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The Bible Breakdown
Ezekiel 24: The Cooking Pot Parable
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The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, ezekiel, chapter 24, and today's title is the Cooking Pot Parable the Cooking Pot Parable. It's kind of an important podcast today because there's a couple things that's going to happen in this one that is both just shocking and really helps us to place where we are in this, and we'll get into it in just a moment. But, as always, while you're opening up your Bible to Ezekiel, chapter 24, make sure, if you're new around here, you hit pause and you go and you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast it really does help and make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. You're doing an amazing job over there and, as always, the more we dig, the more we find. Well, if you have your Bibles, like I said, you want to open up with me to Ezekiel, chapter 24.
Speaker 1:Remember that the overall idea of this is God's promise of renewal and, as we've been saying, as we've been getting closer and closer, even though Ezekiel is in Babylon, a lot of people have already been exiled to Babylon. There is the siege that is happening that Jeremiah has written about, and he is going back and he is writing about that moment. And it's also important to say in verse 1 of chapter 24, it's going to give us a date on January 15th, and I maybe should have said this I don't know 20 chapters earlier, but when we see him say that the Lord gave me this message and he said son of man, say right. What that means is is that time would have passed between one and then the next one. So it's important that we realize that Ezekiel is not just sitting here writing one chapter after another. This is over the course of his life that he is doing this, and so these things are happening and God is giving them so much mercy and so much time, but it's finally time On January 15th, most likely 588 BC, so it's a little less than 600 years before the time of Jesus. Finally, the final siege that Jeremiah wrote about. That's what this is about. Now Ezekiel is in Babylon and he's writing about what he sees is happening, and so God is giving him this metaphor to describe what it is, and so we're going to read this and this is what it looks like, and it's just okay. The time has finally come when this is going to happen and once again in history, this is 588 BC, january 15th. So, if you're ready, chapter 24, or chapter 24, verse 1 says this On January 15th, during the ninth year of King Jehoiakim's captivity, this message came to me from the Lord, son of man. Write down today's date, because on this very day, the king of Babylon is beginning his attack against Jerusalem. Now, also, remember this is not now a 24-hour news cycle. It could take a long time for news to get from Babylon to Jerusalem and back, but God told him today's the day. Then give these rebels an illustration, remember an illustration of what this message from the Sovereign Lord.
Speaker 1:With this message from the Sovereign Lord, here we go, put a pot on the fire and pour in some water, fill it with choice pieces of meat and rump and the shoulder. Here we go. Now, this is what the Sovereign Lord says. Okay, having a barbecue, all right. What sorrow awaits Jerusalem? You know this is what the sovereign Lord says. Okay, having a barbecue, all right.
Speaker 1:What sorrow awaits Jerusalem? You know, this is Ezekiel. Of course, he's not going to get to enjoy this. What sorrow awaits Jerusalem? The city from murderers? She is a cooking pot whose corruption cannot be cleaned out. Take the meat out in random order, for no piece is better than another. For the blood of her murderers is splashed on the rocks. It isn't even spilled on the ground where the dust could cover it. So I will splash her blood on a rock for all to see an expression of my anger and vengeance against her. This is what the Sovereign Lord says.
Speaker 1:What sorrow awaits Jerusalem, the city of murderers? I myself will pile up the fuel beneath her. This is what the Sovereign Lord says. He says Be cleaned out, so throw it onto the fire. Your impurity is your lewdness and the corruption of your idolatry. I tried to cleanse you, but you refused. So now you'll remain in your filth until my fury against you has been satisfied. I, the Lord, have spoken. The time has come and I won't hold back. I will not change my mind. I will have no pity on you. You will be my judge on the basis of all your wicked actions, says the sovereign Lord.
Speaker 1:Now, this part is really sad, but it brings home how personal this moment is. Then this message came to me from the Lord Son of man, with one blow, I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death, do not weep, let there be no tears. Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals, do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends. So I proclaimed this to the people and the next morning and in the evening my wife died.
