Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 18 · Verse 9
VERS. 9.
Hath walked in my ſtatutes, and hath kept my judgements, to deale truly; hee is juſt, hee ſhall ſurely live, ſaith the Lord God.
WEe are comming towards an end of the diſcription of a righteous man, one thing or two remains.
Hath walked in my ſtatutes.
There be ſeverall expreſſions in the good word of God conſonant unto this: As walking with God, Gen. 6.9. Walking before God, Gen. 17.1. Walking after the Lord, 2 Kings 23.3. Walking in the ſpirit, Gal. 5.25. After the ſpirit, Rom. 8.1. Walking in the feare of the Lord, Acts 9.31. Nehem. 5.9.
Severall equivalent unto it, as walking in the truth, Pſal. 86.11. Walking in his wayes, Deut. 28.9. Walking in the light of the Lord, Iſa. 1.5. Walking honeſtly as in the day, Rom. 13. 13. Walking worthy of the Lord, 1 Theſ. 2.12. Walking after his commandements, 2 John v. 6. In the good way, Jer. 6.16. Reſpecting all his commandements, Pſal. 119.6. Sticking to his teſtimonies, verſ. 3.
It's oppoſed to other walkings and wayes: as walking in the ſtatutes of the heathen, 2 K. 17.8. In the ſtatutes of Iſrael, Ver. 19. Keeping the ſtatutes of Omri, Mic. 6.16. Walking in the wayes of the Kings of Iſrael, 2 K. 8.18. In the ſtatutes of their father, Ezek. 20.18. In their owne counſels, Pſal. 81.12. The counſels of their evill hearts, Jer. 7.24. Walking after Baalim, Jer. 9.14. After other gods, Chap. 16.11. Walking according to the fleſh, 2 Cor. 10.2. According to the courſe of this world, Epheſ. 2.2. Walking after their owne luſts, 2 Pet. 3.3. In the imaginations of their owne hearts, Jer. 13.10. After our own devices, Chap. 18.12. Walking in pride, Dan. 4.37. Walking in lies, Jer. 23.14. Walking in the wayes of darkneſſe, Pro. 2.13. John 11.10. Walking in the vanity of minde, Epheſ. 4.17. In the wayes of a mans heart, Eccleſ. 11.9. Walking after vanity, Jer. 2.5. After things doe not profit, verſ. 8. Walking with ſlander, Jer. 6.28. Walking after cuſtomes, Acts 21.21. Walking with vanity, Job 31.5.
Walking in Gods ſtatutes implies ſeverall things.
1. Life.
2. Light.
3. Action, motion.
4. Progreſſe.
5. Perſeverance.
1. Life: a dead man cannot walk, he lies immoveable; walking is from life, Rom. 6.4. Spirituall walking is from ſpirituall life, as naturall walking is from naturall life. Hoſ. 14.9. The wayes of the Lord are right, and the juſt ſhall walk in them, but the tranſgreſſors ſhall fall therein. Men juſtified by faith, they live, and they walke in Gods wayes; not others, tranſgreſſors fall in them; they cannot ſtand, much leſſe walk in them: If men be not good themſelves, they cannot doe good.
2. Light: men muſt know Gods ſtatutes, elſe how can they walk in them; unknown things are neither deſired nor practiſed. Matth. 22.29. Yee doe erre, not knowing the Scriptures. They wandred from Gods wayes through ignorance, being in the dark, they ſtumbled. Jer. 4.22. To doe good they have no knowledge. An ignorant man cannot walk in Gods wayes; a ſervant can n…ver do the will of his Maſter, if hee knows it not; nor a ſonne the will of his Father, if he underſtand it not. Prov. 14.8. The wiſdome of the prudent is to underſtand his way. A prudent man will examine his way, whether it be the way of God he walks in, or the way of the world, fleſh, corruption; if it be this laſt, he wil not walk in it, but walk out of it: he will walk into Gods way, and walk in his ſtatutes; when hee diſcerns them once to be his, he dares not keep out of them.
