EZEKIEL LESSON 26


     We will begin this lesson in Ezekiel 24:1 "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,"

     This is a specific date, because there was a specific time, when
Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem. This siege lasted about 2 years.

     Ezekiel 24:2 "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."

     This day is to be marked down in history, as the very day
Jerusalem was besieged. This is not only the punishment God sent, but
it is fulfillment of the prophecies of Ezekiel and the other prophets.
It is very interesting, that Ezekiel saw all of the attack on
Jerusalem in detail, and he was in captivity in Babylon at the time.

     Ezekiel 24:3 "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:"

     This has been covered a little in a previous lesson. No pot in
the world, regardless of the strength of the metal will save them from
the judgement of God.  They, specifically, are told to put a pot of
water on the fire to boil.

     Ezekiel 24:4 "Gather the pieces thereof into it, [even] every
good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill [it] with the choice
bones."

     This "boiling pot of water" is speaking of Jerusalem. The "fire
under the pot" is the army which destroys. The "bones", in this
particular instance, are speaking of the high officials. These are the
princes and the chief men of Jerusalem.

     Ezekiel 24:5 "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."

     The "flock" is speaking of the people of Jerusalem. The bones
that are burned are the bones of animals. The trees are not available
for wood, at this point. The bones inside the pot are people. The
bones under the pot are of animals.

     Ezekiel 24:6  "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."

     The boiling pot, Jerusalem, is showing the great heat of battle.
Jerusalem is spoken of as the "bloody city". The bones inside the pot
are the people. The whole will not be taken out. There will be just a
few taken out of Jerusalem into exile.

     Ezekiel 24:7 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;

     "Her" is Jerusalem. There was so much bloodshed, it was
everywhere for all to see, {on the rock}.

     Ezekiel 24:8 "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."

     This destruction is for all to see. This is not done in privacy.
Just as their sin was out for everyone to see, so was their
destruction.

     Ezekiel 24:9 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody
city! I will even make the pile for fire great."

     The fire is fuelled, actually, by the wrath of God. God's fury
has come up into His face, and He has condemned Jerusalem.

     Ezekiel 24:10 "Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh,
and spice it well, and let the bones be burned."

     This is not to pass in a day, or two. God's anger is great. They
are to make the war greater and greater, until God's anger is
appeased.

     Ezekiel 24:11 "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."

     When the vessel has run dry from the great heat, it is to be put
into the fire and melted. Remember, this pot is Jerusalem. The people
have been removed, that were to go into captivity. The ones who are
left, are the scum that are either killed, or are suffering from the
famine.  The scum that is consumed is those who died, and were not
even buried.

     Ezekiel 24:12 "She hath wearied [herself] with lies, and her
great scum went not forth out of her: her scum [shall be] in the
fire."

     The "scum" is like the dregs of a previous lesson that is no
good, except to be thrown away. This is those spoken of, who die. They
may either die by the sword, or the fire.

     Ezekiel 24:13 "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."

     Purging is by fire. God wants a people free of sin. This is
speaking of destruction of the unholy.

     Ezekiel 24:14 "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."

     The judgement on these people seems harsh, but they were warned,
over and over, and given every opportunity to repent. God has spoken
the judgement, and His word is absolute. It must be, because He has
spoken it. This is justice for the sins they committed. This is
judgement from a righteous God.

     Ezekiel 24:15  "Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,"

     This begins a totally different prophecy here.

     Ezekiel 24:16 "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."

     Ezekiel's wife will die from a stroke. Whether this is literally
speaking of the suddenness of her death, we cannot say. God's wife,
Israel, died with a stroke of His hand.  We see that, Ezekiel is not
to weep and mourn.  This symbolizes the fact that God will not weep,
or mourn, for Israel.  The terrible destruction of their homeland took
first place in their hearts and minds. The sorrow from the loss of the
wife was personal. God has forbidden Ezekiel to cry for her.

     Ezekiel 24:17 "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."

