Ezekiel 24
Symbol of the Cooking Pot
4TH Dated Message
Ezekiel 24:1 Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 24:2 “Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day—the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem this very day.
Ezekiel 24:3 And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“Put on a pot, set it on,
And also pour water into it.
The “Pot” is the city, Jerusalem. The term “water” is symbolic of many people. Pouring water in the pot represents the sea of people in the city.
The pot is going to boil.
A boiling pot is significant because Job 41 states the Leviathan (a sea monster, Satan) causes the sea (of people) to boil. (Ezekiel 32:2 states Leviathan, fouls the waters). Throughout scripture Leviathan is a symbol for Satan. Satan is always a reptile: the serpent, the sea monster, Leviathan, a dragon, a crocodile, and a beast.
- Job 41:31 He makes the deep boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
- Job 41:24 His heart is as hard as stone, Even as hard as the lower mill stone.
- Job 41:34 He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.”
“Ointment” merqāḥâ h4841
from H4840 spice mer-kawkh’
from H7543 raqah: sweet, apothecary,
“Ointment” is used as a description of the Sea Serpent’s manipulations. Satan is compared to an apothecary, a mixer of situations. As the serpent he is “crafty”. As Leviathan he “weaves” things together and is called a “wreath”. Ointment attract flies (corrupt people). Beelzebub (Satan) means “Lord of the flies”.
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor: so does a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor (the leaders).
Satan is in Jerusalem, busy mixing things up between the leaders, the king, the people and the prophets with his lies and machinations. Everything Satan inserts himself into looks sweet but leads to destruction;
- Revelation 10:10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
God sees all things and He is using Ezekiel to tell the people what HE sees.
Ezekiel 24:4 Gather pieces of meat in it, Every good piece,
The thigh (place of oaths) and the shoulder (people with authority).
Fill it with choice cuts (bones);
- Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
The leaders in the city are fat on the outside, but spiritually they are dead men, made up of nothing but dead men’s bones.
Ezekiel 24:5 Take the choice of the flock.
The “choice of the flock” would be the best: the leaders of the city.
Also pile fuel bones under it,
Make it boil well,
And let the cuts simmer in it.”
The bones, the spiritually dead men, are marinated in the influence of Satan.
Ezekiel 24:6 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Woe to the bloody city,
To the pot (Jerusalem) whose scum is in it,
And whose scum is not gone from it!
►Scum
chelʼâh; from Stong’s H2456; properly, disease; hence, rust:—scum.
“Scum” is the word used in the modern day usage of men who are called “the scum of the earth” meaning the worst of mankind, the “bottom of the pot”.
►“The bloody city”
Ezekiel 24:1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the Lord sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the Lord this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon.
►2 Kings 24: The fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. Judah Overrun by Enemies
Bring it out piece by piece,
On which no lot has fallen.
Perhaps: They have “no lot” in God’s plan for their future.
Ezekiel 24:7 For her blood is in her midst;
She set it on top of a rock;
She did not pour it on the ground,
To cover it with dust.
They don’t even try to hide their shame. The “rock” they sit it on God. They have no compunction to resist flaunting their evil nor do they have reverence for God’s authority.
Ezekiel 24:8 That it (their evil) may raise up fury and take vengeance,
I have set her blood (evil) on top of a rock (Jesus, Himself),
That it may not be covered (hidden).”
Their evil is going to come back on them.
It reminds me of the movie “A Bronx Tail”. Sonny, a mafia boss, is called to intervene when a motorcycle gang invades a bar. He asks them politely to behave themselves, but when they continue their destruction, he asks them to leave but they refuse. The tension is now at its peak. Sonny goes to the door and locks it before announcing “Now youse (you all) can’t leave”. Then Sonny’s mafia appears from the back room with bats, iron knuckles, and the like. Its too late, their just consequences have come due.
Ezekiel 24:9 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Woe to the bloody city!
I too will make the pyre (fire) great.
Fire is symbolic of judgement.
Ezekiel 24:10 Heap on the wood,
Kindle the fire;
Cook the meat well,
Mix in the spices,
And let the cuts (Lit. bones) be burned up.
Satan is busy with his apothecary:
God is going to “burn” or destroy the city with the inhabitants. It is burnt until it is empty and nothing is left except the charred remains.