3. Action, motion. A man that walks, neither ſtands nor ſits ſtill; he ſtands not in contemplation, nor ſits ſtill in meditation; contents not himſelfe with reading or hearing, but is doing the will of God; walking and doing are the ſame. 1 K. 11.38. If thou wilt walke in my wayes, and doe that is right in my ſight, to doe my ſtatutes and commandements: thoſe that doe and keep them, they walk in them. This walking is obſerving his commandements, Neh. 1.5. Obeying the voyce of the Lord, Deut. 13.4. It's hearkning unto God. Pſalm 81.13. Fulfilling the ſtatutes and judgements of the Lord, 1 Chr. 22.13. Performing his ſtatutes, Pſal. 119.112.
4. Progreſſe. A man that walks, goes on ſtep by ſtep, and preſſes on towards that which is before him. He walkes in the ſtatutes of the Lord, goes forward, his obedience is more and more. It's ſaid of wicked men, they proceed from evill to evil, Jerem. 9.3. They walk on in their evill wayes: and ſo doe good and juſt men, they goe on from ſtatute to ſtatute, from truth to truth, from grace to grace, Pſal. 84.7. They goe from ſtrength to ſtrength, and from light to light. Phil. 3.13. Paul forgat thoſe things were behind, and reached forth towards thoſe things were before him; he tooke long ſtrides towards heaven, and walk'd faſt that way, he forgate how much ground he had walk'd over, and haſtned to his journeys end. In Rom. 4.12. they are ſaid to walk in the ſteps of Abraham's faith. Abraham walked in faith, and all believers ſince have trodden in his ſteps.
5. Perſeverance; that is implyed here by walking, as appears by verſ. 24. When the righteous turneth away from his righteouſneſſe, &c. Pſal. 119.112. I have inclined my heart to perform thy ſtatutes alwayes, even unto the end. A man that walks in Gods ſtatutes muſt never ſtand ſtill, nor turne back; God hath no pleaſure in ſuch, Heb. 10.38. However times prove, what ever troubles ariſe, how ever men or divine providence acts, thoſe are in Gods ways ſhould proceed and perſevere. Pſal. 44.18, 19. Our heart is not turned backe, neither have our ſteps declined from thy way: though thou haſt ſore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the ſhadow of death. The word for dragon is foreign and ſignifies both ſea and landdragons, and refers to the Gentiles ſaith Kimhi, who were as cruell to them as Dragons; now notwithſtanding they met with Dragons, were ſtung with them, and brought unto the point of death, yet they held on in Gods wayes, neither hand nor foote declined or with-drew at all, they knew it's the end crowns all antecedent acts. Mar. 24.13. He that ſhal endure to the end, the ſame ſhal be ſaved. It's continuance in wel doing which arrives at eternall life, Rom. 2.7.
Hath kept my judgements.
Theſe words expreſſe the meaning of the former. Walking in Gods ſtatutes, is keeping of his judgments, Judg. 2.22. Of theſe words Statutes and Judgements was ſpoken, Chap. 5.6. A word or two of keeping.
To keep here, is not meant of keeping Gods judgements, or lawes from perverting, having corrupt gloſſes and ſenſes put upon them; as you would keep cloaths from moths, which doe marre them; neither is it meant of keeping them in memorie, as the word is uſed, Luk. 2.51. But to keepe them, is to doe and perform them throughly, Pſal. 119.48.69. Deut. 23.23. Keeping and performing is the ſame: ſo obſerving and keeping, Pſ. 105.45. The Hebrew word foreign ſignifies to keepe, as Pagnine ſaith, with care and diligence: And Prov. 4.23. it's rendered ſo; Keepe thy heart with all diligence, foreign with all care and diligence, and ſo muſt the judgments, commands, and wayes of God be kept. Deut. 6.17. You ſhall diligently keepe the commandements of the Lord your God. foreign
To deale truly.
