Exposition of Ezekiel 30-48, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 36 · Verses 21-24 · Textual commentary 34
And ye ſhall be my people, and I will be your God.
Like words to theſe we had Ezek. 11.20. Ch: 14.11. Ch: 34.31. and therefore ſhall not ſtand upon them: The ſenſe of them is this; You being in Babylon think your ſelves caſt off of God, and that ye ſhall never again have the honour to be his people, and to have him for your God, but your thoughts are not as mine, for ye ſhall come again to Canaan, and there I will own you for my people, and ye ſhall own me for your God; ye ſhall be my people to worſhip me, and I will be your God to bleſſe you; ye ſhall be my people to depend upon me, and I will be your God to protect you; ye ſhall be my people to obey my Commands, and do my Will, and I will be your God to exalt and honour you; ye ſhall be my people to love, fear, honour me, and to ſtand for me and my glory, and I will be your God to counſel, comfort, delight in, and to deliver you, and to plead your cauſe againſt all your enemies.
Firſt, Obſerve;
There is nothing difficult or impoſſible to God, though it be ſo in the eye of man.
The Jews thought it an hard, if not a thing impoſſible for them to get from under the Babyloniſh yoke, into their own Countrey; but God thought not ſo, ſaith he, Ye ſhall dwell in the Land that I gave to your fathers; I will break off every yoke which hinders, and remove every mountain which lets; And this he did with eaſe, for he did but ſtir the heart of Cyrus King of Perſia to make a Proclamation to this purpoſe, That whoever among the Jews had an heart to go up to Jeruſalem, might do it, 2 Chron. 36.22, 23. and it was done. The getting Peter out of Priſon ſeemed a thing impoſſible, he was in two Chains, between two Souldiers, keepers at the door, a firſt and ſecond Ward after theſe to paſſe by, and then an Iron gate to open, all theſe things were as nothing to God, he ſent an Angel who brought Peter out of Priſon, notwithſtanding all theſe difficulties, and as to men impoſſibilities, Acts 12. God ſaith, Jer. 32.27. I am the Lord, the God of all fleſh; is there any thing too hard for me? Many things are too hard for you, but is there any thing in Heaven or earth too hard for me? what, cannot I bring the Jews again to Canaan? verſ. 37. I will gather them out of all Countries whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath, and I will bring them again to this place, viz: to Jeruſalem.
Secondly, Obſerve;
Lands are at the diſpoſe of God.
Ye ſhall dwell in the Land that I gave to your fathers. Canaan God firſt gave to the Canaanites, for their iniquities God took it away, and gave it to the Jews, they provoking God by their idolatries and oppreſſions, he took it from them and gave it to the Chaldeans, who having poſſeſſed it for ſome years, he took it from them, and reſtored it again to the Jews; not onelyonly the Land of Canaan was diſpoſed of by the Lord, but all Lands and Nations are his, and given to whom he pleaſes, Jer. 10.7. He is King of Nations, he rules in the Kingdomes of men, and gives them to whom he will, Dan. 4.32. All Kings are Gods Coppyholders, and he can turn them out of their Tenures at pleaſure, Jer. 27.5, 6. I have made the earth, and given it unto whom it ſeemed meet unto me; and now have I given all theſe Lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon. He turned out the King of Moab, the King of Edom, the King of the Ammonites, the King of Tyre, the King of Zidon, and gave all their Lands into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.
Thirdly, Obſerve;
No condition of Gods people is ſo grievous, but ſhall have a comfortable iſſue.
That the Jews were in captivity, deprived of all thoſe ſweet enjoyments they had in the Land of Canaan, was grievous; that they were amongſt Idolaters, Blaſphemers, in a polluted Land, and made to ſerve the enemies of God, this was exceeding grievous unto them; yet this condition was not to laſt alwayes, it ſhould have a comfortable end, they ſhould return and dwell in the Land of their fathers, and enjoy their ancient, honourable, and comfortable priviledges. In the Apoſtles dayes the Church was under great perſecution, and many ſuffered, Acts 8. & 9. Chap: but the perſecution and ſuffering of the Saints had an end, yea, a comfortable end; for Chap: 9.31. its ſaid, Then had the Churches reſt throughout all Judea and Galilee, and Samaria, and were edified, and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the holy ſpirit, were multiplyed. Here was a bleſſed concluſion of a ſad perſecution; this bluſtering Winter had a ſweet Spring following of it.
