After all the warnings God had given to the people of Jerusalem through Ezekiel, the time for repentance had passed, and God began to describe the events that were already unfolding. The LORD marked the exact day the king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem, making it clear that ruin of Jerusalem was not influenced by the ambitions of its king or his military strength, but by God’s sovereign will. In his third and final parable, Ezekiel returns to the image of the pot, this time with greater detail, as God instructs him to deliver one last parable to confront the rebellious people.
The Cooking Pot
“Put on the cooking pot; put it on
and pour water into it.
Put into it the pieces of meat,
all the choice pieces—the leg and the shoulder.
Fill it with the best of these bones;
take the pick of the flock.
Pile wood beneath it for the bones;
bring it to a boil
and cook the bones in it.”
Ezekiel 24:3–5 (NIV)
Jerusalem is condemned as a city defined by bloodshed and entrenched in corruption, portrayed as a pot so encrusted that it cannot be cleansed. The blood she has shed lies openly exposed, demanding judgment rather than concealment. The LORD intensifies the fire—not to preserve, but to consume—cooking the choice pieces, charring the bones, and ultimately destroying everything within the pot. Yet those still remaining in Jerusalem persist under the illusion that they are secure, believing they have been specially chosen to remain in the city they cherish. God’s final outpouring of judgment shatters this false confidence, forcing them to realise that they are no different from those already taken into captivity.
Where is our confidence placed today that prevents us from coming to God and correcting our ways?
Our confidence today is often placed in what we have built for ourselves rather than in God. We create our own circles—information bubbles in which we feel satisfied, secure, and undisturbed. Within these self-contained spaces, we grow comfortable, and when voices warn that something is wrong or that judgement is near, fear arises. The very thought of stepping outside these circles becomes unsettling. Often times, it is the Christian community and its leadership that offer a sense of reassurance, that causes this misplaced confidence. Instead of leading people back to God, such assurance can dull the urgency of repentance and prevent genuine self-examination.
We only recognise our need for correction when challenges confront us. Until then, our confidence rests elsewhere—in the government we choose, in the leadership we trust, and in the circumstances we believe we have shaped and controlled. This confidence replaces dependence on God with reliance on systems and structures of our own making. In this, we mirror the people of Jerusalem, who placed their trust in their fortified city rather than in God Himself. Their security became their downfall. Their corruption had made its way to the core, destroying everything and making the pot useless, leading to it being burned for destruction. Attempts to cleanse the city have failed, and the corruption cannot be cured. The LORD states that the time for restraint is over; He will judge the city based on its actions.
“I the LORD have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back;
I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign LORD.”
Ezekiel 24:14 (NIV)
Losing Our Beloved
To give the exiles a sign of what was yet to come, God made Ezekiel himself—and his grief—a living sign of the helpless mourning situation they would soon face. With a single blow, the LORD takes away the “delight of his eyes”—his wife—and on top of that He commands Ezekiel not to mourn publicly. Instead of removing this garment, as was customary in mourning rites, Ezekiel is commanded to leave it in place.
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Ezekiel 24:18 (NIV)
Why did God let Ezekiel, a young man, suffer such loss just to be a sign for the stubborn people?
Just as God allowed satan to bring disaster upon Job, because He knew Job’s heart, so also with Ezekiel. God knew that Ezekiel would remain faithful, stay strong, and continue on the path appointed for him, allowing God’s will to unfold fully in his life. At times, God allows His servants to suffer so they may grasp the depth of the situation they are called to address. Without experiencing loss firsthand, Ezekiel’s words might have sounded flat and distant. But after having his heart torn by grief, he could speak with a weight that matched the reality the people themselves were about to face. His pain gave substance to his message.
In the same way, when hardship touches our own lives, and we later encounter someone walking through the same suffering, our response changes. Our prayers become more compassionate, shaped not by the theoretical but by lived experience. God uses suffering not only to communicate His message but to form His servants into vessels through whom that message carries truth, depth, and genuine understanding.
On first reading, it may appear that God does not care about Ezekiel’s wife, or that He is using this tragic loss as yet another parable to get through to His people. Ezekiel’s wife was taken from him suddenly likely not through a prolonged illness, but through an abrupt and fatal event. Ezekiel would have been devastated, burdened with countless questions, yet even in this moment of deep sorrow, God remained with him, and Ezekiel experienced His presence during the most challenging period of his life.
