#1159 Ezekiel 24 Take The Delight Of Your Eyes

 

In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. 3 And utter a parable to the rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:

“Set on the pot, set it on;

pour in water also;

4 put in it the pieces of meat,

all the good pieces, the thigh and the shoulder;

fill it with choice bones.

5 Take the choicest one of the flock;

pile the logs under it;

boil it well;

seethe also its bones in it.

6 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose corrosion is in it, and whose corrosion has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece, without making any choice. 7 For the blood she has shed is in her midst; she put it on the bare rock; she did not pour it out on the ground to cover it with dust. 8 To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance, I have set on the bare rock the blood she has shed, that it may not be covered. 9 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great. 10 Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the bones be burned up. 11 Then set it empty upon the coals, that it may become hot, and its copper may burn, that its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion consumed. 12 She has wearied herself with toil; its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion! 13 On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, you shall not be cleansed anymore till I have satisfied my fury upon you. 14 I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.”

Ezekiel's Wife Dies

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.” 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded.

19 And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?” 20 Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: 21 ‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. 22 And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. 23 Your turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another. 24 Thus shall Ezekiel be to you a sign; according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then you will know that I am the Lord God.’

25 “As for you, son of man, surely on the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul's desire, and also their sons and daughters, 26 on that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news. 27 On that day your mouth will be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 24 ESV

Ezekiel 24 The Siege Of Jerusalem & Ezekiel Loses His Wife

1-14. Write down the name of this day - There are days that get branded forever upon the mind, like December 7th, 1941, or for the Japanese, Aug. 6th, 1945, when America answered them with the bomb on Hiroshima. 9/11/2001, even if you don't remember the year, those of us who watched the news that day still carry that impression. This is the end of a long era in the promised land, the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem which will lead to starvation, disease, the sword, capture, and the destruction of their most holy place, the temple, which they fail to realize has already watched the glory of God depart. 

“It is also known from Zechariah 8:19 that this date became a fast for the exiles, as commemorating one of the critical days in the fall of the holy city.” (Taylor)

Set on the pot - This is the siege, not a hunting trip, not regiments engaged in the open field, but a city that becomes the pot, and it's inhabitants the meat for this stew. This is the feast set before the cooks of Babylon. It is a matter of waiting till the meat is cooked.

Whose corrosion has not gone out of it - It is like a cast iron pot, but copper it is called here, that has not been seasoned and cared for, so it is rusted. This is a reflection on the cities elders, king, priests and other leadership, that have not upheld righteousness or rule of order. 

Without making any choice - Nothing was held back for the priest, all was considered the same, no piece honored above another. 

“The people of Jerusalem may have thought they were choice cuts, but as far as Ezekiel is concerned they were unfit for consumption; no lot would fall on Jerusalem.” (Block)

For the blood she has shed - Not even an animal was to be left uncovered in this way, and like the blood of Abel so does the blood of Jerusalem's martyrs cry out, for this was an abomination. They thought little of the lives of others, seeing their lives as in the way. The stranger was an easy target for them, for no one knew them, their children, for they were small and helpless, the prophets, because they had the unfortunate job of saying what was disagreeable to this murderous lot. Their bodies were handled with little care, their blood spilled without just reason, so now those of Jerusalem would know the same, either they would die and not be mourned, or they would watch others die and have no time to bury or mourn their dead. 

…20Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves a little while until the wrath has passed. 21For 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 26: 20-21

Then set it empty upon the coals - They didn't clean it themselves, they didn't season it, so now others have been brought in to insure the uncleanness is burned away.

According to your ways and deeds - She was lewd, murderous, greedy for gain, and at the price of integrity, so her captors are just like her, yet they are without the instruction that she has long received. As long as her ways and deeds continue, so long shall her time upon the coals be, you must repent. The sinner never stops sinning, and God is infinitely opposed to sin, and such is hell.

“A word that denominates the worst kinds of impurity; adultery, incest, &c., and the purpose, wish, design, and ardent desire to do these things. Hers were not accidental sins, they were abominations by design.” (Clarke)

19Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.… Matthew 6: 19-21

…41The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. 42And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.… Matthew 13: 41-43

…48When it was full, the men pulled it ashore. Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away. 49So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous, 50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.… Matthew 13: 48-50

…47And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.’ 49For everyone will be salted with fire.… Mark 9: 47-49

15-27 The delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke - Wow! However precious Ezekiel's own life was to him, this was more, the very spark of his eye, the creature that made captivity bearable, his most precious, the main thing he had of this world's good, his better half of this whole, her. His is a terrible calling as it is, that of doom, not well received, mocked by his listeners, and now the only sweet thing a prophet has to look forward to when he goes home from these hecklers, will be taken in an instant. 

…11Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? 12And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4: 11-12

…21Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. 22He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD. Proverbs 18: 21-22

…24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her 26to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,… Ephesians 5: 24-26

Yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall tears run down - Are you kidding me? He tells him he is going to take his wife, and that good thing must now seem better to have not known. It would be far superior to be as Paul, rather than like Peter or the other disciples, God, he must think, anything but her, I am supposed to give my life for hers, and on top of that you tell me I am not to mourn or shed a tear. God told Jeremiah not to marry, and that seems more fair, but He will not test a man beyond what he is able. "Oh, dear God, this puts quite a test upon our relationship, every other temptation is outside of me, but this goes to my very heart, my love, and the devil is already tempting me to say that You are somehow unjust in this. I mean I read about Aaron's response when you took his two sons, Nadab and Abihu, help me, please help me, I don't know what to say."

36A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.…

39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 40He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. 41Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.… Matthew 10: 36-41

…28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.… Matthew 19: 28-30

…2So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD. 3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.’” But Aaron remained silent. 4Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry the bodies of your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.”… Leviticus 10: 2-4

Next morning I did as I was commanded - His wife died as God said, and like Job, who lost his children, he did not curse God. 

“By this time the captives were familiar enough with Ezekiel’s methodology to realize that the absence of emotion at the death of his beloved wife must have some prophetic meaning. They therefore asked the prophet to explain his conduct.” (Smith)

According to all that he has done, you shall do - What is left of a man after the hunger of a siege, eating his children, going about with unquenched thirst? Has he water to make tears, strength to cry out, or has that all been spent, pissed and screamed away already? Ezekiel has to hold his grief to demonstrate the response that will come most naturally to them. They have nothing left when left to themselves. They have brutally and unsparingly taken from others, so will they now repent or curse God and die?

“They would experience a grief which is beyond tears, a despondency which could not be expressed with outward acts.… The only outward expression which would be heard among them would be a quiet moan.” (Smith)

A fugitive will come - He will confirm what Ezekiel has told them, and the prophet will wait in silence till he comes. And they will know that God is the Lord. 

“His ministry would change. He would be able to comfort and encourage them with words of hope rather than oracles of doom and stony silence. This prophet who previously had been so negative would become at that time the great encourager.” (Smith)