Ezekiel 21
1 “And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy
face toward
toward the holy
places, and prophesy against the
3 And say to the
against thee, and
will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and
will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.” Man’s estimate of
righteousness
and God’s estimate differ widely. In a nation every variety of
character will be found, and sin will exist in every shade and gradation. In
comparison with the blackest characters some will appear righteous who
are only less tainted with sin. These are the so called righteous. In the very
nature of things God will not and cannot treat alike the righteous and the
wicked.
The truth, then, set before us here is this — that the whole
nation
was corrupt, yea, ripe for slaughter. So few were the righteous, as to be
left out in this graphic and impressive description. The scourge should
sweep through the land, and penetrate every secret place.
4 “Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and
the
wicked, therefore
shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against
all flesh from
the south to the north:
5 That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth
my
sword out of his
sheath: it shall not return any more.”
The opening words, reproducing those of ch.
20:46, indicate that the
interpretation of that parable is coming. So the three
variants of “south” are
shown to mean respectively
So, in v. 3, the righteous
and the wicked take the place of the “green” and the
“dry” tree, and the fire is explained as meaning the sword of the invader. The
teaching of ch. 18, had shown
that Ezekiel had entered, as regards
the ultimate
judgment of individual men, into the spirit of Abram’s words “That be far from
thee to destroy
the righteous with the wicked” (Genesis
18:25). But in regard to
temporal judgments there would
be in this case, as in the complaint of Job 9:22,
no distinction. The sword
went forth “against all flesh.”
The Common Fate of Righteous and Wicked (v.
4)
Both the righteous and the wicked are to be cut off. Though
not equal in moral
character, they are to share in the same general
calamities.
WICKED. We see this
fact in everyday experience, and it would be a
falsehood to formulate a
doctrine which seemed to our short-sighted
judgment more just, if it did
interpret events.
Ø
From human conduct. The bad policy of a king brings war and its
attendant miseries on a
whole nation. The crime of a father bequeaths
poverty, shame, and misery
to his whole family.
Ø
From natural calamities. An earthquake will shake down a church upon
the heads of the most devout
worshippers, with as terrible a slaughter as
that which follows the overthrow
of some theatre of sinful revelry.
COMMON FATE. There is
a certain solidarity of man. We are members
one of another, so that if one
member suffers, all the members suffer. This
is one penalty we pay for the
union with our fellow men which on the
whole is immensely helpful. Without such a union there would be no
society, no organic connection
between individuals. The rich, full life that
grows out of the mutual
ministries of man would then be impossible.
RIGHTEOUS SHARE THE FATE OF THE WICKED. The wicked
could well be spared, and it
might seem to be a good thing for the world
that their places should be
vacant; but every good man has his good work
which suffers when he is taken
away. The guilt of those who bring disaster
on the innocent is all the
greater on this account. No worse thing can
happen to a people than that its
saving elements should be taken away.
They are the
salt of the land.
NOT ULTIMATELY INJURED. The injustice is
temporary.
Ø
The outward suffering is an inward blessing. The physical nature
of the suffering may be the
same in both cases; but its moral character
differs entirely according
as it is deserved or not. When it falls on
innocent men it
is not punishment; there is no curse in it; it comes as
the fire that purges the
silver.
Ø
The temporary suffering will be followed by eternal blessedness. We
may say of the righteous and the
sinful who were victims of a common
calamity, “In their death they were not
divided” (II Samuel 1:23).
But after death there is a swift and
searching separation. Then it is seen
that the righteous were taken
from the evil to come. (Isaiah 57:1)
BE A MEANS OF SAVING BOTH. It was so in the Captivity. Good men
like Daniel and “The Three
Children” were taken to
the corrupt courtiers of
ancient Hebrew piety, so as to
prepare for a renewed people’s restoration.
Christ died the
sinner’s death that He might save the sinner,
after
He Himself had been
raised up from the dead in victory over sin.
Undiscriminating
Infliction (vs. 3-5)
It is a pathetic spectacle, this of the prophet, in his
exile away in the
northeast, turning by Divine command his gaze, sorrowful and
sympathizing, towards
present is sad enough, but Ezekiel has to bear the oppressive
anticipation
of
the future. He hears the assurance of the God whom his countrymen
have offended by their infidelity that worse calamity, even disaster, and
death are about to befall the remnant in
drawn out of its sheath, and the righteous and the wicked alike
are about to
feel the keenness of its edge.
·
CORPORATE LIFE.
regarded by the King of nations as one people. It is the same with
other
communities. Every nation has its own national life, its own organic
unity.
Each subject or citizen is a
member of the body, and his existence has
meaning in this relation and all that it involves.
·
RECTORAL (relating to God as governor or
ruler of men) LAW
ACCORDINGLY DEALS WITH A NATION AS A WHOLE. The
inhabitants of the earth are
under moral government and
control, are subject to law and to the Divine Lawgiver and Judge.
God is the God of nations. So
much is this the case that political authority is
represented in Scripture as being a Divine institution: “The
powers that be
are ordained of God.” (Romans
13:1) As
live in communities, so God determines the discipline, the
moral education,
through which nations must pass. God is in history; which is
uninteresting
and meaningless unless His hand is recognized, and the operation of His rule
observed with admiring reverence.
·
THIS PRINCIPLE INVOLVES THAT THE WICKED
PARTICIPATE IN THE PROSPERITY, AND THE GOOD IN THE
ADVERSITY, WHICH COME UPON A NATION. Individuals are not
always in sympathy with the community of which they form a part.
There
are other currents in a stream beside its main flow. Broadly speaking,
the
nation which publicly and flagrantly violates the moral law
undermines its
own life and prepares the way for its own dissolution. When the
catastrophe comes, those who have protested against the
nation’s sins, and
have endeavored to stem the torrent of unbelief and
ungodliness, are
carried away in the general destruction.
·
SUCH RETRIBUTION DOES NOT, HOWEVER, AFFECT THE
INDIVIDUAL MORAL PROBATION OF MEN. God deals with men
upon general principles — according to broad, intelligible
laws. We cannot
see how it could be otherwise. Yet this seems to involve many
cases of
individual hardship, and even injustice. How can this be avoided? The
Judge of all the earth will
surely do right. How, then, can we explain the
fact that — in the language of Ezekiel — the Eternal, with His
sword, cuts
off the righteous and the wicked?
·
THIS ARRANGEMENT IS EXPLAINED BY, AND HARMONIZES
WITH, THE JUDGMENT AND RETRIBUTION OF A FUTURE
STATE. What we know not now we shall know hereafter. The anomalies
of the present state of being are such as to suggest that this is only a
probationary state, that we do not now and here see the unfolding of the
complete purposes of the Lord and
Judge of all. The Scriptures reveal a
state in which retribution and compensation shall
be complete,
as we know they are not here. The righteous
and the wicked shall not
always be confused in one common category, and
consigned to one
common doom.
The discrimination which is not
exercised now shall be
exercised hereafter. Prosperous sinners shall not forever elude the
righteous judgment of God. The suffering and patience of the
virtuous
and pious shall one day be
rewarded, not only by the approbation of the Judge,
but by an everlasting recompense. (“Some
men’s sins are open beforehand,
going before to judgment; and
some men they follow after. Likewise
also
the good works of some are
manifest beforehand; and they that are
otherwise cannot be hid.” - I Timothy 5:24-25)
6 “Sigh therefore,
thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and
with bitterness
sigh before their eyes.
7 And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou?
that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and
every heart shall
melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every
spirit shall
faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it
cometh, and shall
be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.”
Sigh therefore, etc. As in other instances (ch.4:4; 5:1-4), the prophet
dramatizes the coming calamity. He is to act the part of a
mourner, whose sighs are so deep that they seem to “break
his loins”
(compare, for the gesture, Nahum 2:1, 10 Isaiah 21:3;
Jeremiah 30:6).
The strange action was meant to lead to questions. What did
it
mean? And then he is to answer that he does it “for
the tidings” which are
to him as certain as if they had already come. He is but
doing what all
would do, when the messenger brought word, as in ch.33:21,
five
years later, that the city was at last smitten.
Divine admonitions, through men, must be delivered
with deep emotion!
“Sigh
therefore, son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness
sigh before their eyes.” If it be possible, on our part, to impress our fellow, men
with
the reality and severity of God’s judgments, we
must do our utmost to
arouse earnest repentance, or we incur grave responsibility. God has constituted
human nature so that strong emotion in the
preacher, seemingly manifested,
awakens strong emotion in the hearers. Men everywhere are susceptible of
influence from a superior or a holier man. Nothing God allows us to omit
which
may serve to lead our fellows to repentance. We must
make it clear
that the events of coming retribution adequately impress
our own minds;
then, and then only, shall we arouse attention, promote inquiry, and lead to
reflection, self-examination, and return to God.
A Parable of
Judgment
(ch. 20:48-49
and ch. 21:1-7)
“Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of
man, set
thy lace
towards the south,” etc. Another
chapter should certainly have
been commenced at the forty-fifth verse of the twentieth chapter, as indeed
it
is in the Hebrew, Septuagint, and Vulgate. The first seven verses of the
twenty-first chapter in the Authorized Version are an explanation
of the
parable of the preceding five verses.
·
THE AUTHOR OF THIS JUDGMENT.
Ø
Divinely declared, “Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will kindle a
fire in thee” (ch. 20:47); “Thus saith the
Lord, Behold, I am against
thee, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will
cut off
from thee the righteous and the wicked” (here v. 3). The Divine
authorship of the judgments
coming upon
asserted already by the prophet many times in chapters 5-7, in which
places we have noticed the fact. The Chaldeans were the
unconscious
instruments in the hand of God for accomplishing this judgment. He
was Himself the Author of it.
Ø
Generally recognized. “And all flesh shall see that I
the Lord have
kindled it: it shall not be quenched” (ch. 20:48); “That
all flesh may
know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of its
sheath:
it shall not return
any more” (here v. 5). The irresistibleness of the
judgment would lead men to
conclude that the Author of it was the
Almighty. “If
we
see that all human plans and devices, even the
most promising, come to nothing, we are led to the
confession that
we have to do with personal omnipotence and
righteousness, against
which the battle is unavailing.” There are some disasters
and distresses
in which the thoughtful observer is almost compelled
to
recognize
the presence and the power of the Supreme.
·
THE SUBJECTS OF THIS JUDGMENT. “Son of man, set thy face
toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and
prophesy
against the forest of the south field; and say to the forest of
the south, Hear
the word of the Lord; Thus saith the
Lord God; Behold I will kindle a fire
in thee .... Son of man, set thy face toward
toward the holy places, and prophesy against the
the land of
Ezekiel was now in
north country; not because it was strictly north of
armies entered
they traveled by the same northern way. Hence the south denotes
forest of the south.” It
has been suggested that the figure of a forest is
employed in order to denote the density of the population. Others
have
suggested that it is used to indicate the fact that the people had
degenerated from a noble vine or a fruitful field to an unproductive
forest.
But this at least is certain, that the judgment was
about to be inflicted upon
the
Their former favors will not
screen them from the righteous retribution of
their sins. Their privileges will rather aggravate their
punishment. They had
presumed upon those privileges; they had abused God’s great goodness to
them; and because they had done these things His judgment upon
them will
be all the more terrible. Here is solemn admonition to those
who occupy
eminent positions or possess exceptional privileges (compare
Matthew
11:20- 24).
·
THE NATURE OF THIS JUDGMENT.
