Ezekiel 24:15

Ezekiel 24:15 says, Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,  

Verse sixteen adds, 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.  God said that Ezekiel's wife was going to die, but he was not to mourn for her.  This seems like strange advice, but even though a spouse is a great comfort when both are living in accordance with God’s word and under His leadership, if one of the two passes away, we shouldn’t allow that to stop us from worshipping God and doing what He has called us to do.  

Verse seventeen continues, 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.  God said Ezekiel was to continue to live his life as he had before. I believe that not eating the bread of men refers to not relying on his neighbors to now provide for him but continuing to put his faith in God to provide for his needs.  There is nothing wrong with people bringing food to a person or even a family when they have a loved one die, but this is not something that a person or family should start to expect.  As Christians, we should still continue to put our faith in God and continue do what He has called us to do.  We should never question or blame God if a spouse dies, since this is what God was talking about with Ezekiel, but it applies to family members as well I believe.  

Verse eighteen states, 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 said he spoke to the people in the morning and that evening his wife died.  God had given him warning that this was going to happen, and we may not always have such a warning, but it doesn‘t change how we should react toward God.  Ezekiel said he then did as God had commanded him to do, and if we lose a spouse, we must still do whatever God has called us to do.  

Verse nineteen adds, And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?  The people around Ezekiel questioned why he was doing what he was doing.  They expected him to be in mourning for a certain period of time, and he wasn’t.  Since he wasn’t, they were very curious about why he was not.  If we are following God’s commands to us, there may be time when people will question our actions, but we can never allow that to stop us from doing what He has commanded us to do.

Ezekiel 24:9

Ezekiel 24:9 says, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.  God once again was to have Ezekiel pronounce woe on the people of Jerusalem and said He would make them a pile for a great fire.  This was based on their disobedience and refusal to repent and return to obeying God. There is a great fire prepared for those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, and God will allow them to go there forever if they do not accept His gift of salvation, but it will always be their choice.  Matthew Henry says this judgment was for both Israel and Judah, but it only specifies Jerusalem.  I do know that they both met the same fate of being completely destroyed.

Verse ten adds, Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.  God told Ezekiel that he was to heap wood on the fire to make it hot enough to even consume the bones.  Of course, even if the body is completely consumed, the spirit will live on forever, and those sent away to everlasting punishment because of their refusal to accept God's gift of salvation will wish they could just burn away to nothing.  What happens to the body is unimportant, but what happens to the soul is the important thing.  

Verse eleven continues, 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.  God said that the apostasy of Judah was going to lead them to be completely destroyed as a nation, just as Israel had before them.  Even though the two tribes of Judah remained faithful to God longer than the ten tribes of Israel, both ultimately became totally corrupt, and God was going to burn away all this corruption.  We cannot justify ourselves based on whether or not we are better than some other group of people if we are not living in obedience to God’s word.    

Verse twelve states, She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.  God said that since the people of Judah had believed the lies of the world and had started worshipping idols instead of worshipping Him, that He was going to burn away their scum.  The scum that God spoke of was the people of Judah putting their faith in Assyria and worshipping their gods instead of remaining true to Him.  The burning away of this scum would come too late for those who had turned away from God.  One day all the scum of the lies and sinful actions of people will be burned away, and the soul of those who have not accepted God’s gift of salvation will suffer everlasting punishment in the fires of hell.  

Verse thirteen adds, 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.  God said that since they had not been purged by His judgment when they could have, that they could no longer be purged.  If we do not accept the purging of our sins when God calls us to salvation, there may come a time when it is too late to do so.  It could happen in this lifetime if a person continues to reject God, but if it doesn't it will defiantly be too late after a person dies.  

Verse fourteen continues, 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.  God said that He had pronounced this judgment on the people of Judah because they refused to repent and return to following Him in obedience to His word.  If a person is sent away to everlasting punishment, it will be because of their choice to not put their faith in Jesus Christ, and when God’s judgment comes, it will be too late to do so.  God also said that when this judgment came, it could not be changed.  When God's ultimate judgment comes, it will last forever with no hope of it ever being changed.   

Ezekiel 24:1

Ezekiel 24:1 says, 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, Ezekiel gave the exact day that God’s word came to him.  It was the ninth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, which was also the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign.  

Verse two adds, 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.  God had instructed Ezekiel to write this date down, because it was the exact day that the king of Babylon had set himself against Jerusalem.  We know that God’s judgment is coming one day, but we don’t know the exact day, even though people often try to claim they do.  

Verse three continues, 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:  God then told Ezekiel that he was to speak to the people with a parable.  This parable was to concern putting a pot full of water on to heat.  This was the same as the sign used by Jeremiah years before as stated in Jeremiah 1:13. Matthew Henry said God may have used this parable to remind the people of what Jeremiah had said and what had come pass when he did.  I know that God expects us to learn from what happened in the past with His people, both when they were obedient to Him and when they rebelled against Him.

Verse four states, Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.  In the parable, Ezekiel was to add all the choice pieces of meat to the pot of water.  This would seem to be the making of a good meal for them. Just like the people felt that they were safe in Jerusalem, this stew that was being made sounded good, but it really spoke of their coming punishment.   

Verse five adds, 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.  Ezekiel was to add the choice of the flock to this boiling pot and let it seethe.  This would indicate that none would be left out of this boiling pot.  When God’s judgment comes, it will apply to everyone.  If we have not accepted His gift of salvation, then we will be in a boiling pot of sin, no matter how powerful we may be in the world.  

Verse six says, 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.  God then pronounced woe for the city of Jerusalem, stating that they were like this boiling pot, seething in they own disobedience yet feeling safe while they were in Jerusalem.  They were all going to be pulled out, just as the meat was pulled out of the pot in the parable.  The people of Israel, or Judah in this case were always looking for a sign from God, and He had given them one, but it wasn’t one of deliverance but of defeat.  God has given us the only sign that He will ever give us for us to be saved, and that is the sign of the cross of Jesus and the empty tomb after He had been crucified.  

Verse seven adds, 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;  This boiling pot that had a hot fire kept under it meant that the time of the defeat of Jerusalem was nearly there.  Just as the meat in the pot could not escape on its own, neither could the people of Jerusalem and neither can we escape God’s punishment by our own ability.  God had been their source of power, but they had turned their back on Him, so now they were powerless.  

Verse eight continues, 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.   God said that fury was coming to Jerusalem and He had set her blood on the top of the rock so it could not be covered. There was no escape from the coming judgment because God was no longer protecting them.  One day, our sins will all be on display for everyone to see if we have not accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.