loss (Ezekiel 24:20-21): I said unto them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (Ezekiel 24:21) Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am about to profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the longing of your soul. Your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword. In response to the inquiry of his fellow exiles, Ezekiel first indicated that what he had been doing and what he was about to say came from God (Ezekiel 24:20). Ezekiel explained that he had just suffered the loss of the desire of his eyes, the one he held most precious. The Jews were about to lose their temple. The loss thus incurred is indicated in the text by three expressions that underscore the prominent place that sacred structure occupied in the hearts of the Jews. The temple was (1) the pride of your power, i.e., what guaranteed, so they thought, the invincibility of Jerusalem and permanence of their national existence; (2) the desire of your eyes, i.e., what they held to be most precious; and the longing of your soul, i.e., what they most missed by being exiled to Babylon. That sacred spot was about to be profaned by being delivered into the hands of heathen men. Along with the loss of that temple, the exiles will lose their sons and daughters who had been left behind in the doomed city (Ezekiel 24:21). Stupefying grief (Ezekiel 24:22-23): You will do as I have done. You will not cover your lip. You will not eat the bread of men. (Ezekiel 24:23) Your headdress will be upon your heads, and your sandals upon your feet. You will not lament, nor weep; but you will waste away in your iniquities, and moan one to another. When the exiles hear of the destruction of the temple and the loss of their children, they will be thrown into shock, unable to observe the conventional mourning customs (Ezekiel 24:22). Added to the news of the unthinkable disaster in Jerusalem will be the pangs of guilty conscience. During that period of grief the once proud exiles will waste away in their iniquities. In almost inaudible expressions, they will moan one to another (Ezekiel 24:23).

