Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
Ezekiel Ch.24 / 48 Ch.s
EZE:24
* The fate of Jerusalem. (1-14) The extent of the sufferings of
the Jews. (15-27)
#1-14 The pot on the fire represented Jerusalem besieged by the
Chaldeans: all orders and ranks were within the walls, prepared
as a prey for the enemy. They ought to have put away their
transgressions, as the scum, which rises by the heat of the
fire, is taken from the top of the pot. But they grew worse, and
their miseries increased. Jerusalem was to be levelled with the
ground. The time appointed for the punishment of wicked men may
seem to come slowly, but it will come surely. It is sad to think
how many there are, on whom ordinances and providences are all
lost.
#15-27 Though mourning for the dead is a duty, yet it must be
kept under by religion and right reason: we must not sorrow as
men that have no hope. Believers must not copy the language and
expressions of those who know not God. The people asked the
meaning of the sign. God takes from them all that was dearest to
them. And as Ezekiel wept not for his affliction, so neither
should they weep for theirs. Blessed be God, we need not pine
away under our afflictions; for should all comforts fail, and
all sorrows be united, yet the broken heart and the mourner's
prayer are always acceptable before God.