The Siege of Jerusalem Begins

Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.  Ezekiel 24:2  

Ezekiel 24:1-27  – Ezekiel: Renewing God’s Glory
Fifth Sunday of Eastertide – April 28, 2024 (am)    

1 In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. It finally arrived! The occurrence that Israel had thought was impossible was beginning to take place. Jerusalem was surrounded and her fall was imminent. By modern figuring, it was 15 January 587 bc, and the siege would last eighteen months before it proved successful (2Ki.25:1-3; Jer.39:1-2) (Block 1997 772-4; Duguid 313).

We all probably remember 15 April 2019 even if, right at the moment, we can’t recall why. That was the day of the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. We all watched in disbelief as the images spread quickly around the world through every form of news outlet and social media platform. It was as hard to believe as it was impossible to imagine. In our day and age with such high-tech defenses against all forms of disaster, an iconic treasure like Notre Dame should be invincible. But there it was, flames breaking out through its roof and spreading by the minute.

All kinds of people have all kinds of different ideas on the true value of Notre Dame. Historically and architecturally, all agree that it’s an international treasure. But we as Protestants, we might not value it on the same level as devoted Catholics do. And Muslims or Hindus may not value it even as highly as we. But no one in the world treasures that unique place like those who live locally and worshiped there weekly, or even daily, before the fire.

Perhaps this thought might get us started down the trail of appreciating what it meant to Israel in Babylon to hear through Ezekiel what the Lord just told him to write down (1-2). Even so, Notre Dame attenders didn’t have eternal promises from God regarding their worship site! Let’s walk through the three sections God used to tell His people through Ezekiel what He’s doing here.

The Lord’s Judgment Begins to Fall 1-14

Having affirmed that the siege had begun (1-2), God proceeded to say to Ezekiel: 3 And utter a parable to the rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord God, and not just because it’s poetry but because of its more secular tone, this little ditty has the ring of a popular work song, such as would be sung in… Israel while performing routine household chores, [something like] “Polly Put the Kettle On” (Block 1997 770): Set on the pot, set it on; / pour in water also; / 4 put in it the pieces of meat (and remember from 11:3 how Israel in the land believed they were the meat, but it turned out their slain were the meat [11:7]), / all the good pieces, / the thigh and the shoulder; / fill it with choice (communicating election [Block 1997 771], repeated in v.5) bones. / 5 Take the choicest one of the flock (Israel); / pile the logs under it; / boil it well; / seethe also its bones in it. All this detail and nicety suggests that this is no ordinary meal. It’s even going to be cooked in a copper pot (most families used clay). This plus the fact that attention is paid to ritual cleanness (11-13 [Block 1997 776]) leads to the conclusion that this is a sacred meal, related to worship and sacrificial procedure. This would’ve been an encouraging message on first hearing (Block 1997 775-6). But then it took a sudden turn.

6 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose corrosion is in it, likely referring to the contents since a copper pot wouldn’t corrode, and whose corrosion has not gone out of it! The meat itself is rotten (Block 1997 778). Take out of it piece after piece, randomly, without making any choice; any piece will do. 7 For the blood she has shed is in her midst; she put it on the bare rock; she did not pour it out on the ground to cover it with dust. This is referring back the requirement of the law regarding the blood of slain animals (Lev.17:13), but then comparing that to the criminal blood shed in Jerusalem, or judicial, or perhaps even the sacrificial blood of their children shed openly before God and people, unhidden (Block 1997 778-9). 8 To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance, I have set on the bare rock the blood she has shed, that it may not be covered. God will make sure it stays there as a witness against them for which they will be held accountable for it. 9 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great. God Himself will take over the cooking responsibilities and He’ll begin by building a huge fire (Block 1997 780) under the pot. 10 Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices, actually Block says the better translation of this clause would be pour out the broth (Block 1997 767), and let the bones (with the meat) be burned up, charred into a useless mass of carbon (Block 1997 780). 11 Then set it empty upon the coals, that it may become hot, and its copper may burn, that its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion, any remaining impurity, consumed. 12 She has wearied herself with toil; its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion! The magnitude of [Israel’s] corruption precluded any solution other than “from the frying pan into the fire” (Block 1997 781). Lest any shred of hope remain, the fire is stoked so hot that every vestige of meat or broth in the pot is burned and the vessel purified of its defiling contents (Block 1997 783). 13 On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, you shall not be cleansed anymore till I have satisfied my fury upon you. 14 I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.” Babylon was waiting at the door!