Ø It is destructive in its character. “Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and
it shall devour every green tree in thee,
and every dry tree .... Behold, I am
against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of
its sheath, and will cut
off from thee the righteous and the wicked.” Fire and sword are employed
to denote
all the miseries and terrors which came upon the people in the
siege and
destruction of
captivity,
then fell fiercely upon the people (compare
chapters 5-7).
Ø It is general in its infliction. The fire “shall devour every green tree in
thee, and every dry tree, . . and all faces from the south to the north shall
be burned therein I will cut off from thee
the righteous and the wicked,
therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath
against all flesh from the
south to the north.” In national judgments the
righteous suffer with the
wicked,
and the innocent with the guilty, so far as the outward calamities
are concerned. But though the outward event be the same
to all, its inward
character
is not. The righteous shall not be as the wicked. “God’s graces
and comforts make a great
difference when his providence seems to make
none.” So that this general character of the
judgment “is not in
contradiction with ch. 9:4, according to which
the righteous amid
the
impending catastrophe are the object of the protecting and sustaining
activity
of God. For if two suffer
the same, yet it is not the same. To those
who love
God must all things be for the best (Romans 8:28)”
(Hengstenberg).
Ø It is irresistible in its might. “The flaming flame shall not be quenched…
I
the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath: it shall not return
any more.” The Jews in
they
could safely bid defiance to the Chaldean forces; but
those forces
utterly
overwhelmed them. When God is against either a man or a
nation,
they are unable to stand before
their enemies. “Hast thou an arm like God?
and canst thou thunder with a voice like
Him?” (Job 40:9)
“He is wise in
heart, and mighty in strength: who hath
hardened himself against Him,
and prospered? (ibid.
ch. 9:4) “Thou,
even thou, art to be feared:
and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” (Psalm
76:7) “Kiss
the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the
way,”
(ibid. ch.
2:12).
·
THE DISINCLINATION OF MEN TO CREDIT THE
ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THIS JUDGMENT. “Thou said, I, Ah Lord
God! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?” (ch. 20:v. 49)
Notice:
Ø
The mean
attempt to cast upon the prophet the blame which was due to
themselves. They said of the prophet, “Is
he not a speaker of parables?”
They did not want to understand his
announcements to them. They could
have
understood them without difficulty had they been disposed to do so.
The truths
which he proclaimed were displeasing to them, and they would
not
recognize them. Then they
disingenuously complained of the form in
which
he expressed his message. “Is he not a speaker of parables?” Their
conduct
in this respect finds its analogue in some hearers of the Christian
ministry
in our day.
o
If
the preacher’s style is figurative, he is too obscure — “a speaker
of parables;”
o
if it
be plain and unadorned, he is too simple and homely;
o
if it
be logical, he is too dry;
o
if it be fervid, he
is too enthusiastic.
They blame the
preacher when the fault is in themselves — they are out of
sympathy
with his message.
Ø
The adequate resource of a faithful
servant of God when subject to
discouragement.
He can do as Ezekiel did,
state his difficulties and trials to
his
Divine Master, and obtain from Him consolation and inspiration. There
are
experiences in the lives of Christian ministers when nothing remains for
them but to seek the aid of him from whom
they received their
commission. They shall never seek His aid
in vain, or find it insufficient.
·
THE GRACE OF GOD IN GIVING REPEATED AND
IMPRESSIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THIS JUDGMENT. When the
prophet complained to the Lord that the people spake
of him as “a speaker
of parables,” he was not commanded to abandon them to their doom, but
to deliver his message again and in another form. The merciful God was
patient with the perverse people.
Ø
Here are repeated announcements of this judgment. Two are given in
our text. Several have been already given by the prophet. And
subsequently he delivered not a few. And in addition to these, Jeremiah
was proclaiming in
leave the wicked without many warnings of the consequences of
their
conduct.
Ø
Here are impressive announcements of this judgment.
o
The spoken parable (ch. 2:47-48). This
was fitted to awaken attention,
stimulate
inquiry, and thus produce a deeper and more lasting
impression
of the truth conveyed.
o
The acted sign. “Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the
breaking of
thy loins,” etc. (here, vs. 6-7). This also was with
the view of interesting
the
people, and leading them to ask, “Wherefore Highest thou?”
As Hengstenberg observes, “The endeavor is everywhere visible,
to
obtain by
the clearness of the description a representation of the reality
not yet
existing, but already germinating, and in this way to withdraw
the
people from their delusions, and make penitence take the place
of politics.”
·
THE DISMAY OF THE PEOPLE ON THE ACTUAL ARRIVAL
OF THIS JUDGMENT.
“Every
heart shall melt, and all hands shall be
feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak
as water:
behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God.”
“They
shall be compelled to experience in themselves what they perceive
in the
prophet. In all:
Ø
courage gives place to
terror,
Ø
activity to
prostration,
Ø
counsel to perplexity.
No one holds out any longer
(compare ch.7:17)” (Schroder). The wicked
who have been most self-confident and boastfully secure in time
of peace and
prosperity, will be most prostrate
and terror stricken when confronted
by stern calamity and distress. “The sound of a driven leaf shall chase
them.” (Leviticus 26:36) Having forsaken God, and being deprived of
the strength and courage of a calm and clear conscience, “terrors overtake
them like waters” (Job
27:20), and utterly overwhelm them. if sinners
persistently reject the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, the time will
come
when in ABJECT (of
something bad) experienced or present to the maximum degree) DISMAY
they will vainly seek to hide themselves “from the face of Him that sitteth
on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:15-17).
Therefore “seek ye the Lord while He may be
found, call ye upon Him
while He is near.”
(Isaiah 55:6-7).
The Sign of
Sighing (vs. 6-7)
In the case of Ezekiel, perhaps more than in any other of
the prophets,
actions were adopted as prophetic signs, more effective than
words. The
tidings conveyed to the prophet, and through him to his fellow
countrymen,
were of so mournful an import that such indications of mental distress as
sighing and weeping
were natural expressions of the feelings which he
could not but
experience. It was appointed for him in
this way to excite the
curiosity of his people, and, in response to their inquiries, to
inform them of
coming evils.
·
THE CAUSE OF THE PROPHET’S SIGHING.
Ø
The trouble which was
about to come upon the inhabitants of
and of the whole land of
of the metropolis, and
the violent death of many of the inhabitants.
Ø
The sinful rebelliousness of the people, by which they
were bringing
upon themselves these
calamities and disasters.
Ø
Ezekiel’s deep and
sincere sympathy with sufferers, and his sorrow for
their evil ways, so that he felt for his fellow countrymen as he
would
have felt for himself.
·
THE SEVERITY OF THE PROPHET’S SIGHING. It was “with
bitterness,” “with the breaking of the loins,” i.e. sighing shaking the whole
bodily frame, and evincing the pungent distress afflicting his
spirit.
·
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPHET’S SIGHING.
Ø
It was an evidence of
patriotism; for Ezekiel himself was far from the
scene of approaching retribution, and it did not affect him
personally, but
through his patriotic identification of himself with all that
concerned his
people.
Ø
It was an evidence of
his faith in Divine assurances. There is no reason
to suppose that mere political foresight enabled the prophet
to anticipate
the coming, evil; yet he realized its
certain approach with such intensity
as to call forth the manifestation of feeling here described.
Ø
It was a warning to the careless and insensible. There were many for
whom Ezekiel sighed who sighed not for themselves; yet theirs
was the
sin, and theirs the punishment now imminent.
Ø
It was a summons to repentance. If the prophet cried and sighed for the
abominations wrought among the people, how much more did it
become those who by their sins had provoked the anger of the
righteous God to consider their ways, to weep because of
their
guilty ingratitude and persistent disobedience, and to flee from
the wrath to come! How much more did it behoove them to call
upon the Lord that He might have mercy upon them, and upon
their God who could abundantly pardon!
8 “Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith
the LORD; Say, A
sword, a sword is
sharpened, and also furbished:” A sword, a sword, etc.
The new section (vs. 9-17) rises out of the thought of the unsheathed sword
in v. 3. More than most other portions of Ezekiel’s writings, it assumes a
distinctly lyrical character, and might be headed, “The Lay of the
Sword of
Jehovah.” The
opening words are probably an echo
of Deuteronomy 32:41.
The dazzling brightness
of the sword is added to its sharpness as a fresh
element of terror.
The
Sword (vs. 8-17)
Among the great powers that have affected human history
must be
reckoned the sword. As the emblem of physical force, of the
superiority of
the
great of the world, it has special significance for the student of human
affairs. The vision of the sword revealed to Ezekiel the impending
doom of
the land of
saw
the glittering blade and the keen edge, his mind anticipated the awful fate
which was about to overtake his afflicted and sinful fellow
countrymen.
·
THE SWORD IS THE IMPLEMENT OF HUMAN AMBITION AND
VENGEANCE.
·
THE SWORD IS THE WEAPON OF DIVINE RETRIBUTION
UPON THE NATIONS.
Whilst it is unquestionable that wars and fightings
come from human lusts, it is to the religious man, to the
student of
Scripture, equally plain that a
Divine Providence overrules all the conflicts
of the nations to accomplish wise purposes, and even purposes
of.
benevolence. The Assyrian power directed its forces against the land
of
which those passions were suggested. But
ends fixed upon by His own wisdom and faithfulness. As an
instrument by
which punishment was inflicted upon the idolatrous and
rebellious, the
sword was not only the sword of Nebuchadnezzar,
but the sword of the
Lord of hosts.
·
THE SWORD IS A SUMMONS TO HUMILIATION AND
REPENTANCE.
Ezekiel himself evidently regarded it in this light. He was
directed to cry and howl, to smite upon his thigh, to smite his
hands
together, when he beheld in vision the weapon which was about to
chastise
his rebellious countrymen. There are minds which need to face the
consequences of sin in order that they may admit the
awfulness of sin
itself. When the displeasure of the Almighty is revealed against the
iniquities
of men, they are sometimes roused to reflection and inquiry, and
so it may be
to repentance.
·
THE SWORD IS THE SYMBOL OF THE POWER BY WHICH
SIN IS SLAIN. The sons
of
ingratitude, and disobedience. Men in
every age and in every place are
found guilty of rebellion against the holy and. righteous God. Well is it
when they turn against their own sins the edge of the spiritual
sword, when
they attack their vices, their follies, their crimes, as the
enemies of God
(and of
self - CY - 2022), and, by slaying with the Divine weapon the
rebellious forces, avoid the otherwise inevitable judgment and
retribution
which overtake the impenitent.
The Sword of War (v. 9)
hoarded judgment bursts over the
head of the guilty nation of
in the form of war. Those people
who speak lightly of war as being “good
for trade,” as “opening careers for
men,” and as “developing manly
virtues,” etc., would do well to
consider that the fearful monster is
regarded in the Bible as the
worst of plagues. David was a man of war and
he knew what its horrors meant.
It was with no nervous fear like that of
King James who shuddered at the
sight of a sword, with no sentimental
tremors of an effeminate nature,
that the old warrior David chose the
horrors of a pestilence in
preference to those of war. (II Samuel 24).
Note some of its evils.
Ø
Destructiveness. It must be a fallacy to regard it as “good for trade.”
Whatever temporary and
artificial stimulus commerce may receive
during the actual campaign is
paid for ten times over by the subsequent
collapse.
wars. (The
- CY – 2014). The soldiers are withdrawn from productive
work;
ordinary commerce is stopped;
and a vast amount of property is directly
destroyed.
Ø
Suffering. Every one who has witnessed the scenes of a battlefield
turns
from the recollection of them
with loathing and horror. War is not a
pageant of drums and trumpets
and flying banners; it is a huge Inferno
of groans and agonizing deaths. Thousands lie wounded on the field,
some trampled on by charging steeds, some anguished for want of
the
drop of water which cannot
be reached, sick with the blazing heat of
the sun or chilled to the
marrow in snow and frost. Thousands are cut
off in the flower of their youth,
sent prematurely to the grave before
their real life work
is begun. And every death means a household of
bitter mourning in
the old home.
