Exposition of Ezekiel 1-5, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 2 · Verse 1
Ezekiel, Chap. 2. verſ. 1.
And hee ſaid unto mee, Son of man, ſtand upon thy feet, and I will ſpeak unto thee.
IN the former Chapter, wee met with great deeps and difficulties, myſteries of a high nature; and if any light have appeared in the opening of them, let him that ſits upon the Throne have the glory of it; by his aſſiſtance we have gone over ſundry rocks, and through ſome deeps;In quibus liberis greſſibus locut onis noſtrae in…repidum pedem ponamus, Greg. Hom 9. in Ezek. and we deſire by the ſame aſſiſtance to proceed, and now wee are come from the Mountains to the Plains, where wee may walk with more ſafety.
The glory of the Lord being ſet out in this government of the world, in his diſpenſations towards his Church in the antecedent Chapter: The ſcope of this Chapter is, to corroborate Ezekiel ſmitten down with the ſight of glory, and to ſhew his Call unto his Propheticall Office; the parts are the confirming, ſending and inſtructing of the Prophet.
1. His confirmation and comforting is laid down in the two firſt verſes.
2. His ſending in the three next to the ſixth verſe.
3. His inſtructing from the ſixth to the ninth; after that, mention is made of a roll in the two laſt verſes, and in the beginning of the next Chapter, which is of much concernment, as in its place may appeare.
The confirming of the Prophet is:
1. By the Word of God in the firſt verſe.
2. By his Spirit in the ſecond verſe.
In the firſt verſe are two things conſiderable:
1. The party ſpeaking.
2. The matter ſpoken; where you have,
1. The Appellation; Son of man.
2. The Command; Stand upon thy feet.
3. The ground of it, which is a gracious promiſe; And I will ſpeak unto thee.
It's Chriſt who ſpeakes, and unto Ezekiel, whom hee calls the Son of man; the originall is, the ſonne of Adam, that is; of earthly man: for, as the Apoſtle ſaith, 1 Cor. 15.47. The firſt Adam was of the earth earthly, and Adam ſignifies earth, or red earth, whereof his body was made; and when we read in Scripture this phraſe, it notes out to us,
1. Our baſe beginning, that we are of the earth; there is no man, be he never ſo excellent, high, wiſe, honourable, but hee is the ſon of Adam, terrae filius, a brat of the earth, Pſal. 49.2. Both low and high, Adam and Iſh: the baſe man and the noble man, as the Chaldee renders it; both the ſons of Adam, and the ſons of Jacob are ſo, they have all one father, and all one mother, and that is the earth.
2. Our frailty, that wee are earthen veſſels and ſoon broken in pieces; Pſal. 9.20. Put them in feare, O Lord, that the nations may know themſelves to be but men, they think themſelves gods, but ſhew them thy power, thine iron Rod and Scepter, bring a War, a plague, a Famine amongſt them, and then they will know that they are frail weak men.
3. Our worthleſneſſe and fitneſſe to be rejected, who amongſt us regards a clod of the earth, an earthen veſſell, ſilver or golden ones, ſome prize, and prize too much, but earthly ones are contemptible; Nations are as the drops of the bucket, and ſmall duſt of the ballance, Iſa. 40. and are not they contemptible things? this made David to wonder, and ſay, Pſal. 144.3. Lord, what is man, that thou takeſt knowledge of him? or the ſon of man, the ſon of earth, that thou makeſt account of him, that thou viſiteſt him? Pſal. 8.4. and Job 7.17. What is man, that thou ſhouldeſt magnifie him; and that thou ſhouldeſt ſet thine heart upon him? theſe be high and great expreſſions to be beſtowed upon ſo poor a thing as man is, to take knowledge of him; and ſuch knowledge, as to make account of him, as to minde him, viſit him, magnifie him, to ſet the heart upon him, this is exceeding much from an infinite, great and glorious God towards worthleſſe men, and not credible, if the Spirit of God had not revealed it.
4. Our end, that wee are earth, thence wee came, and thither we muſt, Gen. 3.19. Duſt thou art, and unto duſt thou muſt return.
