Ezekiel 24 Study Notes: The Boiling Pot and Ezekiel's Loss
On the day Babylon begins its siege of Jerusalem, God likens the city to a rusted pot set on the fire for its bloodshed. Ezekiel is told not to mourn openly when his wife dies, a sign that God will profane the temple, and his silence will end when a survivor brings the news.
General
Why does the LORD say the blood Jerusalem shed was left lying on bare rock instead of being covered with dust (Ezekiel 24:7-8)?
Answer: So it would stay in view and call for His justice
The LORD pronounces woe on Jerusalem as a city full of bloodshed and compares her to a pot caked with rust that cannot be scrubbed away (24:6). Blood had been shed in her, and she did not even try to hide it: she spilled it onto bare stone rather than on the ground where dust could cover it (24:7). The Law required that even the blood of a hunted animal be covered with dirt (Leviticus 17:13), yet the city left human blood lying in the open. So the LORD Himself left her blood lying exposed on the stone, uncovered, to rouse His wrath and bring about His just punishment (24:8). This recalls Abel’s blood crying out to God from the ground (Genesis 4:10), and Isaiah’s word that the earth will uncover the blood shed on it when the LORD comes to punish (Isaiah 26:21).
- Ezekiel 24:6 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now rusted, whose rust will not come off! Empty it piece by piece; cast no lots for its contents.”The LORD pronounces woe on the city of bloodshed, pictured as a pot whose rust will not come off.
- Ezekiel 24:7-8 (BSB)“For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust. In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have placed her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.’”Jerusalem left the blood she shed exposed on bare rock, and the LORD leaves it uncovered to call forth His judgment.
- Leviticus 17:13 (BSB)“And if any Israelite or foreigner living among them hunts down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten, he must drain its blood and cover it with dirt.”The Law required even an animal’s blood to be drained and covered with dirt.
- Genesis 4:10 (BSB)““What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.”Abel’s shed blood is said to cry out to the LORD from the ground.
- Isaiah 26:21 (BSB)“For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.”Isaiah says that when the LORD comes to punish, the earth will no longer hide the blood shed on it.
Theological
What purpose does the LORD give for leaving Jerusalem’s shed blood lying exposed on bare rock (Ezekiel 24:7-8)?
Answer: So it would stay in view and call for His justice
Jerusalem, a city marked by bloodshed, is likened to a corroded pot whose crust cannot be removed (24:6). Her bloodguilt is open and unashamed: she poured the blood out on bare rock rather than onto soil where dust could hide it (24:7), whereas the Law required even the blood of game to be covered with earth (Leviticus 17:13). The LORD therefore leaves it exposed on the stone, where it stirs up His wrath and calls for vengeance (24:8). Uncovered blood functions as a standing testimony before God, as Abel’s blood cried out from the ground (Genesis 4:10) and as the earth will disclose its slain when the LORD comes to judge (Isaiah 26:21).
- Ezekiel 24:6 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now rusted, whose rust will not come off! Empty it piece by piece; cast no lots for its contents.”The LORD pronounces woe on the city of bloodshed, pictured as a pot whose rust will not come off.
- Ezekiel 24:7-8 (BSB)“For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust. In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have placed her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.’”Jerusalem left the blood she shed exposed on bare rock, and the LORD leaves it uncovered to call forth His judgment.
- Leviticus 17:13 (BSB)“And if any Israelite or foreigner living among them hunts down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten, he must drain its blood and cover it with dirt.”The Law required even an animal’s blood to be drained and covered with dirt.
- Genesis 4:10 (BSB)““What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.”Abel’s shed blood is said to cry out to the LORD from the ground.
- Isaiah 26:21 (BSB)“For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.”Isaiah says that when the LORD comes to punish, the earth will no longer hide the blood shed on it.
General
When the LORD told Ezekiel He would take from him the desire of his eyes, what did He command him to do (Ezekiel 24:16-17)?