Ø
Wickedness. War lets loose the lowest passions. Hatred and
bloodthirsty vengeance are
engendered, and men are brought down
to the level of wild beasts. Too
often savage lust follows, and the
vilest outrages are committed.
CHASTISEMENT.
Ø
Sharpened by sin. National misconduct lays a people open to the
ravages of war. The curse may be
earned immediately by insolent and
unrighteous dealings with other
nations; or it may be brought less
directly and not as we could
anticipate. Yet the awful fact remains —
NATIONAL SIN
necessitates NATIONAL JUDGMENT, and the
most awful and yet the most common national
judgment is war.
Ø
Directed by God. This was the case with the wars of judgment that
visited
it. For the providence of God cannot be excluded,
even from so
lawless and monstrous a thing as
war.
o
This adds to its terror. It is fearful to know that God wills
us to suffer from so dire a
calamity. Then there can be no
escaping it.
o
This suggests hope of final rescue. Wherever God is,
LOVE IS!
The God of battles is the God of Bethlehem. He who sends the
war to scourge also sends the gospel to save.
10 “It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished
that it may
glitter: should
we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my
son, as every
tree.
11 And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be
handled: this
sword is
sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of
the slayer.” The
rod (scepter) of my son, etc. The clause is
obscure, possibly
corrupt, and has received many interpretations.
Keil and Kliefoth: Shall we
rejoice (saying), The sceptre of my son
despiseth all woods. Here the “rod” is the “sceptre”
of the tribe of
(Genesis 49:10), and the words
are supposed to be spoken by those
who hear of the destroying
sword. They need not dread the sword, they
say, because the sceptre of the house of David, whom Jehovah recognizes
as His son, despises all wood,
looks on every other rod that is the symbol of
sovereignty, with scorn. It is
urged, in favor of this interpretation, that
v. 27 contains an unmistakable
reference to the prophetic words of
Genesis 49:10.
sword of Jehovah is no weak
weapon such as might be used for the
chastisement of a child
(Proverbs 10:13; 13:24).
tree? There is no cause for anything but the reverse of joy in
the rod, the
punishment which God appoints
for
all others in its severity.
“sword” the
nominative, and the words are those of Jehovah:
It contemneth
the rod (i.e. the sceptre) of my son, as it contemns every
other tree (i.e. as in v. 10), every other
national sovereignty.
is the rod of my son (appointed for his chastisement), and it despiseth
every tree, in same sense as in the previous comment.
sword) is for men who murder
and plunder, and regard not any strength.
Neither the Septuagint nor the
Vulgate help us, the former giving,
“Slay, set at naught, reject
every tree;” and the latter, “Thou who guidest
the sceptre
of my son, thou hast cut down.” On the whole, the first
comment seems to rest on better
ground than the others.
12 “Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people,
it shall
be upon all the
princes of
shall be upon my
people: smite therefore upon thy thigh.”
Terrors by reason
of the sword; better, as in the Revised
Version and margin of the Authorized Version, They (the
princes of
corresponding to the “rod”
of v. 10) are delivered over to the sword with
my people. At this
stage, in contemplating the destruction alike of princes
and of people, the prophet is bidden to make his gestures
of lamentation
yet more expressive, “crying, howling, smiting on his thigh”
(Jeremiah 31:19).
Who were the
victims of the sword in this slaughter?
(We have frequently noticed
this point; e.g. on ch. 20:46, and v.
3.)
shall be upon all
the princes of
advocates of the alliance with
Nebuchadnezzar. They did this in defiance of the word of the Lord by
Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and
against the judgment of the weak minded King
Zedekiah, when he was in his
better moods (See Jeremiah 37, and 38.). By
this course of action they hastened the destruction of
fitting that, when
the sword came, they should not escape its terrible
strokes. And King Zedekiah is
probably referred to by the prophet. “It
is
the sword of the great one that is deadly wounded, which entereth into
their chambers” (v.
14, Revised Version); or, “that pierces
into them”
(Hengstenberg);
“that penetrates to them” (Schroder). His sons were slain
before his eyes; then his eyes
were put out; then, bound in fetters, he was
carried to
surely the glittering sword
pierced him. This sharp sword recognized no
distinction of rank or riches,
of place or power.
13 “Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even
the rod? it
shall be no more,
saith the Lord GOD.”
Because it is a trial,
etc. The verse has
received as many interpretations, and is just as obscure as
v. 10, with which it is
obviously connected. I begin as before with that which
seems most probable.
come? The “despising sceptre” is the
asks, “What will happen, what
extreme of misery is to be looked for, if
that kingdom shall not appear,
if
will not be. Men will find on trial that the sword of Jehovah is not
a soft rod, but the sharpest of
all weapons.
other punishments not be? i.e. shall the sword of Jehovah not do its work
effectively?
meaning: How should I judge
with favor? They have not turned
themselves from their
pollution. They shall find no place.
meaning that the “trial” will
show that the sword of the Lord contemns the
rod, i.e. the sceptre of
then? Shall not they also
belong to the despising rod? may have had
a
meaning for those who adopted
it, but I fail to find it.
margin, and substitutes, For there
is a trial, and what if even the rod that
contemneth (i.e.
the sceptre of
preceding clause, rendering it
respectively, “for it has been justified
(δεδικαίωται – dedikaiotai),” and “because it has been tested (probatus),”
and translate what follows — the Septuagint, “What if even a
tribe be
repulsed? It shall not be;” and the Vulgate, “And this when it (the
sword!)
has overturned
the kingdom, and it shall not be,” etc. This will be a
sufficient summary of the difficulties of the exegetical problem. At
the best,
we must say that it remains unsolved.
14 “Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together,
and let the sword
be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the
sword of the
great men that are slain, which entereth into their
privy
chambers.” Smite
thine hands together, etc. Another gesture follows,
either of horror and lamentation, or perhaps, looking to v.
17, of
imperative command. The sword is to do its thrice-redoubled
work (the
words emphasize generally the intensity, and are scarcely
to be taken
numerically, of the repeated invasions of the Chaldeans); it is “the sword of
the slain”
(better, pierced ones, or, with Revised Version, the deadly
wounded). The next
clause should be taken, with the Revised Version, in
the singular — the sword of the great one that is deadly
wounded; sc. the
sword should smite the king as well as the people. For entereth into their
privy chambers, read, with the
Revised Version (margin), Ewald, and
Keil, it compasseth them about.
Here is an example of Divine and human cooperation. This sword, which was
sharpened to destroy, was no less God’s sword, though it was wielded by
the captains
of
statesmen
of
their part to take, with God, in the execution of His just fury. The prophet is
directed “to smite his hands together” — a matter of fact prophecy of the
coming event — the sign to summon the great army. And (in v. 17) God
describes
Himself as about to do the same act: “I will also
smite mine hands
together.” Men are often called to act in
God’s stead — as God’s delegates.
15 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates,
that their
heart may faint,
and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright,
it is wrapped up
for the slaughter.” For their ruins
shall be multiplied,
read, with the Revised
Version, that their stumblings; and for wrapped up,
pointed, or sharpened.
16 “Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on
the left,
whithersoever thy
face is set. 17 I will also smite mine
hands together, and
I will cause my
fury to rest: I the LORD have said it.”Go
thee one way or
another, etc.; i.e.
as in the following, to the
right hand or the left — to the north
or the south. Whichever way the prophet turned (ch.20:47), he would see nothing
but the sword and
its work of slaughter. Jehovah had given that command with
the gesture of
supreme authority. He would not rest
till He had appeased His
wrath by letting it work itself out even to the end. With these words the
“Lay of the Sword of Jehovah” ends, and there is again an
interval of silence.
This terrible judgment was the expression of the righteous anger of the Lord God,
because of the persistent and aggravated sins of the people. And when it was thus
expressed, it rested. It was satisfied with the vindication of the holy Law, which
had been so basely set at naught.
Irresistible
Slaughter (vs. 1-17)
The subject matter of this prophecy is substantially the
same as the
foregoing. The parable is now put into plainest language. There is
an
advantage in using the parable method. It awakens attention. It
leads men
to
examine and reflect. There is an excitement
in discovering a riddle. Yet
God will speak
also to men in language plain enough tot the simplest
understanding. No lost man is
able to cast any blame on our God. We
have
“line upon line, precept upon
precept.” (Isaiah 28:10)
·
THE SCENE OF DIVINE DESTRUCTION. God’s righteous anger is
directed against the
priests alike are doomed. Traditional eminence and renown are
impotent as
a defense against just retribution. God is no
respecter of persons. Sin is
equally detestable in an Israelite as in an
Egyptian, and will be punished
with equal severity. Out of
regard for a good man, God may employ a
different method — more patience, perhaps — in dealing with His son;
yet,
in the end, there will not be the deviation of a hair’s
breadth from righteous
principle. No man can cloak himself with privilege.
·
GOD’S VENGEANCE IRRESISTIBLE. “I have set the point of the
sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint.” As Samson lifted
off the gates of
pierce with His sword gates of brass and fortresses of iron. Who can
withstand His thunderbolts? Who can raise a defense against His
lightning?
“Every heart shall
melt, and all hands shall be
feeble.” Did the antediluvians
stop the rising of the Deluge?
Could the families of
firstborn against the angel of destruction? Had the dwellers in
power to prevent the overthrow of their city? How vain and impotent are
men in league against an avenging God!
·
GOD’S VENGEANCE IS
THOROUGH IS ITS ACTION. “I
will cut
off from thee the righteous and the wicked.” Man’s estimate of
righteousness and God’s estimate differ widely. In a nation every variety of
character will be found, and sin will exist in every
shade and gradation. In
comparison with the blackest characters some will appear righteous who
are only less tainted with sin. These are the so called
righteous. In the very
nature of things God will not and cannot treat alike the
righteous and the
wicked. The truth, then, set before us here is this — that the whole nation
was corrupt, yea, ripe for slaughter. So few were the righteous, as to be
left out in this graphic and impressive description. The scourge should
sweep through the land, and penetrate every secret place.
·
GOD’S VENGEANCE, THOUGH APPARENTLY, NOT REALLY,
INDISCRIMINATE.
Outwardly the same calamity may befall the righteous
and the wicked, while the real and inward effect differs
widely. The
same
sentence of death will send the righteous to their
heavenly rest, the wicked
to THEIR FINAL DOOM! The sun that hardens clay, melts
wax. The storm
that sends a leaky ship to the bottom, drives faster home the
tight and gallant
bark. The scourge that kills the wicked,
only chastens the righteous. The
furnace that destroys the alloy, refines the silver. To the few
righteous this
visitation of God “is a trial” (v. 13). The rod had not been severe enough,
therefore the sword came. No ill can
befall the righteous. Death is ours.
“To die is
gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
·
DIVINE AND HUMAN
COOPERATION. This sword, which was
sharpened to destroy, was no less God’s sword, though it was wielded
by
the captains of
statesmen of
their part to take, with God, in the execution of His just fury.
The prophet is
directed (v. 14) “to smite his hands together” — a
matter of fact
prophecy of the coming event — the sign to summon the great army.
And
(in v.
17) God describes Himself as about to do the same act: “I will also
smite mine hands
together.” Men are often called to act
in God’s stead —
as God’s delegates.