The implications of this oracle for the people of God [in] any age are sobering. There is no security in tradition or position in the kingdom of God if the claims of privilege are not matched by love for God and [love for people]. Singing songs about the promises of God is no substitute for obedience to him. Indeed, the true kingdom is often found among those whom the spiritual elite have written off. The message of Ezekiel is that there is hope for the rejected, but for those who make [boasts] of status before God or believe themselves to be entitled to His blessings, the prospects of an encounter with him [might actually turn out to be] frightening (Block 1997 783).

A Stunningly Vivid Sign to Establish Context 15-24

This next paragraph is so uniquely profound in its meaning that I want to give you a sense of what’s coming by stringing together several statements from the lengthy introduction to it written by Dan Block. As announced in 21:12-22, Nebuchadnezzar’s army has taken up its positions around Jerusalem and is settling in for a long siege. From Ezekiel’s perspective, all that remains is the collapse of the city. That event, foretold here in [the oracle] in vv.3b-14, will be announced symbolically in this [next paragraph] (Block 1997 785). The genre of this prophecy is established by the keyword [sign] (vv.24, 27), which reflects both the observable nature and [meaning] of [the prophet’s] actions. In fact, two sign-actions are involved, both relating to the same event. But they differ from previous [ones in that] here the sign is experienced in [Ezekiel’s] life rather than just being dramatized by him (Block 1997 786). Ezekiel and his wife function as [stand-ins] for [God] and the temple, respectively. What [his wife] is to [Ezekiel], the temple is to [God], namely, “the delight of his eyes” (vv.16, 21) (Block 1997 788). Every insinuation is that they had a warm and meaningful relationship. [God’s] seriousness about 789 [His] theological agenda here is reflected in the series of ten imperative clauses [that are] intended to stifle any expression of grief [from Ezekiel] over the loss of his wife (16-17) (Block 1997 788-9).

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, a festive accessory (Block 1997 790), and don’t go barefoot but put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men” that’s customarily prepared by friends… for those who mourn (Block 1997 790). 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded.

19 And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?” He gives two answers: first, concerning the significance of the death of [his] wife (v.21), [then] concerning the significance of [his response to her death] for his fellow exiles (v.22-24) (Block 1997 791).  20 Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: 21 ‘Say to the house of Israel the most shocking words they’ve yet heard, but also the ones they’ve been warned again and again were coming, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the place I’ve been pleased to dwell, because you have already profaned it (c.8), and Me, by the careless and yet idolatrous way in which you treated it. You turned my sanctuary into a place that inflates you and displaces Me among you. It has become the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul—it, not I, is what arouses your affections. So, I will [take it away], and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind, the delight of your eyes, shall fall by the sword. Now, here’s what Ezekiel’s response means for them. 22 And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men, the meals of mourning. 23 Your turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another. 24 Thus shall Ezekiel be to you a sign; according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then you will know that I am the Lord God.’

Now, that’s a pretty promising finish, suggesting a particular time or set of circumstances when this audience actually will come to know that [God] is the Lord. And it sounds like it’ll happen once they respond to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in the way Ezekiel has responded to the death of his wife. But Ezekiel hasn’t given any reason why this is, or why it’s important. He doesn’t explain why the exiles will be unwilling or unable to express their grief when the city has fallen, the sanctuary is destroyed, and their children are slain. Commentators have offered a wide range of solutions…, but in the absence of internal answers, the best clues are found in the [closing] (vv.25-27) (Block 1997 794).