Significant sign (Ezekiel 24:24): Ezekiel will be to you a sign. According to all that he has done, you will do. When it comes to pass, you will know that I am the Lord GOD. In his manner of mourning, the Lord had appointed Ezekiel as a sign to the exiles. As the prophet had abstained from outward display of mourning, so also will the exiles. When all this came to pass— the news that Jerusalem had fallen and the temple had been destroyed— they will know that the event had been decreed by the Lord. Second Sign (Ezekiel 24:25-27) News of Jerusalem’s fall (Ezekiel 24:25-26): As for you, son of man, will it not be in the day I take from them their stronghold, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, the yearning of their soul, their sons and their daughters, (Ezekiel 24:26) that the one who escapes in that day will come unto you to cause you to hear it with your ears? The love that a Jew had for the temple is difficult for westerners to understand. The temple was their stronghold upon which they based their confidence of national permanence. It was the joy of their glory, the magnificent edifice of which they were so proud. It was the desire of their eyes, that which they loved dearly. It was the yearning of their soul, that which above all they longed to see again. When that structure fell, and along with it their sons and daughters (Ezekiel 24:25), a fugitive of the slaughter will hasten to Babylon to bear the sad tidings. Opening of Ezekiel’s mouth (Ezekiel 24:27): In that day your mouth will be open, together with the one who escaped. You will speak, and will no more be dumb. You will be a sign to them. They will know that I am the LORD. In the day the news of Jerusalem’ s fall was announced, Ezekiel will no longer be dumb. The message he had been preaching for so many years will thus be authenticated. His mission as a messenger of God will then be accepted by his fellow exiles. The sign of his wife’s death portends judgment and death; this sign will trumpet salvation and life. Ezekiel Chapter Twenty-FourVerse 1 GOD’S LAST MESSAGE BEFORE THE FALL OF RUSTED CALDRON; AND THE DEATH OF EZEKIEL’S WIFEThere are three connected themes in this chapter: (1) the parable of the rusty caldron (Ezekiel 24:1-14); the sign of the death of Ezekiel’s wife (Ezekiel 24:15-24); and (3) the prophecy of the end of Ezekiel’s dumbness (Ezekiel 24:25-27).[1]The date of this chapter is January 15,588 B.C., a date confirmed in 2 Kings 25:1, and in Jeremiah 39:1; Jeremiah 52:4. It is also significant that, in the times of Zechariah, this very date had been memorialized among the captives, and for ages celebrated as a solemn fast-day (Zechariah 8:19). When Ezekiel wrote these words (yes, they were actually written down on the very day God’s message came, Ezekiel 24:2), he was in Babylon, four hundred miles from Jerusalem; and there was no way that he could have known the exact day of Nebuchadnezzar’s investment of Jerusalem except by the direct revelation of God. “It cannot be supposed that such intelligence could have reached him by any human means. When, therefore, the captives later received news of the beginning of the siege, they had, upon comparing the dates, an infallible proof of the Divine inspiration of Ezekiel."[2]The radical critics have done their best to get rid of the implications of a passage like this; but as Keil stated it, “The definite character of this prediction cannot be changed into a “vaticinium post eventum”, either by arbitrary explanations of the words, or by some unfounded hypothesis."[3]Only an unbeliever, or one who wishes to become an unbeliever, can possibly allow some evil scholar, whose purpose is clearly that of discrediting the Word of God, to deny what the sacred text says, merely upon the basis of his arbitrary emendations of the text, or by his efforts to substitute his own word for the Word of God. “These prophecies in Ezekiel 24 were delivered two years and five months after those dated in Ezekiel 20:1."[4]PARABLE OF THE RUSTY CALDRONEze_24:1-5"Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, write the name of the day, even of this selfsame day: the king of Babylon drew close unto Jerusalem this selfsame day. And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Set on the caldron, set it on, and also pour water into it: gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones. Take the choice of the flock, and also a pile of wood for the bones under the caldron; make it boil well; yea, let the bones thereof be boiled in the midst of it.“The arrogant unbelief of some alleged scholars never fails to astonish us. May, for example, stated that, Ezekiel was probably in Babylon when he wrote this, “To be able to know the very day of the beginning of the siege."[5] Apparently such a scholar' never heard of such a thing as 'Divine inspiration.' One may wonder why he wrote so much about a book in the Bible, the value of which is founded solely upon its being "inspired of God (<a href="/bible/parallel/1PE/1/21" class="green-link">1 Peter 1:21</a>)." Feinberg accurately observed that, "One purpose for this attention to the exact date, was in order for the nations to have written, tangible proof of the accuracy of Ezekiel's prophecies."