·
DIVINE ADMONITIONS,
THROUGH MEN, MUST BE
DELIVERED WITH DEEP EMOTION. “Sigh therefore, son of man, with
the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before
their eyes.” If it be
possible, on our part, to impress our fellow, men with the reality
and
severity of God’s judgments, we
must do our utmost to arouse earnest
repentance, or we incur
grave responsibility. God has constituted
human
nature so that strong emotion in the preacher, seemingly
manifested,
awakens strong emotion in the hearers. Men everywhere are susceptible of
influence from a superior or a holier man. Nothing God allows us to
omit
which may serve to lead our fellows to repentance. We must make
it clear
that the events of coming retribution adequately impress our
own minds;
then, and then only, shall we:
Ø
arouse attention,
Ø
promote inquiry,
and lead to:
Ø
reflection,
Ø
self-examination, and
Ø RETURN TO GOD!
The Satisfaction of God’s Fury (v. 17)
This is a most awful subject. Gladly would we leave it
alone. Oh for a fresh
sight of God’s eternal love, instead of this horror of
great darkness, this
vision of wrath and judgment unrestrained and fully
satisfied! Yet the
fearful words are before us and they invite our earnest
regard.
against sinners that these
dreadful words are written. The righteous
may
share the temporal calamities
that smite the wicked (v. 4), but they incur
none of the wrath
of God that lies behind those calamities. Nevertheless,
as we are all sinners, there is
little comfort in this thought. Consider how
greatly SIN
PROVOKES WRATH!
Ø
It is committed in full daylight. The Jews possessed
the land. We
know Christ. We cannot
plead ignorance. Even the heathen have
accusing consciences. (“…their conscience also bearing
witness, and their
thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else
excusing one
another.” - Romans 2:15)
Ø
It is committed against love. We sin against our
Father, to whom we
owe everything, and who has
been infinitely gracious to us.
Ø
It is committed in spite of warnings.
minatory prophets from Elijah to
Ezekiel. We have the warnings of
the Bible.
Ø
It is committed without necessity. There is a better
way and a happier.
Nothing but the most willful
perversity can make us choose the evil path.
A saving hand has been held out
to protect us. When we sin we
reject
that help.
Ø
It is committed after God’s long suffering has been tried. He has long
refrained from punishing. Yet men have made
His long suffering an
excuse for greater
sin. Thus they have “treasured
up wrath for THE
DAY OF WRATH!” (Romans 2:5)
Ø
It cannot be opposed by men’s powers. The
sinner has to contend with
the Almighty and the All-wise. The stoutest must fall in such a contest,
and the most
cunning must fail in the foolish attempt to outwit God.
Ø
It cannot be opposed by any excuses. Unhappily, there is
no doubt as to
the guilt of the sinner. He had
opportunities of return, and he rejected
them. Conscience must paralyze
resistance.
Ø
It cannot be opposed by God’s love. There
is no schism in the nature of
God. Love itself must approve of
wrath directed against hardened
impenitence.
Ø
It will not fail. Nothing that God
attempts can fail. This we may infer
as
a conclusion from the
observations under the previous head.
Ø It will not
endure forever. When it has accomplished its work it will rest.
It may be that some
of the results of it will endure forever. The slain man
will not arise again
on earth, but he is not being killed continuously. The
ruined city may
never be rebuilt, and yet the earthquake that overthrew
temples and palaces
has long subsided, and all is now still and calm.
Ø
It will be satisfied when it has accomplished its end. God’s fury is not
like His love. It does not spring unprovoked from His own heart. It
is
roused by sin, and when it has punished sin, it is satisfied. But this is
the most awful satisfaction of
it. There is another satisfaction, viz.:
Ø
It will be satisfied when it is propitiated. This is not stated
in the verse
before us. But it is the burden of the gospel. CHRIST, OUR
ADVOCATE, propitiates
the wrath of God (I John 2:1-2). Then if we
have confessed
our sin, and sought the saving help of Christ, we need
fear the wrath of God
no longer. IT IS SATISFIED!
18 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,
19 Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the
sword of
the king of
one land: and
choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way
to the city. 20 Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the
Ammonites, and to
Babylon stood at
the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways,
to use
divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images,
he looked in the
liver.” The new section opens in a
different strain. Ezekiel sees,
as in vision, Nebuchadnezzar and
his army on their march. He is told to
appoint (better, make, or mark, as on a brick or tile, as in ch. 4:1)
a place where the road bifurcated. Both come from one land,
i.e. from
of the Ammonites (Deuteronomy 3:11; II Samuel 11:1), the
other to
themselves that the former was the object of the
expedition. The answer to
that false hope is a vivid picture of what was passing in
the council of war
which Nebuchadnezzar was holding
at that parting of the ways. The
prophet sees, as it were, the sign post pointing, as with a
hand, to each of
the two cities The king consults his soothsayers, and uses
divinations. Of
these Ezekiel enumerates three:
among the Greeks as the βέλομαντεια
– belomanteia. The arrows
were put into a quiver, with
names (in this case probably Rabbath and
chance, and decided the direction of the campaign.
this case is not known, but
Judges 18:18 and Hosea 3:4 point to
some such use of them.
in Greek, Etrurian, and Roman divination (Cicero, ‘De Divin.,’ 6:13).
22 “At his right hand was the divination for
captains, to open
the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice
with shouting, to
appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a
mount, and to
build a fort.” At his right hand was,
etc.; better, into his
right hand came, etc.; sc. the arrow marked for
came into the king’s
hand as the quiver was shaken. To
appoint captains;
better, battering
rams, in both clauses. The same Hebrew word is used in
both (see note
on ch.4:2). The verse paints the engineering operations
of the besiegers, following on the issue of the divination.
(For the mount,
compare Isaiah 37:33.)
23 “And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their
sight, to them that
have sworn oaths:
but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they
may be taken.” The whole verse is obscure, and has been very variously
interpreted. I follow the translation of the Revised
Version, and explain it
by inserting words which are needed to bring out its
meaning: It (what
Nebuchadnezzar has done) shall be as a vain divination in their sight (sc.
in that of the men of
taken oaths of fealty to the Chaldeans,
and are ready to take them again),
but he (Nebuchadnezzar) brings iniquity to remembrance. The
fact
represented is that when the people of
the parting of the ways, they still lulled themselves in a
false security. They
and Zedekiah had sworn obedience, and that oath would
protect them.
“Not so,” rejoins the prophet; “the Chaldean
king knows how those oaths
have been kept.” The Septuagint omits all reference to
“oaths.” The Vulgate.
taking the word for “oath” in its ether sense of “sabbath,” gives the curious
rendering, Eritque
quasi consulens frustra oraculum in eorum oculis, et
sabbatorum otium imitans. In spite of the reports that reached them, the
men of
keeping a sabbath day. Ewald partly follows the Vulgate, and renders, They
believe they
have weeks on weeks, i.e. will not believe that the danger is
close at hand. Keil and Havernick: Oaths of oaths are theirs; i.e.
they
count on the oath of Jehovah, on His promises of
protection, but He
(Jehovah) brings iniquity to remembrance. That they may be taken; i.e.
be seized by the invader and either slain or made prisoners
24 “Therefore thus saith the Lord
GOD; Because ye have made your
iniquity to be
remembered, in that your transgressions are
discovered, so
that in all your doings your sins do appear; because,
I say, that ye
are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the
hand.” The
prophet adds words which in part explain these that
precede. The iniquity of the people has forced, not the Chaldean king only,
but Jehovah himself, to remember and to punish them.
Transgressions Discovered (v. 24)
THEY ARE COMMITTED. He
is present when the deeds are done; His
eyes are always open to observe
the conduct of His creatures; He is not
negligent of sin. We start, therefore, with the position that THERE
IS NO
SUCH THING AS SECRET SIN! The appearance of
secrecy arises from
the fact that the great Witness
withholds His evidence for the present. Such
a position leads to the
inevitable conclusion that some day the most hidden
evil may be made manifest. God
holds the key, and He will unlock the door
whenever He sees fit. (“For there is nothing covered, that shall
not be
revealed; neither
hid, that shall not be known. Therefore
whatsoever
ye have spoken in
darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which
ye have spoken in
the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the
housetops” -
Luke 12:2-3)
UNIVERSE IN THE FUTURE JUDGMENT. This must be what the
judgment really means. We have
been accustomed to the picture of a vast
assize, as though God needed to
go through the forms of a criminal trial
with souls, every secret of whom
has been perfectly known to Him from the
first. Such a trial would be an
empty form, a mere theatrical display. But
God will make the justice of His
action apparent to all, and in doing so the
secrets of all hearts will be
revealed.
EARTH. It is scarcely
possible for a man to play the hypocrite successfully
until his secret is sealed in
death. At some moment of inadvertency he is
almost certain to lift the mask,
and then the discovery of his deceit, once
made, will destroy forever the
reputation of years. Sin will work its fruits in
the bad man’s life. Though never
confessed in words, it is expressed in tone
and temper. The very features of
the countenance set themselves to the
character of the life within.
Moreover, sudden surprises and unexpected
turns of events will reveal a
man to the world. The long buried secret
comes to light. Achan’s Babylonish garment is
brought to light (Joshua
7:18-20). Ananias
and Sapphira cannot conceal their lie (Acts 5:9).
Eugene Aram
cannot hide the corpse of his victim. Dimsdale is
driven to
reveal the scarlet letter that
burns in fire on his breast.
the expressive Hebrew phrase,
they are then said to be “covered.” The only
way to have our transgression
thus buried out of sight is for us FIRST TO
CONFESS IT TO
GOD! Thus we need to pray that He will search us and
try us, and see if there be any
wicked way in us (Psalm 139:23-24). Until our
sins are brought home to our consciences,
there is no hope that they will be
permanently hidden. If we forget them, God will remember them. For God
to forget them we
must first remember them. When
transgressions are thus
owned to God, we are in the
condition to receive HIS PARDON after which
we may take the assurance, “Your sins and iniquities will I remember no
more” (Isaiah
43:25; Romans 11:27; Hebrews 8:12; 10:17).
The sins are then
banished “as far as the east is from the
west” (Psalm 103:12). They are
“buried in the
depth of the sea” (Micah 7:19). God does not goad
His
restored children
with their old sins.
25 “And thou, profane wicked prince of
shall have an
end,” And thou, profane wicked prince
of Judah, etc.; better,
with the Revised Version, O deadly wounded, etc., as
in v. 29, where the
same word is translated in the Authorized Version as “slain” The
Authorized Version follows the Septuagitn
and Vulgate, apparently in order to
make the word fit in with the fact that Zedekiah was not
slain, but carried
into exile. The word “deadly wounded,” or “sorely smitten,”
may rightly be
applied to one who fell, as Zedekiah did, from his high
estate. From the
sins of the people the prophet turns to the special guilt
of Zedekiah, who
had proved unfaithful alike to Jehovah and to the Chaldean king, whom he
had owned as his suzerain. His day had at last come, the time of the
iniquity of the
end of
the last transgression which was to bring down on
him the final punishment.
26 “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove
the diadem, and take off the
crown: this shall
not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase
him that is
high.” Remove the diadem, etc. The
noun is used throughout the
Pentateuch (e.g. Exodus 28:4; 37:39;
Leviticus 8:9; 16:4) for the
“turban” or “mitre” of the high
priest, and Keil so takes it here, as pointing
to the punishment of the priest as well as of the king. This shall not be the
same; literally, this
shall not be this; or, as the Revised Version
paraphrases, this shall be no more the same; i.e.
the mitre and the crown
shall alike pass away — taken
from their unworthy wearers. There was
to
be, as in the following words, a great upturning of all
things; the high
brought low, the lowly exalted.
