Ezekiel 23+24

Introduction

Today we’re going to take these two chapters together. In chapter 23, the Lord’s message to his people in exile about Jerusalem is put in the form of a story about two women. And so, it’s similar to chapter 16 which told the story, not of two women, but of one woman. The woman in chapter 16 represented Jerusalem. And the women in chapter 23 represent Jerusalem and Samaria. Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, whereas Jerusalem was the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah.

Just in case anyone has forgotten: after the death of King Solomon, the one kingdom of Israel was divided into two: the northern kingdom kept the name Israel, while the southern kingdom was known as Judah. And in chapter 23 the Lord describes the sins of his people in the north and in the south by telling this story about these two women who are sisters.

And like the story in chapter 16, the story in chapter 23 is shocking, because it’s the story of the unfaithfulness of these two women, representing Jerusalem and Samaria. And it’s about the things these two women did with their many lovers. And the language can be quite explicit. Apparently Charles Spurgeon said that a minister can scarcely read chapter 16 in public. And he might have said the same about chapter 23.

But the Lord used this story to make clear to the people in exile that the people of Israel — in the north and in the south — have acted shamelessly. Instead of loving and trusting the Lord above all others, they have been unfaithful to him and they’ve sought peace and security, not from the Lord, but from pagan nations. The Lord makes this clear to the exiles. And then he announces his judgment on the people of Israel.

And in the next chapter — chapter 24 — he announces to the exiles through Ezekiel that the siege of Jerusalem has begun. So, throughout the preceding chapters, the Lord has been saying what he will do to Jerusalem because of their persistent sin and rebellion. What was he doing to do to them? He was going to send the Babylonians against Jerusalem and they will destroy the city and kill the people. The people will die because of famine and disease and because of the sword. The city will become ruins and no-one will be left. That’s what the Lord has been announcing in the previous chapters. It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s going to happen. And in chapter 24, the Lord tells Ezekiel to tell the people in exile that that great and terrible day has come: King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has laid siege to the city. The day of disaster has arrived.

It seems the exiles were hopeful that Jerusalem would be saved and the exile will be cut short and they could return home. But that’s not going to happen: Jerusalem will not be saved. Jerusalem will be destroyed. And the exile is not going to end any time soon.

So, chapter 23 is about the sins of the people of Israel and the punishment they can expect. And chapter 24 contains an announcement that the punishment has begun.

Chapter 23

Let’s turn to chapter 23 which can be divided as follows: verses 1 to 4 are the introduction; in verses 5 to 10 the focus is on Samaria in the north; in verses 11 to 35 the focus is on Jerusalem in the south; and then verses 36 to 49 are about both cities.

So, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel once again and the Lord told the prophet this story about two sisters who because prostitutes in Egypt. He says they engaged in prostitution from their youth. He tells us their names in verse 4 and he says about them that ‘they were mine’. That is to say: the Lord made them ‘his’ by marrying them. So, even though they were prostitutes in their youth, he married them. And they bore him children. And at the end of verse 4 the Lord announces that one sister is Samaria and the other is Jerusalem.

So, this is a kind of allegory. The sisters represent two cities or two kingdoms: Samaria and the northern kingdom of Israel; and Jerusalem and the southern kingdom of Judah. And when they were in Egypt, they acted like prostitutes. In other words, they were unfaithful to the Lord. They did not worship him. They were not committed to him. They went after foreign gods. Nevertheless the Lord rescued them from Egypt and brought them to Mount Sinai where he entered into a covenant with them. They became ‘his’: his people. And he became their God. In a sense, therefore, he married them and promised to be loving, faithful and dutiful to them and they promised to be loving, faithful and dutiful to him.

However they did not live happily ever after. And so, in verses 5 to 8 the Lord tells us what Oholah or Samaria did and how she engaged in prostitution while she was married to the Lord and lusted after her lovers. The Lord means that instead of trusting in the Lord for help and strength against their enemies, they trusted in foreign pagan nations for the help they needed. The Lord tells us that they trusted in Assyria. And it seems they were drawn to Assyria because of its mighty and powerful warriors.