He could have abandoned his calling, but Ezekiel remained faithful, allowing God to speak to the people even through his grief. Others may have whispered, questioned, or pointed fingers, claiming his message was false because he himself had suffered such loss. Yet his refusal to mourn publicly until the time appointed by God not only demonstrated his faithfulness but also bore witness to the onlookers that it was God who sustained him throughout this period. Even in his loss, God was at work, strengthening and upholding His servant.
Just as Ezekiel was struck by tragedy and unable to mourn, so the people would lose what they cherished most—the sanctuary city in which they took pride. The loss of Jerusalem was unimaginable and unbearable, and it was befitting for the analogy of losing the most beloved person in one’s life. The inability even to mourn the loss of a loved one is more tragic than the loss itself; yet this is the state the exiles would soon find themselves in—unable even to openly mourn the fall of Jerusalem.
The temple was the delight of the people of Jerusalem, but it had effectively become an idol to them. This is the very sanctuary that Nebuchadnezzar would destroy in accordance with God’s determined plan. Although the people felt deep attachment to both the temple and the city, their devotion was distorted by false pride and misplaced confidence (Jer 7). Consequently, these treasured symbols would be reduced to ruin when the temple was burned. When the people hear this devastating news, they will not display their grief outwardly; instead, they will groan inwardly. This silent suffering will stand as a stark reminder of their sin.
Processing Grief
“You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.”
Ezekiel 24:23 (NIV)
Why were the people of Jerusalem in exile unable to grieve when they heard of the destruction of the temple, and how might their response have been different had they received this news while still in their own land?
Overwhelmed by judgment, they will be unable to observe the customary mourning rites and will instead waste away under the weight of their guilt. Living in a foreign land, they no longer possess the freedoms they once enjoyed in their homeland, including the freedom to mourn openly the successful military conquest of a city now under the authority of their current rulers. They were living under foreign rule, without civic or religious freedom, and any public lament over the fall of a city conquered by their current rulers could be interpreted as disloyalty or rebellion.
Had they received this news while still in their own land, their response would likely have included national fasting, public lament, torn garments, ashes, prayers at the temple, and communal repentance. Instead, stripped of place, freedom, and ritual, their grief would be turned inward. As Ezekiel’s sign indicated, they would be stunned into silence—unable even to mourn properly—left to waste away under the weight of their guilt and the realisation that this destruction had come according to the word of the LORD.
God Is Not Absent in Our Sorrow
on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 24:26-27 (NIV)
A survivor of the events of 586 BC in Jerusalem would travel roughly 880 miles (about 1,400 kilometers) to Babylon to bring the news to Ezekiel (33:21). When Ezekiel learns of Jerusalem’s fall, his period of enforced silence comes to an end, his ability to speak is restored, and he is finally able to mourn the loss of his wife, even as those around him remain unable to grieve openly for their cherished city. The arrival of this news confirms that everything has unfolded according to the word of the LORD, leading the people to a hard but necessary recognition of their guilt and their betrayal of the covenant with God.
How can we remain faithful to God in moments of deep personal loss?
True faith does not mean carrying our troubles alone. If we have faith in God, we should bring our burdens before Him, coming to Him in our broken state. This involves recognising that what has happened has occurred within God’s will. Acceptance may be difficult, and the loss may feel unbearable, but we must acknowledge that what happened is not a mistake but part of God’s plan. Trusting God means believing that even in loss, He has not erred. What is hard to accept can still be held with confidence that God remains in control and faithful in His purposes.
God is not absent in our sorrow, yet sometimes we distance ourselves from Him in times of grief. As we try to process our loss, we withdraw from our relationships, and often the first relationship we sever is our relationship with God—possibly out of anger or frustration, having expected Him to protect our loved ones. Sympathizers come our way, claiming to understand what we are going through, and though we don’t believe them, over time we let them in and start to mingle back in the world. The last relationship we tend to seek is the one we severed with God and find peace beyond any other relationship could have offered. God is not content with our praises during the high points of our lives but wants to be our rock even during the low ones.
The Jordan Valley 
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