A Continued Promise of Grace 25-27

And that turns out to be an understatement. These closing three verses are huge in their explanation of this strange scene and also in their implications regarding God’s plan for His people. The opening of the prophet’s mouth signified a turning point in Israel’s history: the old era of sin and judgment had come to an end; the new era of hope and salvation could begin. The exiles would refrain from mourning not because they would be paralyzed by grief or calloused by sin, but because they would recognize the dawn of a new age. The messenger’s announcement of the fall of the city will in effect be welcome news. Jerusalem will have paid her debts; the judgment will have passed (cf. Isa. 40:1-3) (Block 1997 794). Remember Isaiah’s words? Isa.40:2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s had double for all her sins. Here in Ezekiel: That day will be marked by two significant events: Yahweh will pull the rug out from under the people by removing the ground of all their hopes, and he will vindicate his prophet by confirming his sign value for the nation (Block 1997 795).

Let’s see that here: 25 “As for you, son of man, surely on the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul’s desire, and also their sons and daughters, mentioned almost as an afterthought (Block 1997 796), 26 on that day a fugitive (survivor [cf. 6:8-10; 14:21-23]) will come to you to report to you the news. 27 On that day (repeated as emphasis) your mouth will be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute, no longer kept from reproving the people (cf. 3:26-27), interceding for them like a priest, calling them to repentance. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

Thus: Ironically, looking beyond the immediate tragedy, even [this] bad news would turn out to be good. To be sure, news of the loss of temple and city will shock the exiles and challenge… their theological presuppositions. But Ezekiel’s relentless pronouncements of judgment had emphasized the need for the old order to be… dismantled before the nation could be reconstituted. The fall of Jerusalem would mark the end of the old and be the prerequisite for the new. In the process the sign value of Ezekiel himself would become apparent. The arrival of this fugitive would confirm that Ezekiel was a true prophet. The opening of his mouth would open up the possibility of… 797 another kind of message—something besides perpetual judgment—perhaps signaling the [start] of a new relationship with his audience, freeing him to serve more as a priest. And all of this together also seems to provide key indicators that the repeated intent of this season, of his writing, is being achieved: they will know that I am the Lord.

Conclusion

So, what’s our takeaway today—beyond continuing to gain a clearer understanding of this rich and fascinating book of OT history and prophecy and new covenant promise (which, by the way, I do hope is part of our takeaway each and every week!)?

Three Important Lessons

Even rich spiritual treasures can become idols. While the temple was the actual residence of our glorious God on earth, and a magnificent structure worthy of that status before the eyes of the world, the allegiance of Israel’s heart was divided among other cultural, national, and local deities. And she also took more pride in the glory of the temple building than of the God who literally lived within it, His shining glory hovering over the mercy seat (cf. Lev.16:2).

We can do the same as the new temple—we who’ve been born again by His Spirit Who now dwells in us, enabling us to love Him and one another as He loves us.

When His people begin growing in these qualities, as we are here, such that they’re observable to others who come in among us—they can see how we love one another, and how that love shows itself as service to one another, and they’re blessed by it. But we can begin taking credit for that, for what’s accomplished among us only by God’s presence working within us. And soon we can begin believing that this is just who we are, how we live. We’re special. Then we can forget about Him entirely and start taking personal pride in that which was only ever possible by His grace.

Not only is this displeasing to God, it’s also impossible for us to maintain. And it takes all the joy out of it as we try to love and serve like that in our own strength. That needs to be confessed as sin and forsaken.

The hardest experiences can produce the richest fruit. We see this in Ezekiel’s loss of his wife as a spiritual sign to Israel. It’s hard even to grasp the traumatic depth of this experience for him. But we can also see in Ezekiel’s life that, while God doesn’t do things like this often, He does do them at times. Job is a good example. Abraham is another, called to offer his son on the altar (Gen.22). And how about the man in John 9, blind from birth only so that the works of God might be displayed in him (Joh.9:3) when Jesus healed him on that Sabbath? These biblical stories should remind us that even when [we] meet trials of [many] kinds, we can count it all joy because the testing of our faith produces [a steadfast and mature trust in God] (Jam.1:2-4). It works for His good in us (Rom.8:18-30). But there’s an even deeper lesson embodied in Ezekiel’s experience.

God’s salvation cannot be achieved apart from suffering. Dan Block pointed out that more than any other prophet, even Hosea, Ezekiel plays the role of a suffering servant (Block 1997 794). And we can surely grieve with him in it still, twenty-six centuries later. But Block went on to make an insightfully rich observation of a bigger principle that’s illustrated here. He wrote: the message of God is proclaimed most powerfully when it is incarnate in the life of the messenger (Block 1997 797). And he cited some of the examples I mentioned a moment ago.