Persistence in
sin leads to the punishment of their sins. “Because
that ye
are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.
And thou, O
deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of
people were to “be taken with the hand” (v. 24). God would deliver them
into the hand of the Chaldeans,
who would inflict upon them the dreadful
judgments already predicted by the prophet:
The glory of the priesthood would be taken away; for the
Lord
God would “remove the diadem,” or “mitre.” The king would be carried
into a miserable captivity, after enduring the most
terrible sufferings (II Kings
25:4-7), and the kingdom would be destroyed; for God would “take
off the crown.”
Their most valued institutions would be overthrown. The
then existing state of things would be destroyed. “This
shall be no more the
same: exalt that which is low, and abase that which is
high.” All would be
brought to ONE MELANCHOLY
CONDITION OF MISERY!
NATIONAL RUIN was
to be THE PENALTY OF NATIONAL SIN!
Persistence in sin must ever lead to ITS JUST
PUNISHMENT!
27 “I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be
no more, until
He come whose
right it is; and I will give it Him.” I will overthrow.
The sentence of destruction is emphasized, after the Hebrew manner, by a
threefold iteration (Isaiah 6:3; Jeremiah 22:29). It shall
be no more. The pronoun
in both clauses probably
refers to the established order of the kingdom and the
priesthood. “That
order,” Ezekiel says, “shall be no more.” Keil,
however, takes
the second “it”
— the “this” of the Revised Version — as meaning the fact of
the overthrow. That also was not final; all things were as in a state of flux
till THE MESSIANIC KINGDOM
hinted at in the next clause should
RESTORE THE TRUE ORDER.
Until
He come whose right it is. The
words contain a singularly suggestive allusion to Genesis 49:10, where a
probable
interpretation of the word “
noticeable as being Ezekiel’s first distinct utterance of
the hope of a personal
Messiah. Afterwards, in ch.34:23-24, it is definite enough.
The All-Controlling
We have here a striking instance of the superintending
agency of God. From His
invisible throne He controls all the plans, divinations, arts, and labors
of kings
and
generals. All persons and all events are directed into the channel of His
purpose,
and
aid in IN THE FINAL CONSUMATION OF HIS RIGHTEOUS END!
·
GOD USES EVEN WICKED MEN TO DO HIS WORK. If He
employed only righteous men, He would have to reject the service of
the
human species. There is a class of services which men render
consciously
and intentionally, and for which they obtain reward. They are
blessed in
their deeds. There is also a class of services which men render
unconsciously and without intention. These have no excellence, and bring
the doer no advantage. With His infinite skill God can turn
all streams to
work His mill. Sin shall be overruled to bring about a greater
good. The
wicked are even in God’s hand.
·
HEATHEN DIVINATIONS ARE MADE TO CONVEY GOD’S
WILL. The choice and
will of men have a certain sphere in which to move
freely. Yet, after all, they are but parts, minor parts, of
larger machinery.
Proud and presumptuous men may
choose to go either east or west: they
think they have their own
way; yet, in the final result, it simply contributes
to bring about God’s way. The ends which some men
seek, and which they
often attain, are only means to an end in God’s larger plan. The
responses
which foolish men imagine they obtain from heathen oracles or
from human
diviners are decrees and edicts from the unknown God. Nebuchadnezzar
flattered himself that he had gained a splendid triumph, in
was only doing servile work as a vassal of the King of kings.
·
ALL MILITARY INVENTIONS AND EXERTIONS SERVE THE
CAUSE OF GOD.
How instructive is it to perceive that all the martial
preparations then about to be made by Nebuchadnezzar
were all
prearranged by God — all sketched in outline by His prophet! How this
fact
humiliates man! How it exalts God in our esteem! How small a thing,
after
all, is human ambition! Men who rail against God yet serve Him.
And if this
fact is so transparently seen in the case of the King of
Babylon, may we not
conclude that this is a sample of every event in human life? As every atom
in the mountains occupies the place allotted to it by God, so every event in
human history fills a place according to God’s purpose.
·
WICKED MEN, ALTHOUGH EMPLOYED AS INSTRUMENTS
FOR CHASTISING OTHERS, BECOME VICTIMS OF GOD’S
DISPLEASURE. “Thou,
profane wicked prince of
when iniquity shall have an end.” To unreflecting minds, the defeat of a
king would seem a commonplace thing — a chance of war. Yet the
hand of
God is in the matter. “He
setteth up one, and putteth
down another.”
(Psalm 75:7) As a king has larger scope for evil or for
good, so proportionately
is his accountability. At the best, we see but a tiny
fragment of God’s method of
rule; if we could comprehend the whole, we should admire the
skill and
power and beneficence of His vast administration.
·
SUBVERSION OF HUMAN SYSTEMS SHALL MAKE FOR THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. “I will overturn, overturn,
overturn it… until he come whose right it is; and I will give it Him.” There
is no question but that this Coming One is “Jesus
Christ the Righteous.”
“Because He loveth righteousness and hateth
wickedness,” therefore His
throne shall be forever and ever. The only solid foundation for a throne is
righteousness. The dynasty founded in might shall be demolished by a
greater might. Mere power has an ephemeral tenure. The mightiest
thing in
heaven or earth is holiness. This is the thing that cannot be shaken: this
shall remain. (Hebrews 12: 27)
Today the strongest kingdom upon the earth
is the most righteous. “There shall be new heavens, and a new
earth!”
And what shall be their
distinctive principle — their special glory?
In them “dwelleth
righteousness.” (II Peter 3:13) The man of right
is the man of might.
The Divine
Reversal (vs. 26-27)
The judgments of God are not in vain. The sword is not
sheathed until the
purposes of infinite righteousness are achieved. War leads to such
an end,
to
such a place, as eternal wisdom approves. No good end would be
answered by Divine interposition, did all things go on as before. A
Divine
reversal crowns the work.
·
THE HISTORICAL FACT. The
primary reference of the prophet is
doubtless to the downfall of the usurping, rebellious, treacherous,
plotting
prince of Judah, i.e. Zedekiah. His true policy lay
in subjection to
Nebuchadnezzar; instead of adopting and holding fast by this policy, he
was ever endeavoring to free himself from the yoke, in the
vain hope of
independence. It was foreseen
and predicted by Ezekiel that this should
lead to his destruction.
·
THE MORAL, GOVERNMENTAL PRINCIPLE SUGGESTED BY
THIS FACT. We
learn that the Omnipotent Ruler is not indifferent to what
happens among the nations, that He works in and through the
ordinary laws
of human action, and may sometimes work by extraordinary and
exceptional means. Certain it is that His ways are not as men’s ways.
The
great are often overthrown, and the feeble exalted, by the
operation of His
wise and merciful providence. God confounds all human policy and defeats
all human expectations, exalts the low, and at the same time
abases the
high. The mitre and the crown are taken from the forehead of the
powerful,
and are placed upon the lowliest, brows.
·
THE TYPICAL AND SPIRITUAL APPLICATIONS OF THIS
PRINCIPLE.
There is a grandeur in this language which seems
almost to
compel its reference to greater events than those which happened
in
men have often felt how utterly vain it is to expect that
kingdom to yield to
any human attack.
Ignorance and error, vice and crime, superstition and
infidelity, have through millenniums of human history
acquired over
humanity a power which seems irresistible and invincible. But there is One
“whose right it is”
(v. 27) to reign, and He, the Son of God, has come in the
flesh, and has come in the dispensation of the
Holy Spirit. In His favor, and
in order to secure His universal conquest, His everlasting
dominion, the
Most High is overturning, ever overturning. He is the High Priest, the
rightful King, of the humanity whose nature He
assumed, and for whose
salvation He died. The mitre
and the crown are His of right, and to Him
they shall be given. Every usurper shall be defeated and
disgraced; and
Christ, whose right it is to reign, shall receive the
kingdom, and
HIS DOMINION SHALL HAVE NO END!
“This also shall be no more, until He come whose right it
is; and I will give it Him.”
Until our Lord shall reign over the whole world,
these revolutions will occur with
Greater or less frequency. But when He, the rightful Sovereign, shall take
possession of the kingdoms of this world, THESE OVER-TURNINGS
WILL
FOR EVER CEASE! The reign of the Christ precludes revolution. The character
of His reign shows this. Under it the sacredness of human
life will be practically
recognized, and thus war will be precluded. Under His reign
the universal
brotherhood of man will also be practically recognized; and
thus the cruel
oppressions and base wrongs of man by man, which have often
led to
terrible revolutions, will be precluded. The reign of the “strong Son of
God” is the sovereignty
of His Spirit and principles in the hearts and lives of
men; and these are entirely opposed to the crimes and ills
which generate
revolutions. His perpetual and universal sovereignty is
founded upon His
mercifulness and kindness, His justice and love (Psalm 72:11-17).
Such a sovereignty is incompatible with revolution. Under
it men will have
neither cause nor occasion for anything of the kind.
Animated and
governed by His Spirit and principles, they will advance
calmly and
regularly towards perfection.
International exhibitions, commercial interests, peace treaties,
political economics, can never bring about the abolition of revolution,
because they are not able to curb and conquer the strong and stormy
passions
of evil men. The gospel of the Lord Jesus is the only
power that
can abolish revolution, and bring in a state of peaceful
and blessed
progress. When
it is heartily accepted it becomes a power in the heart,
making man true and righteous, pure and loving, and so
promotes peace on
earth and good will toward men. Be encouraged,
then, in your efforts to
promote it. “Men
shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed”
(Psalm
72:17); “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and
His kingdom
from generation to generation.” (Ibid. ch. 145:13; Daniel 7:14)
We learn that the Omnipotent Ruler is not indifferent to
what
happens among the nations, that He works in and through the
ordinary laws
of human action, and may
sometimes work by extraordinary and exceptional
means. Certain it
is that His ways are not as men’s ways (Isaiah 55:8). The
great are often overthrown, and the feeble exalted, by the
operation of His
wise and merciful providence. God confounds all human
policy and defeats
all human expectations, exalts the low, and at the same
time abases the
high. The mitre and the crown are
taken from the forehead of the powerful,
and are placed upon the lowliest, brows.
There is a grandeur in this language which seems almost to
compel its reference to greater events than those which
happened in
then have often felt how utterly vain it is to expect that
kingdom to yield to
any human attack. Ignorance and error, vice and crime,
superstition and
infidelity, have through millenniums of human history
acquired over
humanity a power which seems irresistible and invincible. But there is One
“WHOSE RIGHT IT IS” to reign, and He, the Son of God, has
come in the
flesh, and has come in the dispensation of the Holy
Spirit. In His favor, and in
order to secure
His universal conquest, His everlasting dominion, the Most
High is overturning, ever overturning. He is the High Priest, the rightful
King, of the humanity whose nature He assumed, and for
whose salvation
He died. The mitre and the crown are His of right, and TO HIM THEY
SHALL BE GIVEN! Every usurper shall be defeated and disgraced;
and Christ, whose
right it is to reign, shall receive the kingdom, and His
dominion shall have no end. (Isaiah 9:7; Daniel
2:44; Luke 1:32-33)
Revolution and Restoration (v. 27)
acts in the successive invasions
of Nebuchadnezzar. The ruin is utter. No
city has sustained so many
sieges as
and destroyed. Now, we are
reminded that these terrible disasters are
elements in a Divine judgment
and discipline. It is God who overturns.
There is, therefore, a providential purpose in the event.
Ø
Revolution must precede restoration. The Divine education of
Mankind is not a continuous, unbroken development. The earthquake
has its mission as truly as
the April shower. Evil must be overthrown
before good can be built up.
