Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 17 · Verses 11-15
VERS. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.
Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, ſaying,
Say now to the rebellious houſe, know yee not what theſe things meane? tell them, behold the king of Babylon is come to Jeruſalem, and hath taken the King thereof, and the Princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon.
And hath taken of the Kings ſeed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath alſo taken the mighty of the land.
That the Kingdome might be baſe,, that it might not lift it ſelfe up, but that by keeping his covenant it might ſtand.
But he rebelled againſt him, in ſending his Ambaſſadours into Aegypt, that they might give him horſes and much people: ſhall he proſper? ſhall he eſcape that doth ſuch things? or ſhall he breake the covenant, and be delivered?
HEre begins the explication and application of the former parable concerning the Eagle, the Cedar, and Vine, and it extends unto the 22. verſ.
1. You have a tranſition in the 11. verſ. from the parable it ſelfe to the explication of it.
2. An introduction to the explication by way of quere in the firſt part of the 12. verſ.
3. The explication it ſelfe: Tell them, behold the King of Babylon it come, &c.
There is nothing in the tranſition and introduction needfull to open, but theſe words,
The rebellious houſe.
Hebr. is, the houſe of rebellion or bitterneſſe. Sept. is, foreign, to the houſe of Iſrael that is contentious, ſo Kircker renders it. Stephan. in Theſaur. ſaith foreign is amaram iram concitare, to ſtir up to bitter anger: and ſo did this houſe, which was not the houſe of Iſrael ſtrictly taken, but the Tribe of Judah; but in a large ſenſe it was cal'd the houſe of Iſrael,, verſ. 3. Caſtal. hath it, nationi contumaci, to the contumacious or ſtubborn nation.
Obſer. 1.
The Meſſengers of God muſt deliver the mind of God, be it pleaſing or provoking, be it matter of comfort or terrour. Ezekiel muſt goe and tell this rebellious houſe ſad things; that it ſhould not proſper, that it ſhould be rooted up and utterly ruin'd; they muſt denounce judgements to the wicked, as well as pardon to the penitent; threats to the ſtubborn, as well as promiſes to the fainting, they muſt not give out what pleaſes themſelves, but what the Lord hints and commands them: The word of the Lord came to me, ſaying, ſay now to the rebellious houſe, &c. It's grievous to the ſervants of God to be Heralds, Trumpeters of Warre, judgements and death; but they muſt not decline the ſervice, if they do, it may coſt them deare. Jonas when ſent of God to proclaim war againſt Nineveh; yet forty dayes, and Nineveh, &c. He fled another way, but God purſued him with a Tempeſt, and ſet the winds and waters in battail againſt him, and his life was almoſt gone.
The Embaſſadors of God and Chriſt muſt neither flatter the perſons, nor feare the faces of the greateſt among the ſons of men.
Jeremiah dealt roundly with Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin, and thundred out Gods judgements againſt them, though great Kings, Chap. 22.17, 18, 19.21, 22.24, &c. So Paul againſt Elymas, Act. 13.10, 11. Neither favour nor feare muſt ſtrike a Prophet dumb; when God hath given in commiſſion, he muſt give out, let the event be what it will.
2. Truths diſaffective, find cold entertainment; judgements threatned are little minded. Know you not what theſe things meane? Do you not underſtand what is pointed out in this parable and riddle? You may eaſily attaine thereunto, but that you have no heart to it, the things delivered pleaſe you not, are croſſe to your wills, deſires, humours, and therefore care not to know the meaning of them: quae nol…mus facile & libenter ignoramus, men ſhut their eyes againſt thoſe things diſlike them, and care not for the knowledg of them. Jeremiah counſel'd Zedekiah to yield himſelfe to the Babylonians, told him it would be the means to ſave his life and the City from fire, Jer. 38.17. but it ſuited not with his ſpirit, and he minded it not. Micaiah prophecyed truths diſtaſtfull unto Ahab; what followed upon it? he did not only diſaffect thoſe truths, but the perſon alſo for the truths ſake. 1 King. 22.8. I hate him ſaith Ahab, for he doth not propheſie good concerning me, but evill. And when hee told him that if he went up to Ramoth-Gilead he ſhould not proſper, but his men be ſcattered, and himſelfe not return in peace; he believed it not, but commanded the Prophet to priſon for declaring the minde of God. So Luke. 16.13, 14.