It’s possible the Lord is referring to what we read in 2 Kings 15 when the king of Israel gave the king of Assyria a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and to strengthen the kingdom of Israel against their enemies. So, instead of trusting in the Lord for protection, they trusted in Assyria — which also meant trusting in Assyria’s gods.

And in verses 9 and 10 the Lord announced what he did to Oholah: he handed her over to her lovers who stripped her naked. In other words, the Lord handed Israel over to Assyria who invaded the land and took the people away into exile. Because they abandoned the Lord, and did not return to him, he let the Assyrians destroy the kingdom. When the Lord announced this message to Ezekiel, this had already happened: the northern kingdom was already in exile.

In verses 11 to 22 the Lord tells Ezekiel what Oholibah or Jerusalem did. He tells us that she was more depraved than her sister. So, not only did she lust after the Assyrians, but she also carried her prostitution even further. That’s in verse 14. And so, she was attracted to the Chaldeans who are also known as the Babylonians. According to verse 16 she sent for them and according to verse 17 they defiled her. But afterwards, she turned away from them in disgust. But she did not give up her prostitution and she became more and more promiscuous as she remembered her time in Egypt and the things she did. Instead of being ashamed of what she had done in the past, she longed for those days to return.

And by means of this story, the Lord is referring to what the people of Judah did. He could be referring to what we read in 2 Kings 16 when Ahaz king of Judah sent messengers to Assyria to seek their help against their enemies who were attacking them. And in 2 Kings 20 we read how envoys from Babylon came to Jerusalem, presumably with the intention of entering into an alliance with one another and Hezekiah the king of Judah welcomed them.

And in verses 22 to 35 the Lord announces what he will do to Judah for turning for help to foreign nations and their gods instead of trusting in the Lord to help them and to rescue them from their enemies. And the Lord says he will bring her lovers against her. In other words, he’ll bring the Babylonians against them as well as the Assyrians. According to verse 24, they will come against Jerusalem with weapons and chariots and wagons and with a throng of people. The Lord will direct his jealous anger against his people and the invaders will deal with them in fury. He describes what they will do. They’ll cut off their noses and ears. Others will fall by the sword. Others will be taken away. Others will be consumed by fire. And so, the Lord will hand them over to those they hate and their enemies will deal with them in hatred.

And look at verse 32: they will drink their sister’s cup of suffering and woe: a cup large and deep and it will bring scorn and derision. You will drink it and drain it dry. In other words, they will experience sorrow and pain and woe. ‘[Since] you have forgotten me and thrust me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.’

And the Lord hasn’t finished with them, because in verses 36 to 49 he tells Ezekiel to judge the two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, who represent Samaria and Jerusalem or the people of Israel in the north and south. The NIV depicts the Lord as asking Ezekiel if he will judge them. But the Lord is really telling him to judge them. So, bring them to court and bring charges against them. Confront them with their detestable practices, because they have committed adultery with their idols. So, he’s referring to spiritual adultery. They have forsake the one, true and living God who rescued them from Egypt and gave them the Promised Land as their own. They have forsaken him and gone after the gods of the nations. And look: they have blood on their hands because they’ve sacrificed their children. We’ve heard this complaint before and it’s a terrible thing. Who would dream of offering their own children as a sacrifice? Who would dream of it? But this is what they have done. And they have defiled God’s holy sanctuary which is the temple in Jerusalem. And they have desecrated God’s Sabbaths. They have defiled his Sabbaths and his sanctuary by sacrificing their children on the Lord’s day and in the Lord’s temple.

And in verses 40 to 44 he repeats that they went after their lovers. So, they looked to other nations for help and strength, instead of trusting the Lord. They acted like adulterers and prostitutes, betraying the Lord their God.

The Lord commands Ezekiel to bring these charges against Samaria and Jerusalem and all the people of Israel who were left in the land. And in verses 46 to 49 he announces his judgment on them. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. The mob will stone them and cut their down with swords. The mob will kill their children and burn down their houses.