This may mean a violent process. We are
too mild in some of our
methods of treating sin. Undoubtedly,
God has not committed His
sword of judgment to us, but He
expects His servants to
testify against sin, and so to
pull down the strong walls of
Satan. Aggressive work is absolutely
necessary. While we preach the
gospel of peace, we have also to
fight against intemperance,
commercial corruption, and all evil
customs and institutions.
Ø
This revolution must be universal. There is a sweeping
comprehensiveness in our text. Political revolutions, indeed, may not
be called for, for now we have
to engage in spiritual work. But there
must be revolution
in every region of life.
o
In the heart. Old prejudices and habits must be thrown down —
every mountain made low.
o
In the Church. Christ cleansed the temple. The Reformation
was a great overturning.
Much in the Church now needs to be
overturned; e.g.:
§
worldly practices,
§
human inventions,
§
false ideas,
§
Christless journalism, etc.
o
In society. The apostles were regarded as firebrand revolutionists,
who “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
Social injustice
must be overturned, not,
perhaps by Republicans or Democrats
but by Christian
brotherhood. We must not suppose
that God
will let the monstrous
evils of Christendom go on forever. He will
overturn much before we can
see the millennium. The new
wine cannot be contained in
the old bottles. (Mark 2:22)
Ø
The revolution prepares for a restoration. Mere destruction perfects
nothing. It is necessary only as
preliminary to something constructive.
Blank nihilism is the most
barren philosophy. The “everlasting no” is
not a gospel for hungry
humanity. After the revolution there must be
a new order, and after repentance there must be a
new life.
Ø
The restoration can only be accomplished by CHRIST! Until Christ
came the Jews were never
truly restored, though they had returned
to their land. IN CHRIST
(Luke 2:29-30), though, alas! most of the nation rejected it, and left it
to others. (“Be it known therefore unto you,
that the salvation of God
is sent unto the Gentiles, AND THEY WILL HEAR IT!” (Acts 28:28).
It is easy to demolish an
ancient effete system. The difficulties begin
with building up a new and
better one. We cannot establish a new social
order, nor can we even stir
up a better life in our own breasts. The weary
world waits for THE FULL COMING OF CHRIST TO RESTORE
its overturned PEACE
and ORDER.
Ø
This restoration will be fully satisfactory.
o
Christ has a right to
enjoy the headship over it: “Whose right
it is.” He is not only the Son of David, and Heir to the old
throne; He is THE SON OF
GOD, vested with Divine rights.
o
Christ receives His kingdom
from His Father (Philippians 2:9-11):
“I will give it
Him.”
o
This restoration will
not be a return to the old position. If it
were so, the whole process
would be a profitless cycle. But
Christ’s kingdom of
heaven is infinitely better than
David’s
28 “And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD
concerning the
Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even
say thou, The
sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is
furbished, to
consume because of the glittering:”
Thus saith the Lord God concerning the Ammonites.
Ezekiel has not forgotten that scene at the parting of the
ways. The
Ammonites, when they saw the issue of the divination, and
the march of
the Chaldean army to the west,
thought themselves safe. They took up their
reproach against
another strophe of the “Lay of the Sword of Jehovah,” that
their confidence
is vain (compare Zephaniah 2:8 for a like exultation at an
earlier period).
29 “Whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a
lie unto thee,
to bring thee
upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked,
whose day is
come, when their iniquity shall have an end.”
Whiles they see, etc. The words may
possibly refer to
Nebuchadnezzar’s diviners in v. 21, but more probably to those whom
the Ammonites themselves consulted. The pronoun “thee” in both clauses
refers to Ammon. The result of
those who divined falsely was that the
sword would be drawn against the necks of the Ammonites and
threw them
upon the heap of the slaughtered ones. For them, as in the
words that end
the verse, reproducing those of v. 25, punishment is decreed, and that
punishment will come.
30 “Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge
thee in the place
where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity.” The
question of the
Authorized Version suggests
a negative answer, as though the speaker were
Jehovah, and the sheath
that of His sword. The Revised Version, which translates
it, with Keil, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate, as an imperative,
deals with it as
addressed to the Ammonites. They are told to sheath their
sword; it would
be of no avail against the sharp, glittering weapon of
Jehovah. Their
judgment would soon come on them in their own land, not, as
in the case
of
the prophet’s thought).
31 “And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will
blow against
thee in the fire
of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of
brutish men, and
skilful to destroy.” I
will blow against, etc. The imagery of
fire takes the place of
that of the sword. The brutish men
(same word as in
Psalm 49:10; 92:6)
are the Chaldean conquerors. The fact that the
adjective may
Also mean “those
that burn” may, in part, have determined Ezekiel’s choice of it.
32 “Thou shalt be for fuel to the
fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of
the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have
spoken it.” For Ammon there is no hope of a restoration like that which
Ezekiel speaks of as possible for
remembered (compare ch. 25:7).
The Impartiality of Divine Justice (vs. 18-32)
Very picturesque and memorable is this portion of Ezekiel’s
prophecies.
The prophet in his vision beholds the King of Babylon on
his way to
execute the purposes of God upon the rebellious and
treacherous prince of
expedition, standing on the northeast of
first instance to direct his arms against Rabbath, the capitol of the
Ammonites, or
the way,” and
calls to his aid, to help him to a decision, not only the
counsel of the politician and the commander, but that also
of the diviner.
The bright arrows, on which the names of the two cities are
inscribed, are
drawn as in a lottery, the images are consulted, the liver
is inspected by the
augur. The prophet sees the resolve taken to proceed
against
yet at the same time, he predicts that the children of Ammon shall not
escape the edge of the glittering sword of retribution and
vengeance.
RETRIBUTION, OFTEN THEMSELVES UNCONSCIOUS OF THE
PURPOSES FOR WHICH THEY ARE EMPLOYED. The King of
Judah and Ammon.
Unawares to himself, he, in his military operations, was
carrying out the predictions of
God’s prophets, and the decree of God
Himself. Infinite wisdom is never at a loss for means by which to
bring to
pass its own
counsels and resolves.
UNFAITHFUL TO THEIR PRIVILEGES AS WELL AS THOSE
WHOSE PRIVILEGES HAVE NOT BEEN EXCEPTIONAL. Although
the descendants of Abraham were
selected from among the nations for a
special purpose connected with
God’s plans for the moral government of
the world, they were not thereby
released from their righteous obligations,
or from liability to punishment
in case those obligations were repudiated.
defection and
rebellion. Rather was the guilt of the
nation deemed to be
aggravated by their neglect to
use aright the many advantages with which
they were favored. On the other
hand, the Ammonites were not secured
against righteous retribution
merely because they were less highly
privileged than
responsible for
walking in the light they enjoyed; and if they loved
darkness rather
than light, they secured their own condemnation.
BE CORRECTED, AND WHICH SHALL BE DESTROYED. Into the
secret counsels of God it is not
given us to enter. Facts are before us; and
we see that, according to this
prophecy, Ammon was committed as fuel to
the fire, and was no more
remembered; that the very name of the
Ammonites vanished out of human
history; and we see that the Jewish
people survived, and were
brought forth from the furnace into which they
were cast. We can only apply to
these facts our faith in the Divine
righteousness, and hold fast by our conviction that in this, as in all
His
dealings with men, the Eternal Ruler has acted upon principles of
unquestionable
equity.
REPENTANCE AND NEWNESS OF LIFE. These predictions and their
fulfillment in history have been
recorded for our instruction. What we read
in Scripture is fitted to
deepen within our nature the conviction
that this
world is under
the righteous government of God. And
we shall be foolish
indeed if we do not infer from
this fact the necessity of repentance and of
renewal; if we are not led to welcome the assurance that:
Ø
for the penitent there is mercy,
and
Ø
for the lowly, life!
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The Sacred Song of the Sword
(vs. 8-17)
“Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of
man, prophesy,
and say, Thus saith the Lord;
Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened,” etc.
The passage before us is written in the form of Hebrew
poetry. The poem
does not present any new truths or ideas, but is chiefly an
amplification of
the preceding twelve verses. There are in this song some
words and
phrases of considerable difficulty, in the interpretation
of which a wide
diversity of opinion exists. The chief features of the poem
may be noticed
homiletically in the following order.
·
THE PREPARATION OF THE
SWORD FOR SLAUGHTER.
1. It was sharpened for daughter. “A sword is
sharpened,… it is sharpened
to make a sore slaughter.” In
the providence of God, Nebuchadnezzar and
the Chaldean
forces had become ready for their dread work at Jerusalem
and among its inhabitants.
2. It was furbished for terror. “And also
furbished,…it is furbished that it
may glitter.” The sword was
burnished, that by its glittering it might dismay
those against whom it was drawn
(cf. <053241>Deuteronomy 32:41). The truth
thus taught seems to be that the
actual attack of the Chaldeans would strike
terror into the hearts of the
people of Jerusalem. Says Greenhill, “When
God is bringing judgments upon a
people, he will fit instruments for
accomplishing of the same, and
that to purpose. He will make that which is
blunt, sharp; that which is
rusty, glittering; and those who are spiritless, full
of spirit; he can make one to
chase ten, ten a hundred, and a hundred a
thousand. His works shall never
fail for want of instruments.”
·
THE PRESENTATION OF
THE SWORD TO THE SLAYER. “He
hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this
sword is
sharpened, and it is furbished,
to give it into the hand of the slayer.” The
sword was not prepared for nought. It was, as it were, given by the Lord
into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar to be used by him. That monarch could
not have slain one of the sons
of Israel unless permission had been given
him by the Supreme; an that
permission would not have been given to him
but for the heinous and long
continued sins of Israel. So also Pilate had no
power against our Lord save what was given to him from above (John
19:11). The mightiest sovereign
or government can do nothing without the
permission of the great God.
·
THE VICTIMS OF THE
SWORD IN SLAUGHTER.
1. It was to wage war against the chosen people. “It
is upon my people.”
(We have frequently noticed this
point; e.g. on ch. 20:46, and ver. 3.)
2. It was to wage war against the most eminent of the
chosen people. “It
shall be upon all the princes of
Israel.” These princes were strong
advocates of the alliance with
Egypt, and of resistance to the authority of
Nebuchadnezzar. They did this in defiance of the word of the Lord by
Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and
against the judgment of the weak minded King
Zedekiah, when he was in his
better moods (compare Jeremiah 37, and 38.).
By this course of action they
hastened the destruction of
fitting that, when the sword
came, they should not escape its terrible
strokes. And King Zedekiah is
probably referred to by the prophet. “It is
the sword of the great one that
is deadly wounded, which entereth into
their chambers” (v. 14, Revised Version); or, “that pierces into
them”
(Hengstenberg);
“that penetrates to them” (Schroder). His sons were
slain
before his eyes; then his eyes
were put out; then, bound in fetters, he was
carried to
surely the glittering sword
pierced him. This sharp sword recognized no
distinction of rank or riches, of place or power.
3. It was to destroy the national existence of the chosen
people. “It
contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree… And what if the sword
contemn even the rod? it shall
be no more, saith the Lord God.” The view
of these difficult clauses which
is taken by the ‘Speaker’s Commentary’
seems to us correct. “The rod is
the sceptre of dominion assigned to Judah
(Genesis 49:10). The destroying
sword of Babylon despises the sceptre
of
17:24).” And on v. 13, “The
best explanation: ‘What horrors
will not arise when the sword shall cut
down without regard the ruling sceptre of Judah?’”
