Exposition of Ezekiel 1-5, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 3 · Verse 16
VER. 16.
And it came to paſſe at the end of ſeven dayes that the Word of the Lord came unto mee, ſaying;
17. Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the houſe of Iſrael: therefore heare the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18. When I ſay unto the wicked, Thou ſhalt ſurely die, and thou giveſt him not warning, nor ſpeakeſt to warn the wicked, from his wicked way, to ſave his life, the ſame wicked man ſhall die in his iniquity: but his blood will I require at thy hand.
19. Yet, if thou warn the wicked, and hee turn not from his wickedneſſe, nor from his wicked way, hee ſhall die in his iniquity, but thou haſt delivered thy ſoul.
IN theſe words, and the reſt, to the end of the Chapter, is a new Revelation, made to the Prophet, together with the events following thereupon: or thus;
1. You have the Call of the Prophet to his Office renewed, and that is in the words read, and on to the end of the 21th Verſe.
2. Speciall directions and events laid down from the 21th verſe to the end of the Chapter.
In the words read, you have,
Firſt, the circumſtance of time, when this repetition of his Call, or new Revelation was made, and that was after ſeven dayes, v. 16.
Secondly, his Office ſpecified, which is to be a watchman, v. 17.
Thi…dly, the parties he is to watch over, and admoniſh:
1. In generall laid down, and that is, the houſe of Iſrael, ver. 17.
2. More particularly:
1. The wicked, verſ. 18, 19.
2. The righteous, verſ. 20, 21.
Fourthly, the reaſons of it, why he muſt admoniſh both ſorts:
The firſt is, ab incommodo, the danger and miſchief of it; both they and he ſhall die if it be not done.
The ſecond, ab utili, it may be they will turn upon admonition, and ſo be ſaved; if not, yet the Prophet delivers his own ſoul, and there is advantage by it.
The words in the 16th Verſe have little difficulty in them.
At the end of ſeven dayes.
It's probable the ſitting ſtill, and ſilence of the Prophet, was from Sabbath to Sabbath, on that day he had his glorious Viſion, and ſeven dayes after he had a new Revelation,Junius. The Word of the Lord came to him; all the ſix dayes hee was ſolitary, mourning, meditating, and ſilent, but on the ſeventh the Lord appeared again unto him; and ſo after hee had upon Sabbaths revelations from God.
Obſerv. 1. That God beares with the weakneſſes and diſtempers of his ſervants; Ezekiel declines the Call of Chriſt, ſhew vsus his great ingratitude, having had ſuch great favours from Chriſt, ſeen ſo much glory, and being commanded once, twice, to go and preach to the houſe of Iſrael, yet hee ſits down, is ſilent, and that ſeven dayes together; this might have provoked the Lord to great wrath, to have refuſed him, as a ſtubborn ſelf-willed man, and made him to ſay; hee would never admit him to be his Prophet, put ſuch honour upon him, intruſt him with ſuch great matters, but the Lord beares with his weakneſſe, yea, his continued weakneſſe: ſometimes Gods anger kindles, and breaks out quickly, and that for little things in our eyes and opinions; as the man gathered a few ſticks on the Sabbath, hee muſt be ſtoned to death; thoſe peeped irreverently into the Ark, the Lord ſmote 50000 and upward dead for it preſently, 1 Sam. 6. Ananias and Saphira, a ſmall matter in our conceits it was to keep back a portion of their goods, and to excuſe it with a lie; for this God was wroth, and they died, Acts 5. but the weakneſſes of his children hee beares with, and thoſe great ones.