Verſ. 12. Tell them, behold the King of Babylon is come to Jeruſalem, &c.
Doe you not know what the parable meanes? the meaning is this: The great Eagle, with great and long wings, full of feathers, and of divers colours, is the King of Babylon, Lebanon is Jeruſalem, the top of the Cedar and twigs thereof are Jehoiachin, his Princes and Nobles; the land of traffique is Babylon, them hath he taken away, brought thither, and ſeated there. The ſeed of the Land is Zedekiah, foreign Excidit, percuſſit cum eo faedus. foreign. Lavat. Inij… cum eo faedus. Fr. A traitte alliance auec luy.whom he ſet up to be King in Jeruſalem, inveſted with power, that hee might flouriſh and ſpread as a vine, &c.
Verſ. 13. And made a covenant with him.
The Hebrew is, cut out, or ſtrucke a covenant with him. Sept. hee ordered or diſpoſed a covenant to him. Lav. hee entered into a covenant with him. French, he made alliance with him. As for the word Covenant, I ſpake of it largely in the 16. Chap. verſ. 8. The manner of making a covenant among the Jews you may read of in Jer. 34.18. But whither the Babylonian King made this covenant with Zedekiah in ſuch a manner is not evident; a covenant he made with him that he ſhould be tributary to him, and bound it with an Oath, as followeth.
And hath taken an oath of him.
foreign & induxit eum in jusjurandū. foreign. Fr. a convenu avec luy en juremont adduxit eum in exſecrationem. foreign potentes, fortes. foreignHeb. hath brought him into an oath. Sept. into a curſe. French, hath agreed with him in an oath. Piſc. hath brought him into an execration. The Heb. word foreign ſignifies an oath with curſing or execration: a man ties himſelfe with imprecation of miſchiefe if hee performe not his promiſe, or things agreed upon.
He hath alſo taken the mighty of the land.
Heb. is, the rams of the land. Sep. the leaders. Others, the potentates; mighty and great men are cal'd rams.
1. They are ſtrong creatures, and have their name from a word ſignifies fortitude, ſtrength, vertue: ſo great men are ſtrong, they are ſtrengthned with riches, honours, friends, counſell, ſtrong holds, arms, and what the creature can afford, yea with ſtrong luſts. Dan. 8.20. The ram which thou ſaweſt having two horns, are the Kings of Media and Perſia.
2. Rams goe before the flock, they have the precedency. Great men they are the leaders, and goe before the people, they carry multitudes after them: People follow the great men, as flocks of ſheep do the Rams, Ezek. 31.11. Nebuchadnezer is cal'd the mighty one of the heathen; the Hebrew is, the ram of the heathen, he went before them and led them.
3. Rams are puſhing things. Dan. 8.4. I ſaw the ramme puſhing Eaſt-ward, Weſt-ward, South-ward, no beaſt could ſtand before him; they oft doe fiercely aſſault one another. So great men are puſhing and butting with their power, and who of the people can ſtand before them. Eccleſ. 4.1. On the oppreſſors ſide was power. Ezek. 46.18. Princes and great men uſe to take of the peoples inheritance by oppreſſion, and to thruſt them out of their poſſeſſions.
Many times great ones puſh and butt at one another till they break each in pieces.
Verſ. 14. That the kingdome might be baſe, or low.