·
THE EXECUTION OF THE
SWORD IN SLAYING. Several things
in this poem are indicative of this. The thrice-doubled sword
(v. 14)
points to the dread violence of
the slaughter, or to “the earnestness and
energy of the Divine
punishment.” The sword set against all their gates,
and the multiplication of their stumblings
(v. 15, Revised Version), refer
to the fierce conflicts by the
gates of the city and the bodies of the slain
there, over which the living
would stumble. And two of the directions
addressed to the sword in v. 16 suggest the terrible work it was
commissioned to accomplish.
Revised Version, “Gather thee together;”
margin, “Make thyself one;” Hengstenberg, “Unite thyself.” The allusion is
“to the
thrice-doubled sword in v. 14. In reality, the terrible weight is
designated with which the Divine
judgment falls on him whom it is to
strike.” Very similar in its
signification is the direction, “Set thyself in
array” (v. 16, Revised Version); It denotes the determination
and zeal
with which the Divine judgment
would be executed. All these things point
to the terrible sufferings and
the fierce slaughter of the guilty people of
·
THE FEELINGS EVOKED BY
THE SLAUGHTER OF THE
SWORD.
1. The sorrow of the prophet in anticipation of the
slaughter. “Cry and
howl, son of man: for it is upon
my people, it is upon all the princes of
Israel: terrors by reason of the
sword shall be upon my people: smite
therefore upon thy thigh.”
Smiting upon the thigh was a token of intense
grief, corresponding to smiting upon the breast (compare Jeremiah
31:19;
Luke 23:48). And the prophet was
to do this, and to cry and howl, not
simply to express his own grief,
but to indicate the anguish which would
wring the hearts of the people.
2. The dismay of the people because of the slaughter.
“That their heart
may faint,” or “melt” (v. 15; compare v. 7, and see our
remarks thereon).
·
CONCLUSION. This terrible judgment was the expression of the
righteous anger of the Lord God, because of the persistent and
aggravated
sins of the people. And when it
was thus expressed, it rested. It was
satisfied with the vindication
of the holy Law, which had been so basely set
at naught.
1. Let no man, let no community, presume
upon the patience and mercy of
God.
He is a Being of awful justice and of terrible wrath.
2. Let no one persist in sin. Such a course must meet
with the stern
judgment of the
Most High.
The Approaching Judgment
(vs. 18-27)
“The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, Also,
thou son of man,
appoint thee two ways,” etc. The following homiletic points
are suggested
by
this paragraph.
·
THE DESTINATION OF THE
APPROACHING JUDGMENT
DETERMINED BY GOD, THOUGH THE
AGENTS THEREOF WERE
UNCONSCIOUS OF HIS INFLUENCE.
“Son of man, appoint thee two
ways, that the sword of the King of Babylon may come,” etc. (vs.
18-22).
The prophet is here summoned to
make upon a tablet, or parchment, or
other material, a sketch in
which two ways branch out of one principal way
— the one leading to Rabbath, and the other to Jerusalem; and at the head
of one of the ways to make a
hand, or finger post, pointing to a city; and at
the head of the two ways the King
of Babylon employing divination to
ascertain whether he shall
proceed first against Rabbath or Jerusalem, and
being directed to go to
Jerusalem and besiege it. Thus he was to represent
symbolically the judgment that
was approaching Jerusalem from Chaldea.
Notice:
1. The use of superstitious means for obtaining direction
in conduct. “The
King of Babylon stood at the
parting of the way, at the head of the two
ways, to use divination,” etc. (v. 21). “Divination” is a
general term.
Three different kinds thereof
are here mentioned.
(1) “He shook the arrows to and fro.” The method referred to
was
probably this: Three arrows were
taken, on one of them was written
“Jerusalem,” on another “Rabbath,” while the third was without any
inscription. These arrows were placed
in a helmet or in some vessel, which
was shaken until one came out;
if this one bore any name, to the place thus
named the king must proceed; but
if the arrow without an inscription first
came out, they all had to be
shaken again until one bearing a name came
forth and indicated the course
to be taken.
(2) “He consulted the teraphim.” “The
teraphim were wooden images
consulted as idols, from which
the excited worshippers fancied that they
received oracular responses” (compare Genesis 31:19, 30, 32, 34;
1 Samuel 19:13). The mode of
consulting them is unknown.
(3) “He looked in the livery of animals offered in sacrifice
the liver was
looked upon as the most
important part; and from an inspection of it, as to
its size and condition, omens
were drawn amongst several ancient nations.
Nebuchadnezzar is represented by the prophet as feeling his need of
direction as to whether he shall
proceed first against Jerusalem or against
Rabbath, and as using these modes of divination to obtain such
direction.
This need of our nature is
recognized by God, and he has graciously
provided for it (compare Jeremiah 10:23; Proverbs 3:5, 6).
2. The use of superstitious means controlled by God for
the
accomplishment of his own
purposes. Rabhath
as well as Jerusalem had
incurred the resentment of the
King of Babylon. The antecedent probability
was that he would first attack
that place, seeing that it was somewhat
nearer Chaldea
than was Jerusalem. But God had determined otherwise,
and accordingly the divination
points Nebuchadnezzar to Jerusalem. “What
a sublime proof,” says Fairbairn, “of the overruling providence and
controlling agency of Jehovah!
The mightiest monarch of the world,
travelling at the head of almost unnumbered legions, and himself
consciously owning no other
direction than that furnished by the
instruments of his own blind
superstition, yet having his path marked out to
him beforehand by this servant
of the living God! How strikingly did it
show that the greatest
potentates on earth, and even the spiritual
wickedness in high places, have
their bounds appointed to them by the
hand of God, and that, however
majestically they may seem to conduct
themselves, still they cannot
overstep the prescribed limits, and must be
kept in all their operations
subservient to the higher purposes of Heaven!”
“The lot is cast into the lap;
but the whole disposing thereof is of the
Lord.”
“There’s a
divinity doth shape our ends,
Rough-hew
them holy we will.”
(Shakespeare)
·
THE DIVINELY
COMMISSIONED ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE
APPROACHING JUDGMENT TREATED
WITH CONTEMPT BY THE
FAVOURED PEOPLE. “And it shall
be unto them as a vain divination in
their sight, which have sworn
oaths unto them: but he bring the iniquity to
remembrance that they may be
taken.” The meaning of part of this verse is
difficult to determine. Many and
various are the interpretations of the
“oaths” here mentioned. Two of
these, each of which seems to us probably
correct, we adduce.
1. That they refer to the awful declarations of the coming
judgments which
the prophet had made to them,
which he generally introduced by the
solemn formula, “As I live, saith the
Lord Jehovah” (ch. 5:11; 14:16, 18, 20;
16:48; 17:16, 19; 20:3, 33).
Notwithstanding the solemnity of these assertions,
they looked upon the prophet’s announcement of impending
judgment “as a
vain divination.”
2. That they refer to the oaths of fealty which the Jews had
sworn to
Nebuchadnezzar (ch. 17:18-19; II Chronicles
36:13), and
which they had so shamefully
broken. Because they were his sworn vassals,
they thought that he would not
attack them. But he would call their iniquity
to remembrance, and bring home
to them their perjury by the stern
punishment thereof. Whatever
interpretation of the clause in question be
adopted, it is clear that the
Jews made light of the announcement of
judgment by the prophet. While
the Chaldeans accepted the directions of
their divinations, and acted upon them, the favored Jews treated
the word
of Divine inspiration “as a vain
divination.” And these same Jews eagerly
accepted as true the messages of
false prophets which assured them of
peace and safety. They had so
trifled with the truth of God that they had
almost destroyed their moral
capacity for recognizing it when it was
proclaimed unto them.
·
THE INFLICTION OF THE
APPROACHING JUDGMENT
VINDICATED BY THE MANIFESTATION
OF THE SINS OF THOSE
UPON WHOM IT WAS COMING.
“Therefore thus saith the Lord God;
Because ye have made your iniquity
to be remembered,” etc. (vs. 24-26).
1. Persistence in sin leads to the discovery of their
sins. “Because ye have
made your iniquity to be
remembered, in that your transgressions are
discovered, so that in all your
doings your sins do appear.” Their unbelief
of the word of the Lord by
Ezekiel, and their treachery towards
Nebuchadnezzar, which led to their dread punishment, brought to light
their other sins, showing the
wickedness of their entire conduct. When
thieves are “taken in some
wicked acts,” says Greenhill, “their former
villanies come to light. As one sin begets another, so one sin
discovers
another.”
2. Persistence in sin leads to the punishment of their
sins. “Because that ye
are come to remembrance, ye
shall be taken with the hand. And thou, O
deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of
people were to “be taken with
the hand.” God would deliver them into the
hand of the Chaldeans,
who would inflict upon them the dreadful
judgments already predicted by
the prophet — sword, famine, pestilence,
captivity. The glory of the
priesthood would be taken away; for the Lord
God would “remove the diadem,”
or “mitre.” The king would be carried
into a miserable captivity, after enduring the most terrible
sufferings
(II Kings 25:4-7), and the
kingdom would be destroyed; for God would
“take off
the crown.” Their most valued institutions would be overthrown.
The then existing state of
things would be destroyed. “This shall be no more
the same: exalt that which is low, and abase that which is
high.” All would be
brought to one melancholy
condition of misery. National ruin was to be the
penalty of national sin.
Persistence in sin must ever lead to its just
punishment.
3. The manifestation of sin vindicates the punishment
thereof. It brings to
light the justice of such
punishment. That the Jews brought upon
themselves the terrible
sufferings which they endured at the hand of the
Chaldeans was made unmistakably clear. And it was also shown that
the
terrible fate of the king was
but the harvest of which he himself had sown
the seed. In
due season God Himself will justify all his dealings with men.
·
REVOLUTIONS IN HUMAN
HISTORY LEADING TO THE
ADVENT OF THE
RIGHTFUL SOVEREIGN OF MAN. “I will
overturn,
overturn, overturn it: this also
shall be no more, until he come whose right
it is; and I will give it him.”
Three points are suggested by this verse.
1. The completeness of the national downfall. The
repetition of the
“overturn” indicates the
thoroughness of the destruction. No attempt to
restore the kingdom to
prosperity and power would fully succeed.
2. The duration of the national downfall. “This also
shall be no more, until
he come whose right it is.” The
regal authority and the priestly dignity were
not restored to the Jews. “As to
the kingdom, Zerubbabel, the leader of the
people after the exile, although
of David’s line, was no king on David’s
throne. But Herod, who becomes
king over Israel, is of Edomite origin”
(Schroder).
There was a partial restoration of the functions of the
priesthood after the return from
Babylon, but it never recovered its former
dignity and glory. For, as Fairbairn observes, “there was no longer the
distinctive prerogative of the Urim and Thummim, nor the ark of
the
covenant, nor the glory
overshadowing the mercy seat; all was in a
depressed and mutilated
condition, and even that subject to many
interferences from the
encroachments of foreign powers. So much only was
given, both in respect to the
priesthood and the kingdom, as to show that
the Lord had not forsaken his
people, and to serve as pledge of the coming
glory.”
3. The advent of the rightful Sovereign. “Until he
come whose right it is;
and I will give it him.”
Undoubtedly these words point to the Messiah.
They probably contain a
reference to Psalm 72:1, “Give the King thy
judgments, O God, and thy
righteousness unto the King’s Son.” He is the
great High Priest. He is the
divinely anointed King. Previous to his coming
into our world all revolutions in
human history were overruled by God to
lead on to that event. And all
subsequent revolutions, and all revolutions in
the present, are being overruled
by him for the establishment of his
gracious rule over the hearts
and lives of men throughout the whole world.
