Ezekiel 11:3
“Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.”
The prophets in Ezekiel’s day were lying prophets. They knew very well that Ezekiel’s prophecy was correct, but they gave the people a false assurance by telling them Jerusalem would not be taken captive. They said that Jerusalem was a caldron, and they were the flesh. A caldron is a vessel used to boil flesh over a fire. You would put the flesh in the caldron, and hang the vessel on a hook over the fire. Though fire would heat up the caldron, the flesh inside would not be burnt. These prophets were saying that no matter what happened outside the walls of Jerusalem, they were safe inside those walls. Though what these prophets prophesied was comforting to the people, all they did was give them a false assurance that eventually led to their demise.
Many Christians have thought of themselves like that caldron. No, they may not have exactly used that analogy, in their mind they had the same false assurance that Jerusalem had. I look at this verse and I see three false assurances many people have about their sin.
The first false assurance is that it won’t happen to them. Jerusalem thought they were safe inside the caldron of the walls. They thought it would never happen to them. Many Christians have ruined their lives in sin using this mentality. For whatever reason they believe it won’t happen to them, they rest on that false assurance. You may think that sin will not touch you, but you must always realize that sin has a price that must be paid.
The second false assurance is, “I’m not like everyone else.” This is nothing short of pride. This comes from the mentality that you think you are smarter than everyone else. This comes from the thought that others were not as smart as you, and that you have contrived a plan to enjoy your sin so that God won’t punish you. Friend, you are like everyone else. You are not smarter than those who succumbed before you. If you have sin in your life and this devotional is simply a bunch of words that you’re reading, then you have fallen for this false assurance. Sin is not a respecter of persons, and you will have to pay sin’s price.
The third false assurance is, “We are stronger than our sin.” This is haughtiness to the core. This comes from the mentality that you have everything under control, but what you don’t realize is that sin has you under control. You may feel that you’re in control, but sin allows you to feel that way until its payment comes due.
There is only one caldron in which you are safe, and that is the caldron of Jesus Christ. When you live according to His Word, then you will be safe no matter what goes on around you. Living in Christ is a caldron that the fire cannot touch. Christian, I encourage you to live inside of that caldron. Sin’s caldron is weak, and the fire around it will get to you, but the caldron of Christ has been tried and tested over time, and the results show us that the fire cannot hurt you as long as you live inside of that caldron.
I encourage you to look at which caldron you are in, and make sure that Christ is the only One in Whom you trust. Don’t live in the false assurances of sin, but let Christ’s Word be the confidence in which you put your trust.