Ezekiel 24:11

"Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that it may be hot, and the brass thereof may burn, and that the filthiness thereof may be molten in it, that the rust of it may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with toil; yet her great rust goeth not forth out of her; her rust goeth not forth by fire. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have cleansed thee, and thou wast not cleansed, thou shalt not be cleansed from thy filthiness any more, until I have caused my wrath toward thee to rest. I, Jehovah have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord Jehovah."

What is indicated here is the utter uselessness of the rusted caldron; not even fire could burn the corrupted copper enough to cleanse it. In the analogy, the caldron is the city of Jerusalem, the destruction of which is already under way, as this was written.

"In spite of the seemingly terrible hopelessness of the situation described here, a gleam of hope appears in Ezekiel 24:13, even as there also did in Ezekiel 16:42. When the punishment of Israel has done its full work, then Jehovah might cause his fury toward Israel to rest."[9]

"These verses, Ezekiel 24:11-14, declare that the only recourse is to set the caldron upside down on the fire and melt it away; Jerusalem must be destroyed in order to be cleansed."[10] "The tragedy of national sins, which began as occasional lapses, but which at last became part and parcel of Jerusalem's way of life, finally became a tragedy that not even God could redeem."[11]

"She hath wearied herself with toil ..." (Ezekiel 24:12). Some versions read "lies" instead of "toil" in this clause; but Bunn tells us that "The literal meaning here is that `Yahweh has worn himself out attempting to purify the people.'"[12] Due to uncertainties in the text, this verse is disputed as to its meaning. McFadyen suggested that this clause should probably be omitted.[13] Whatever the exact meaning of the verse may be, the thought is certainly the futility of any further effort on the part of God to purge his rebellious people.

The many things God had done in order to preserve and save Israel included: the giving of the Law of Moses, the sending of many prophets, severe punishments, miraculous judgments in their marvelous deliverances, the ministrations of the Levitical system with its priests and Levites, etc., etc.

However, as Henry pointed out, "It is sad to think how many there are, even today, upon whom the death of Christ, the establishment of his spiritual body the Church, the sacred New Testament, and all of the ordinances and blessings of Christianity, are utterly lost in the indifference and lethargy of mankind."[14]