This title of Son of man; I do not find given to any but three, in the Book of God; once to Daniel, Chap. 8. 17. Ʋnderſtand, O ſonne of man, forty times and upwards to Chriſt, and above eighty times to this our Prophet, but with this difference: Ezekiel is called the Son of man by another, Chriſt alwayes calls himſelf ſo. Ezekiel is four times in this Chapter ſo called, and it's given him,
1. To prevent pride, ſay ſome Expoſiters: hee had a glorious Viſion, was among Angels, ſaw the Lord Chriſt, and was to enter upon the Propheticall Function, the leaſt of which might ſtir corruption, and make pride bloſſome; when Paul had his rapture into the third heavens, and heard things unutterable, what ſaith he, 2 Cor. 12.7. Leſt I ſhould be exalted above meaſure, through the abunance of revelation; there was given to mee a thorne in the fleſh, the meſſenger of Satan to buffet me, &c. Paul was in danger of being lifted up, but God prevented it; and ſo here, Ezekiel is minded of his mean originall, his frailty, worthleſneſſe and end, that he might not be exalted with his Viſion or Office; we are exceeding apt upon the receit of great mercies, to grow proud and confident, which are evill in any, but worſt in a Prophet; and therfore, to prevent theſe, hee calls him Son of man.
2. To frame his ſpirit to a right eſtimate of himſelf, through out the whole courſe of his Office, that what ever good was done,Nihil ſupra naturae humanae vires ſibi aſſumeret. he ſhould ſtill remember he was the Son of man, and it was God, not he that did it. It's a hard thing to keep the heart in an humble frame and fitneſſe, to give unto God the glory of what he doth by us; God helps our Prophet by this title, which runs through the whole Prophecy, and took ſuch intereſt in his heart, that whatſoever was ſeen, heard, ſaid, or done by him, the Son of man, the glory of all was given to Chriſt, the Son of God, he could ſay, I am an earthen veſſell, if there be heavenly treaſure in it, hee that ſate upon the Throne put it in, for mine own part, I am the Son of man, like all the children of Adam; and if there be any difference, duplicate page duplicate page hee made it, and if there be any glory, hee ſhall have it; ſo Paul, 1 Cor. 15.10. I laboured more abundantly then they all; that ſeems a derogating ſpeech, but hee corrects himſelf for it; yet not I, but the grace of God that was with mee.
3. To let Ezekiel and others ſee the rich bounty and goodneſſe of God, in that he would take a Son of man, who is earth, frail, and worthleſſe, and exalt him to ſo high and honourable a condition, and ſpecially at ſuch a time as this was, when God was wroth with his inheritance, laid them waſte, had brought them into Babylon, and was ſtripping them naked of all comforts, yet now to give them a Prophet, to call out Ezekiel, this could not but put his ſpirit, and all their ſpirits into admiration of Gods goodneſſe.
Stand upon thy feet.
Here is the Command of Chriſt, Ezekiel, I ſee thou art a frail man, ſtricken with great feare, and canſt not indure my glory and preſence, ſtand up; this is not for thy hurt, but good, I appeare not to confound thee, but to comfort thee, not to caſt thee down, but to exalt thee.
Stantis eſt div norum auditio, non reſu pini, Apollin.Why doth the Lord command ſtanding?
1. It's a fitter poſture for hearing then lying on the ground was, Stand, that thou mayeſt recover thy ſpirits, and heare the better what I ſhall ſay unto thee: ſo the Angel bid Daniel ſtand upright, Dan. 10.11. Oracles are for ſtanders, not proſtrate ones, therefore, when Balaam came with the Oracles of God to Balak, he ſaid, Riſe up Balak, and heare; Numb. 23.18. ſhew thou reverence and reſpect to the Word of God; for Kings were wont to ſtand when meſſengers from God were brought unto them: ſo Eglon roſe out of his ſeat when Ehud told him hee had a meſſage from God unto him, Jud. 3.20. Euſebius tels us of Conſtantine the great,Nefas eſſe inſtitutis de Deo diſputationibus negligentes aures praebere, Euſeb. de vita Conſtant. that hee did heare the Word ſtanding, and being requeſted to reſt himſelf in his royall throne, which was ſet there for that purpoſe, hee refuſed, and being preſſed, after long time of hearing, to ſit down, with a ſterne countenance hee anſwered: It were a great ſin in me, not to heare attentively when God is ſpoken of.
2. To ſhew, that all mundane things ſhould be beneath us, when wee deal with God, wee muſt not lie down and imbrace them, but ſtand up, and have them under our feet: Jerome ſaith, the Saints ſtand and tread all down,Sanctorum eſt ſtare. but ſinners they fall and imbrace the earth and furniture of it: Rev. 12.1. the Church hath the Moon under her feet: all ſublunary things are under the Saints feet, not in their hearts, or over their heads.
3. That he might be in a poſture for ſervice, Epheſ. 6.14. Stand, having your loynes girt; proſtration on the earth is no poſture for imployment, but ſtanding is; and the Lord Chriſt would not have his, ſo affected with his greatneſſe and glory, ſo reverentiall, as to be hindred, or diſabled from his ſervice; holy reverence doth not make idle or inept to ſervice, Stand on thy feet therefore, ſaith Chriſt, and be in a readineſſe, to execute what I command.
The words being opened, now take the Obſervations.
Obſerv. 1. That the Lord Chriſt is full of bowels and comſpaſſions, Ezekiel was fallen down upon his face, the glory of the Viſion, and greatneſſe of him that ſate upon the Throne had conquered and fell'd this our Prophet to the earth, and there hee lay as a man wounded, and without ſtrength, but Chriſt leaves him not in this condition, but ſpeaks, and that kindly to him: Son of man, ſtand upon thy feet; he is affected with his infirmity, ſenſible of his fears and troubles: the man that fell among thieves, going from Jeruſalem to Jericho, being plundred and wounded, found no pity from the Prieſt and Levite, but much from the good Samaritane, when he ſaw him, hee had compaſſion on him, he went to him, bound up his wounds, put in oyle and wine, ſet him upon his own beaſt, was content to go on foot by him, brought him to an Inn, and took care of him, and paid for his cure, Luke 10.33, 34, 35. This Samaritane was Chriſt, who pitied Adam, and in him man-kinde, that went from Jeruſalem, the ſtate of perfection, to Jericho, a ſtate of change; for, as Chemnit. obſerves, Jericho ſignifies the Moon, and ſo a changeable condition; the Prieſt and Levite notes the Law, with all its additaments, they paſſed by, and never reached or healed the wounded ſoul of man, but Chriſt the Samatitane, with the grace of the Goſpel, and blood of the Covenant, with that oyle and wine, cured man, brought him upon his own ſhoulders to the Church, to Jeruſalem again, and there took care for him; we have not a legall high Prieſt which is without bowels, and can do little for us, but we have an Euangelicall high Prieſt, full of bowells and mercy, ſuch an one as is touched with our infirmities, Heb. 4.15. which ſhould incourage us with boldneſſe to come unto his Throne, which is a Throne of Grace & compaſſion.
2. That thoſe are humble and ſmitten down with ſenſe of their own vileneſſe, weakneſſe or worthleſneſſe, through the ſight of glory, and greatneſſe, Chriſt quickly raiſes to comfort again: our Prophet was down in the end of the former Chapter, and in the beginning of this he is up again. The humbling from the ſight of God, his glory, and greatneſſe, is the moſt effectuall humbling, and the moſt ſpeedy, effectuall and ſweeteſt comfort doth follow it. Job, after he had ſeen God, and humbled himſelf; thereupon his captivity is turned, his comforts multiplied, Job 24.5, 6.10.12. So Iſaiah, being humbled upon the ſight of glory, preſently a Seraphim comforts him, touches his lips with a coal from the Altar, and ſaith, Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy ſin is purged: Daniel was humbled for his own ſins, the ſins of his forefathers, and the afflictions of the Church, Dan. 9. and the Lord ſent Gabriel to comfort him, who told him, hee was a man greatly beloved, and that he came to give him skill and underſtanding, verſe 22.23. God doth not humble and throw down his to leave them, but reaches out a hand to raiſe them.
3. That man carries about him principles of humiliation; he is the Son of man, the ſon of the earth. Iſa. 31.3. The Egyptians are men, and not God, Adam velo el, they are weak and worthleſſe things, and ſo are not only Egyptians, but Iſraelites, all men, and ſo have no cauſe to be puffed up at all, but great cauſe to be humbled: Job call'd corruption his father, and the worm his mother, Job 17.14. you ſee what ſtock and kindred Job came of, and wee are all of the ſame houſe, therefore afterward in the 25. Chap. v. 6. It's ſaid, man, and the Son of man, is a worm, and ſo David, I am a worm, and no man, Pſal. 22.6. velo Iſh, hee was enoſh, ſorry, ſinfull, miſerable man: he was Adam, an earthly man, but not Iſh, a man of worth, ſtrength, a worm, ſon of the earth, weak, contemptible. Coniah, Jer. 22.28. in the vulgar is called vas fictile, an earthen veſſell, a broken Idoll, or a veſſell in which is no pleaſure, and then followes: O earth, earth, earth, heare the word of the Lord, Princes, Prieſts and People, he calls them all earth, to minde them of their mean originall, to bring down their ſpirits, to make them ſenſible of their weakneſs and condition they were haſtening unto, Iſai. 40.6. All fleſh is graſſe, and all the goodlineſſe thereof is as the flower of the field, graſſe withereth, the flower fadeth, becauſe the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it; ſurely the people is graſſe.
4. That the command of Chriſt is powerfull; Stand upon thy feet, ſaith hee, and it proved efficacious; let Chriſt ſpeak, and the thing is done, By him were all things made, Joh. 1.3. hee ſaid, Let there be light, and there was light, he ſaid, Let there be an earth, and let it bring forth, an it was ſo; hee call'd forth things that were not, and gave them a being; under the Goſpel, how powerfull were his commands: he bade devils depart the poſſeſſed, and they did ſo; he bade the winds and waves be ſtill, and they were ſo; he called Lazarus out of the grave, and he came forth preſently: there is infinite power in Chriſt, and great, yea, oft exceeding great vertue goes forth with his commands: he ſaid to the Fiſhermen that were ſtrangers to him, Follow mee, and they left all, and followed him.
5. That the Lord loves to incourage man to his duty; hee ſaith not here, ſtand upon thy feet only, which might have ſufficed, but he makes him a promiſe; and I will ſpeak with thee, I that am upon the Throne, compaſſed with glory, that have the rule of all the world in my hand, I will ſpeak with thee; here was ſingular incouragement to this duty, and ſo to other duties; it's mans duty to walk uprighty, and to incourage unto it; the Word ſaith, No good thing will be with-hold from them that walk uprightly, Pſa. 84.11. It's our duty to believe, and did not Chriſt tell Martha in a particular caſe, that if ſhe would believe, ſhee ſhould ſee the glory of God, Ioh. 11.40. And told he not another, that all things are poſſible to him that believeth? Mar. 9.23. So Chriſt is lifted up, that whoſoever believeth in him, ſhould not periſh, but have everlaſting life, Joh. 3.14, 15. So for prayer; it's our duty; but ſee what incouragement, Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it, Pſal. 81.10. and, Whatſoever you ſhall aske the Father in my name, hee will give it you, John 16.23. To perſevere and overcome is our duty, and ſee Rev. 21.7. He that overcometh ſhall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and hee ſhall be my Son; to give alms is mans duty, as Luke 6.38. Give, and it ſhall be given unto you, good meaſure, preſſed down, and ſhaken together, and running over, ſhall men give into your boſome.
6. That the word of Chriſt is a ſweet comfort to a ſoul troubled; Stand upon thy feet, and I will ſpeak to thee, thou art amazed, caſt down, but my word will revive thee, put life and ſpirits into thee: What a comforting word is that of Chriſts, Matth. 11. Come unto mee, yee that are weary and heavy laden, and I will refreſh you: and Ioh. 6.37. Him that cometh unto me, I caſt out in no wiſe? Chriſt had the words of eternall life, verſe 68. and thoſe muſt needs be ſweet and acceptable to afflicted ſpirits, and theſe words hee hath given us in the Goſpel, which is glad tidings, the ſavour of life, the power of God to ſalvation.