Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.
Thou art the land not cleansed nor rained upon belongs to the warnings given before the destruction of Jerusalem, recounting the transgressions that led to exile, where the unclean land is left without cleansing and without the cleansing rain of God's favor in the day of God's indignation and judgment at the Lord's coming. The lack of cleansing came through the failure of religious teachers, for its priests violated God's law and profaned His holy things and His Sabbath, putting no difference between the holy and the common and between the unclean and the clean, so that He was profaned among them. Sabbath desecration was among the great sins and curses of Israel, joined with idolatry and connected with the judgments that destroyed the nation, for the apostasy was sun-worship as a complete rival system with its own priests, temples, forms, and Sunday worship day in place of the Sabbath memorial of the true God as Creator. That land without cleansing and without rain is the condition of the professed people of God in these last days at the end of the gospel age, who walk in violation of His law in thought and motive, deal falsely from prophet to priest, and heal the hurt slightly by crying peace when there is no peace while refusing the old paths and the watchmen's trumpet, so evil in the fruit of their thoughts and sudden destruction comes upon them.
Historical Setting and Meaning
Ezekiel 22:24 belongs to the prophetic warnings uttered before the destruction of Jerusalem, standing in that part of Ezekiel occupied with correction, denunciation, and reproof. The chapter recounts the transgressions that led to Israel's exile and destruction, especially idolatry joined with Sabbath desecration. Sabbath desecration was among the great sins and curses of Israel and was connected with the judgments that brought the nation's destruction.
The land described as not cleansed and not rained upon is spiritually unclean, left without cleansing and without rain. It is without the cleansing rain of God's favor in the day of judgment. The uncleansed and rainless condition is uncleanness and the withholding of that favor on the day of indignation.
The day of indignation is the day of the Lord's coming. It is the day of God's indignation and judgment.
Sin must be forgiven, or it will be consumed. The image introduces widespread national unfaithfulness, corruption, and judgment under God's indignation, with prophets, priests, rulers, and people shown as corrupt. It is cited as part of a prophecy about a land under God's indignation, in connection with transgression of God's law and the resulting evil among the people.
Priestly Failure and Sabbath Apostasy
The uncleansed land left without rain was left so through the failure of its religious teachers, upon whom the responsibility rests, while its prophets, priests, rulers, and people are all shown as corrupt. Its prophets conspire together like a roaring lion ravening the prey, devouring souls, seizing treasure and precious things, and making many widows in her midst. Its priests violate the law and profane holy things and the Sabbath, putting no difference between the holy and the common, showing no difference between the unclean and the clean, and hiding their eyes from the Sabbaths, so that God is profaned among them. In this same setting the charge is to distinguish what is sacred from what is profane, and what is clean from what is unclean.
Its princes and leaders exploit others for gain, and the people of the land oppress the poor and needy and wrong the stranger, so that transgression of the law brings its resulting evil among the people. Sabbath desecration stood among the great sins and curses of Israel, joined especially with idolatry, and it was bound up with the transgressions that brought judgment, destruction, and exile upon the nation.
That apostasy was sun-worship, which set up Sunday as its worship day in place of the Sabbath of Jehovah, the weekly memorial of worship of the true God and of His authority as Creator. It came as a complete rival system with its own priests, temples, forms of worship, and worship day, until there was the apparent triumph of sun worship over the Sabbath. Thus the verse lays bare paganism working through empires to compel false worship, drawing even prominent men of Israel into weeping for Tammuz and into sun worship with their backs toward the temple, and it marks that paganism as the first division of spiritual Babylon, known also by persecution of true worshipers.
Last Days Fulfillment
A land left without cleansing and without rain in the day of indignation is the condition of these last days at the end of the gospel age, now fulfilled. The lack of cleansing and rain comes through the failure of religious teachers, on whom the responsibility rests. Its prophets conspire together like a roaring lion ravening prey, devouring souls, taking treasure and precious things, and making many widows. Its priests violate God's law and profane His holy things, putting no difference between the holy and the common, showing no difference between the unclean and the clean, hiding their eyes from His Sabbaths, so that He is profaned among them. The verse describes the professed people of God in the last days, for Israel means the people of God, the same time and people spoken of in Isaiah 30:8-11, Ezekiel 13, and Jeremiah 6:9-19.
They walk in violation of His precepts and law, if not outwardly then in thought and motive, for His law reaches to the hidden things of the heart. From the least to the greatest they are given to covetousness, and from prophet to priest they deal falsely. They heal the hurt or breach slightly by saying peace, peace when there is no peace, which has ever been the cry of the false prophet giving peace and assurance in time of danger. Their ear is uncircumcised, unrighteous and unbelieving, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them and they have no delight in it. They refuse to ask for the old paths of His commandments and law and walk therein, and they refuse to hearken to the watchmen and the trumpet.
The slight wall plastered with untempered mortar is Babylon's perverted word and unholy tradition. It is what she uses to withstand the mighty shocks of God's truth when the Sunday sabbath is shown to be a counterfeit and the Sabbath of the Lord comes to the front, and it ever trembles before the mighty blows of the word. Therefore evil upon them in the fruit of their thoughts and sudden destruction from which they shall not escape comes upon them in the day of indignation.