Fourthly, Obſerve;
It is an act of grace in God to take any people to be his, and a renewed act of grace to fall in again with thoſe that have revolted from him and he hath caſt off.
What was in this people of the Jews at firſt to move him to mind them, to take them for his people, they had that enough in them, and as all other Nations have, to make him abhor them, but nothing to incline his heart towards them, Ezek. 16.5, 6. When thy perſon was loathed, and thou waſt polluted in thy bloud, I ſaid unto thee live; verſ. 8. I entered into Covenant with thee, and thou becameſt mine. Here was an act of grace, it was Gods pleaſure made them his people, 1 Sam. 12.22. and nothing elſe, and when they had forſaken God, Jer. 2.13. and he had caſt them out of his ſight, Jer. 7.15. which was done when they were caſt into Babylon, to fall in again with theſe, to own them for his people, and to become their God again, this was a renewed act of grace, height of mercy, ſtrength of love: God might have ſaid, Ye are weary of me, and I am weary of you, I know your thoughts and what comes into your mind, that you would be as the Heathen, as the Familyes of the Countrey, to ſerve Wood and ſtone, Ezek. 20.32. but God would not ſuffer it, he would bring them out of Babylon, be their God, and take them to be his people, which ſets out the freeneſs and fulneſs of divine grace; he would not let his people become heatheniſh, and worſhip heathen gods.
Fifthly, Obſerve;
All Nations have not an equall intereſt in God, his favour and grace is not alike diſpenſed unto all.
God ſaid not to the Babylonians, Ye ſhall be my people, and I will be your God. This was ſpoken to the Jews, and to no other Nation; therefore ſaith God of that Nation, You only have I known of all the familyes of the earth, Amos 3.2.you have I taken into neerer relation than any other; you have I known by way of Covenant, you have I known ſo as to record my name among you, and to dwell among you; but ſo I have not dealt with other Nations, They were without God in the world, Epheſ. 2.12. They were far off, (ver. 13.) from God, from the means of grace and ſalvation. The Gentiles had not ſuch intereſt in God as the Jews had; they had common favour as they were his creatures under the Covenant of works, theſe had ſpeciall favour as they were his people under the Covenant of grace, Iſa. 43.3. I am the Lord thy God, the holy One of Iſrael, thy Saviour; I gave Egypt for thy ranſome, Ethiopia and Seba for thee: God expoſed them to deſtruction, for the ſafety of the Jewes.
Sixthly, Obſerve;
That people is honoured and happy, whom the Lord owns to be his, and vouchſafeth to be their God.
Ye ſhall be my people, and I will be your God. What greater honour could the Jews have in the wo…ld, then to be taken by the infinite, holy, great, and glorious God, to be his people: It is a great honour when poo… begga…ly people are taken into great mens, and Princes ſervices; much more is it ſo when a ſinfull Nation is taken in by God to be his people. And not only is it an honour, but an happineſs, Pſal. 144.15. Happy is that people whoſe God is the Lord; is not that people happy which have peace, and plenty of all good things? Yes, it is an humane, a conceited happineſs, but it is not a reall, a true happineſs, that lyeth in having God our God, our Lo…d: propriety in a Deity makes a Nation or Pe…ſon happy, Pſal. 33.12. Bleſſed is the Nation whoſe God is the Lord, and the People whom he hath choſen for his own inheritance. David who was a Prophet, and a man after Gods own heart, fixeth no… happineſs upon riches, honours, peace, parts, multitudes of Souldiers, Subjects, or Counſellers, but in mutual relation between God and a People, the one owning the other. When God owns a people to be his inheritance, and a People own God to be their God and Portion, this is true happineſs; ſuch a people may plead with God for great things in prayer, and expect them, as Jehoſhaphat did, 2 Chron. 20.12. and as Aſa did, 2 Chron: 14.11. and Moſes, Exod: 32.11, 12, 13, 14.