And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house
of Israel is to me become dross; all they are brass and tin and
iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross
of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all
become dross, behold, therefore, I will gather you into the midst of
Jerusalem. As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin
into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it;
so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave
you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you
in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst
thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall
ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord
have poured out my fury upon you (verses 17-23).
The smelting furnace is the symbol of Jehovah's fiery indignation
against Jerusalem and its inhabitants. A furnace is either for refining
or for destruction. In the future the remnant of Israel will be refined
by the fires of persecution and tribulation (Mal. iii:1-3). To the godly
part of His earthly people He saith, "Behold I have refined thee, but not
as silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah
xlviii:10). But here in Ezekiel's message it is not the question of
refining but of punishment by fire. Israel is dross. Brass, tin, iron,
lead, dross of silver are mentioned, but gold is significantly omitted.
It stands for righteousness and that was lacking in Jerusalem. The fury
of the Lord would fan the flame and all gathered together, like
worthless metals would be melted by the wrath of the Lord.