[6]Analogies clearly visible in this parable: the caldron is the city; the flesh in it is the people; the immense fire under it is the fire of war; the setting of the caldron on the fire is the beginning of the siege; the rust in the pot (introduced later) is the inherent wickedness of the people; the "choice bones (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/4" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:4</a>)" are the bones with meat attached to them; their being "choice" bones indicates that the nobility and the landed gentry will also be ruined by the war; the "bones under the caldron (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/5" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:5</a>)" are the large bones used, along with the logs for fuel; the removal of the flesh from the caldron indicates the destruction of the whole city, rich and poor alike, high and low, indiscriminately, whether by sword, by pestilence, by famine, or by deportation; the emptying of the caldron indicated the removal of Jerusalem's population; the caldron's still being rusted indicated Jerusalem's worthlessness, at that time, as regarded God's eternal purpose, entailing, of course, the necessity for its complete destruction; the severe burning of the caldron in intense fire after it was emptied speaks of the burning and destruction of the city itself and the Temple of God. It would seem, as Jamieson thought, that God's selection of this figure of the boiling caldron might have been in response to that boastful proverb the people adopted (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/11/3" class="green-link">Jeremiah 11:3</a>), in which they claimed to be "the flesh" safe in the caldron (Jerusalem), whereas the captives, by their absence, were out of it altogether. Ezekiel here revealed to them that, "Your proverb shall prove to be awfully true, but in a far different sense from what you intended."[7] Judah would not be safe in the caldron, but cooked and destroyed in it. Verse 6 "Wherefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the bloody city, to the caldron whose rust is therein, and whose rust is not gone out of it! take out of it piece after piece; no lot is fallen upon it. For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the bare rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust. That it may cause wrath to come up to take vengeance, I have set her blood upon the bare rock, that it should not be covered. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great. Heap on the wood, make the fire hot, boil well the flesh, make thick the broth, and let the bones be burned.""Woe to the bloody city ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/6" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:6</a>). The implications of this epithet hurled against Jerusalem by God Himself may be read in the terrible fate of Nineveh, which city God addressed in the very same language (<a href="/bible/parallel/NAH/3/1" class="green-link">Nahum 3:1</a>). "Whose rust is not gone out of it ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/6" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:6</a>) The "rust" here symbolizes the blood-guiltiness of Jerusalem. In the parable, this meant that the ingredients of the caldron were poisoned by the rust, and the mess within fit only to be destroyed. "Take out of it piece after piece; no lot is fallen upon it ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/5" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:5</a>). Sometimes in antiquity, lots were cast to determine a definite portion of a city either to be slaughtered, or to be made captives. "In the captivity of Jehoiachin and Jehoiachim some were taken, others left."[8] But here, there would be none spared. All were doomed. The indiscriminate destruction of the population is indicated. "Her blood is in the midst of her ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/7" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:7</a>). This refers to the shameless murder of her victims. Jerusalem did not even bother to conceal or disguise the murders. The thought in this passage takes account of the fact that the blood of Abel, which the ground received, cried unto God for vengeance. Even the blood of animals was supposed to be covered with dust; but Jerusalem's brazen murders of men left the blood visible to all, thus constituting an aggravation of the sin of murder. "I also will make the pile great ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/9" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:9</a>). This refers to the pile of fuel on the fire, with the meaning that God will make the destruction of Jerusalem as complete as possible. "Let the bones be burned ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/10" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:10</a>). This means that any residue of the "choice bones" left in the caldron were also to be burned. Verse 11 "Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that it may be hot, and the brass thereof may burn, and that the filthiness thereof may be molten in it, that the rust of it may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with toil; yet her great rust goeth not forth out of her; her rust goeth not forth by fire. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have cleansed thee, and thou wast not cleansed, thou shalt not be cleansed from thy filthiness any more, until I have caused my wrath toward thee to rest. I, Jehovah have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord Jehovah."What is indicated here is the utter uselessness of the rusted caldron; not even fire could burn the corrupted copper enough to cleanse it. In the analogy, the caldron is the city of Jerusalem, the destruction of which is already under way, as this was written. "In spite of the seemingly terrible hopelessness of the situation described here, a gleam of hope appears in <a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/13" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:13</a>, even as there also did in <a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/16/42" class="green-link">Ezekiel 16:42</a>. When the punishment of Israel has done its full work, then Jehovah might cause his fury toward Israel to rest."