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Message and Mourning

Message & Mourning

Ezekiel 24

Emmanuel Christian Church

10.20.24

Ezekiel 24:1 In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. INTRODUCTION: It was the beginning of the end- January 15th, 588 B.C. . Words of warning had gone unheeded. The time for action had arrived. 1,000 miles east of Jerusalem, God was still talking to His people. His message was delivered by way of image and analogy. It was a simple message. It was the announcement of Jerusalem and Judah’s disastrous end. PROPOSITION: But why would God speak to His people held captive in Babylon and NOT to the citizens of Jerusalem and Judah? Well, while the fate of Judah and Jerusalem was sealed and their hope was gone, there was still a chance that the captive Jews of Babylon might learn the lesson missed by their brethren and so avoid suffering their same fate. Like the captive Jews of Babylon, we live in a land that is ignorant of, and hostile to the one true living God. But the biggest threat faced by both them and us is not that of opposition or persecution, but rather assimilation- the slow process of being passively won over to a godless ideology by becoming comfortable in a culture that has no affection for the God of Truth. Ezekiel 24 is designed to shock- and so it does. It’s purpose is to shake and wake the conscience of God’s people so as to save us from the deadly self-destruction of disobedience to Him. We begin with the terrifying analogy of what we might otherwise call a “slasher movie”: Ezekiel 24:3 Tell this rebellious house a parable and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘Put on the cooking pot; put it on and pour water into it. 4 Put into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces — the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best of these bones; 5 take the pick of the flock. Pile wood beneath it for the bones; bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it. 6 “‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away! Empty it piece by piece without casting lots for them. 7 “‘For the blood she shed is in her midst: She poured it on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground, where the dust would cover it. 8 To stir up wrath and take revenge I put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered. 9 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘Woe to the city of bloodshed! I, too, will pile the wood high. 10 So heap on the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; and let the bones be charred. 11 Then set the empty pot on the coals till it becomes hot and its copper glows so its impurities may be melted and its deposit burned away. 12 It has frustrated all efforts; its heavy deposit has not been removed, not even by fire. Ezekiel 24:13 “‘Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided. Ezekiel 24:14 “‘I the LORD have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign LORD.’” THE MESSAGE: (An ANALOGY) “You’re cooked!”

  • Even God’s grace has its limits!

  • After repeatedly ignoring warnings from the prophets, after numerous calls to repent, the day had finally come when the patience of God had run out!

  • Back in Ezekiel chapter 11, the residents of Jerusalem were the first to use the analogy of the cooking pot: Jerusalem was the pot and the people of the city were it’s contents. In their minds, the pot was a place of protection and its contents were the preserved and precious residents themselves!

  • 13 chapters later, God uses their own words to describe not their special status and protection, but to pronounce His judgment!

  • Like one big sacrifice, the city of Jerusalem and the outlying villages of Judah, were all about to slaughtered by the butcher of Babylon- Nebuchadnezzar. Their dismembered parts would be cast into the pot of God’s judgment and they would be no more!

  • The grisly pot of God’s judgment would then be poured out, placed back on the fire and heated until the metal glowed- burning away the sin and rebellion of a people who had once promised their love and devotion to Him.

  • The prophet Jeremiah, in theBook of Lamentations gives us a glimpse into the sad events: Lamentations 2:5 The Lord is like an enemy; he has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces and destroyed her strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation for the Daughter of Judah. 6 He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden; he has destroyed his place of meeting. The LORD has made Zion forget her appointed feasts and her Sabbaths; in his fierce anger he has spurned both king and priest. 7 The Lord has rejected his altar and abandoned his sanctuary. He has handed over to the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast. 8 The LORD determined to tear down the wall around the Daughter of Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withhold his hand from destroying. He made ramparts and walls lament; together they wasted away. 9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; their bars he has broken and destroyed. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and her prophets no longer find visions from the LORD. 10 The elders of the Daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have sprinkled dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.

  • 18 months after Nebuchadnezzar had begun his siege of Jerusalem, the people of the city were driven to cannibalism.

  • Unable to resist any longer, the walls of the city were broken down- it’s inhabitants slain and it’s buildings (including the Temple) were burned to the ground. APPLICATION: We love to rejoice in the grace of God. But His grace is worthless in the absence of His judgment. As horrifying as it is to behold, behold we must- lest we cheapen the Cross and take for granted our Savior who hung there in our place! Speaking of Jesus, both Old and New Testaments bear witness: Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. Now, we move to the second half of Ezekiel 24… THE MOURNING: Ezekiel 24:15 The word of the LORD came to me: 16 “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. 17 Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food [of mourners].” Ezekiel 24:18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded. Ezekiel 24:19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us?” Ezekiel 24:20 So I said to them, “The word of the LORD came to me: 21 Say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary — the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. 22 And you will do as I have done. You will not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food [of mourners]. 23 You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. 24 Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.’ Ezekiel 24:25 “And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart’s desire, and their sons and daughters as well — 26 on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. 27 At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.”

  • God’s message: “Shed NO tears for Jerusalem and Judah!”

  • The message is a hard one to hear, but the way God sends it is hard to watch!

  • God takes in death the beloved wife of the prophet Ezekiel! It is not uncommon for a man who is emotionally connected with his wife to die within a year after the loss of his wife, because “it its NOT good for a man to be alone” and “the two become one” in marriage.

  • This was a horrific loss for Ezekiel, but to make it even worse- God forbade the prophet from mourning his loss!

  • We’re confronted with a terrible question: “Was God being cruel?”

  • No. He was being very CLEAR about the tragedy and personal loss He himself suffered at the REBELLION and SELF-DESTRUCTION of His precious daughter Israel. APPLICATION: We tend to see God as distant, unemotional and disconnected from mankind. Nothing could be further from the truth! He is the personal God who chooses to relate to us in the intimate roles of Father and Husband. I can guarantee you one thing, the painful picture of Ezekiel’s widowhood doesn’t even come close to the pain God Himself experiences when His people forsake Him to their own destruction! Jeremiah was nicknamed “The Weeping Prophet” because he spoke the Word of the Lord in Israel at the same time as did Ezekiel in Babylon. He was eye-witness to the horror in Jerusalem and Judah and yet he was also the messenger of God’s tender consolation after the destruction at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. As we conclude Ezekiel chapter 24, we need to hear Jeremiah’s message of hope from the LORD: Jeremiah 30:18 “This is what the LORD says: “‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place. 19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained. 20 Their children will be as in days of old, and their community will be established before me; I will punish all who oppress them. 21 Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near and he will come close to me, for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the LORD. 22 “‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’” 23 See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. 24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand this.

Jeremiah 31:1 “At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they will be my people.” Jeremiah 31:2 This is what the LORD says: “The people who survive the sword will find favor in the desert; I will come to give rest to Israel.” Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. 4 I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful. 5 Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit. 6 There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, ‘Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.’” CONCLUSION: The earthly city of Jerusalem was destroyed first in 586 B.C. by the Babylonians. It was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again in 70 A.D. by the Romans. In 1948, the nation of Israel was reborn, and in 1967 Jerusalem once again came under the complete control of Israel. On December 6, 2017 President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel (in opposition to much of the world’s nations). But here’s what you and I need to know- there is yet coming A New Jerusalem! It’s citizens will be all those who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. Next week, we’ll visit that city!