And in this way the Lord will put an end to their lewdness. He’ll put an end to their prostitution. He’ll put an end to it, because he’ll put an end to them. They will therefore suffer the penalty for their lewdness and they’ll bear the consequences of their idolatry. And when these things happen, those who are left — those who are already in exile with Ezekiel — will know that he is the Sovereign Lord. That is to say, they will acknowledge him. Remember that the people who were in exile were no better than the people in Jerusalem. They were hard-hearted and stiff-necked. Ezekiel was warned that they would not listen to him. But when the word of the Lord is fulfilled and all this disaster which he predicted falls on Jerusalem, then they will acknowledge him. They will know that he is God and that he rules in heaven and on earth over all that he has made and over his people Israel. And therefore those who are left should take warning and not imitate what Samaria and Jerusalem did, because the Lord will not stand for it.

Chapter 24

And so, we come to chapter 24 which begins with a date-stamp. It’s the ninth year of the exile, in the tenth month and on the tenth day. And the Lord tells Ezekiel to record this date, this very date, because this is the day that the king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem. So, make a note that on this particular day the Lord announced that the siege had begun.

And the Lord tells Ezekiel to make a note of this because, of course, there were no phones in those days. There’s was no internet. There was no news on the TV or radio. There was no way for the people in exile with Ezekiel to know what was happening in Jerusalem on that same day. However, one day in the future, someone will come to them with the news that Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. And when that day comes and you ask the messenger when the seige began, he say’ll that it happened on the ninth year of the exile on the tenth month and on the tenth day. And Ezekiel will be able to pull out his note and say that this is what the Lord had revealed to him — and here’s the note he made to prove it. And in this way, Ezekiel will be able to demonstrate to the exiles that he’s a true prophet of the Lord and they ought to listen to him. Up until now they had not believed what he had said about the fall of Jerusalem. They were sure that God will protect the city and will rescue his people and that the exile will soon be over and they will return home. But Ezekiel had been telling them over and over and over again that Jerusalem will fall. And so, one day it will become clear that he was right, because a messenger will come with the news that Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem on the very day Ezekiel said it would happen.

And the Lord goes on to instruct Ezekiel to tell the people a parable. Tell them to put on a cooking pot to the heat and pour in the water. Add pieces of meat — all the choice pieces including the leg and the shoulder. Take the pick of the flock and add its meat to the water. So, he’s to cook up a big stew or casserole. And pile the wood under the pot so that the fire will burn hot. Bring the water to the boil and cook the bones and meat.

That’s what the Lord is telling them to do. But what does it mean? Since it’s a parable, it’s not really about meat in a pot. So, what’s it really about? It turns out in verse 6 that the pot stands for the city of Jerusalem, which he describes as the city of bloodshed. He described Jerusalem that way in chapter 22 which we studied last week and I said he once described Nineveh that way, because it was a violent city where life was cheap. And because of their violence and their wickedness, the Lord destroyed Nineveh. And now he’s saying the same thing about Jerusalem. It’s become a city where blood is shed and people are killed. But woe to that city, because it’s now like the pot in the parable.

Although the NIV says at the end of verse 6 that the pot is now encrusted, the Lord really means that what is inside the pot has gone rotten. His people were once like choice meat, but they have become rotten. And people in those days might cast lots to see who would get the best meat from the pot. But in this parable, no one wants the meat in this pot, because it’s all rancid and rotten. The people have become corrupt and unclean. They are rotten.

And he goes on to say in verse 7 that they have shed blood and poured it on the bare rock. Normally the people would cover up blood. But these people are unashamed of what they have done and are happy to leave the blood of their crimes exposed. They don’t care who knows what they have done. And since that’s the case, then the Lord is going to take revenge and pour out their blood on a rock so that everyone can see what he has done to his unfaithful people.