Thou art the land not cleansed nor rained upon belongs to the warnings given before the destruction of Jerusalem, recounting the transgressions that led to exile, where the unclean land is left without cleansing and without the cleansing rain of God's favor in the day of God's indignation and judgment at the Lord's coming. The lack of cleansing came through the failure of religious teachers, for its priests violated God's law and profaned His holy things and His Sabbath, putting no difference between the holy and the common and between the unclean and the clean, so that He was profaned among them. Sabbath desecration was among the great sins and curses of Israel, joined with idolatry and connected with the judgments that destroyed the nation, for the apostasy was sun-worship as a complete rival system with its own priests, temples, forms, and Sunday worship day in place of the Sabbath memorial of the true God as Creator. That land without cleansing and without rain is the condition of the professed people of God in these last days at the end of the gospel age, who walk in violation of His law in thought and motive, deal falsely from prophet to priest, and heal the hurt slightly by crying peace when there is no peace while refusing the old paths and the watchmen's trumpet, so evil in the fruit of their thoughts and sudden destruction comes upon them.
Historical Setting and Meaning
Ezekiel 22:24 belongs to the prophetic warnings uttered before the destruction of Jerusalem, standing in that part of Ezekiel occupied with correction, denunciation, and reproof. The chapter recounts the transgressions that led to Israel's exile and destruction, especially idolatry joined with Sabbath desecration. Sabbath desecration was among the great sins and curses of Israel and was connected with the judgments that brought the nation's destruction.
The land described as not cleansed and not rained upon is spiritually unclean, left without cleansing and without rain. It is without the cleansing rain of God's favor in the day of judgment. The uncleansed and rainless condition is uncleanness and the withholding of that favor on the day of indignation.
The day of indignation is the day of the Lord's coming. It is the day of God's indignation and judgment.
Sin must be forgiven, or it will be consumed. The image introduces widespread national unfaithfulness, corruption, and judgment under God's indignation, with prophets, priests, rulers, and people shown as corrupt. It is cited as part of a prophecy about a land under God's indignation, in connection with transgression of God's law and the resulting evil among the people.
Priestly Failure and Sabbath Apostasy
The uncleansed land left without rain was left so through the failure of its religious teachers, upon whom the responsibility rests, while its prophets, priests, rulers, and people are all shown as corrupt. Its prophets conspire together like a roaring lion ravening the prey, devouring souls, seizing treasure and precious things, and making many widows in her midst. Its priests violate the law and profane holy things and the Sabbath, putting no difference between the holy and the common, showing no difference between the unclean and the clean, and hiding their eyes from the Sabbaths, so that God is profaned among them. In this same setting the charge is to distinguish what is sacred from what is profane, and what is clean from what is unclean.
Its princes and leaders exploit others for gain, and the people of the land oppress the poor and needy and wrong the stranger, so that transgression of the law brings its resulting evil among the people. Sabbath desecration stood among the great sins and curses of Israel, joined especially with idolatry, and it was bound up with the transgressions that brought judgment, destruction, and exile upon the nation.
That apostasy was sun-worship, which set up Sunday as its worship day in place of the Sabbath of Jehovah, the weekly memorial of worship of the true God and of His authority as Creator. It came as a complete rival system with its own priests, temples, forms of worship, and worship day, until there was the apparent triumph of sun worship over the Sabbath. Thus the verse lays bare paganism working through empires to compel false worship, drawing even prominent men of Israel into weeping for Tammuz and into sun worship with their backs toward the temple, and it marks that paganism as the first division of spiritual Babylon, known also by persecution of true worshipers.
Last Days Fulfillment
A land left without cleansing and without rain in the day of indignation is the condition of these last days at the end of the gospel age, now fulfilled. The lack of cleansing and rain comes through the failure of religious teachers, on whom the responsibility rests. Its prophets conspire together like a roaring lion ravening prey, devouring souls, taking treasure and precious things, and making many widows. Its priests violate God's law and profane His holy things, putting no difference between the holy and the common, showing no difference between the unclean and the clean, hiding their eyes from His Sabbaths, so that He is profaned among them. The verse describes the professed people of God in the last days, for Israel means the people of God, the same time and people spoken of in Isaiah 30:8-11, Ezekiel 13, and Jeremiah 6:9-19.
They walk in violation of His precepts and law, if not outwardly then in thought and motive, for His law reaches to the hidden things of the heart. From the least to the greatest they are given to covetousness, and from prophet to priest they deal falsely. They heal the hurt or breach slightly by saying peace, peace when there is no peace, which has ever been the cry of the false prophet giving peace and assurance in time of danger. Their ear is uncircumcised, unrighteous and unbelieving, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them and they have no delight in it. They refuse to ask for the old paths of His commandments and law and walk therein, and they refuse to hearken to the watchmen and the trumpet.
The slight wall plastered with untempered mortar is Babylon's perverted word and unholy tradition. It is what she uses to withstand the mighty shocks of God's truth when the Sunday sabbath is shown to be a counterfeit and the Sabbath of the Lord comes to the front, and it ever trembles before the mighty blows of the word. Therefore evil upon them in the fruit of their thoughts and sudden destruction from which they shall not escape comes upon them in the day of indignation.