Ezekiel 24: The Boiling Pot and the Broken Heart
Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.
And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Set on a pot, 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 burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.
For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;
That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.
Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.
In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.
I the Lord 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 God.
Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on 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.
And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left 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 for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God.
Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in 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 minds, their sons and their daughters,
That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 24 marks a somber turning point, delivering a potent message of impending judgment upon Jerusalem while simultaneously revealing the personal cost of prophecy. This chapter weaves together a vivid parable and a deeply personal tragedy to underscore the severity of Judah's sin and the unyielding nature of God's justice. Let's dive into the depths of this chapter and unpack its profound implications.
A Precise Date, A Looming Disaster (Ezekiel 24:1-3)
The chapter opens with remarkable specificity: "The word of the LORD came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month" (Ezekiel 24:1). This precise dating is significant. God commanded Ezekiel to record this day because it coincided with the beginning of the final siege of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Ezekiel 24:2; compare 2 Kings 25:1). This occurred in 588 BC. The kingdom of Judah stood on the precipice of collapse. In this context, God instructs Ezekiel to present the "rebellious house" (Ezekiel 24:3) of Israel with a chilling parable: the parable of the boiling pot.
The Parable of the Boiling Pot (Ezekiel 24:4-14)
The parable centers around a pot, representing Jerusalem. Some leaders falsely assured the people that Jerusalem was a strong, secure pot, protecting its inhabitants like meat within (see Ezekiel 11:3). However, the reality was far different. God reveals that Jerusalem is not a safe haven, but a rusty pot destined for destruction. The "meat" inside – the people of Jerusalem – will not be preserved but consumed.
The rust in the pot symbolizes the ingrained sin and corruption within Jerusalem. The city had become defiled by bloodshed, and its inhabitants made no attempt to conceal their wickedness (Ezekiel 24:6-7). God would expose their crimes and fuel the fire of judgment until the pot was emptied (Ezekiel 24:9-11). Despite God’s repeated attempts to purify them, the people of Judah stubbornly clung to their uncleanness (Ezekiel 24:12-14). Therefore, no remedy remained but judgment. This parable serves as a stark warning: outward appearances of strength and security cannot mask the inner decay of sin.
A Personal Tragedy, A Prophetic Sign (Ezekiel 24:15-19)
The message takes a deeply personal and heartbreaking turn. God informs Ezekiel that He will take away "the delight of [his] eyes" (Ezekiel 24:16) – his wife – yet forbids him to mourn publicly or weep. This is a staggering command, demanding stoicism in the face of profound personal loss.
The people, observing Ezekiel's unusual behavior, were perplexed and inquired about its meaning (Ezekiel 24:18-19). They sensed that his actions held a deeper prophetic significance. Ezekiel's personal tragedy was about to become a powerful object lesson for the exiled community.
Loss and Lament: A Nation's Grief (Ezekiel 24:20-27)
Ezekiel then reveals the meaning of his actions. His personal loss mirrored the overwhelming loss that awaited the exiles: the destruction of their beloved city and the slaughter of their loved ones. The exiles, like Ezekiel, would be unable to grieve in a normal, outward way because they would be emotionally and spiritually drained by the sheer magnitude of God's judgment (Ezekiel 24:23-24).
Ezekiel reiterates the ultimate purpose of God's judgment: "Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD" (Ezekiel 24:24). Through this devastating experience, the people would come to a deeper, albeit painful, understanding of God's sovereignty and holiness. Finally, Ezekiel's silence, previously imposed by God (Ezekiel 3:25-27), would be broken when news of Jerusalem's fall arrived (Ezekiel 24:27). His mouth would be opened to speak with the messenger, signifying the fulfillment of the prophecy and the beginning of a new chapter.
Ezekiel 24 is a powerful reminder that sin has consequences, both on a personal and a national level. It also demonstrates the immense cost of obedience for those called to speak God's truth, even when it demands unimaginable personal sacrifice. The chapter serves as a sobering warning against complacency and a call to genuine repentance and faith.
Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.
And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Set on a pot, 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 burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.
For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;
That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.
Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.
In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.
I the Lord 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 God.
Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on 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.
And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left 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 for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God.
Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in 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 minds, their sons and their daughters,
That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 24 marks a somber turning point, delivering a potent message of impending judgment upon Jerusalem while simultaneously revealing the personal cost of prophecy. This chapter weaves together a vivid parable and a deeply personal tragedy to underscore the severity of Judah's sin and the unyielding nature of God's justice. Let's dive into the depths of this chapter and unpack its profound implications.
A Precise Date, A Looming Disaster (Ezekiel 24:1-3)
The chapter opens with remarkable specificity: "The word of the LORD came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month" (Ezekiel 24:1). This precise dating is significant. God commanded Ezekiel to record this day because it coincided with the beginning of the final siege of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Ezekiel 24:2; compare 2 Kings 25:1). This occurred in 588 BC. The kingdom of Judah stood on the precipice of collapse. In this context, God instructs Ezekiel to present the "rebellious house" (Ezekiel 24:3) of Israel with a chilling parable: the parable of the boiling pot.
The Parable of the Boiling Pot (Ezekiel 24:4-14)
The parable centers around a pot, representing Jerusalem. Some leaders falsely assured the people that Jerusalem was a strong, secure pot, protecting its inhabitants like meat within (see Ezekiel 11:3). However, the reality was far different. God reveals that Jerusalem is not a safe haven, but a rusty pot destined for destruction. The "meat" inside – the people of Jerusalem – will not be preserved but consumed.
The rust in the pot symbolizes the ingrained sin and corruption within Jerusalem. The city had become defiled by bloodshed, and its inhabitants made no attempt to conceal their wickedness (Ezekiel 24:6-7). God would expose their crimes and fuel the fire of judgment until the pot was emptied (Ezekiel 24:9-11). Despite God’s repeated attempts to purify them, the people of Judah stubbornly clung to their uncleanness (Ezekiel 24:12-14). Therefore, no remedy remained but judgment. This parable serves as a stark warning: outward appearances of strength and security cannot mask the inner decay of sin.
A Personal Tragedy, A Prophetic Sign (Ezekiel 24:15-19)
The message takes a deeply personal and heartbreaking turn. God informs Ezekiel that He will take away "the delight of [his] eyes" (Ezekiel 24:16) – his wife – yet forbids him to mourn publicly or weep. This is a staggering command, demanding stoicism in the face of profound personal loss.
The people, observing Ezekiel's unusual behavior, were perplexed and inquired about its meaning (Ezekiel 24:18-19). They sensed that his actions held a deeper prophetic significance. Ezekiel's personal tragedy was about to become a powerful object lesson for the exiled community.
Loss and Lament: A Nation's Grief (Ezekiel 24:20-27)
Ezekiel then reveals the meaning of his actions. His personal loss mirrored the overwhelming loss that awaited the exiles: the destruction of their beloved city and the slaughter of their loved ones. The exiles, like Ezekiel, would be unable to grieve in a normal, outward way because they would be emotionally and spiritually drained by the sheer magnitude of God's judgment (Ezekiel 24:23-24).
Ezekiel reiterates the ultimate purpose of God's judgment: "Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD" (Ezekiel 24:24). Through this devastating experience, the people would come to a deeper, albeit painful, understanding of God's sovereignty and holiness. Finally, Ezekiel's silence, previously imposed by God (Ezekiel 3:25-27), would be broken when news of Jerusalem's fall arrived (Ezekiel 24:27). His mouth would be opened to speak with the messenger, signifying the fulfillment of the prophecy and the beginning of a new chapter.
Ezekiel 24 is a powerful reminder that sin has consequences, both on a personal and a national level. It also demonstrates the immense cost of obedience for those called to speak God's truth, even when it demands unimaginable personal sacrifice. The chapter serves as a sobering warning against complacency and a call to genuine repentance and faith.