Eze. 22:1-31, The Furnace and the Dross

Eze. 22:1-31, The Furnace and the Dross
1. “Your sins are too many!” (1-16)
 God points out that Israel(Jerusalem) was totally corrupt(1-16). God lists specific sins as if a prosecutor were reading an indictment. They broke the Ten Commandments and did not love their neighbors. They committed murder ethically and were called the “Bloody City”(2, the expression “bloody” is used 7 times). How did the city of peace, Jerusalem, end up like this? They abused their power and killed people unjustly. They treated their parents with contempt, abused strangers, and harmed orphans and widows (7). They sowed discord in order to shed blood, and took bribes. They took interest and made a profit, committed injustice, and extorted unjust gain from their neighbors. They committed adultery both inside and outside their homes (6-12).
And He rebukes them for their religious idolatry, their contempt for the holy things, and their eating of sacrifices on high places. They profaned the Sabbath, did not keep it, whitewashed these deeds, covered up the sins of the people, saw empty visions, and practiced false divination. All these sins were because they forgot the Lord God (12). We all acknowledge God as God, repent of all our sins, and pray that we may be forgiven.
2. The dross in the furnace (17-22)
 He also says that they were punished by being thrown into the furnace and became dross (17). Putting raw ore into the furnace is to obtain pure ore like silver after being refined, but the people who remained in Jerusalem became nothing more than useless impurities and dross. The fire of God’s wrath will burn Israel (21). When Babylon invades, they will flee to Jerusalem to survive. However, this will not be a safe refuge, but a furnace. They will face the end. How much must God's heart hurt? Only then will they realize that God has poured out His wrath. Blessed are those who know that Jehovah is God, repent, and acknowledge God before God's judgment comes. May we all repent before God's judgment comes, acknowledge God as God, and be well trained to be used as pure gold or pure silver.
3. Israel polluted by all kinds of sins and those who intercede and block with their bodies (23-31)
 They are a land that cannot be purified and a land that does not receive rain. God said that if they obey, love, and serve God, He will give them early and late rain at the right time and take care of the people from the beginning of the year to the end of the year (Deut. 11:12-14). However, they sinned and did not receive God's care. It is truly a pity. I hope they will cling to God. That is why Moses tells us several times in Deuteronomy not to forget God and to always remember Him (8:2, 18, etc.).
 Furthermore, God speaks of the sins of all classes (rulers, priests, governors, prophets, people, etc.) who have become useless dregs. The rulers rebelled and became like roaring lions, the priests broke the law, defiled the holy things, and profaned the Sabbath. The high officials were like wolves devouring food, and the prophets whitewashed these deeds and lied. The people committed violence and robbery, oppressed the weak, and abused strangers. They were corrupt and depraved overall.
In this situation, God looked for someone who would intercede to block the fallen city and prevent its destruction, but He could not find one (30, Gn. 18:22-31, Jer. 5:1). How much must God's heart have ached?
 What about today and us? God is looking for someone who will intercede for today’s society, which is like the fallen Jerusalem, and save it from destruction. He is looking for someone who will ‘stand in the gap.’ Someone like Moses. Psalm 106:23 says, “Therefore the Lord said he would destroy them; but Moses, His chosen one, stood before Him in the midst of the trouble, and turned His anger away from the destruction.” When God saw the Israelites worshiping the golden calf and partying at the foot of Mount Sinai, God was angry and killed 3,000 of them. However, God’s anger was abated by Moses’ prayer on their behalf. Moses was the mediator who saved the people from destruction in the wilderness. Moses prayed to God to save and forgive them: “O Lord, why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘The Lord brought them out with evil intent, to slay them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth? Turn from your fierce anger, and relent and do not bring this evil on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, whom you swore by yourself, saying, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and I will give all this land that I have promised to your descendants as an everlasting possession.’” (32:11-13) He went on to pray even more boldly. It is truly moving. 32:31-32, “Alas! This people have sinned greatly; they have made themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin, or if not, blot me out of your book that you have written.”
 We also see Daniel’s earnest intercession. In Daniel 9, he fasts and prays earnestly for his people and nation (9:3). He also hears news of a great war and prays, fasting in part for 21 days (10:2-3). At this time, he is in his mid-80s. God comforts him by sending him a merciful man, saying, “Greatly beloved, do not fear; peace be with you; be strong and be strong.”(Daniel 10:18-19)
 Let us all repent of all our sins before God and be washed by the blood of Jesus’ cross. And let us pray earnestly like Moses during the Exodus (Ex.32:32) and like Daniel the captive. These prayers will move the heart of Almighty God. May God bless you so that you will not remain as dross-like impurities in the fiery ordeal of the furnace, but as pure gold or silver. Let us fervently intercede for the sinful world and our neighbors. May you be used as a faithful servant of the Lord who intercedes and lives to block the fallen city and prevent it from being destroyed. Amen.
*Question/1) What will happen to Jerusalem, which has been defiled by sin, from the Gentiles (4-5)?
The day of judgment, the day of destruction has come (21:30). The day of destruction by Babylon is near.
2) God mentions the numerous sins of Israel (6-12). What is the fundamental reason why Israel committed such sins? (12,16)?
 It is because they forgot God, their Lord. We must always live devoutly with the consciousness that we live before God(Coram Deo).
3) Who does God seek when He pours out His anger on a city full of sin (30)? Do you decide to live as such a person?
 He looked for a righteous person who would intercede to block the fallen city and prevent it from being destroyed, but He could not find one. In the time of Abraham, the city of Sodom was destroyed because there were not ten righteous people. In the time of Jeremiah, Jerusalem was destroyed because there was not one righteous person. Moses stood before God and turned away God’s wrath so that He would not destroy the people (Ex.32:32, Ps.106:23). Jesus is our true mediator. In the Gospel John chapter 17, Jesus prayed that God would protect, guard, and guide us. Even now, the Lord is protecting, caring for, and guiding us. Our only true mediator, Jesus Christ, is interceding for us. Amen. May we all pray earnestly with the heart of a mediator like Moses or Daniel, and may we live as faithful servants who can refresh the heart of God.