[9]"These verses, <a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/11" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:11-14</a>, declare that the only recourse is to set the caldron upside down on the fire and melt it away; Jerusalem must be destroyed in order to be cleansed."[10] "The tragedy of national sins, which began as occasional lapses, but which at last became part and parcel of Jerusalem's way of life, finally became a tragedy that not even God could redeem."[11]"She hath wearied herself with toil ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/24/12" class="green-link">Ezekiel 24:12</a>). Some versions read "lies" instead of "toil" in this clause; but Bunn tells us that "The literal meaning here is that Yahweh has worn himself out attempting to purify the people.’"[12] Due to uncertainties in the text, this verse is disputed as to its meaning. McFadyen suggested that this clause should probably be omitted.[13] Whatever the exact meaning of the verse may be, the thought is certainly the futility of any further effort on the part of God to purge his rebellious people. The many things God had done in order to preserve and save Israel included: the giving of the Law of Moses, the sending of many prophets, severe punishments, miraculous judgments in their marvelous deliverances, the ministrations of the Levitical system with its priests and Levites, etc., etc. However, as Henry pointed out, “It is sad to think how many there are, even today, upon whom the death of Christ, the establishment of his spiritual body the Church, the sacred New Testament, and all of the ordinances and blessings of Christianity, are utterly lost in the indifference and lethargy of mankind."[14]Verse 15 EZEKIEL NOT TO GRIEF OVER THE DEATH OF HIS WIFEThe second sign presented in this chapter is that following the death of the prophet’s wife, when, acting upon the prior commandment of God, Ezekiel refrained from any demonstration of grief or lamentation. “Also the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying. Son of man, Behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet thou shalt neither mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud, make no mourning for the dead; bind thy headtire upon thee, and put thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning; and at even, my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.“Ezekiel here was told that his wife would die, but that God forbade him to make any visible demonstration of his grief or lamentation. All of the usual things that were normally done to mark the passing of a loved one were to be omitted. He was not to uncover his head, nor go barefoot, nor to sigh aloud, nor to cover his lip, or even to eat “of the bread of men.” All of these funeral customs are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, and some of them also in the New Testament, as in the case of the loud mourners wailing for the death of Jairus’ daughter. “Nor eat the bread of men …” (Ezekiel 24:17). This is of special interest to us, because it still in this present day is a characteristic of the New Israel of God, observed by Churches of Christ and other communions throughout the world upon funeral occasions. Cooke described the custom thus: “Friends and relatives of the deceased were accustomed to assemble in the house of mourning for a funeral meal, provided by those assembled."[15] Of course, the bereaved was supposed to participate in the feast. It was that meal, here called, “the bread of men,” that Ezekiel was forbidden to eat. “Bind thy headtire upon thee …” (Ezekiel 24:17) The meaning of headtire is “turban.” Eichrodt warned us not to be taken in by the critical nonsense that the warning which God gave Ezekiel regarding his wife’s death was “merely the realization that his wife’s long illness would probably lead to her death in the near future."[16]Such a canard is no less a denial of God’s Word than Satan’s arrogant falsehood, that, “Ye shall not surely die.” For Biblical references to the types of actions mentioned here as expressions of sorrow see: Leviticus 10:6(leaving off headtire), Isaiah 20:2 (the bare feet); Leviticus 13:45 (the covered lip). Deuteronomy 26:14; Jeremiah 16:7 (the meal in the house of mourning), etc. The meaning of Ezekiel’s being commanded not to demonstrate mourning is that: “The context requires that the great tragedy of the fall of Jerusalem is not to be followed by wholesale demonstrations of lamentation and grief. Ezekiel would not weep (visibly) over the death of his beloved, and neither would the people of Israel weep over the fall of Jerusalem. Why? Because, in both cases the tragedy was too deep and stunning for any expression of grief to prove adequate."[17]Verse 19 “And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I said unto them, The word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Speak unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind shall fall by the sword. And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away in your iniquities, and moan one toward another. Therefore shall Ezekiel be unto you a sign; according to all that he hath done shall ye do: when this cometh, then shall ye know that I am the Lord Jehovah.“Ezekiel’s behavior in such a strange and unnatural manner had the desired effect. The people felt that there was some message for them involved in it; and so they consulted him the following day.