Ezekiel 24:11 “Then set the pot empty on the coals,
The coals are God’s judgments: Jerusalem will be conquered by Babylon, the city destroyed and the people taken captive.
Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah were prophets during this time. Jeremiah was persecuted by the people because they did not want to hear God’s message.
The sound of the water boiling:
- Jeremiah 4:31 “For I have heard a voice as of a woman in labor, The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child, The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself; She spreads her hands, saying, ‘Woe is me now, for my soul is weary Because of murderers!’ (bloody city)
- Jeremiah 10:19 Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is severe. But I say, “Truly this is an infirmity, And I must bear it.”
That it may become hot and its bronze may burn,
That its filthiness may be melted in it,
That its scum may be consumed.
God will use Nebuchadnezzar, the son of the king of Babylon and his armies as His tool of Judgment. In only one day Daniel and others are taken, Nebuchadnezzar’s father dies while Nebuchadnezzar is North of Jerusalem causing him to cut across the desert to claim his throne, and this is just the beginning. At the second pass, the King of Judah is taken with Ezekiel and many others including “Kish” (the progenitor of Queen Esther who will someday rule Persia). Then finally, all the inhabitants are taken captive and Jerusalem is destroyed. The pot is thrown to the ground.
Ezekiel 24:12 She has grown weary (Or wearied Me) with lies (Or toil),
And her great scum has not gone from her.
Let her scum be in the fire!
Ezekiel 24:13 In your filthiness is lewdness.
Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed,
You will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore,
Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you.
They resisted and refused God’s cleansing.
Ezekiel 24:14 I, the Lord, have spoken it;
It shall come to pass, and I will do it;
I will not hold back,
Nor will I spare,
Nor will I relent;
There is nothing they can do now to stop it. It is decided and it is as good as done.
Moral of the story:
May God never need to pronounce such a condemnation over us, our families, or our nation.
In times such as these, pray “Hold back Oh Lord! Hold back!” Do not say “Decided and Done” but rather “Repent and Return”. Remember your mercies we plead before You.
According to your ways
And according to your deeds
They (I) will judge you,”
Says the Lord God.’ ”
Comments on the passage: Remember Esau’s stew? The root meaning of the word “stew” is “pride”.
- Stew Naziyd Stong’s H5138 boiled food, soup, pottage, thing sodden or boiled.
It comes from Strong’s H2102 to boil, boil up, seethe, act proudly, act presumptuously, act rebelliously, be presumptuous, be arrogant, be rebelliously proud- to act presumptuously
- to deal arrogantly (with ‘al’)
- to defy proudly (with ‘el’)
- to boil, seethe, act proudly
- to act presumptuously, act insolently
Satan, the sea monster, the leviathan, is king over the children of pride.
Job 41:34 He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.”
- Red Stew is “Adom” H122 (Adam, Edom, Esau, Edomite). Adam was made from the red clay of the earth. Symbolically Red is the color for sin, for “fallen” man. For the repentant it is also the color of redemption.
An examination of Esau’s stew: Jacob cooked a stew; Esau came in from the field, weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary. Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”
- Genesis 25:34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and (red) stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his (OWN) way (NOT God’s way). Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Esau’s birthright was to be a leader over the tribe of his family the same way God looks after his saints.
A believer’s birthright is his eternal salvation. Esau relinquished his inheritance for a bowl of soup.
The Prophet’s (Ezekiel’s) Wife Dies
God uses the death of Ezekiel’s wife as an example to Judah to tell them He is going to remove from them the desire of their eyes… but He commands them not to mourn.
Ezekiel 24:15 Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 24:16 “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down.
Ezekiel 24:17 Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips (Lit. moustache), and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.”
Ezekiel 24:18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.
Ezekiel 24:19 And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?”
Ezekiel 24:20 Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 24:21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast (Lit. the pride of your strength), the desire of your eyes, the delight (Lit. compassion) of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.
Ezekiel 24:22 And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips (Lit. moustache) nor eat man’s bread of sorrow.
Ezekiel 24:23 Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another.
Ezekiel 24:24 Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”
Ezekiel 24:25 ‘And you, son of man—will it not be in the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that on which they set their minds (Lit. the lifting up of their soul), their sons and their daughters:
Ezekiel 24:26 that on that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears?
- Ezekiel 33:22 Now the hand of the Lord had been upon me the evening before the man came who had escaped. And He had opened my mouth; so when he came to me in the morning, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.
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