2. Mans will and weakneſſe cannot hinder the efficacy and execution of Gods decree; the Prophets ſpirit was againſt this work, he refuſed, ſate ſtill ſeven dayes together, and would have fruſtrated Gods intentions, if he could, but it was decreed in heaven, that decree was efficacious, his will muſt be brought off, and he muſt be the man to execute Gods pleaſure in a propheticall way to the houſe of Iſrael; Jonas departs, will prejudice Gods deſigne concerning Ninive, but the Lord knew how to humble him, to fetch him back, being fled, and to make him inſtrumentall to his ends, notwithſtanding his wilfulneſſe and weakneſſe, Pſal. 33.9. He commanded, and it ſtood faſt, and verſ. 11. The counſell of the Lord ſtandeth for ever; let there be contrary counſels, wills, commands, they ſtand not, Gods brings them to nought, hee makes them of none effect; Prov. 19.21. There are many devices in a mans heart; hee thinks not to do this, and not to do that, and it ſhall be ſo and ſo, nevertheleſſe the counſell of the Lord ſhall ſtand; he will perfect the work hee hath begun in men, and by men, notwihſtanding their infirmities.
3. Spirituall imployments muſt have ſedate, quiet, well-compoſed affections and ſpirits; the Spirit of Prophecy came not upon Ezekiel all the time he was diſtempered and diſcontented, but when time had wrought off the diſtemper, and the il humor was digeſted, then was he ſtirred by the Spirit of prophecy: when the Minſtrell was tun'd, then the hand of the Lord came upon Eliſha, 2 King. 3.15. Mens hearts and ſpirits are like Minſtrells, out of order quickly, and long in tuning, and right ſetting; but the muſick is ſweeteſt when the Inſtrument is beſt ſet, then God delights to communicate his Spirit to us, to imploy us. In the night oft God appeared to the Patriarchs; then were they moſt quiet, and fitteſt to receive inſtruction. In Auguſtus his dayes, when there was peace throughout the world, then was Chriſt given, then was hee born. When there is peace throughout the little world, then are wee apteſt for reception of Chriſt, his inſtructions, and readieſt for his ſervice; God will not commit weighty and great things to men, without due fitneſſe for them. The Prophet had this time deeply to conſider of the buſineſſe, and to get himſelf into ſuch a frame, as might beſt ſort with the Function he was to be in.
4. The Lord doth not leave his long, although they be in diſtempers; at the end of ſeven dayes the Word of the Lord came unto him; wee may by our failings and diſtempers drive away God from us, but he will viſit us again; hee may be gone all the week, but come again at the end of it; Pſal. 30.5. Gods anger is for a moment, our weeping for a night, and joy in the morning; it's not long this good Phyſician will be abſent from his Patient, and when he comes, he will comfort and cure.
5. Our Prophet brought not his own, but the Word of the Lord unto the people; it's his Word muſt be commended unto them; Prophets, Apoſtles, Miniſters, are his Ambaſſadours, and muſt ſpeak what is given them in Commiſſion: If they go or ſpeak of their own heads, they provoke God and wrong the people; Jer. 23.30. I am againſt the Prophets, ſaith the Lord, that ſteal my word every one from his neighbour; the falſe Prophets would take ſome ſayings of the true Prophets, and mingle them with their own lies and errours, to get the more credit unto them, and ſometimes by falſe interpretations they would wreſt the Word to eſtabliſh their own phantaſies; they would propheſie for their own glory and profit, and this was ſtealing of the Word; they did handle the Word alieno ſenſu, ſpiritu & fine, then God or the true Prophets intended; ſo that their word was not conceived to be the Word of God, but their own, and yet they would faſten it upon God, verſ. 31. I am againſt the Prophets that uſe their tongues, and ſay, foreignHe ſaith. The word is Lokekim, which ſignifies, lenire, mollificari, dulcorare, they flattered and ſmoothed up the people, ſpeaking things pleaſing, and ſaid, He ſaith; they made God the author of their dreams, which the Lord reproves in the 32. verſe, and ſaith, Behold, I am againſt them that propheſie falſe dreames, and do tell them, and cauſe my people to erre by their lies, and their lightneſſe, yet I ſent them not, nor commanded them; therefore they ſhall not profit this people at all, ſaith the Lord: people had need look to their teachers, what they are, whether ſent of God, and ſuch as ſpeak the truths of God, otherwiſe they can look for no bleſſing, no profit; but when men come in Gods name, and with Gods Word, you may looke for great benefit; you muſt expect reality: for here are two words, which note reality and being, debar is verbum, & res, foreignjehi, factum eſt fuit, Gods words are things of great weight and worth.