     The way of this destruction is haste. There is no time for
mourning. Generally, when someone died, there was great mourning. They
threw ashes on their heads and cried. There, generally, were great
feasts provided by the friends of the mourners. Ezekiel was to do none
of this. In the destruction of Jerusalem, the dead would not be buried
or mourned for at all. They would be left for the vultures.  The death
of Ezekiel's wife, somehow is a shadow of the death of God's wife,
Israel.

     Ezekiel 24:18 "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."

     The message God had for the people was to be spoken. Ezekiel knew
that his wife was to die, but he had to continue bringing the message
of God to the people. This is very similar to the death of Aaron's
sons in the temple, and he was not allowed to mourn for them. Ezekiel
did exactly as God had commanded him.

     Ezekiel 24:19  "And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell
us what these [things are] to us, that thou doest [so]?"

     This was an unnatural reaction of a husband at his wife's death.
The people want Ezekiel to explain, exactly, what is going on.

     Ezekiel 24:20 "Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came
unto me, saying,"

     Just as the lying on his side for nearly a year, was a sign to
the people. The death of his wife and his actions were a sign, as
well.

     Ezekiel 24:21 "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."

     The sanctuary had been the desire of God's eye, as Ezekiel's wife
had been the desire of his eye. The temple will be destroyed, as
Ezekiel's wife died. The families of the Israelites would die
suddenly, as Ezekiel's wife died. The temple had been the love of the
people. It had been their place of communion with God. It will be
suddenly taken away. There would be no tears, or mourning, for the
temple, for their wives, or for their children. Their grief would be
so great, there would be no mourning, only shock. Death would be
everywhere. All would suffer.

     Ezekiel 24:22 "And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover
[your] lips, nor eat the bread of men." Ezekiel 24:23 "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."

     They would not mourn in the usual manner. There would be an
awakening, that their sin has brought on this terrible calamity.
Suddenly, they will beg forgiveness; perhaps, too late.

     Ezekiel 24:24 "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."

     What went on in the life of Ezekiel as an individual, was what
was going on in the nation. He was a living example to them of their
problems.

     Ezekiel 24:25 "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,"

     Everything Ezekiel did was for their benefit. Even the messages
God gave him, were for the ears of the people. His life was like a
sign post to Israel. They could look at Ezekiel, and know, so goes the
nation. Prophets were living prophecies as well as bringing messages
in Word from God.

     Ezekiel 24:26 "[That] he that escapeth in that day shall come
unto thee, to cause [thee] to hear [it] with [thine] ears?"

     Even the fact that Ezekiel was in captivity, showed them that
some of them would go into captivity, as well. Ezekiel will know that
his prophecy was true, when the people come from Jerusalem, and bring
him news that it is destroyed.

     Ezekiel 24:27 "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 words of Ezekiel's mouth had been the Words of God. Ezekiel
had not spoken for himself. His actions were, also, signs from God to
this rebellious house. We will see that this is the end of the
prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem. He is free to speak
himself at this point.



































                         Ezekiel 26 Questions


1.  Why is a specific date given in verse 1?
2.  What is this, besides the punishment God sent on Jerusalem?
3.  What was Ezekiel to say to them in verse 3?
4.  What can save them from the judgement of God?
5.  What is the "boiling pot" of water speaking of?
6.  What does the "fire under the pot" symbolize?
7.  What are the "bones" in verse 4?
8.  Why was wood not used for the fuel for the fire?
9.  Who is the "bloody city"?
10. Is the destruction hidden?
11. What is the fire actually fueled by?
12. When will the war stop?
13. What is the "scum" speaking of?
14. Purging is by ________.
15. Why will the punishment on Jerusalem come?
16. What does God call Ezekiel in verse 16?
17. Who was Ezekiel warned would die?
18. Why was Ezekiel not to mourn?
19. What were some of the signs of mourning?
20. The death of Ezekiel's wife is a shadow of what?
21. God told Ezekiel to tell them, He would profane His ___________.
22. What had the temple been to the people?
23. Instead of showing grief, they were in _________.
24. How could they tell what was going on with their nation?
25. Ezekiel's life was like a ____________ to Israel.
26. When would Ezekiel know that his prophecy was fulfilled?
27. The words of Ezekiel's mouth had been the Words of _______.