This was Nebuchadnezar's deſign to take away the mighty men who were the ſtrength of the Kingdome, and held it up in greatneſſe and glory, that ſo it might be baſe, low, weak, and ſo the Sept. renders it, foreign that it might be a weake kingdome of low ſtature, as it's verſ. 6. regnum humile. Nebuchadnezar left none but poor people, 2 King. 24.14. None remained ſave the pooreſt ſort of the people of the land.
That it might not lift it ſelfe up.
Nebuchadnezar conceived this People having been free, would hardly ſubmit to his yoke and depend upon him; he dealt politickly, as Princes in ſuch caſes uſe to doe, when they feare riſing and rebellion, they carry away the wiſe, skilfull, ſtrong, and honourable men, diſarm them, break downe their ſtrong holds, and plant Garriſons among them: ſo he took that courſe, he thought ſhould prevent this kingdoms lifting up it ſelfe any more. It's like, the great ones were of turbulent, ſtirring, and active ſpirits, and he ordered it ſo as might ſecure the Kingdom to himſelfe, and keep all quiet under Zedekiah.
That by keeping of his covenant it might ſtand.
Had it kept the Covenant Nebuchadnezar made with it, the Kingdome might have continued; but breach of covenant was the breaking of the Kingdome: they did lift up themſelves, and God threw them down.
Verſ. 15. But he rebelled againſt him.
Zedekiah growing impatient under the Babyloniſh yoake, ſhook it off:foreign. the Hebrew word for to rebell ſignifies abjicere dominationem ſuperioris, to caſt away the authority of him hath power over one. Sept. ſaith, he receded from him: and ſo he did, and went or ſent to Aegypt.
In ſending his Ambaſſadours into Aegypt.
Here was the bending of his roots towards the ſecond Eagle, verſ. 7. He ſent his Angels, as the Sept. hath it, into Aegypt, and made a league with Pharaoh, which he had little cauſe to doe, having no ſuch hard conditions put upon him by Nebuchadnezar as might have been: and beſides, the Aegyptians had oppreſſed the Jewes of old with bitter and ſore bondage, and not long before had put down Jehoahaz, caryed him into Aegypt, condemned the land in 100. talents of ſilver, and one of gold, 2 Chron. 36.2, 3, 4.
That they might give him horſes.
Aegypt had plenty of horſes; Solomon had horſes from thence, 1 K. 10.28. And when Shiſack King of Aegypt came up againſt Jeruſalem, hee came with 1200. Char…ts, and 60000. horſ-men, which clearly evidences, they abounded in horſes, and were notable horſe-men. The Jews were apt to looke unto the Aegyptians and their horſe, and placed too much confidence in them, as being mighty and ſtrong, Iſa. 31.1. which occaſioned the ſpirit of God to ſay, The Aegyptians are men and not god, and their horſes are fleſh and not ſpirit. You think they are ſtrong, ſwift, ſerviceable, as if they were all ſpirit, but I tell you they are all fleſh.
Shall he breake the covenant?
foreign. Ambroſe. Iſidorus.Heb. ſhall he make void the covenant? tranſgreſs, violate the covenant? It was no unlawfull oath or covenant that Zedekiah took or made: ſuch oaths or covenants bind not, juramentum non debet eſſe vinculum iniquitatis: impia eſt promiſſio quae ſcelere impletur. Herod ſin'd in performing his oath made to Herodias, Mat. 14.7, 8.
Queſt. What if Zedekiah were forced to this? it may ſeeme it was ſo; for the Heb. is, he brought him to an oath, verſ. 13. If ſo was it binding, are extorted oaths and covenants to be obſerved?