Furthermore, he will pile the wood high and will kindle the fire under them. He will ensure that the meat is cooked well through and the bones will be charred and made black from the heat of the fire. By this image he means that he will direct his wrath against them. And when they have been removed, Jerusalem, the pot, will be put on the coals till it becomes hot and its copper glows. And so, the city will be cleansed of their contaminating influence. The impurities within it — that is, the people — will be burned away and the city will become clean at last. He says in verse 13 that he tried before to cleanse the city. Presumably he means that he sent them prophets to warn them and to tell them to repent. But they did not listen to his prophets. And so, the only way to cleanse the city was to burn away the corruption by his wrath.

And just to be sure the people understand who did this to them, he goes on to say in verse 14: I have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back. I will not have pity. I will not relent. I will do it and you will be judged according to your actions.

And before we finish, there’s one more word from the Lord to Ezekiel in verses 15 to 27. We’ve seen how Ezekiel was asked before to perform sign-acts. He was to act out God’s judgment on his people. So, once he was to make a model of Jerusalem and lay siege works around it. Another time he was to pack a bag as if he was going into exile. And on another occasion, he was to shake with fear while eating his food. He was to dramatise what God was going to do to the people of Jerusalem. But now the drama is raised up a notch, because the Lord tells Ezekiel that the Lord is going to take away the delight of his eyes. He’s going to take away Ezekiel’s wife. He’s going to end her life. And the Lord instructs Ezekiel not to lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly, but don’t mourn. In those days, those who are bereaved would take off their hat and their shoes and they would cover their face. But don’t do any of that. Don’t eat the food of mourners either.

And the Lord goes on to explain why he was going to do this to Ezekiel. He explains that just as Ezekiel lost someone precious, so the Lord was going to take from the people something precious to them. He was going to take away the temple. They loved the temple. They took pride in it. They believed that Jerusalem was safe, because the temple was there and God would not let anyone destroy the temple. That’s what they thought. But God was going to take the temple from them. He was going to let the Babylonians desecrate it and destroy it. And when it happens, the people in exile will not mourn. Just as Ezekiel was not allowed to mourn, so they will not mourn or weep about the temple. Instead they will waste away because of their sins. It’s possible he means they will be overwhelmed by the news of the temple’s destruction, because they will know that it happened because of their sinful rebellion.

And in the final paragraph — verses 25 to 27 — the Lord tells Ezekiel that when this happens, and the temple is destroyed, a messenger will come with the news. And the prophets mouth will be opened and he will no more be silent. Back in chapter 3 the Lord told Ezekiel that Ezekiel’s tongue will stick to the roof of his mouth and he will be silent. He would only be allowed to speak when the Lord commanded him to speak. But now that restriction will be removed and he will be a sign to them. And with that, the chapter closes.

Application 1

As we think about the lessons we learn from this passage, we have to begin with the topic of spiritual adultery. That’s what chapter 22 was about. Instead of remaining committed to the Lord, instead of loving, trusting and worshipping him above all other things, instead of being like a faithful wife who is loving, faithful and dutiful to her husband, the people of Israel were like an unfaithful wife. In fact, they were like a prostitute. Instead of trusting in the Lord, they trusted in foreign nations and foreign powers and in foreign gods for the safety and security and peace they needed.

And it’s very easy for us to let other things or other people come between God and us. Instead of putting the Lord first in our lives, we put other things or people before him. Instead of trusting in him for the peace and security we need, we doubt his steadfast love and mercy and we look around for something else to give us the security and peace we need.

I’ve spoken before about consumerism which is the belief that we can make a better world for ourselves through all the goods and services we create and consume and enjoy. And so, once we spread wealth and prosperity throughout the nations, we’ll have heaven on earth. And so, what do we trust in for peace and security? We trust in our wealth, our possessions, our stuff. We believes that so long as I have all the stuff I want and desire, then I’ll be happy and safe.

Or we can put our families and friends first of all. We believe that so long as I have my family and friends around me, then I’ll be happy and content and all will be well. And we’ll make all kind of sacrifices for our family, which can be a good thing, because parents need to make sacrifice for their children. But if we put our family and friends before the Lord, if we think that life will not be worth living if my family and friends are taken from me, then we have put them in the place which rightfully belongs to God.