His news was devastating: the Holy Temple itself would be profaned. That meant the total destruction of Jerusalem. Many of the captives had left their children in Jerusalem; and here they learned that all of them would be killed. The loss of their children, their beloved capital city, and the Temple itself meant that, just like the case of Ezekiel, “They would have the desire of their eyes taken away.” “Then it was the desire of Ezekiel’s eyes that was taken away; but now it will be the desire of the people’s eyes which will be taken away; and the loss will be too grave for tears."[18]“Then shall Ezekiel be unto you a sign …” (Ezekiel 24:24). Apart from Ezekiel 1:3, this is the first mention of Ezekiel’s name. “This verse is the subscription to the first twenty-four chapters; and Ezekiel 1:3 is the superscription."[19] Ezekiel as a sign also has overtones reaching into our own times. He is unmistakably a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially in the matter of that title found so frequently, “Son of man.” His being commanded to “Judge Israel” is typical of the fact that God has given “judgment of all men” into the hands of the Son of God; his rejection by the Israel of his day typifies the rejection of Jesus Christ by the apostate racial Israel of his day. Verse 25 “And thou, son of man, shall it not be the day when I take from them, their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their heart, their sons and their daughters, that in that day he that escapeth shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears? In that day shall thy mouth be opened unto him that is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: so shalt thou be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.“THE THIRD SIGN: EZEKIEL’S SILENCE TO ENDIt will be recalled that in the very beginning of Ezekiel’s ministry, God had, except in the matter of specific prophecies which he was commanded to deliver, forbidden Ezekiel to speak freely to the people; but all of that would be changed at the end of the siege. (See Ezekiel 3:22-27). “The fall of Jerusalem would release Ezekiel from all restrictions."[20]Howie seemed to believe that the removal of such restrictions should have led immediately to his prophecies of hope and restoration; but the true restoration of Israel could not come until the evil nations had received their own judgments from God. “In that day …” (Ezekiel 24:26-27). “This clearly is a reference to the day of the fall of Jerusalem."[21] That was the day when God took away the desire of their eyes, their hopes, their treasures, their fortification, the lives of the vast majority of them, their pride, and their confidence. It was the most tragic day in the long and terrible history of Israel, in fact, being exceeded in shame and sorrow by only one other day in the history of mankind, that being the one in which Israel, through its chosen leaders, cried, “We have no king but Caesar! …. His blood be upon us and our children.” This concluded Ezekiel’s prophecies against Jerusalem. “There was no further need to keep repeating God’s threats and warnings. The die was cast; there remained only for Ezekiel to await the fulfillment of the predictions already made."[22]“The news of the fall of Jerusalem came to Ezekiel three years later."[23] “Until the fall of Jerusalem occurred, and Ezekiel had received the message of it’s happening, he suspended his prophecies, as far as the Jews were concerned."[24]Canon Cook’s final observations on this chapter are as follows: “For four whole years, Ezekiel had been engaged in foretelling the disasters that would happen to Jerusalem. He had been, throughout that period, utterly disregarded by the citizens of Jerusalem; and, although the captives apparently respected him, they absolutely refused to believe anything that he prophesied. Now, that the city had fallen, the voice of prophecy would cease, as far as God’s people were concerned. This accounts for the fact that the next section of the prophecy is a series relating to the neighboring nations surrounding Israel (Ezekiel 25-32). After that series, the voice of Ezekiel is again heard addressing the exiles. This explains the apparently parenthetical nature of the next eight chapters."[25]