Answer: Grieve in silence and hold back outward mourning
The LORD told Ezekiel that He was about to take from him, by a deadly stroke, the one who was the desire of his eyes (24:16). Ezekiel was not to weep openly or carry out the usual customs of mourning. He was to keep his turban on his head and his sandals on his feet, not cover his lips, and not eat the customary meal of those in mourning, though he could groan quietly (24:16-17). Ezekiel gave the people his message that morning, his wife died that evening, and on the following morning he did as he had been commanded (24:18). The LORD speaks of the death as His own act, and He calls her the desire of Ezekiel’s eyes; the prophet’s grief was real, though he was to groan quietly rather than mourn aloud. Ezekiel’s private sorrow became part of his message. Jeremiah was likewise told not to go into a house of mourning as a warning for the people (Jeremiah 16:5), and Ezekiel had already been made a sign for Israel by what he did (Ezekiel 12:6).
- Ezekiel 24:16-17 (BSB)““Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.””The LORD tells Ezekiel he will lose the one he cherished and must not mourn openly, though he may groan quietly.
- Ezekiel 24:18 (BSB)“So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded.”Ezekiel’s wife dies that evening, and the next morning he obeys the LORD’s command.
- Jeremiah 16:5 (BSB)“Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal. Do not go to mourn or show sympathy, for I have removed from this people My peace, My loving devotion, and My compassion,” declares the LORD.”Jeremiah was also told to stay away from a house of mourning as a sign of judgment on the people.
- Ezekiel 12:6 (BSB)“And as they watch, lift your bags to your shoulder and take them out at dusk; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.””Earlier the LORD had made Ezekiel’s own actions a sign to the house of Israel.
Theological
When the LORD announced that He would take from Ezekiel the desire of his eyes, what did He require of him (Ezekiel 24:16-17)?
Answer: Grieve in silence and hold back outward mourning
The LORD announces that He will take from Ezekiel, by a deadly stroke, the desire of his eyes (24:16), and forbids the ordinary rites of grief: no weeping or lament, turban and sandals kept on, lips uncovered, no bread of mourners, only quiet groaning (24:16-17). Ezekiel addresses the people at dawn, his wife dies that evening, and the following morning he obeys (24:18). The death is ascribed plainly to the LORD’s hand, yet He names her the desire of the prophet’s eyes, and the grief is real even though it must be kept to quiet groaning. The prophet’s bereavement is taken up into his office as a sign, comparable to Jeremiah’s being barred from the house of mourning as a sign to Judah (Jeremiah 16:5), and continuing the pattern by which Ezekiel’s own conduct was made a sign to Israel (Ezekiel 12:6).
- Ezekiel 24:16-17 (BSB)““Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.””The LORD tells Ezekiel he will lose the one he cherished and must not mourn openly, though he may groan quietly.
- Ezekiel 24:18 (BSB)“So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded.”Ezekiel’s wife dies that evening, and the next morning he obeys the LORD’s command.
- Jeremiah 16:5 (BSB)“Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal. Do not go to mourn or show sympathy, for I have removed from this people My peace, My loving devotion, and My compassion,” declares the LORD.”Jeremiah was also told to stay away from a house of mourning as a sign of judgment on the people.
- Ezekiel 12:6 (BSB)“And as they watch, lift your bags to your shoulder and take them out at dusk; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.””Earlier the LORD had made Ezekiel’s own actions a sign to the house of Israel.
General
What did the LORD say would happen to Ezekiel on the day a survivor came to tell him the news (Ezekiel 24:25-27)?
Answer: He would be silent no more but would speak freely
The LORD told Ezekiel that when He took away the people’s fortress, the delight they longed to see, along with their children, a survivor who had escaped would come and bring him the news (24:25-26). On that day Ezekiel’s mouth would be opened and he would speak again, mute no longer (mute means unable to speak) (24:27). From the time of his call, the LORD had kept Ezekiel silent except when He opened his mouth to give him a message (Ezekiel 3:26-27). This promise came true later: when a survivor from Jerusalem arrived to report that the city had been taken, the LORD laid His hand on Ezekiel on the previous evening and opened his mouth before that man reached him the next morning (Ezekiel 33:21-22). In this way, too, Ezekiel would be a sign, and the people would know that He is the LORD (24:27).
- Ezekiel 24:25-27 (BSB)“And you, son of man, know that on the day I take away their stronghold, their pride and joy—the desire of their eyes which uplifted their souls—and their sons and daughters as well, on that day a fugitive will come and tell you the news. On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.””On the day a survivor brings the news, Ezekiel will be able to speak again.
- Ezekiel 3:26-27 (BSB)“I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.”At his call the LORD made Ezekiel unable to speak except when He opened his mouth to give His word.