Hebrew is, to doe truth, foreign which Pradus ſaith ſignifies not only veritatem dictorum, quae mendacio opponitur, ſed potiſſimum veritatem factorum, quae repugnat vanitati & hypocriſi, quae ſunt mendacia in factis: There be lies in mens actions as well as in their words.
This expreſſion of our Prophet to deale truly is conſonant to that of Chriſt, John 3.21. Hee that doth truth. Veritas in factis eſt adaequatio operi, ad id quod dictat ſpiritus domini, fides vel ratio.Men doe truth, when their actions are adequate or conformable to the word of God. The Sept. have it, foreign, to doe the ſame things, referring to judgements and ſtatutes. The doing of them is doing of truth. Pſal. 119.142. Thy law is truth. All things in the law of God; all his Statutes, Judgments, Commands, Wayes, are truth, and the doing of them is doing truth: and when a man deales truly, without fraud, guile, deceit, hypocriſie, which is the thing here intended, he doth truth: You read in holy writ of dealing treacherouſly, Lam. 1.2. Subtly, Act. 7.19. Perverſly, Pſal. 119.78. Ʋnfaithfully, Pſal. 78.57. Corruptly, Neh. 1.7. Deceitfully, Job 6.15. Falſely, Jer. 6.13. And unto all theſe is dealing truly oppoſite: He doth ſo, deales neither treacherouſly, ſubtly, perverſly, nor unfaithfully, corruptly, deceitfully or falſly.
Dealing truly is hard to find among the ſonnes of men, great or ſmall, Prophet or Prieſt, Jer. 8.10. But where it is to be found, it's a jewell, I ſay a jewell enriching the man with peace invaluable, and making him delightfull unto God, Prov. 12.22. They that deale truly are his delight. Hebrew is, thoſe that doe truth, not thoſe that ſpeak truth only, but thoſe whoſe lives and actions hold out the truth, they are his delight, foreign it's from foreign voluntas, favor, acceptatio. Men have their delights: one delights in a witty man, another in a learned man, a third in a beautifull man, a fourth in a bountiful man; but God delights in a man doth truth, or deales truly.
He is juſt.
Heb. is foreign Something I ſpake of a juſt man in the 5. verſ. I ſhall adde ſomething here.
There is a juſt man in appearance, Matth. 23.28. the Phariſees did outwardly appeare righteous; there is a juſt man in opinion and conceit, Luke 18.9. There were thoſe truſted in themſelves that they were righteous: There is a juſt man in truth, and that either evangelically or legally.
1. Evangelically juſt, Heb. 12.23. Luke 14.14. Heb. 10.38. They are ſuch as are juſtified by faith in Chriſt.
2. Legally juſt, and ſuch are they who doe that is lawfull and right, who live honeſtly and harmleſly, walking in the ways of God, dealing juſtly with all men; ſuch an one was Paul before his converſion, Phil. 3.6. Touching the righteouſneſſe in the law blameleſſe. Such were Abner and Amaſa, 1 K. 2.32. who are ſaid to be juſt or righteous: Of ſuch Solomon ſpeaks, Eccl. 7.15. There is a juſt man that periſheth in his juſtice or righteouſneſſe, and there is a wicked man prolongs his life in his wickedneſſe. Some are looſe, and they are ſpared in ſtates: others are too ſtrict, and are cruſht by ſtates.
Now here is meant by a juſt man, not one in appearance or opinion, but one in truth; yet not evangelically, but legally: For,
1. Here is no mention of Chriſt, or any reference unto him by faith, both which are requiſite unto Evangelicall juſtice and righteouſneſſe.