In short, sin and rebellion against God brings pain and suffering into this world. Yet, rather than destroying it and starting again, God purposed to reveal His character to His beloved creatures by suffering on an infinitely deeper level in order to atone for their sins and reconcile them to Himself. That’s just the only way for Him to fix the problem while maintaining His holiness.

However, delivering this message can often require a similar sort of suffering. Yet, that can be a joyful thing. Paul wrote: Col.1:24 … I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church—[God’s people]. Now, he’s not saying anything was left undone when Christ died on the cross. He’s actually talking about the suffering that can come from being the one charged to carry the message. But the thing that causes him to rejoice is that some repent and believe and are reconciled to God. Remember, he said that Rom.9:3 … [he] could wish that [he himself] were [cast into hell] and cut off from Christ for the sake of [his] brothers, [the old covenant people of God]. When God’s message grips your heart and saves you, you will suffer with Him to make it known, to spread it far a wide. That’s just how it works.

I believe that’s the experience Ezekiel had. He was a messenger of reconciliation. The Word of God was made incarnate in His life and so he shared in the sufferings of Christ—of God in Christ—even before he knew the depth of the significance of his experience. But he did have some assurance from God that, based on the sign he lived out before the exiles, they will know that [God] is the Lord (27).

So, we grieve with him in his suffering. But we rejoice in the salvation that’s provided through suffering. We’re reminded through it of the great depth of our sin, but also of the greater depth of God’s love.

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Resources

Block, Daniel I. 1997. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. The Book of Ezekiel, two vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

                  . 2021. Recording Series: Ezekiel, online recordings and notes. Wheaton: College Church.

Bullock, C. Hassell. 2007. An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. Ch. 11, Ezekiel: The Merging of Two Spheres, 274-307. Chicago: Moody.

Calvin, John. Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, two vols. Translated by Thomas Myers. Logos.

Carson, D. A. 2116. D. A. Carson Sermon Library. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife.

                  . 2015. The Lord Is There: Ezekiel 40-48. TGC15: YouTube.

                  , R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham, eds. 1994. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. Ezekiel, by L. John McGregor, 716-744. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

Clendenen, E. Ray, gen. ed. 1994. New American Commentary. Vol. 17, Ezekiel, by Lamar Eugene Cooper, Sr. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.

Collins, C. John, OT ed. 2001. ESV Study Bible. Study notes on Ezekiel, 1495-1580, by David J. Reimer. Wheaton: Crossway.

Craigie, Peter C. 1983. The Daily Bible Study Series. Ezekiel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox.

Dever, Mark. 2006. The Message of the Old Testament. Ch. 26, The Message of Ezekiel: Paradise, 635-650. Wheaton: Crossway.

Duguid, Iain M. 1999. The NIV Application Commentary. Ezekiel. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Heschel, Abraham J. 2001.The Prophets, two vols. Peabody, MA: Prince.

Longman III, Tremper, & David E. Garland, gen. eds. 2010. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 7, Jeremiah-Ezekiel. Ezekiel, by Ralph H. Alexander, 641-924. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Smith, Gary V. 1994. The Prophets as Preachers. Ch.14, Ezekiel: When Will You Acknowledge God, 251-281. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.

Smith, James E. 1995. The Major Prophets. The Book of Ezekiel, 351-508. Joplin, MO: College.

VanGemeren, Willem A. 1990. Interpreting the Prophetic Word. Ch. 11, The Message of Ezekiel, 321-353. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Walton, John H., gen. ed. 2009. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary, Old Testament. Vol. 4, Isaiah-Daniel. Ezekiel, by Daniel Bodi, 400-500. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Walvoord, John F. & Roy B. Zuck. 1983. The Bible Knowledge Commentary. Vol. 1, Old Testament. Ezekiel, 1224-1323, by Charles H. Dyer. Colorado Springs: Victor.

Wiseman, Donald J., gen. ed. 1969. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Vol. 22, Ezekiel, by John B. Taylor. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.

NEXT SUNDAY: The Nations Matter, Ezekiel 25:1–33:33