- Ezekiel 33:21-22 (BSB)“In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!” Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.”When the survivor from Jerusalem arrived with news of the city’s capture, the LORD opened Ezekiel’s mouth.
Theological
What change did the LORD announce for Ezekiel on the day a fugitive arrived with the news (Ezekiel 24:25-27)?
Answer: He would be silent no more but would speak freely
The LORD tells Ezekiel that when He takes away the people’s stronghold, their joy and what their eyes longed for, together with their children, an escaped survivor will bring him the report (24:25-26). On that day his silence will end and he will speak freely (24:27). Since his commissioning, the LORD had restricted Ezekiel’s speech to the occasions when He opened his mouth with His word (Ezekiel 3:26-27). The fulfillment is recorded later: the LORD laid His hand on the prophet on the previous evening and opened his mouth before the escaped man arrived the next morning with news of the city’s fall (Ezekiel 33:21-22). Ezekiel’s silence and its ending are themselves part of the sign, so that the people will know that He is the LORD (24:27).
- Ezekiel 24:25-27 (BSB)“And you, son of man, know that on the day I take away their stronghold, their pride and joy—the desire of their eyes which uplifted their souls—and their sons and daughters as well, on that day a fugitive will come and tell you the news. On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.””On the day a survivor brings the news, Ezekiel will be able to speak again.
- Ezekiel 3:26-27 (BSB)“I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.”At his call the LORD made Ezekiel unable to speak except when He opened his mouth to give His word.
- Ezekiel 33:21-22 (BSB)“In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!” Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.”When the survivor from Jerusalem arrived with news of the city’s capture, the LORD opened Ezekiel’s mouth.
General
True or False: When the empty pot was heated on the coals, its thick rust finally came off (Ezekiel 24:11-12).
Answer: False
This is false. The empty pot was set on the coals until its copper glowed, so that its impurity would melt and its rust be burned away (24:11). But the pot frustrated every effort, and its thick rust did not come off, not even in the fire (24:12). The LORD explains the picture: He had tried to cleanse Jerusalem, but she would not be made clean from her filth, and she would not be clean again until His anger against her had run its course (24:13). He would act without holding back or changing His mind, judging her according to her ways and deeds (24:14). Jeremiah uses similar pictures: washing with soap cannot remove the stain of guilt (Jeremiah 2:22), and the refining fire fails to remove the wicked (Jeremiah 6:29-30). Ezekiel later shows where real cleansing comes from: the LORD Himself promises to wash His people clean from their impurities and idols (Ezekiel 36:25).
- Ezekiel 24:11-12 (BSB)“Set the empty pot on its coals until it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt within; its rust will be consumed. It has frustrated every effort; its thick rust has not been removed, even by the fire.”The empty pot is heated to burn away its impurity, yet its heavy rust still does not come off.
- Ezekiel 24:13-14 (BSB)“Because of the indecency of your uncleanness I tried to cleanse you, but you would not be purified from your filthiness. You will not be pure again until My wrath against you has subsided. I, the LORD, have spoken; the time is coming, and I will act. I will not refrain or show pity, nor will I relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds,’ declares the Lord GOD.””The LORD tried to cleanse the city but she refused, so He will act in judgment without relenting.
- Jeremiah 2:22 (BSB)“Although you wash with lye and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.”No amount of washing can remove the stain of guilt that stays before the LORD.
- Jeremiah 6:29-30 (BSB)“The bellows blow fiercely, blasting away the lead with fire. The refining proceeds in vain, for the wicked are not purged. They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.””Jeremiah pictures a refining fire that fails to purge the wicked.
- Ezekiel 36:25 (BSB)“I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.”Later in Ezekiel the LORD promises that He Himself will cleanse His people from their impurity and idols.
Theological
True or False: Heating the pot, once emptied, over the coals finally removed its thick rust (Ezekiel 24:11-12).
Answer: False
This is false. The empty pot is set on the coals to glow, so that its impurity may melt and its corrosion be consumed (24:11), yet it defeats every effort and its heavy rust remains even in the fire (24:12). The LORD applies the figure: He sought to cleanse Jerusalem, but she refused to be made pure, and she will not be clean until His wrath has run its course; He will not relent but will judge her according to her ways and deeds (24:13-14). The image exposes the persistence of sin that no outward process can remove, as in Jeremiah’s stain that lye cannot wash out (Jeremiah 2:22) and the refining that fails to purge the wicked (Jeremiah 6:29-30). Ezekiel later locates true cleansing in the LORD’s own sovereign act of sprinkling His people clean from their impurities and idols (Ezekiel 36:25).