“Of his kingdom there shall be
no end.” Thus in the declaration of dread
judgments mercy was not
forgotten by God. “Even now, when he is in a
full career of overturning, he
tells them of the coming of Christ, who
should be their King, wear the
crown, and raise up the kingdom again. This
was a great mercy in the depth
of misery; if they lost an earthly kingdom,
they should have a spiritual
one; if they lost a profane and temporal king,
they should have a King of
righteousness, an eternal King” (Greenhill).
Even in wrath he remembers and
exercises mercy.
Mundane Revolutions
(v. 27)
“I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and
it shall be no more,” etc.
·
THE CONTINUITY OF
MUNDANE REVOLUTIONS. “I will
overturn, overturn, overturn it.” The Lord thus declares his
determination
to overthrow again and again the
government of the Jews, until the coming
of the Messiah, their rightful
Sovereign. The words may also point, as
Scott remarks, to “the repeated
subversions of the Jewish nation by the
Chaldeans, Macedonians, Romans, and many others to the present day;
which will not come to any happy
termination fill they submit to their long
rejected Messiah. Nay, they seem
to predict all the convulsions in states
and kingdoms, which shall make
way for the establishment of his kingdom
throughout the earth.”
Revolutions in governments, in society, in science,
have always been. They are rife
at present. While men continue ignorant,
selfishly ambitious, and wicked,
they will continue. These overturnings will
not cease until human character
is radically altered, until it is fashioned
after the Divine model. It is
not one overturning, and then settled order and
progress. In our world change
succeeds change as wave follows after wave
on the face of old ocean. Unsettledness
characterizes all things here.
·
THE DIVINE AGENCY IN
MUNDANE REVOLUTIONS. “Thus
saith the
Lord God...I will overturn, overturn, overturn it.” These
revolutions are not accidental;
they do not occur by chance. They are
brought about under Divine
arrangements. God being the great “Ruler over
the nations,” they cannot take
place, to say the least, without his
permission. Being Supreme, all
things are either originated or allowed by
him. The sacred Scriptures
assert this. “Neither from the east, nor from the
west, nor yet from the south,
cometh lifting up. But God is the Judge. He
putteth down one, and lifteth up
another;” “He bringeth princes to nothing;
he maketh
the judges of the earth as vanity;” “The Most High ruleth
in the
kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will;” “His kingdom
ruleth over all.” He removes the leader of a nation’s affairs,
and disorder,
disturbance, and immense change
follow. He sends the light of truth to
oppressed peoples, and they
arise and claim their freedom. But what shall
we say of dark and terrible
changes? Let us take an example — the
carrying of the Jews captive
into Babylon. Whether we look at the sacred
temple, or the celebrated city,
or the fertile country, or the favoured
people, how dark and sad it was!
But look again. It saved the people, of
whom the Messiah was to come,
from idolatry, and so from utter ruin.
Viewed in their Divine aspect,
these revolutions are benevolent. Holy
beings may advance calmly and
evenly towards perfection. But disordered,
sinful beings need great changes
and rude shocks to banish hoary
superstitions, and abolish cruel
despotisms, and prevent ruinous inaction.
While sin is here there must be
unrest and change.
·
THE END OF MUNDANE
REVOLUTIONS. “This also shall be no
more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.”
Until our Lord
shall reign over the whole
world, these revolutions will occur with greater
or less frequency. But when he,
the rightful Sovereign, shall take
possession of the kingdoms of
this world, these over-turnings will forever
cease. The reign of the Christ
precludes revolution. The character of his
reign shows this. Under it the
sacredness of human life will be practically
recognized, and thus war will be
precluded. Under his reign the universal
brotherhood of man will also be
practically recognized; and thus the cruel
oppressions and base wrongs of
man by man, which have often led to
terrible revolutions, will be
precluded. The reign of the “strong Son of
God” is the sovereignty of his Spirit
and principles in the hearts and lives of
men; and these are entirely
opposed to the crimes and ills which generate
revolutions. His perpetual and
universal sovereignty is founded upon his
mercifulness and kindness, his justice and love (compare Psalm
72:11-17).
Such a sovereignty is
incompatible with revolution. Under it men will have
neither cause nor occasion for
anything of the kind. Animated and
governed by his Spirit and
principles, they will advance calmly and
regularly towards perfection.
·
CONCLUSION.
1. Our subject supplies an argument for promulgating the
gospel of Jesus
Christ. International exhibitions, commercial interests, peace
treaties,
political economics, can never
bring about the abolition of revolution,
because they are not able to
curb and conquer the strong and stormy
passions of evil men. The gospel
of the Lord Jesus is the only power that
can abolish revolution, and
bring in a state of peaceful and blessed
progress. When it is heartily
accepted it becomes a power in the heart,
making man true and righteous,
pure and loving, and so promotes peace on
earth and good will toward men.
2. Our subject supplies encouragement for promulgating
the gospel of
Jesus Christ. We see that painful changes, wicked and cruel
persecutions,
and criminal and sanguinary
strife, are being graciously overruled to bring
in the worldwide empire of him
“whose right it is.” All changes, all
overturnings, are bringing his glorious universal reign nearer. Be
encouraged, then, in your
efforts to promote it. “Men shall be blessed in
him; all nations shall call him
blessed;” “His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation.”
The
Judgment of Ammon (vs. 28-32)
“And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus
saith the Lord God
concerning the children of Ammon,” etc. The following points are
presented to our notice.
·
THE CAUSE OF THIS
JUDGMENT. This was threefold.
1. They had provoked the anger of the Chaldeans
by joining the coalition
against them. (Compare v. 20; Jeremiah 27:2-10.)
2. They had cast bitter reproaches upon the Jews.
“Thus saith the Lord
God concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach.”
Reproach is injury by words; and
it may be inflicted directly by reviling
another, or indirectly by
self-aggrandizement. The Ammonites reproached
the Israelites:
(1) By words. As Kitto remarks, they
were particularly loud and offensive
in their exultation at the
downfall, first of the kingdom of Israel, and then
of Judah, with the desolation of
the land and the destruction of the temple”
(compare
ch. 25:3, 6; Zephaniah 2:8). It is probable that when
Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, the Ammonites upbraided the people
of Judah that Jehovah their God
had not protected them from his attack,
while Moloch, which they
worshipped as god, had not permitted the
conquering monarch to attack
their city, Rabbath. Reproach is a hitter
thing, and hard to bear. David
found it so, and said, “Reproach hath broken
my heart.” And it is a mean and
cruel thing to inflict reproaches, especially
upon the weak, the unfortunate,
or the suffering. The Ammonites
reproached the Israelites:
(2) By deeds. Rabbath, their capital
city, was situated “in the country east
of the Jordan, and east of the
possessions of the Israelites on that side the
river. David, in his war with
the Ammonites, took it from them, and
annexed it to the territories of
the tribe of Gad On the separation of the
realm into two kingdoms, this,
with all the territory beyond the Jordan,
went to the kingdom of Israel;
and when that kingdom was dissolved by
the Assyrians, or rather,
probably, when the tribes beyond the Jordan were
first of all led into captivity,
the Ammonites quietly took possession of their
ancient territories, and
apparently of something more” (Kitto). This seizure
of a portion of the territory of
the former kingdom of Israel is sternly
denounced by the prophets (compare Jeremiah 49:1-2; Amos 1:13-15;
Zephaniah 2:8). It was a
practical reproach of the vanquished people.
3. They had trusted in their diviners. “Whiles they
see vanity unto thee,
whiles they divine lies unto
thee.” The Ammonites preferred false
divinations to true prophets,
especially as their diviners buoyed them up
with vain assurances of their
safety. If men will believe a lie, the lie will
prove disastrous to them.
·
THE NATURE OF THIS
JUDGMENT.
1. Terrible slaughter. “A sword, a sword is drawn:
for the slaughter it is
furbished, to cause it to
devour, that it may be as lightning.” The seer
beheld a sword drawn for
execution, sharpened for slaughter, and glittering
so as to strike terror into
those against whom it was drawn. The line, “To
cast thee upon the necks of them
that are slain,” is rendered in the
‘Speaker’s Commentary,’ “To give
thee over to the heaps of the slain,” and
is thus explained: “‘The necks
of them that are slain’ is simply a poetical
expression for the slain,
perhaps because the corpses were headless.” It
seems to indicate that the
slaughter of the Ammonites would be so terrible
that the slain would not lie
apart, but in revolting heaps. The clause, “Thy
blood shall be in the midst of
the land,” probably also points to the dreadful
extent of the slaughter.
2. Complete overthrow. “Thou shalt
be no morn remembered.” The ruin of
the Ammonites was to be
irreparable. Thus saith the Lord God to them, “I
will cut thee off from the
peoples, and I will cause thee to perish out of the
countries” (ch. 25:7). Not until long
after the time of Ezekiel was
this part of the judgment
executed, but in due season it was completely
accomplished. “From the times of
the Maccabees, the Ammonites and
Moabites have quite disappeared
out of history” (Hengstenberg).
·
THE AUTHOR OF THIS
JUDGMENT. “I will judge thee .... and I
will pour out mine indignation upon thee; I will blow upon thee
with the
fire of my wrath, and I will
deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, skilful
to destroy.” God himself was the
Author of this judgment. The sword was
his, though it was wielded by
the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. By their sins
the Ammonites had aroused the
indignation of the Lord; and he would pour
out that indignation upon them.
1. That this judgment proceeded from him was a guarantee
of its
irresistibleness. When he puts forth his hand to smite his obdurate foes,
he
breaks them as “with a rod of
iron,” or dashes “them in pieces like a
potter’s vessel.” To attempt to
resist him is utterly useless, vain, and
ruinous. “Hast thou an arm like
God’s?” “He is wise in heart, and mighty in
strength: who hath hardened
himself against him, and prospered?”
2. That this judgment proceeded from him was a guarantee
of its
righteousness. “He loveth righteousness and
judgment” “His work is
perfect; For all his ways are
judgment: A God of faithfulness and without
iniquity. Just and right is he.”
·
THE INSTRUMENTS OF
THIS JUDGMENT. “I will deliver thee
into the hand of brutish men, skilful to destroy;” margin,
“burning men.” So
also Hengstenberg,
Schroder, “consuming men.” Thus the Chaldeans are
designated. They are so called
because they were to prepare “the fire,” or
because they were filled with
glowing anger. They were the unconscious
instruments accomplishing the
purpose of the Lord Jehovah. Thus he made
the wrath of man to praise him.
He can never lack fitting instruments for
the execution of his designs;
for he can employ whomsoever and
whatsoever he will.
·
THE SCENE OF HIS
JUDGMENT. “In the place where thou wast
created, in the land of thy birth, will I judge thee.” They were
not to be
carried into captivity as the
people of
land they were to suffer the
retribution of their evil doings. The scene of
their sin was to be also the
scene of their punishment. The Lord can find
out the wicked anywhere; and no
place can hide them from his judgments
when the time for their
infliction arrives. “Though they dig into hell, thence
shall mine hand take them,” etc. (Amos 9:2, 3).
·
THE CERTAINTY OF THIS
JUDGMENT. “I the Lord have spoken
it.” The Ammonites deemed themselves quite safe when Nebuchadnezzar
turned away from Rahbath, and went to besiege
triumph they reproached the
suffering people of
learn that the postponement of
their judgment was not its revocation; that
their reprieve was not their
pardon. Sentence against them here goes forth
from Jehovah. Its fulfilment was rendered certain by both his power and his
faithfulness. He is all-mighty.
He “is not a man, that he should lie,” etc.
(<042319>Numbers
23:19). And, according to Josephus (‘
fifth year after the destruction
of
against the Ammonites, and
subdued them. “God’s words of mercy and of
judgment are alike
sure.”