1 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,
2 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.
3 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:
4 Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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;
8 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.
9 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
10 Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.
11 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.
12 She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.
13 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.
14 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.
15 Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
16 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.
17 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.
18 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.
19 And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
20 Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
21 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.
22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
23 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.
24 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.
25 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,
26 That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
27 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.
The 24th chapter of the book of Ezekiel, in the King James Version of the Holy Bible, presents a significant turning point in the prophetic ministry of Ezekiel. This chapter is a culmination of the prophet's message of impending judgment and the beginning of his ministry of comfort and hope. It is a chapter that serves as an epitome of Ezekiel's prophetic role and his personal life, which are inextricably intertwined.
The chapter begins with a specific date marking the commencement of the siege of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. This specificity in dating is an indication of the significance of the event to the people of Israel and to Ezekiel. The date serves as a timestamp for the fulfillment of the prophecies of judgment that Ezekiel had been proclaiming. It is a clear indicator that the time of reckoning had indeed come for Jerusalem.
In this chapter, Ezekiel uses the parable of the cooking pot to convey the severity of the judgment that is to come upon Jerusalem. The city is likened to a pot filled with meat, which is set on a fire until its contents are consumed, and the pot is left empty and scorched. The metaphor illustrates the comprehensive and destructive nature of the judgment. The meat represents the people of Jerusalem, and the fire symbolizes the divine judgment. The empty and scorched pot signifies the desolation and ruin that will be left in the wake of the judgment.
Ezekiel emphasizes the thoroughness of the judgment by stating that the pot will not be removed from the fire until its rust has been burned away. This implies that the judgment will not cease until the sin and corruption that have permeated Jerusalem have been completely eradicated. The divine judgment is therefore portrayed as a purifying process, a necessary means to restore the moral and spiritual integrity of the city.
The second part of the chapter takes a deeply personal turn as Ezekiel experiences the loss of his beloved wife, the delight of his eyes. God informs Ezekiel of her impending death but instructs him not to mourn publicly, as was the custom. Instead, Ezekiel is to continue with his daily routines and prophetic duties. This unusual command is intended to serve as a sign to the people of Israel, a living illustration of the numbness and desolation they will experience when Jerusalem falls.
Ezekiel's obedience to this difficult command demonstrates his commitment to his prophetic calling, even in the face of personal grief. His personal loss becomes a part of his prophetic message, a poignant reminder of the impending loss the people of Israel will face. It is a vivid demonstration of the prophet's role as a sign and a warning to his people.
The people of Israel, intrigued by Ezekiel's unusual response to his wife's death, inquire about its meaning. Ezekiel explains that his actions are a sign of how they will react when the news of Jerusalem's fall reaches them. They will be so shocked and numbed by the devastation that they will not mourn or weep, but will waste away in their iniquity and groan to one another.
In this way, Ezekiel's personal grief and his unusual response to it become a prophetic symbol of the collective trauma and despair that the people of Israel will experience. This shows the extent to which Ezekiel's personal life is intertwined with his prophetic ministry. His personal experiences serve as living parables of the messages he is called to deliver.
The chapter concludes with the command that Ezekiel will be mute until the day the news of Jerusalem's fall reaches him. This is a significant shift in Ezekiel's prophetic ministry. After years of proclaiming judgment, he is to remain silent until the prophecy is fulfilled. His silence is symbolic of the end of warnings and the commencement of the judgment.
However, his silence also marks the transition from his ministry of judgment to his ministry of comfort and hope. Once the news of Jerusalem's fall reaches him, he will speak again, but this time, his message will be one of consolation and hope for the future restoration of Israel.
In conclusion, the 24th chapter of Ezekiel presents a profound intertwining of the prophet's personal life and his prophetic ministry. His personal experiences serve as living parables of the messages he is called to proclaim. The chapter marks a significant turning point in his ministry, from a focus on impending judgment to a message of hope and restoration. It is a chapter that embodies the essence of Ezekiel's prophetic role - a sign and a warning to his people, a bearer of divine judgment, and a harbinger of divine comfort and hope.
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