Ezekiel 24:7
For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.
For the blood she shed is still within her;
This phrase refers to the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, symbolizing the guilt and unrepentant sin that remains unaddressed. In biblical context, bloodshed often signifies violence and injustice, which were rampant in Jerusalem at the time. The imagery of blood being "still within her" suggests that the city has not sought atonement or repentance for its sins. This can be connected to Genesis 4:10, where Abel's blood cries out from the ground, indicating that God is aware of injustice and holds people accountable.

she poured it out on the bare rock;
Pouring blood on a bare rock instead of the ground signifies a blatant and shameless display of sin. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, blood was considered sacred and was typically covered with dust to show respect and to prevent defilement (Leviticus 17:13). The act of pouring it on a rock indicates a public and unrepentant attitude towards sin, highlighting the people's disregard for God's laws and the sanctity of life.

she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.
This phrase emphasizes the failure to follow the proper ritual of covering blood with dust, as prescribed in Leviticus 17:13. Covering blood with dust was a way to show respect for life and acknowledge the seriousness of taking a life. By not doing so, the people of Jerusalem demonstrate their contempt for divine commandments and their lack of remorse. This act of defiance is a metaphor for their spiritual state, showing a hardened heart and a refusal to seek forgiveness. The imagery also foreshadows the judgment that will come upon them, as their sins are exposed and unatoned.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet of God who ministered to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile. He is known for his vivid visions and symbolic actions.

2. Jerusalem
The city being addressed in this passage, symbolizing the people of Israel and their spiritual state.

3. Babylonian Exile
The period during which the Israelites were taken captive by Babylon, serving as the backdrop for Ezekiel's prophecies.

4. Bloodshed
Represents the violence and sin of Jerusalem, which is openly exposed and unrepented.

5. Bare Rock
Symbolizes the blatant and shameless nature of Jerusalem's sins, as they are not hidden or covered.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of Sin
Sin, especially violence and bloodshed, is not hidden from God. It demands accountability and repentance.

Public Exposure of Sin
Just as the blood was poured on the bare rock, our sins, if unrepented, will be exposed. We must seek forgiveness and cover our sins with the blood of Christ.

God's Justice
God is just and will not ignore sin. His justice requires that sin be addressed, either through repentance or judgment.

Repentance and Atonement
The need to cover sin with dust symbolizes the importance of repentance and seeking atonement through Christ.

Living Righteously
As believers, we are called to live lives that reflect God's holiness, avoiding actions that lead to spiritual defilement.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of blood on the bare rock in Ezekiel 24:7 challenge us to consider the visibility of our own sins before God?

2. In what ways can we ensure that our sins are "covered" through genuine repentance and faith in Christ?

3. How does the concept of God's justice in Ezekiel 24:7 relate to the broader biblical account of redemption and atonement?

4. What practical steps can we take to avoid the spiritual defilement that comes from unrepented sin, as illustrated in this passage?

5. How can we apply the lessons from Ezekiel 24:7 to promote justice and righteousness in our communities today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 4:10
The blood of Abel crying out from the ground parallels the unrepented bloodshed in Jerusalem, highlighting God's awareness of injustice.

Numbers 35:33
The defilement of the land through bloodshed connects to the idea that unatoned blood pollutes the land, requiring divine justice.

Isaiah 59:3
The imagery of blood on hands underscores the pervasive sin and guilt of the people, similar to the unrepented blood in Ezekiel.

Revelation 6:10
The souls under the altar crying out for justice echo the theme of unrepented bloodshed demanding God's intervention.
The Boiling CauldronUrijah R. Thomas.Ezekiel 24:1-14
The Boiling CauldronA London MinisterEzekiel 24:1-14
The Consuming CauldronJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 24:1-14
The Interior Mechanism of WarJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 24:1-14
The Parable of the Cauldron; Or, the Judgment Upon JerusalemW. Jones Ezekiel 24:1-14
People
Ezekiel
Places
Babylon, Jerusalem, Samaria
Topics
Bare, Blood, Clear, Cover, Covered, Didn't, Draining, Dust, Ground, Midst, Open, Placed, Pour, Poured, Rock, Shed
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 24:1-13

     4478   meat

Ezekiel 24:3-13

     5438   parables

Ezekiel 24:5-8

     1690   word of God

Library
Divine Sovereignty.
In this discussion I shall endeavor to show, I. What is not intended by the term "sovereignty" when applied to God. It is not intended, at least by me, that God, in any instance, wills or acts arbitrarily, or without good reasons; reasons so good and so weighty, that he could in no case act otherwise than he does, without violating the law of his own intelligence and conscience, and consequently without sin. Any view of divine sovereignty that implies arbitrariness on the part of the divine will,
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

The Jews Make all Ready for the War; and Simon, the Son of Gioras, Falls to Plundering.
1. And thus were the disturbances of Galilee quieted, when, upon their ceasing to prosecute their civil dissensions, they betook themselves to make preparations for the war with the Romans. Now in Jerusalem the high priest Artanus, and do as many of the men of power as were not in the interest of the Romans, both repaired the walls, and made a great many warlike instruments, insomuch that in all parts of the city darts and all sorts of armor were upon the anvil. Although the multitude of the young
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

That the Ruler Should not Set his Heart on Pleasing Men, and yet Should Give Heed to what Ought to Please Them.
Meanwhile it is also necessary for the ruler to keep wary watch, lest the lust of pleasing men assail him; lest, when he studiously penetrates the things that are within, and providently supplies the things that are without, he seek to be beloved of those that are under him more than truth; lest, while, supported by his good deeds, he seems not to belong to the world, self-love estrange him from his Maker. For he is the Redeemer's enemy who through the good works which he does covets being loved
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The End
'1. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. 2. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 4. And the city was broken up, and all the
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

How those who Fear Scourges and those who Contemn them are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 14.) Differently to be admonished are those who fear scourges, and on that account live innocently, and those who have grown so hard in wickedness as not to be corrected even by scourges. For those who fear scourges are to be told by no means to desire temporal goods as being of great account, seeing that bad men also have them, and by no means to shun present evils as intolerable, seeing they are not ignorant how for the most part good men also are touched by them. They are to be admonished
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

How Christ is the Way in General, "I am the Way. "
We come now to speak more particularly to the words; and, first, Of his being a way. Our design being to point at the way of use-making of Christ in all our necessities, straits, and difficulties which are in our way to heaven; and particularly to point out the way how believers should make use of Christ in all their particular exigencies; and so live by faith in him, walk in him, grow up in him, advance and march forward toward glory in him. It will not be amiss to speak of this fulness of Christ
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Seventh Commandment
Thou shalt not commit adultery.' Exod 20: 14. God is a pure, holy spirit, and has an infinite antipathy against all uncleanness. In this commandment he has entered his caution against it; non moechaberis, Thou shalt not commit adultery.' The sum of this commandment is, The preservations of corporal purity. We must take heed of running on the rock of uncleanness, and so making shipwreck of our chastity. In this commandment there is something tacitly implied, and something expressly forbidden. 1. The
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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