Exposition of Ezekiel 30-48, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 33 · Verses 17-20
Verſes 17, 18, 19, 20.
Yet the children of thy people ſay, The way of the Lord is not equall: but as for them, their way is not equall.
When the righteous turneth from his righteouſneſs, & committeth iniquity, he ſhall even dye thereby.
But if the wicked turn from his wickedneſſe, and do that which is lawfull and right, he ſhall live thereby.
Yet ye ſay, The way of the Lord is not equall: O ye houſe of Iſrael, I will judge you every one after his wayes.
THe Prophet having vindicated the truth of God which the Jews calumniated, he comes now to vindicate the juſtice which they likewiſe impeached, ſaying, his proceedings were not equall; and that he doth in theſe verſes.
Verſ. 17. The way of the Lord is not equall.
The Septuagint is foreign, The way of the Lord is not right. The French tranſlation is La voye du Seigneur n'eſt point bieu reiglee, The way of the Lord is not well regulated, or ordered; others thus, Negant aequum & juſtum eſſe quod facit Dominus, Thy people deny that to be equall and juſt which the Lord doth: They ſay, he governeth the world unrighteouſly, and doth not adminiſter juſtice indifferently to all men, but hath perſons in reſpect, and puniſheth one for another; this was that they charged God withall.
But as for them, their way is not equall.
Here is anſwer to that unjuſt charge they charged God withall, and its by way of recrimination, that they charged upon the Lord, is recharged upon themſelves; you ſay, The Lords wayes are not equall, but he ſaith, your wayes are not equall, juſt, right, or well ordered. Your Prophets have conſpired againſt me, and devoured ſouls; your Prieſts have violated my Law, and prophaned my holy things; your Princes have been ravenous wolves to ſhed bloud, and to deſtroy ſouls for diſhoneſt gain: The People of the Land have uſed oppreſſion, exerciſed robbery, have vexed the poor and needy, yea, oppreſſed the ſtranger wrongfully, Ezek: 22.25, 26, 27, 29. And now whoſe wayes are not equall, yours or mine? Of theſe words ſee what hath been ſaid Chap. 18.25.
Verſ. 18. When the righteous turns from his righteouſneſs, and commits iniquity, he ſhall ſurely dye.
You charge me that I reſpect perſons and puniſh one for another, the ſon for the father; but its not ſo: & in this ver: & the next, the Lord doth clearly free himſelf from that imputation, hereby ſhewing what his dealings are with a righteous man whatever he be, father or ſon, Prince or Subject; if he turn from his righteouſneſs, (and fall to wicked and vile practices) he ſhall ſurely dye; God will judge him for his wickedneſs, and bring ſome judgement upon him, and there is no injuſtice in that: if men turn Traytors to a State, its juſtice in that ſtate to cut them off.
Verſ. 19. But if the wicked turn from his wickedneſs, and do that which is lawfull and right, he ſhall live thereby.
Here alſo the Lord vindicates himſelf by ſhewing what his proceedings are with a man that turns from his wickedneſs, and doth amend his life, by doing what is lawful and right; that man whatever he be ſhall be ſpared, he ſhall live and enjoy bleſſings from God, it ſhall go well with the man that turns to God, and ill with him that turns from God and doth evill. Now if ſo, what injuſtice is there in God? what is the evill of his wayes? Let them both ſpeak and declare wherein God wrongs either of them, if they can.
Verſ. 20. Yet ye ſay, the way of the Lord is not equall.
Having made it evident by clear demonſtration, that his wayes are equall, and that by two inſtances; viz: one of the righteous, and the other of the wicked; he here upbraids them for their ſtubbornneſs and impudency, perſiſting in their perverſe opinion, and ſaying, Yet the way of the Lord is not equall; they might as well have ſaid, the ſun was dark, and the night was day.
O ye houſe of Iſrael, I will judge ye, every one after his wayes.
Seeing ye are ſo wicked, perverſe in your judgements as to condemn my wayes, and ſentence them to be unequall, I will call every one of you to account for this evill way of yours, and the reſt of your evill wayes, and will judge you accordingly; this is the concluſion the Lord draws up upon the premiſes.
Firſt, Obſerve;
Wicked men are apt to complain of, and carp at the wayes of God.