2. A juſt man here is put in oppoſition to the ſoule that ſinneth, verſ. 4. The ſoule that ſinneth ſhall dye: that is, the ſoule that ſinneth and doth contrary to the duties here mentioned, as appears from the beginning of the 10. verſ. to the end of the 13. He ſinneth ſuch ſins ſhall dye, either a metaphoricall or violent death, be caſt into captivity, or cut off by the ſword or ſome ſtroak of God; but hee is free from thoſe ſins, he is juſt, he ſhall not dye but live.
3. It's meant of ſuch a juſt man as may ceaſe to be juſt, verſ. 24. When the righteous turneth away from his righteouſneſs, and commits iniquity, and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth, ſhall he live? &c. This muſt be the man is legally juſt, not Evangelically; for the man Evangelically juſt cannot ceaſe to be juſt, Ezek. 36.27. 1 John 3.9. Heb. 10.14. Ch. 8 12.
He ſhall ſurely live.
Heb. is, vivendo vivet, the Sept. foreign, he ſhall live by living. Piſcat. Junius, omnino vivet, he ſhall altogether live, hee ſhall have no deaths in his life, no metaphoricall or violent deaths. This phraſe vita vivere, ſaith Pradus, eſt ad voluntatem, & cum jocunditate aevum traducere, to live pleaſantly and proſperouſly, his Fathers and Predeceſſors ſins ſhall bring no woe, no evills upon him: Non morietur propter peccata Manaſſis. Maldonate, he ſhall reap the fruit of his righteouſneſſe. David giveth us ſome light unto this life, Pſal 34.12, 13, 14. What man is he that deſireth life and loveth dayes, that he may ſee good. By life and dayes, he meanes ſuch a life and dayes as have good in them, proſperity, peace, pleaſure, comfort, and he ſhewes how to obtaine them: Keepe thy tongue from evill, and thy lips from ſpeaking guile. Depart from evill, and doe good: This falls in with our Prophet, he doth ſo ſhall live a deſirable life, and ſee good dayes: But if men ſin, and their ſins be upon them, they pine away in them, they doe not live, Ezek. 33.10. They live not a comfortable life, they ſee no good dayes.
Obſer. 1.
The Lord doth not onelyonly in generall approve of doing good and avoiding evill, but particularly ſhews them what evils they ſhould not do, and what good things they ſhould doe. If a man be juſt, and doe that which is lawfull and right: Here is the generall; and then hee deſcends to particulars: And hath not eaten upon the mountains, lift up his eyes to Idolls: Neither defiled his neighbours wife, nor oppreſſed or ſpoiled any by violence, nor given forth upon uſury, nor taken any encreaſe; but hath reſtored the pledge, given his bread to the hungry, covered the naked with a garment, executed true judgment, and dealt truly.
Here be negative and affirmative particulars; God would have his mind ſo fully known, all pleas and objections ſo taken away, that none may have excuſe, or ſay, had wee known what were acceptable to God, we would have done it: Generalls we have, but for Particulars we are at a loſſe. God takes away this plea bo…h here and elſe-where, and ſhewes men in ſpeciall, what he approves, and what they ſhould doe. See Deut. 27.15. to the end of the Chap. There be 11. particulars reckoned up together; and likewiſe as many in the 15. Pſal. in Mic. 6.8. Zech. 7.9, 10. Rom. 12.9, 10, 11, 12, &c. You have ſundry particulars enumerated, and above 20. in the laſt place. The duties of Magiſtrates, Subjects, Miniſters, People, Husbands, Wives, Parents, Children, Maſters, Servants; of all relations, ages, ſexes, conditions, are particularly laid down in the word, and all are inexcuſable, if they be ignorant or diſobedient.
2. See here the way to have a good name, eſteem with God, & a good report from him; the man doth the particulars mentioned, he is juſt, ſaith God.
