Boiling Point

 

    God is the source of honesty and He was brutally honest with Ezekiel.  Maybe God knew that Ezekiel could take it or that Ezekiel would be honest in return.  We may never know why God chose Ezekiel for the prophecies, task, and visions that he had.  However we do know that Ezekiel did as he was told every time.

    God told Ezekiel the exact day that the Babylonians would siege Jerusalem (in four years).  It was the boiling point.  Instead of steam and fire, it was expressed in blood.  God was removing the impurities (lewdness) from His home on Earth.  The people would be purified one way or another from the corruption, injustice, and paganism.

    God judges action and conduct.  When the nation treated what He gave them like trash, He gave them time to repent and see the error of their ways.  When they didn't, they He reacted.  You can only push so long before there is a reaction.  His judgment runs extremely hot.  

    One of the first signs of the boiling point was when Ezekiel's wife died.  He was required to mourn her quietly.  It was not an open display of pain like it normally was in the Jewish culture: groaning, removal of turban or sandals, covering one's lips, eating special bread, and dust on the head.  When he did not react as expected the people came to ask out of curiosity more than sympathy.  This opened the door for him to explain what it all meant.

    When she died, God took the people's joy and glory from them as Jerusalem fell.  Their delight in life was gone as they turned fugitive.  She represented the end of what they considered civilized.  This also marked the end of Ezekiel's silence.  The six years of his forewarning ministry was over.  It was now time for the consolation ministry to begin.

Ezekiel 24