Day: August 24, 2025

Ezekiel 24-27

Devotion by Rebecca Dauksas (South Carolina)

Today I scrubbed out our cast iron skillet. It would have been easier the night before, but I put this task off until today. It reminded me of our reading from Ezekiel 24. The parable for the Israelites contains a dirty, rusted boiling meat pot destined for cleansing by destruction. The pot was symbolic of Jerusalem. Ezekiel once again shares what the Sovereign LORD has said by telling his people this parable. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem. The LORD shows the people what will happen if they continue in their evil practices. The LORD refers to Jerusalem as the city of bloodshed. When faced with a warning that severe negative consequences including death for many will follow their actions, we would think that they would stop sinning. We want the people to repent, to turn to God and accept His deliverance and His salvation. Unfortunately, they do not. 

That nasty stuff in the pot should have been removed long ago, but the people continued in their sins. We could compare the rust of the pot to the bloodshed that had taken place in Jerusalem. God had seen the killing and wounding of others in this city of blood. All the actions of the people were in full view for God. He also states that their impurity was lewdness. They did detestable acts and committed adultery. They chose indecent, obscene behaviors rather than allowing God to clean out all that crud.  They should have been filled with shame and repentance, but they openly committed their sins. The scripture tells us that the LORD tried to cleanse them, but they would not be cleansed. They were told, “You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions,” declares the LORD. 

The people of Jerusalem would not turn from their sin, but we can. We can recognize when we fall short and confess our sin. After all, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. So God can make us a “vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”

Reflection Questions

1. What sins has Ezekiel mentioned in his book? What does God not like about them?
2. Why do you think God is giving warnings before the punishment comes?
3. What sins do you think God sees today – in you – that he would (or is) sending you a warning about? And what sins in the world around you?
4. What would the cleansing process look like if we turn to God? What would the cleansing process look like if we don’t?