THE BOILING POT

In chapter 11 the ungodly men of Judah had maintained that, just as a cauldron protected the choice pieces of meat inside from the fierceness of the fire below, so the fortified city of Jerusalem would shelter them from the might of the Babylonian army. But, in response, God had declared that the city would be no protect­ing cauldron for them and that, because of the innocent blood shed there, He would deliver them into captivity.

Now, in chapter 24, the Lord turns their self-chosen imagery back on them. The cauldron again depicts the city of Jerusalem, with the ‘good’ pieces and ‘choice bones’ representing the emi­nent men of Judah - in particular, the king, princes and nobles. Following previous Babylonian attacks, not all the people had been taken away into captivity. This time it would be different. The judgement would fall upon all without regard to rank or sta­tus: ‘bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it’.

This forthcoming judgement would prove that, although God is no respecter of persons, He is most certainly a respecter of character. For it was the people’s persistent and public wicked­ness and violence which had cried out to God for His intervention. According to God’s law, even the blood of sacri­ficed animals was to be poured out and covered with dust, Lev. 17. 13. Yet, in open defiance of God, no attempt was made by the inhabitants of Jerusalem to conceal the blood of His innocent people whom they had slain there. The Lord now proclaimed that He would preserve the bloodstains of His saints, so as to vin­dicate His avenging of their murder. The empty cauldron was to be left on the hot coals until all its ‘scum’ (‘tarnish’) was removed by the intense heat. This pictured the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem, necessary to purify the city itself from the deceit, sensual sins and murder committed there.

Particular emphasis is laid upon the date when God revealed these forthcoming events to Ezekiel, for, it was on that very day that Nebuchadnezzar’s final siege of Jerusalem began, vv. 1, 2; 2 Kgs. 25. 1. Ezekiel’s record, written at that moment many hun­dreds of miles away from the action, demonstrated that it was all God’s doing and that he was a genuine prophet of God.