And people can do the same with their work and with other good things in their life. Spiritual adultery, which is really idolatry, is about taking something good which God has given us to enjoy in its proper place, and it’s about elevating it so that it’s the centre of our lives and the most important thing. And we think that life will not be worth living without this thing, whatever it is.

So, instead of loving, trusting and worshipping the Lord above all other things, we put other things in place of God, even though he is the Most High God and the one who made us and who gave us our life and who fills our life with good things to enjoy and who sent his Son to be our Saviour and who promises us eternal life in his presence. The Lord has been good to us, because he is infinitely merciful and kind and good. And yet, so often our love for him and our gratitude towards him is so poor and weak and we put other things before him.

And so, instead of being like the Israelites, who persisted in the spiritual adultery, we should confess it and turn from it and ask God to pardon us for the ways we have been unfaithful to him. And the Lord, who is gracious and merciful — who in infinitely gracious and merciful so that there’s no end to his grace and mercy — is willing to pardon us and to forgive us because of Christ who gave up his life on the cross to pay for our sins and shortcomings. And we should seek the help of the Lord to put him first in our lives and to enable us to be loving, faithful and dutiful to him always. And we should continually remind ourselves through God’s word and sacraments of his goodness and love and kindness to us in Christ Jesus, because whoever keeps these things in his or her mind will not easily turn from the Lord. And once we have firmly placed the Lord first in our lives, we can then enjoy his good gifts in their proper place, giving thanks to him for filling our lives with good things.

Application 2

But then the second lesson from this passage is about God’s great plan of salvation. Chapter 22 is about God’s judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem because of the sins of the people. But look at verse 48 of chapter 22 where the Lord says that he will put an end to their lewdness in the land. He will put an end to their lewdness by putting an end to them. Hoever, the end result is that the land will be cleansed.

And look at verse 11 of chapter 24. The pot — Jerusalem — will be put on the coals and heated till it becomes hot and glows so that its impurities will be melted and its deposits burned away. The people and their sins are what made Jerusalem impure and God will cleanse the city by removing them from it. But afterwards, it will be clean.

And then the message at the end about the fugitive or messenger who will come to Ezekiel and his mouth will be opened so that he will no more silent suggests that Ezekiel’s ministry is about to enter a new phase. Up until now, when he has spoken, he had spoken about Jerusalem’s destruction. But once Jerusalem is destroyed, what will he speak about? What will the message be once Jerusalem destroyed? As we’ll see, his message will be about better days to come. The people in Jerusalem will be destroyed for their wickedness, but the Lord has kept safe the people in exile. And when the time is right, he will bring them back from exile to Jerusalem, which has been cleansed of all the wickedness of the people. And the returning exiles will rebuild the city and its walls and its temple. And the people will live there and they’ll worship the Lord there.

And one day, hundreds of years later, God will come to Jerusalem, in the person of his Son and he will give up his life on the cross to pay for the sins of his people who believe in him and he will shed his blood to cleanse them from their guilt. The judgment that we deserve for our sins will be poured out on him. The fire of God’s wrath will be directed on his own Son. The Lord Jesus Christ, who is the delight of God’s eyes, will be cut off and will die for the sins of his people. And we who believe in him will receive forgiveness and peace with God and the hope of everlasting life in the new and better Jerusalem to come, the holy city of God’s people, which is the church of Jesus Christ in glory.

Up until now the Lord’s message to the exiles about Jerusalem had been a message of judgment. Very soon his message to the exiles will be of better days to come. And that is always God’s message to his people. God has done great things for us in the past and we rejoice in them. And God is planning even better things for his people in the future when Christ comes again and we’re invited into God’s presence, where we will see his glory and where we’ll worship him for ever and for ever.

And since this is the case, then we should remain faithful to him. We should keep loving him and trusting him and serving him above all other things, knowing that our labour in the Lord is not in vain, because he has something unspeakably wonderful and glorious waiting for us in the life to come.