Anſw. If there be nothing ſimply evill in them, they doe bind, and are to be performed. Men when they make covenants, take oaths; though they doe them not with full conſent of will, yet they never do them againſt their wils; for there is ſomething expreſs'd or implyed that begets a willingneſſe, if not a compleat will. As ſuppoſe a Thiefe ſets upon a man, robs him, and threatens to kill him, if he will not vow, covenant, ſweare, never to diſcover or purſue him: now rather then loſe his life, let the Thiefe ſpill his blood, adde ſin to ſin, hee doth it: So Zedekiah might feare captivity and his life, and upon thoſe conſiderations enter into covenant: and had it been ſo, he had been bound in conſcience to have made good his engagements. But there were other inducements to bring him into covenant; as advancement to Kingly power, enjoyment of the Kingdome upon conditions, preſervation and protection by Nebuchadnezar.
Object. It was to his great loſſe, the prejudice of him and his poſterity to become tributary to a forreign King.
Anſw. It's a rule, that in injuria nullum jus fundatur, in injuſtice no right is, or can be bottom'd; but volenti non fit injuria; if a man will take a Kingdome upon ſuch and ſuch terms, it's no injury to him, though abridged of Priviledges and Prerogatives his Predceſſors had, it's mercy he hath the Kingdome, no injury he wants what others had: If hee take the Kingdom willingly, he takes the terms, conditions of it willingly. Conquerours may put their owne termes upon thoſe they doe promote. This caſe of loſſe and prejudice is reſolv'd by David, Pſalm 15.4. If a man have ſworn to his owne hurt, hee muſt not change, breake covenant, falſifie his oath, if hee will be a child of God, or a Citizen of Heaven.
Obſer. 1.
God would have people underſtand his mind and meaning in Scripture, even riddles, parables, dark ſayings, Know yee not what theſe things meane? Tell them, behold the King of Babylon is come to Jeruſalem, &c. He will have Ezekiel to interpret the whole buſineſſe unto them, what is given out darkly at one time, in one place, at another time in ſome other place is cleared up, open'd, and made more intelligible. The types and ſacrifices were expounded and open'd in Chriſt; he oft ſpake Parables, and often open'd them, ſee Math. 13. The ſervice of the Paſſeover God would have made known to the children ſhould come after, Exod. 12.26, 27. It would have beene a dark buſineſſe to them, God therefore provided they ſhould underſtand it: ſo for the heapes of ſtones ſet in Jordan, and out of it God tooke care that they and their Poſterity might know the meaning thereof, Joſh. 4.8, 9, 21, 22, 23.
The viſion that Peter ſaw was afterwards opened unto him, and he knew the meaning of it, Acts 10. Truths, Scriptures that are difficult, God cauſes us to know the meaning of by ſome other Scripture, or by his ſpirit, revealing his mind to us in them.
An Angel was ſent to Daniel to make him underſtand thoſe dark viſions he had, Ch. 8.9, 10.
2. No rank or ſort of men are exempt from common and grievous calamities, not Kings, not Princes, not mighty men. The King of Babylon is come to Jeruſalem, and hath taken the King, the Princes, and the mighty men of the land, and led them with him into Babylon, they were conquered, plundered, taken, and carryed into captivity. Such is the condition of human things, that even kings loſe their kingdoms, their glory, greatneſſe, and excellencies. Nebuchadnezar whoſe greatneſſe did reach to heaven, and dominion to the ends of the earth, Dan. 4.22. even he was driven from men, and did eate graſſe like oxen, verſ. 33.
Dyoniſius the King, or rather Tyrant, was driven out from Syracuſa, and glad to teach a School at Corinth. Great men doe prey upon, and ſeeke the ruine of one another. Caeſar ruin'd Pompey: Caſſius and Brutus ruin'd him. Berengarius the Emperour, and Albertus his ſon being overcome by Otho, were baniſhed. Bajazet K. of the Turks was brought to that miſery as to be a ſtirrop for Tamberlane to get up upon his horſe.
Nimrod was a mighty hunter, he hunted men, and after a Kingdome, and by ruining of others he raiſed himſelfe. No ſort of men, eſpecially if wicked, can promiſe any ſecurity to themſelves long.