- Ezekiel 24:11-12 (BSB)“Set the empty pot on its coals until it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt within; its rust will be consumed. It has frustrated every effort; its thick rust has not been removed, even by the fire.”The empty pot is heated to burn away its impurity, yet its heavy rust still does not come off.
- Ezekiel 24:13-14 (BSB)“Because of the indecency of your uncleanness I tried to cleanse you, but you would not be purified from your filthiness. You will not be pure again until My wrath against you has subsided. I, the LORD, have spoken; the time is coming, and I will act. I will not refrain or show pity, nor will I relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds,’ declares the Lord GOD.””The LORD tried to cleanse the city but she refused, so He will act in judgment without relenting.
- Jeremiah 2:22 (BSB)“Although you wash with lye and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.”No amount of washing can remove the stain of guilt that stays before the LORD.
- Jeremiah 6:29-30 (BSB)“The bellows blow fiercely, blasting away the lead with fire. The refining proceeds in vain, for the wicked are not purged. They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.””Jeremiah pictures a refining fire that fails to purge the wicked.
- Ezekiel 36:25 (BSB)“I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.”Later in Ezekiel the LORD promises that He Himself will cleanse His people from their impurity and idols.
General
Why did the LORD tell Ezekiel to write down the date of this message (Ezekiel 24:1-2)?
Answer: That day Babylon’s king began besieging Jerusalem
The LORD told Ezekiel, who was living among the exiles far away in Babylon, to write down the date, because on that very day Babylon’s king had begun his siege of Jerusalem (24:1-2). A siege is when an army surrounds a city and cuts it off until it gives up or falls. Kings records the same event: Nebuchadnezzar’s army camped around Jerusalem and built siege works against it (2 Kings 25:1). The LORD then gave a parable, a story that pictures a truth, for His rebellious people. A pot is set on the fire, filled with water and the best pieces of meat and bones, and brought to a boil (24:3-5). Earlier, Jerusalem’s leaders had used this same picture, calling the city the pot and themselves the meat (Ezekiel 11:3). Now the LORD uses it to show the city under fire in judgment.
- Ezekiel 24:2 (BSB)““Son of man, write down today’s date, for on this very day the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem.”Ezekiel is told to record the date because the siege of Jerusalem began that very day.
- Ezekiel 24:3-5 (BSB)“Now speak a parable to this rebellious house and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Put the pot on the fire; put it on and pour in the water. Put in the pieces of meat, every good piece—thigh and shoulder—fill it with choice bones. Take the choicest of the flock and pile the fuel beneath it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.’”The LORD gives a parable of a pot filled with choice meat and bones and brought to a boil.
- 2 Kings 25:1 (BSB)“So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.”The parallel account in Kings records Nebuchadnezzar’s army setting up its siege around Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 11:3 (BSB)“They are saying, ‘Is not the time near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat.’”Jerusalem’s leaders had earlier spoken of the city as a cooking pot and themselves as the meat.
Theological
What reason does the LORD give for having Ezekiel record the date of this oracle (Ezekiel 24:1-2)?
Answer: That day Babylon’s king began besieging Jerusalem
Ezekiel, among the exiles in Babylon, is commanded to record the day because Babylon’s king began the siege of Jerusalem that same day (24:1-2), the same event recorded in Kings when Nebuchadnezzar camped against Jerusalem and surrounded it with siege works (2 Kings 25:1). The LORD then directs a parable to the rebellious house: a pot set on the fire, filled with the choicest cuts and bones and brought to a boil (24:3-5). The image takes up the saying of Jerusalem’s leaders, who had called the city the pot and themselves the meat (Ezekiel 11:3). What they spoke of in confidence the LORD turns into a figure of the city’s judgment under siege.
- Ezekiel 24:2 (BSB)““Son of man, write down today’s date, for on this very day the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem.”Ezekiel is told to record the date because the siege of Jerusalem began that very day.