Ezekiel 24:1

Ezekiel 24:1. The specific date of this chapter is given which is the ninth year after Ezekiel was taken to Babylon. The exact day and month of that year are also given, and on that day the siege of Jerusalem began.

Ezekiel 24:2

Ezekiel 24:2. Ezekiel was in Babylon and hence would have no knowledge of the exact movements of Nebuchadnezzar without the message from the Lord as here stated. To clarify the memory of the reader I will again state that the third stage of the 70- year captivity had not occurred, but it was about due and was to be started with a siege.

Ezekiel 24:3

Ezekiel 24:3. In illustrating what was soon to take place the people were to be impressed by a parable. This was to be done through the use of some more “ acting” as we have previously seen in the history of the prophets. Ezekiel ordered someone to put on a pot or large kettle and put water in it. Such an action would mean that some process was to be done for the purpose of boiling something. and that was in order to effect some kind of purifying. If the fleshy parts of animals are boiled the objectionable portion will come to the top in the form of scum which can then he removed.

Ezekiel 24:4

Ezekiel 24:4. The city of Jerusalem was illustrated by the pot, and the pieces put into It were men of the nation. They were to he “ boiled” or tested In order to remove the scum (wickedness) from them. Things that are physically impossible or at least highly improbable, may be supposed to happen in a parable. Thus the city of Jerusalem was the boiling pot to begin with because it was in that city where the characters were that needed to be purified by boiling. However, the actual purifying effect was to take place in Babylon, and for that particular phase of the whole transaction we must transfer the boiling vessel from Jerusalem to Babylon. In ail other respects, though, the descriptive remarks apply to Jerusalem and the citizens remaining therein and in connection with it because of the many impurities in their lives.

Ezekiel 24:5

Ezekiel 24:5. Choice of the flock means the leaders or head men of the city. The word burn is from an original that means also “to pile.” Bones is defined in the lexicon as meaning the body. The language means the pieces were to be piled round in such a way that would cause them to get the effect of the fire.

Ezekiel 24:6

Ezekiel 24:6. Bloody city, to the pot. For the explanation of this phrase see the comments on verse 4. Let no lot fall upon it. That is, make no exceptions among the pieces (the men of Jerusalem), for ail of them must be put to the test in order to have the “ scum” (wickedness) boiled out of them; all must either be killed or taken into captivity in Babylon.

Ezekiel 24:7

Ezekiel 24:7. The law of Moses (Leviticus 17:13) required that the blood of animals killed lawfully should be poured upon the ground and covered with dust. This was evidently as an act of respect, on the same principle chat a dead body is buried honorably, since the blood is the life (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:11). But these murderous adulteresses were even defiant, in their disrespect for the innocent blood they had shed. They did not give it the courtesy of being covered out of sight by being absorbed in the ground, but poured it on a rock where every drop would be visible as a glaring proclamation of their arrogance.

Ezekiel 24:8

Ezekiel 24:8, Since these wicked women thus exposed disrespectfully the blood of innocent victims, the Lord in fury decreed that their guilty blood should likewise be exposed to the public view by spreading it upon a rock.

Ezekiel 24:9

Ezekiel 24:9. The bloody city is Jerusalem and the parable of the boiling pot is again referred to. The fury of God was to be manifested by making the fire great.

Ezekiel 24:10

Ezekiel 24:10. The thought of the preceding verse is continued in this. Spice it well. This was to make it more desirable so the foe would be more greedy In devouring it.

Ezekiel 24:11

Ezekiel 24:11. Here a slight change is made in the use of the parable. The enemy is to devour the desirable pieces that have been boiled, leaving the scum in the kettle. Then the pot is to be put back on the fire that the brass (the material of which the vessel is made) may get hot again. It was then to burn the scum right into the pores of the metal and thus be consumed.

Ezekiel 24:12

Ezekiel 24:12. She (Judah) had wearied or overworked herself In her eager- nes to speak lies. This refers to the false prophecies and other misleading teaching that her outstanding men had done which had lulled the people into a state Of false security.

Ezekiel 24:13

Ezekiel 24:13. The filthy lewdness refers to her idolalry which was never to be purged out of her until it was done by the Lord in the land of captivity. Because I hare purged thee is in the sense as if it said “ for this cause (namely, thy lewdness) I will purge thee (of idolatry) in the boiling pot of national chastisement,”

Ezekiel 24:14

Ezekiel 24:14, There are no new thoughts offered in this verse, but several declarations of the determination of the Lord to carry out his threats on his unfaithful wife.

Ezekiel 24:15-16

Ezekiel 24:15-16. Here we have a case where the Lord does some “ acting” in the place of the prophet. Desire of thine eyes means something that he would desire to look upon, which it will be seen means his wife, It was doubtless a severe blow and seems regrettable that such a thing was made necessary by the cruel unfaithfulness of these wicked women. But God made a greater sacrifice when he gave his own Son to die in order to accomplish a universal benefit. And so the death of Ezekiel’ s wife was so necessary in the estimation of God that the prophet was forbidden to make any visible or audible complaint.