Rodericke King of Spain to aſſure himſelfe againſt the children & friends of K. Vitiza whom he had depoſed, diſmantled all the ſtrong holds in Spain, and diſarmed the people; whereby, though he ſtrengthned his ſtate in regard of Domeſtick dangers, yet he weakned it in reſpect of forreign attemps. For the Moors invading him ſhortly after, and overthrowing him, found ſo little reſiſtance, that in 7. or 8. months they conquer'd almoſt all Spain. Look abroad, and you may ſee the Kings & mighty men of the earth brought low, if not wholly broken; let China, Turkie, Muſcovia and nearer parts ſpeak what they feel and find.
3. That Covenants and Oaths are ſecuring and binding things. Nebuchadnezar makes Zedekiah King, but he wil not take his word for dependance on him, and being tributary to him: But he makes a covenant with him, takes an oath of him, and hereupon he thought all was ſafe.
Oaths are arguments of mans weakeneſſe; all humane credit is ſo feeble, that it had need be ſtrengthned with ſomething more firm then it ſelfe. Pſal. 62.9. Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lye: There is no truth, fidelity in them, or their words. Mens hearts and tongues are ſo deceitfull and falſe, even Kings and Princes as well as others, as that they deſerve little or no truſt to be given unto them, eſpecially in matters of weight, as Government and Rule. Oaths therefore being by the great God, who knows the heart, and heares what the tongue utters, came in to ſtrengthen humane credit; for had not man ſin'd, there would have been no need or uſe of oaths,Chryſoſt. in Act Apoſtol. mans corruption made way for them: Juramentum eſt fidei juſſio, ubi mores fidem non habent. An oath therfore is to further mans credite, and it hath bin of great authority and weight in all ages,Nullum vinculum ad aſtringendam fidem majores noſtri jure jurando aretius eſſe voluerunt. Offic. 1. Aqui. 22. q. 89. art. primo. Plat. de legib. dial. 12. Ferdinand brother to Henery the third, King of Caſtile, being left Tutor to his ſonne who was but 8. moneths old, and preſſed by the 3. Eſtates of Caſtile to take the Crown to himſelfe, ſaid, I will never be falſe either to my brother dead, or to my Nephew living, to whom I have promiſed fidelity. and amongſt all people: and Tullie ſaith, antiquity knew no bond ſtronger then an oath to ſtrengthen mens credit and fidelity: juramentum ſaith Aquinas, a jure dicitur, an oath was as a law, and ſome uſed no other law to decide controverſies but an oath, and it were well that according to the Apoſtle, an Oath did end our ſtrifes.
4. God knows how to imbaſe Kingdoms and keep them under;VVhen wiſdō, wealth, juſtice & power are taken from a Kingdome, it's baſe. hee cauſed Nebuchadnezar to take away the mighty men of the land, that the Kingdome might be baſe, and not lift up it ſelfe. Men mighty in power, in wiſdome, in juſtice, in wealth, they are the glory and ſtrength of a land, they uphold it; but when a land becomes guilty by ſinning grievouſly, God can bring it low, by forreign Forces, as its in the Text, or by civill Wars, as it's with us at this day: and not only doth God bring down kingdoms, but keepe them ſo that they cannot get up.
5. Faithfulneſſe and juſtice uphold kingdomes, that by keeping of covenant it might ſtand. Had Zedekiah beene faithfull in the Covenant, juſt in performing the Oath made to Nebuchadnezar, the Kingdom had ſtood, himſelfe continued reigning, his Princes and mighty men abode in honor, and all things flouriſhed.
Fidelity in obſerving and performing mens words, promiſes,Tull. l. 1 de Offic. covenants, oaths, is fundamentum juſticiae, the foundation of juſtice, and juſtice is nervus & ſalus reipublicae; If people be not faithfull in their covenants and promiſes, how can a Prince confide in them, that they will be loyall: and if a Prince be falſe in his word, violate proteſtations, covenants, oaths, what protection, ſafety, or juſtice can they expect from him: where is no faithfulneſſe, there can be no juſtice, and where that is wanting, can be no ſecurity to any State. Its juſtice eſtabliſheth a land, but he receiveth gifts overthroweth it, Prov. 29.4.