If a man doe the duties of the firſt Table, which are implyed in not eating upon the mountaines, nor lifting up eyes to idolls, he is approved of God; and if he doe the duties of the ſecond Table, which are implyed in the other particulars, he is approved of man, and ſo hath a good report from heaven and earth. God pronounces him juſt, and man muſt ſubſcribe unto it: A good name is a great merciemercy, Solomon tels you it's better then precious oyntment, Eccleſ. 7.1. which pleaſes the ſenſes, and profits the limbs; yea that it's to be choſen rather then great riches, Prov. 22.1. Make a mountaine of ſilver and gold, a good name is more eligible then that; it's better to fill the world with a good name, then to fill coffers and chambers with rich treaſure. The Grecians ſay it's better to heare well, then to heape up wealth. foreign.Many by carking and caring to grow rich, have waſted their bodies, and drown'd their ſoules in perdition: whereas a good report makes the bones fat, Pro. 15.30.
Take then the right way to get a good name; doe what is here required, and ſo ſhall you be counted juſt, & have a good report.
Ageſilaus being asked how a man ſhould come to have a good name, his anſwer was, ſi loquatur quae ſunt optima, & faciat quae ſunt honeſtiſſima: to ſpeak the beſt things, and do the moſt honeſt.
Ariſtides by the light of nature did thoſe things which cauſed him to be cal'd Ariſtides the juſt, an honourable and good name: And ſhall not we Chriſtians, who have beſide the light of nature, divine light, doe thoſe things that may cauſe God to honour us with this Title, he is juſt? If we do not this, heathens and others will be witneſſes againſt us at the laſt day; while we are here, an ill ſavour will be round about us, and when we are gone, our names will rot, but the memory of the juſt ſhall be bleſſed.
3. Hence note how to come unto it, as to live comfortably, he ſhall live, that is, comfortably, ſweetly; but who ſhall do ſo? the juſt man, he that doth that is lawfull and right that walks in Gods ſtatutes, that keeps his judgements, and deales truly, he ſhall ſurely live; that is, proſperouſly and pleaſantly: ſo the word life ſignifieth, Prov. 16.15. In the light of the Kings countenance there is life; what life? felicity and proſperity. A man that is morally juſt ſhall have much comfort, content, and ſweetneſſe in his life, Prov. 12.21. There ſhall no evill happen to the juſt, but the wicked ſhall be filled with miſchiefe. No evill with a ſting in it; no evill as ſhall ſuck or pluck away the ſweet of his life; but a wicked man ſhall have evils enough, he ſhall be fil'd with feares, cares, ſorrowes, impatience, diſcontent, and with the guilt of his ſinnes, ſo as his life will be no life unto him. Deut. 28.66. Thy life ſhall hang in doubt before thee, and thou ſhalt feare day and night, and ſhalt have none aſſurance of thy life.
This is ſpoken of thoſe doe not walke in Gods ſtatutes, keepe his judgements, and doe that is lawfull and right, their lives are continuall deaths, they have no aſſurance of life which is the moſt deſireable thing, and what comfort or peace can they have in life. But as for the juſt who walk in his wayes, they live, and live comfortably, no evill befals them; and no marvail they are compaſſed about with favour as with a ſhield, Pſal. 5.12. The Lord upholds them, Pſal. 37.17. They ſhall not be moved, Pſal. 55.22. They ſhall flouriſh as a branch, Prov. 11.28. Their deſire ſhall be granted, Prov. 10.24. The wicked ſhall bow before them, Prov. 14.19. And the righteous ſhall ſee their fall, Prov. 29.16. Enjoy their wealth, Prov. 13.22. The wealth of the ſinner is laid up for the juſt. If the juſt man fall into trouble he ſhall come out of it, Prov. 12.13. Bleſſings are upon his head, Prov. 10.6. In his habitation, Pro. 3.33. His houſe ſhall ſtand, Prov. 12.7. Thus is he bleſſed in his life, and hath hope in his death, Prov. 14.32. If theſe bleſſings be to the juſt, labour not only to be morally juſt, but evangelically alſo, for to ſuch they doe eſpecially belong.