Ezekiel 24:17

Ezekiel 24:17. Make no mourning for the dead did not mean he was not allowed to have any feeling of grief, but that he was to make no outcry over it. In that sense he was to be dumb; not that he could not speak if occasion required. The closing expressions of the verse means he was to conduct himself in a normal manner and not act like one in mourning. Bat net the bread, of wen. When death enters a home it is customary for neighbors to relieve the family of the burden and worry of household tasks by coming in and providing the meals. Ezekiel was restricted from aocepting any such favors, because that would be an outward demonstration of mourning.

Ezekiel 24:18

Ezekiel 24:18. There are two mornings spoken of in this verse, one was on the day when God was to take away “the desire of his eyes,” the other was the morning of the next day. In the first morning Ezekiel spoke to the people about what was to happen and in the evening of that day the “ stroke” came which was the death of his wife, The next morning the prophet started his attitude of apparent indifference as he was commanded.

Ezekiel 24:19

Ezekiel 24:19. The conduct of Ezekiel was so unusual for one whose home was darkened by death, and especially by the death of one’ s companion. This caused the people to ask him for an explanation of what these things are to us.

Ezekiel 24:20

Ezekiel 24:20. The prophet replied by telling them it was according to the word of the Lord, He had to speak in order to give them such a reply, which shows that the dumbness that was attributed to him for a period of years was not a physical defect imposed upon him. He was to be dumb or silent as to making an audible complaint

Ezekiel 24:21

Ezekiel 24:21. Ezekiel continued the explanation of his strange conduct upon the death of his wife. In doing so we are given a clue as to the purpose of both the death of the prophet’ s wife and of the conduct he was directed to maintain. It was a symbol of what was to befall the people of Judah and the attitude they were to manifest. They, like the prophet, were to lose something that was dear to them namely, their capital city with its citizens. Profane my sanctuary means the holy city and temple were to be given over into the hands of the heathen who would strip them of their belongings and put a stop to the sacred ceremonies.

Ezekiel 24:22

Ezekiel 24:22. The people of Judah, like the prophet, were not to make demonstrations of grief over their loss. This was to preclude their accepting any favors from others who might be disposed to offer them, such as food and the comforts of life.

Ezekiel 24:23

Ezekiel 24:23. Tires is from retm which Strong defines, “An embellishment, i.e. fancy head-dress.” It would not usually be worn in times of distress, but these people were commanded to wear them just the same as it nothing had happened, Wot mourn nor weep had reference to the formal outward demonstrations in the sight of the general public. But they were permitted to mourn one toward another, which means they could have their grief If they (people of Judah) kept it among themselves.

Ezekiel 24:24

Ezekiel 24:24. Ezekiel is unto you a sign. This gives the key to the situation, that the misfortune of the prophet and his conduct concerning it. was to be an example of how the people of Judah were to act upon the misfortune of losing their city.

Ezekiel 24:25

Ezekiel 24:25, The preceding verse informed the people of Judah of the connection between them and Ezekiel, and this verse, addressed to the prophet, informs him when the “ sign” is to be carried out. It is to be when the Lord takes from them the desire of their eyes which we understand to be their capital city of Jerusalem,

Ezekiel 24:26

Ezekiel 24:26, He that escapes means one who escapes from Jerusalem at the time of its capture and destruction. Ezekiel will still be in Babylon when that misfortune occurs, just as he was at the time all this “acting” was being done. The one who escapes will go to Babylon and tell the prophet by word of mouth of the destruction of Jerusalem, which will have been revealed to him that same day by inspiration.

Ezekiel 24:27

Ezekiel 24:27. In that day . . . be no more dumb means that the restrictions which Ezekiel had been under, explained at verse 17, will be lifted and he will be permitted to express himself according to his feelings.