Should not a King receive gifts? no, not to pervert juſtice: if he be covetous, he will be injuſt, falſe, and ſo overthrow all; but if …ighteous, he will preſerve, uphold all, for righteouſneſſe exalts a nation, Prov. 14.34.
6. Violating of Covenants, Oaths, & perfidious doings, falſifying of truſt is very ill in any, eſpecially in Princes, who reſemble God, and ſo ill that God will not ſuffer it to goe unpuniſhed. Zedekiah rebels, fals off from Nebuchadnezar, breaks all bonds and engagements made unto him, and ſues to Aegypt for help. This was a ſin of that nature, as made the Lord to ſay, Shall he proſper? ſhall he eſcape that doth ſuch things? ſhall he break covenant, and be delivered? No, he ſhall not proſper, nor eſcape, nor be delivered: I appeal to thee Ezek. to al men, whither ſuch a man ſhould find any favor, whither ſuch a man doth ſuch things ſhould not be made exemplary to all the world? yes he doth, and God made him ſo: when men are perfidious, & violate oaths, they are in credite neither with God or good men, their very names ſtink, and they live under perpetuall infamy. Mens credits are like glaſſes, which if broken, can never be mended again, eſpecially if ſtain'd with perfidiouſneſſe, breach of Oath and Covenant. Other ſins may be imputed to frailty and errour, and ſo be more pardonable: but this ſin argues a baſe, vile and treacherous nature, and is not excuſable in any, leaſt of all in Princes, who ſhould be noble and ingenuous, and ſtand more upon their word, Covenants, and oaths then others, becauſe they are publique perſons, and their actions have great influence into all ſorts of perſons, they greatly diſhonour God whom they repreſent, abuſe his Commiſſion, and ſhamefully prophane his Name, God is therefore greatly ſet againſt ſuch. Pſal. 55.23. Bloody and deceitfull men ſhall not live out halfe their dayes.
Uſually men of treacherous ſpirits are bloudy, and God by one judgment or other cuts them off, or their poſterity, or both. It fell out ſo with Zedekiah and with Saul who was falſe and bloody towards David, and towards the Prieſts whom hee cauſed to be ſlain: he brake the Covenant with the Gibeonites, himſelfe fell by the Philiſtims and his own ſword, and 7. of his ſons hanged for it, 2 Sam. 21.
The Duke of Burbon being made Governour of Millan by Charls the fifth, did ſo exact of, and oppreſſe the people that they roſe up againſt him; he to pacifie them bound himſelfe by oath to certain conditions, wiſhing if he did not faithfully perform them, he might be kill'd with a bullet in the firſt occaſion of warre ſhould be offered. Notwithſtanding his oath and his imprecation, hee tyranniz'd over the people, and ſhortly after at the ſiege of Rome by a Soldier of his own negligently diſcharging a piece of Artillery, hee was ſlaine.
Henry the third, King of France, after great differences between him, the Cardinal, and Duke of Guiſe, was reconcil'd unto them, confirm'd the reconciliation with many oaths, took the Sacrament upon it, and gave himſelfe to the Divell, body and ſoule, in caſe he meant or ſhould attempt any thing againſt them. Yet ſaith the ſtory, he cauſed the Duke to be kill'd in his own preſence, and the Cardinal his brother the next day after. Here was breach of Covenant: but did he proſper, eſcape, do ſuch things, and have deliverance? No, within 8. moneths after he was ſlain by a Fryar in the midſt of his Army.
The Ancient Romans were very religious and conſcientious in obſerving their Leagues, Covenants, and Oaths made publiquely: and if any violated them, they were held for curſed and damn'd creatures, and counted unworty to live in humane ſociety.