They ſaid the way of the Lord is not equall. Job 21.15. What is the Allmighty that we ſhould ſerve him? and what profit ſhould we have if we pray unto him? We get nothing by his ſervice, by calling on his name, he is a hard Maſter, he regards not our labour or prayers. Theſe were of the ſame ſpirit with them in Malachie's dayes, who bluſht not to ſay, Its in vain to ſerve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinances, that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hoaſts? Mal. 3.14. We were told that no ſervice was like unto the Lords, that thoſ… that did mourn for their ſins, and walk in his wayes, ſhould be bleſſed and live comfortably, but we find no ſuch thing: we have tryed him, and find that he regards, exalts, and bleſſes thoſe that never minded him or his wayes, verſ. 15. therefore Its in vain to ſerve him. In the 5. of Jeremy is a notable inſtance to this purpoſe, verſ. 11, 12, 13. The houſe of Iſrael, and the houſe of Judah have dealt very treacherouſly againſt me, ſaith the Lord. They have belyed the Lord, and ſaid, it is not he, neither ſhall evill come upon us, neither ſhall we ſee ſword nor famine: And the Prophets ſhall become wind, and the word is not in them. They ſaid God had no reaſon to threaten them with ſword or famine, they deſerved no ſuch judgement at his hands; and therefore the Prophets that propheſied ſuch things, were not ſent of God, his word was not in them, they brought windy doctrines of their own, and ſhould together with their doctrines, become wind; evill ſhall not come upon us, but upon them. When Chriſt was on earth, how did the Scribes and Phariſees carp at him, his wayes, and doctrine? ſee Matth: 12.22. John 5.10.18. Chap. 8.48. Cha: 10.32, 33. In our dayes do not men carp at the Scriptures, Ordinances, Providences and diſpenſations of God? Such is the pride and arrogancy of man, that he dares blame and condemn the wayes and things of God.
Secondly, Obſerve;
Men have no cauſe to complain of, or cavill againſt the wayes of God.
For,
Firſt, His wayes are equall, juſt, righteous, however they appear to men; he is God, and cannot do unjuſt things; He is light, and in him is no darkneſſe at all, 1 John 1.5. Juſt and true are his wayes, Rev: 15.3. He is righteous in all his wayes, and holy in all his works, Pſal. 145.17. The juſt Lord is in the midſt of the City, he will not do iniquity, Zeph: 3.5. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Gen: 18.25. Yes, though men do wickedly, God will not. Habak: 1.13. Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evill, and canſt not look on iniquity; he cannot look on it to approve it, much leſſe to act it.
Secondly, Our wayes are unequall; and ſhall the guilty complain of the innocent? Had the Sodomites any cauſe to complain of God, who were ſo wicked? Had the old world which was ſo corrupt, cauſe to cry out of Heaven which was pure? No man hath juſt ground to quarrel againſt Gods diſpenſations, when himſelf walks unevenly before God, and his paths are crooked. If juſt men ſin and ſtep aſide; Eccl: 7.20. What do wicked men? they are altogether out of the way, Pſ. 14.3. They do no good, their lives are a conſtant ſinning, or a continued ſin, and ſhould God puniſh him daily for ſo doing, he had no juſt cauſe to fault the Lord; Lament: 3.39. Wherefore doth a l ving man complain, a man for the puniſhment of his ſins?
Thirdly, Upon comparing of his dealings with the righteous falling to commit iniquity, and the wicked turning from iniquity, it appears to all unprejudiced men who are not blinded with iniquity; the one is puniſhed for his apoſtacy, the other is pardoned upon his repentance; judgement is the portion of the one, & mercy the portion of the other. If God ſhould puniſh the repenting wicked man, and ſpare the apoſtatized righteous man, then there were cauſe of complaint; but its contrary, therefore his wayes are equall, and there is no cauſe to complain of them.
Fourthly, God hath power over the ſons of men, they are his family, and he may exerciſe Diſcipline in his family; the houſe of Iſrael, the Jewes were Gods houſe, he Maſter of that family, and when any ſin'd in it, he had power to correct them, or turn them out of dores, and who ſhould fault him? it is not childrens duty to complain of their Parents, nor for ſervants to complain of their Lord and Maſter.
Fifthly, Complaints in this kind will do us no good, they will harm us rather, for God is judge, yea the higheſt judge, and will not only judge us for our other evill wayes, but for this very way of charging him to be unjuſt, and cavilling at his diſpenſations; he will judge every one after his wayes, neither great nor ſmall can avoide his judgement. Let us all therefore take heed how we fault the wayes of God, how ſtrange or grievous ſoever they appear or be unto us.
Thirdly, Obſerve:
When men have once taken up prejudice againſt God and his wayes, its not eaſie to be remov'd.
The Jewes had drunk in this conceit, Chap. 18. That the wayes of God were not equall; and much of that Chapter is ſpent in proving the contrary, to extirpate that miſ-conceit; but it took not effect, they let paſſe Gods Arguments, whereby he cleared himſelf, and carryed along with them their prejudice againſt him and his wayes, as appears in this Chap: verſ. 17. & 20. Yet ye ſay, The way of the Lord is not equall. When weeds are gotten into the ground, and rooted there, its not eaſie to cleanſe that ground from them; when errors, deluſions, corrupt opinions, and prejudice againſt the truth, are gotten into the head or heart, its not an eaſie thing to get them out. Many wonder that Miniſters ſhould not convince unlearned and weak men of their errors, and take them off from their opinions and prejudices, but they ſhould conſider ſome men will not be convinced, either by God or man. Theſe here were not convinced by God; nor the Phariſees by Chriſt, John 15.6, 7. & 10. Chap: nor the Athenians by Paul, Acts 17.