- Ezekiel 24:3-5 (BSB)“Now speak a parable to this rebellious house and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Put the pot on the fire; put it on and pour in the water. Put in the pieces of meat, every good piece—thigh and shoulder—fill it with choice bones. Take the choicest of the flock and pile the fuel beneath it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.’”The LORD gives a parable of a pot filled with choice meat and bones and brought to a boil.
- 2 Kings 25:1 (BSB)“So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.”The parallel account in Kings records Nebuchadnezzar’s army setting up its siege around Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 11:3 (BSB)“They are saying, ‘Is not the time near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat.’”Jerusalem’s leaders had earlier spoken of the city as a cooking pot and themselves as the meat.
General
When the people asked what Ezekiel’s behavior meant, what did the LORD say He was about to profane (Ezekiel 24:21)?
Answer: His sanctuary, which the people prized and boasted in
Seeing that Ezekiel did not mourn, the people asked him what his actions meant for them (24:19). The LORD’s answer was that He was about to desecrate His sanctuary, the temple in Jerusalem, which was the pride of their strength, the thing they loved to look at and treasured most, and that the children they had left behind there would die by the sword (24:21). When that news came, the exiles would do just as Ezekiel had done: they would not carry out the customs of mourning, but would pine away in their sins and groan among themselves (24:22-23). Ezekiel was a sign for them, and when it happened they would know that He is the Lord GOD (24:24). The people had put their confidence in the temple itself. Jeremiah warned them not to trust in empty words about the temple (Jeremiah 7:4), and said the LORD would do to that house what He had done to Shiloh (Jeremiah 7:14). Lamentations mourns that the Lord rejected His altar and abandoned His sanctuary (Lamentations 2:7).
- Ezekiel 24:21 (BSB)“Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’”The LORD will profane His sanctuary, the people’s pride and delight, and their children left behind will fall by the sword.
- Ezekiel 24:22-24 (BSB)“Then you will do as I have done: You will not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners. Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan among yourselves. ‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”The exiles will respond as Ezekiel did, wasting away in their sins, and Ezekiel is a sign to them.
- Jeremiah 7:4 (BSB)“Do not trust in deceptive words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’”Jeremiah warned the people not to rest their hopes on slogans about the temple.
- Jeremiah 7:14 (BSB)“therefore what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears My Name, the house in which you trust, the place that I gave to you and your fathers.”The LORD said He would do to the house the people trusted in what He had done to Shiloh.
- Lamentations 2:7 (BSB)“The Lord has rejected His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast.”The lament over Jerusalem says the Lord rejected His altar and abandoned His sanctuary.
Theological
In explaining Ezekiel’s sign, what does the LORD say He is about to desecrate (Ezekiel 24:21)?
Answer: His sanctuary, which the people prized and boasted in
The people ask what Ezekiel’s refusal to mourn signifies for them (24:19). The LORD answers that He will profane His own sanctuary, which He describes as their proud strength and the object of their deepest longing, and that the children left behind in Jerusalem will die by the sword (24:21). The exiles will then act as Ezekiel did, forgoing the rites of mourning while wasting away in their iniquities and groaning among themselves; Ezekiel is a sign, and its fulfillment will bring them to know that He is the Lord GOD (24:22-24). The temple had become an object of misplaced confidence. Jeremiah rebuked trust in the slogan of the temple (Jeremiah 7:4) and warned that the house they relied on would share Shiloh’s fate (Jeremiah 7:14), and Lamentations confesses that the Lord Himself abandoned His sanctuary (Lamentations 2:7). God’s presence is not bound to a building that His people defile.
- Ezekiel 24:21 (BSB)“Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’”The LORD will profane His sanctuary, the people’s pride and delight, and their children left behind will fall by the sword.
- Ezekiel 24:22-24 (BSB)“Then you will do as I have done: You will not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners. Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan among yourselves. ‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”The exiles will respond as Ezekiel did, wasting away in their sins, and Ezekiel is a sign to them.
- Jeremiah 7:4 (BSB)“Do not trust in deceptive words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’”Jeremiah warned the people not to rest their hopes on slogans about the temple.
- Jeremiah 7:14 (BSB)“therefore what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears My Name, the house in which you trust, the place that I gave to you and your fathers.”The LORD said He would do to the house the people trusted in what He had done to Shiloh.
- Lamentations 2:7 (BSB)“The Lord has rejected His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast.”The lament over Jerusalem says the Lord rejected His altar and abandoned His sanctuary.