Speaker 1:The next morning I did everything I had been told to do. Then the people asked what does all this mean? What are you trying to tell us? So I said to them A message came to me from the Lord and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the sovereign Lord says I will defile my temple, the source of your security and your pride, and place your heart to light sin. Your sons and your daughters, whom you left behind in Judah, will be slaughtered by the sword, and then you will do as Ezekiel has done. Ezekiel is an example for you and you must do as he has done. And when that time comes, you will know that I am the sovereign Lord. And then the Lord said to me, son of man, on the day I take away their strongholds, their joy and glory, their heart's desire, their dearest treasure. I will also take away their sons and daughters and on that day, a survivor from Jerusalem will come to you in Babylon and tell you what has happened. And when he arrives, your voice will suddenly return so you can talk to him and this will be a symbol to these people and they will know that I am the Lord. Wow, that's terrible. I mean, that is absolutely terrible.
Speaker 1:And, by the way, that is the only time in the Bible that God ever tells someone to not mourn for someone who is innocent. Now there's a place in the old Testament where, uh, the sons of Aaron defiled, uh, what God had told them to do, and he said you can't, you can't mourn for them right now. But that was because there was a, there was something specific going on and they had done something wrong. And this situation it shows. It doesn't tell us and we have to be careful not to establish a doctrine from silence but it doesn't tell us that his wife had done anything wrong. It's possible she had been sick, whatever. We don't know, and in my mind I'm thinking that she was probably sick or something like that, but we really don't know.
Speaker 1:But when she passed away, god told Ezekiel and I love how it says your dearest treasure, which meant he loved his wife. This wasn't a situation where he's like, ah, she's dead, moving on. It wasn't like that. It was you know your heart's desire, your dearest treasure. She's gone. And he said I'm going to give you the strength to not mourn for her, because this is going to be an example of what my people are going to have to go through. And man, god gave a strength to Ezekiel and he was able to do that. And it's the only time in the Bible. So don't be quick to be all mad at God being like God. How could you? No, no, this is the only time in the Bible God ever told someone to do this. And it was a situation where God was saying this devastation is what's coming your way.
Speaker 1:And when I was reading this, one of the things that really stood out to me is this idea of being an example in hard times. Hard times, people celebrate us, celebrate with us in our successes, but they connect with us in our weaknesses. And Ezekiel is showing them what it looks like to grieve and having to grieve quietly. And he said that when this happens to them and they see how you dealt with it, then they will know that I am the Lord. And I wonder if it's that God gave him the strength to be able to endure this. Then they will look at Ezekiel and say only God could have given him that kind of strength.
Speaker 1:And I wonder for you do you sometimes hide the fact that you have struggles? But God is faithful? I'm not saying that we don't glory in our struggles. We don't sit there and go hey, I'm a basket case, yay, not that. What we're saying is you know what? I have troubles, I have difficulties. I'm human, just like you, but I serve an amazing God. He's the one that gives me strength. You know why that's so important. It's for a thousand reasons, but one of the reasons is because then, when someone you know goes through something similar, that's when they're able to say, wow, god really is real and alive and moving in that person's life, because I know what this feels like and only God could do something like that in their life. I think it's amazing to remember that and remember that God truly is faithful.
Speaker 1:Let's pray together right now, god, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you're with us and that you're for us, lord. Maybe there's someone today who is listening or watching this and they are struggling because they're going through something difficult and part of the struggle is is they're trying to keep it from everybody. They're trying so hard to be strong for everybody else. I pray God, you'll give them the courage to be weak but still moving forward. We're not saying that we celebrate in our weakness, except for the fact that it's in our weakness that you are made strong. Help us, lord, to show your strength as we are moving forward to you and for you and toward you. Every day, in Jesus' name, we pray amen. Now what God's word says in Ezekiel 34, verse 14, he says I will put my spirit in you, say it with me and you will live again. We are now over halfway finished with the book of Ezekiel and I'll see you tomorrow for Ezekiel, chapter 25.
