Israel in the Fiery Furnace

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 22:17-31

 

Ezekiel 22:18

Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver.

(NKJV)

 

The mention of a fiery furnace in the Bible might bring us to think of the story of Daniel's three young friends who were placed in the fiery furnace for worshipping their God and were rescued by the Lord who was in the fire with them (Daniel 3:8-30). However, the fiery furnace in Daniel is a furnace of persecution for one worshipping God whereas the furnace of Ezekiel 22:17-22 is a fiery furnace of the wrath and the fury of God for disobedience. Jesus warned his believers about the fiery furnace of persecution (John 16:33) but we must avoid the fiery furnace of disobedience by living obediently to God’s Word.

 

Ezekiel receives another word from the Lord regarding Israel and is told that Israel has become like the dross of bronze, tin, iron, and lead that comes from the smelting of silver (Ezekiel 22:17-18). As dross, the Lord intends to put Israel into the fiery furnace of his wrath to melt the dross (sin) and extract the silver (purity) from them (Ezekiel 22:19-20). The purpose of this smelting of Israel in the fiery furnace of God’s wrath is to purify Israel by melting off the sin so they can be a holy and pure people who know the Lord (Ezekiel 22:21-22).

 

Ezekiel then receives a second Word from the Lord regarding Israel’s wicked leaders (Ezekiel 22:23). The word begins with the Lord instructing Ezekiel to tell Israel they are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation (Ezekiel 22:24). Among these wicked leaders are the prophets who are like a roaring lion tearing their prey and devouring people. They have taken treasure and precious things and made widows in Israel (Ezekiel 22:25). The priests have violated God’s law and profaned God’s holy things, failing to distinguish between the holy and unholy or the clean and unclean and failed to honor the Sabbath (Ezekiel 22:26). Israel’s princes are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying people for dishonest gain (Ezekiel 22:27). Israel’s prophets claim to speak in the name of the Lord when the Lord has not spoken to them (Ezekiel 22:28). The people of Israel have used oppression, committed robbery, mistreated the poor, and wrongfully oppressed strangers (Ezekiel 22:29). After no man in Israel was found to stand in the gap for them, the Lord poured out His indignation on them, consuming them with the fire of His wrath, bringing their sins upon their own heads (Ezekiel 22:30-31).

 

The Lord compares Israel to the dross in the smelting furnace after the removal of the silver. God is about to unleash his fury and wrath on Israel to remove the dross of bronze, iron, lead, and tin from the ore leaving the precious remnant of silver (Ezekiel 22:17-22). Ezekiel receives another word from the Lord regarding Israel’s wicked leaders who are responsible for leading Israel into the fiery furnace of God’s fury and wrath. These wicked leaders include Israel’s prophets, princes, and priests who have profaned God, destroying the people in the process to get dishonest gain (Ezekiel 22:23-31).

 

One with a calling to ministry in the Church has the responsibility to lead the congregation in holiness and righteousness, pointing people to the saving grace of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Unfortunately, in many modern Churches, the message of the Gospel has become a works-based righteousness with salvation coming from following a strict moral code. While morality is a fruit a believer in Christ should demonstrate, following a moral code does not save one but is the result of a life lived to please one’s Savior. Other liberal Churches, and I use the term Church loosely, do not teach about sin, leaving the impression one can continue in sin because God’s grace forgives them, something Paul wrote against in Romans 6:1-4.

 

The parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates the two extremes in the Church today. The younger son represents the liberal church that uses the grace of God as an excuse to continue in sin (Luke 15:11-13). There is hope for this church just as there was hope for the younger son who realized his sin and came to his father for forgiveness and received forgiveness and reconciliation (Luke 15:14-24). The older son represents the legalistic and moralistic church for he became angry at the grace his father showed the younger son who returned with repentance and accepted back by his father (Luke 15:25-28). Instead of rejoicing at the return of his lost brother, the older brother was jealous that he was not also honored by his father for his moralism. The father in the parable represents the attitude of God towards the lost, which includes us all, for he rejoiced that a sinner had returned with repentance, something we all should share (Luke 15:29-32).

 

If you are reading this and have never prayed to God for the forgiveness of your sins and to make Jesus the Lord of your life, or are a prodigal who has drifted from a relationship with God, I invite you to pray with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

Please join me in praying for the lost and prodigals in the world, praying that they will come to God the Father and seek forgiveness of sin. I also pray that the Church would reach out to the prodigals and lost in the world, not in a spirit of judgment but a spirit of love, sharing the love of God the Father who sent His Son to die for their sins. May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post.