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Day 25 Ezekiel 24 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, 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. 3 And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus says the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it: 4 Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones. 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. 6 Wherefore thus says 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. 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; 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. 9 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. 10 Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. 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. 12 She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. 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. 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, says the Lord GOD. When you consider the world today, with it’s threats and hostilities, with ISIS causing the worst bloodshed we’ve ever seen, or North Korea’s threats to wipe out countries from the map, you have to wonder where God is in everything we’re seeing today. Only a portion of the children of Israel were in captivity in Babylon. There were still many people in Jerusalem, the major siege hadn’t happened yet, but it was about to. God told Ezekiel to write the date of the siege. Today with our modern communication, we can know in an instant what is taking place anywhere in the world. Such was not the case when Nebuchadnezzar laid siege against Jerusalem. Therefore, God told Ezekiel what was taking place before the messengers returned to Babylon with the news, so the people would know God’s hand was in what took place. God was bringing destruction to Jerusalem for all her sin. However, the people were unrepentant, so that God had to do a complete destruction. God gave Ezekiel a parable about a seething pot filled with the choicest flesh and bones and heated beneath by bones. In seething the flesh, the scum came up – the filthiness of the people. However much the pot was boiled, the scum was never purged. The filthiness of God’s chosen people would not be repented of, therefore God had no choice but to completely destroy the flesh, the bones, and the pot. He would completely destroy all those left in Jerusalem at the time of the siege. History shows the destruction of Jerusalem was great, filled with famine, sickness, and disease. No one escaped. When you see this kind of destruction against God’s people, you wonder about God’s love for his people. Everywhere you read how God saves a remnant because he loves them. God did save a remnant, all those who were already in captivity were not part of the destruction of Jerusalem. In the midst of destruction is mercy. The blood from the pot was poured on a rock, not upon the ground where it would be consumed by the dust. Jesus is our Rock. His blood was poured out for us into the ground, to purify the ground from the curse of sin, and show us his mercy by covering us, the dust, so we could have life. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (KJV) Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (KJV) As Christians, you were given a second chance to repent of your sins, acknowledge Jesus as your Savior, and obey God and know his will for you. His blood covers you, just as the blood from the siege of Jerusalem covered the rock. Death does not consume you because Jesus’ death purged you from your sin, and Satan has no authority over you any longer. Death and destruction are in the earth. You hear about it daily. Yet, there is also hope. God always saves a remnant. Let’s pray: Father, thank you for providing salvation to all those who call on your name. Help me see your mercy and justice in the midst of the threats and destruction I see and hear about daily. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 14 January 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay