Exposition of Ezekiel 1-5, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 2 · Verse 7 – Verse 8-10
VER. 7.
And thou ſhalt ſpeak my words unto them, whether they will beare, or whether they will forbeare, for they are moſt rebellious.
THere is nothing difficult in this Verſe; the words, they are moſt rebellious, in the originall are, they are rebellion, in the abſtract; noting the ſtrength and growth of their ſin, of which hath been ſpoken in the 5th Verſe; only obſerve from hence:
1. That the Meſſengers of God muſt ſpeak the word of God; Thou ſhalt ſpeak my words unto them, not thine own, not other mens, but my words; Gods words are divine, verba vitae & mortis, and they muſt be ſpoken unto the people, not our chaffy, powerleſſe words; Matth. 28.20. Teach them to obſerve what ever I have commanded you; they muſt ſpeak only that, and all that, nothing muſt they diſſemble or hide away.
2. That God cares not whether wicked, vile ſinners hear or no, it's ſufficient to him that they refuſe offers of grace, that's enough to juſtifie him, and condemne them, whether they will heare or forbeare, it matters not, I ſhall have my glory, and thou thy reward, what ever becomes of them. And God deals roundly with them; ſo Chriſt in Mark 16.16. He that believeth ſhall be ſaved, and he that believeth not ſhall be damned: yea, Joh. 3.18. He that believes not, is condemned already; and when Chriſt ſent out his Diſciples, ſee how quick and round hee is with thoſe ſhould not receive them, and their word; Matth. 10.14. Whoſoever ſhall not receive you and your words, when yee depart out of that houſe or city, ſhake off the duſt of your feet, as a teſtimony againſt them: Mark 6.11. It ſhall be more eaſie for Sodome or Gomorrah then for that houſe or city.
VER. 8, 9, 10.
But thou Son of man, heare what I ſay unto thee; be not thou rebellious, like that rebellious houſe, open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was ſent unto mee, and lo, a roul of a booke was therein.
10 And he ſpread it before mee, and it was written within and without, and there was written therein, lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
IN theſe Verſes, beſides Chriſt inſtructing of the Prophet, you have his farther confirmation in his propheticall Office, and that by a viſible ſign, by which hee conveys the gift of prophecying unto Ezekiel; and it's by a roul of a book, concerning which wee have theſe things conſiderable:
1. The efficient cauſe, or whence it came, a hand was ſent unto mee.
2. The materiall cauſe, a roul of a book.
3. The opening of it, it was ſpread before mee.
4. The contents of it, lamentations, mourning and woe.
But before we come to this roul, and the particulars of it, wee muſt ſpeak of Chriſts inſtructions to the Prophet.
In the 8th Verſe, where wee have,
Firſt, an exhortation, Son of man, heare what I ſay unto thee.
Secondy, a prohibition, be not thou rebellious, like that rebellious houſe.
Thirdly, a command, open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
The ſumme of the Verſe is this; Ezekiel, ſaith Chriſt, ſee thou hearken unto my voyce, whatſoever I ſay to thee, let that be acceptable; regard not what men, what thine heart and carnall reaſon ſay to thee; but remember I am God and King, I ſit upon the Throne, my counſels and words muſt ſtand, be not thou rebellious as the Jewes are, let not their example, power, relation to thee, make thee refuſe to heare what I ſay, or to eat this viſible and ſacramentall ſign which I give thee.
There is nothing difficult in the Verſe to cleare up unto you, only theſe words, Open thy mouth, you may think ſuperfluous, and that the word Eat had been enough; but there is nothing idle in the Scripture, all is of weight, and ſuch weight, that heaven and earth ſhall paſſe away before one iota of Gods Word: it's a rule among the learned, Vox qua videtur otioſa plurimum facit ad effectum, it notes the ardent deſire of Chriſt, that the Prophet ſhould have the benefit of this ſacramentall ſign, and that hee ſhould be forward and ready unto it, do any thing conduced that way.
Obſer. 1. That thoſe are to teach others, muſt firſt heare and be taught themſelves, they muſt heare Chriſt, and learne of him; Ezekiel muſt heare what Chriſt ſaith unto him, and then he would be fit to ſpeak unto others: when the Lord Chriſt ſent out his Diſciples he inſtructed them firſt, Matth. 10. So the Apoſtles were in doctrinated forty dayes together in the things pertaining to the Kingdome of God, Acts 1.3. The inſtitution of Churches, the Lawes, Government, Ordinances, Offices and Officers of them, they were inſtructed in; and John in his firſt Epiſtle, Chap. 1. v. 3. ſaith, That which wee have ſeen and heard declare wee unto you; and ſo it was of the Prophets, what they heard, that they ſpake, Heb. 1.1. God ſpake unto the fathers by the Prophets, he firſt ſpake to the Prophets, and in them to the Fathers; the Miniſters and Meſſengers of God muſt heare Chriſt firſt, and then declare his minde; be obedient unto his commands, and then mention and publiſh his Will.
2. God looks for more from them he calls to any ſervice then from others; and thou Son of man, be not thou rebellious, I expect other things at thy hand, I look thou ſhouldeſt be as tractable as they have been untractable, as dutifull as they have bin rebellious, you ſee who have been moſt active among them againſt me, I look thou ſhouldeſt be as active in thy place for mee; thoſe God doth put honour upon, and ſet in publike places, it's equall hee ſhould have much from, yea, more then from others: ſaith Paul, The Lord Chriſt inabled me, counted me faithfull, put me into the Miniſtery, 1 Tim. 1.12. and 1 Cor 15.10. His grace which was beſtowed upon me was not in vain, but I laboured more abundantly then they all. God had done much for him, expected it as his hands; and hee deceived not expectation.
3. See here, what God accounts rebellion, wee think it muſt be ſome great notorious thing that makes a Rebell or rebellious; but there is great difference between the judgement of men, and judgement of God. If Ezekiel ſhould be difficult and backward to his work hee call'd him unto, he would count it rebellion, if he would not heare and do what God bid him, hee ſhould be numbred among the rebellious; if hee did not heare every thing that Chriſt ſpake, quecun que ad te loquar audi, ſo the words are read by Calvin, and the originall beares it; if there ſhould be a croſſing of Gods will in any thing, in the leaſt thing, in refuſing to heare or do, it ſhould be before him rebellion; Iſa. 1.20. If yee refuſe and rebell, refuſing to heare Gods Will and to do it, being heard, is rebellion againſt God: ſo in 1. Sam. 12.15. If yee will not obey the voyce of the Lord, but rebell againſt the Commandement; not obeying God, what ever precence we have, is rebellion.
4. That we muſt nor follow the examples and wayes of ſinfull men, be not thou rebellious like that rebellious houſe; they have ſet an ill example before thee, do not thou imitate them, they have writ a foul copy, write not after them, they have walked in wrong paths, do not trace their ſteps; ſuch men uſually are, as thoſe they live with; it's eaſie to grow naught, if wee live among thoſe are naught: Joſeph learn'd to ſweare in Pharaohs Court, and Peter to Judaiſe among the Jewes; Praecepta ducunt, exempla trahunt.Conſent and example of others, is like a mighty torrent that carries down all before it; Example is a potent thing: Gal. 2.14. Why compelleſt thou the Gentiles to Judaize? Paul tells Peter, that there was a compulſory vertue and force in his example, to draw the Gentiles into evill; and it's certain, the cuſtomes, traditions, perſwaſions and examples of friends, are of much prevalency; that Chriſt foreſaw, and arms the Prophet againſt them, heare what I ſay, not what they ſay, let them ſay what they will, regard it not, only let my words have place in thee, and power with thee. But thou wilt object and ſay, They are my friends that perſwade mee, my kindred, mine own fleſh and blood that counſell mee, they are great ones, yea, all, Prince and People, that go that way, they are my parents that command me to do ſo, and I may ſin in refuſing to hearken unto them, the Lord Chriſt takes off all theſe and other objections, be not rebellious as they have been, and are, but conſider; are they friends, kindred, great, Parents? and have they and theirs long been in that way? know, that I that ſpeak to thee, am thy friend, and beſt friend thou haſt; I am thy kinſman, I am here in the form of the Son of man, and to ſuffer in thy nature hereafter, that thou mayeſt be the Son of God, I am thy brother, who hath redeemed thee from ſin, death and hell; if others be great, I am greater then they, and my Throne is above all thrones; if they be thy parents, I am thy everlaſting Father, Iſa. 9.6. and as I have had everlaſting care of thee, ſo do give thee everlaſting Lawes and Rules of worſhip and godlineſſe, in compariſon of whoſe light and wiſdome all men are darkneſſe and folly; and what? will you prefer friends, kindred, great ones, parents, any before me? be not rebellious like them, but hearken unto mee, and let them go, make no league with them, that are wicked and rebellious, Exod. 34.12. do not imitate their worſhip, match not into their families, feaſt not at their tables; chooſe none of their wayes, Prov. 3.31. and Rom. 12.2. Be not conformed to this world, but be yee transformed by the renewing of your minde; that is, do not make the manners of the world, the rule of your life, nor the worſhip of the world, the rule of your worſhip, but look higher; let not your corrupt minds, that will cary you after a corrupt world, a corrupt worſhip, and corrupt manners prevaile with you, but receive new light from Chriſt and the Goſpel into your minds, and then you will be transformed, you will reject all old wayes, old traditions and examples of men, and will be lead by Chriſt, and live by his Rules and Lawes; and thus wee may be wiſer then our forefathers and teachers: Pſal. 119.99, 100. I have more underſtanding then all my teachers, ſaith David, and I underſtand more then the Ancient; Pro faecibus humanis. Non tam ſpectandum quid Romae fiat, quam quid fieri debeat.and what was the ground of it? hee made Gods Law and Word his meditation, his Rule: and thoſe in theſe later dayes, that have done ſo, have got more underſtanding then their teachers, and are wiſer then the Ancients that are for humane inventions, it is lawes not examples we muſt look too: and the Lawyers have a rule very uſefull, men muſt conſider, not what is done, but what ought to be done.
5. That it's the Lords prerogative to appoint ſignificant typicall and ſacramentall ſignes: Eat what I give thee, that was the roul which was ſacramentall, and ſignified the gift of prophecy; No man may lift up a creature to a higher ſpirituall excellency, then what God has ſet it in by nature; what mortall had power to have put upon the brazen Serpent a typicalneſſe to repreſent Chriſt? who had power to make the Rain-bow a ſign of the Covenant between God and man? who could make the Temple a type of Chriſt, but hee that fill'd the Temple with glory? and who can inſtitute Sacraments, ordinary or extraordinary, but God and Chriſt? in them alwayes is a Command and a Promiſe of grace, which falls not within the compaſſe of mans power.
6. That the Lord Chriſt provides meat for his ſervants: Eat what I give thee; Chriſt had propheticall meat for him, a roul to give him. It's from Chriſt, that truths come: As a Nurſe prepares meat for the child, and puts it into the mouth of the child, ſo doth Chriſt here, he ever gives ſeed to his ſowers; he furniſheth his with abilities, if they want books he will provide them.