Ezekiel 22:21

_THEREFORE THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; BECAUSE YE ARE ALL BECOME DROSS, BEHOLD, THEREFORE I WILL GATHER YOU INTO THE MIDST OF JERUSALEM._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

17-22 Israel, compared with other nations, had been as the gold and silver compared with baser metals. But they were now as the refuse that is consumed in the furnace, or thrown away when the silver is refined. Sinners, especially backsliding professors, are, in God's account, useless and fit for nothing. When God brings his own people into the furnace, he sits by them as the refiner by his gold, to see that they are not continued there any longer than is fitting and needful. The dross shall be wholly separated, and the good metal purified. Let those who suffer pains, or lingering sickness, and find that their hearts can scarcely bear these light and momentary afflictions, take warning to flee from the wrath to come; for if these trials are not sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the cleansing their hearts and hands from sin, far worse things will come upon them....

The fifth word of judgment. The furnace. In the besieged city the people shall be tried and purged. Ezekiel 22:18 DROSS - A frequent metaphor which denotes not only the corruption of the people, who have become like base metal, but also a future purification whereby, the “dross” being burned away, the remnant of good may appear....

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 22:1, EZEKIEL 22:2 MOREOVER, etc. The word connects what follows with THE WORD OF THE LORD which began in Ezekiel 20:2. That connection is, indeed, sufficiently indicated by the recurrence of the formula, "Wilt thou judge?" (see note on Ezekiel 20:4). In obedience to the commands which that question implied, Ezekiel has once more to go through the catalogue of the sins of Judah and Jerusalem. It is not without significance that he applies the very epithet of BLOODY CITY (Hebrew, _city of bloods_

YEA, I WILL GATHER YOU, AND BLOW UPON YOU IN THE FIRE OF MY WRATH,.... Not only gather them in wrath, as before; but blow upon them in wrath, which is often compared to fire in Scripture; and besides, the city and temple of Jerusalem were to be burnt, and were burnt with material fire, in consequence of God's displeasure against his people: AND YE SHALL BE MELTED IN THE MIDST THEREOF; of the city of Jerusalem; be destroyed by one judgment or another in it; or perish in the conflagration of it....

Ezekiel 22:1; Ezekiel 23:1. Before the sharpened sword of justice and retribution does its dreadful work, the Lord uncovers the guilt and vileness of the city and lays bare the corruption of her prophets, priests, and princes, as well as of the people. The violence and abomination of Jerusalem are revealed in Ezekiel 22:1; the smelting furnace in Ezekiel 22:17 is the symbol of Jehovah's fiery indignation against Jerusalem and its inhabitants. The corruption of the prophets, priests, and princes is fully uncovered in the closing section of chapter 22 ...

Judgment on Israel under the figure of a smelting furnace. Israel is dross and base metal, which must be flung into the furnace....

THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, &C.— _The house of Israel is to me become all of them alloy; brass, and tin, and iron, and lead in the midst of the furnace: alloy of silver are they._ Ezekiel 22:19. _Because ye are all run into alloy, therefore, behold, I will amass you together in the midst of Jerusalem._ Ezekiel 22:20. _As they amass,_ &c. _so will I amass you in mine anger and in my fury, and will put you in, and melt you._ Ezekiel 22:21. _Yea, I will amass you together,_ &c. God's vengeance is often compared to _fire;_ but here it is so in a literal sense, for both city and temple were reduced to ashes....

B. The Smelting Furnace 22:17-22 TRANSLATION (17) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (18) Son of man, the house of Israel has become to Me dross; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the midst of a furnace; they are the dross of silver. (19) Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Because all of you have become dross, therefore, behold, I am about to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. (20) As they gather silver, and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the midst of a furnace to blow the fire upon it to melt it, thus I will gather you in My wrath and fury, and I will cast you in, and melt you. (21) And I will gather you, and I will breathe upon you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. (22) As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, thus you shall be melted in the midst of it; and you shall know that I the LORD have pour...

ANOTHER INDICTMENT OF JERUSALEM The various religious and social evils that prevail in the city are recited (Ezekiel 22:1). Their coming punishment is then predicted, first in direct terms (Ezekiel 22:13), and next under the figure of a smelting furnace (Ezekiel 22:17). Lastly, all classes in Jerusalem, prophets, priests, princes, and people, are included in the general condemnation (Ezekiel 22:23)....