Exposition of Ezekiel 6-13, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 7 · Verses 1-4
1, Moreover the Word of the Lord came unto me, ſaying,
2. Alſo thou Sonne of man, thus ſaith the Lord God unto the Land of Iſrael, An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the Land.
3. Now is the end come upon thee, and I will ſend mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy wayes, and will recompence upon thee all thy abominations.
4. And mine eye ſhall not ſpare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompenſe thy wayes upon thee, and thine abominations ſhall be in the midſt of thee, and yee ſhall know that I am the LORD.
THIS Chapter, as the former is Propheticall, of the deſtruction of the Jewes, and of their Land.
Firſt, In it is a denuntiation of their totall Ru…, in the 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, verſes.
Secondly, In …he reſt of the Chapters, is a Declaration of their calamities, and the cauſes thereof.
Of the firſt Verſe hath been formerly ſpoken, and likewiſe of The Sonne of man; and moſt things … ſe Verſes: In the ſecond Verſe, the Prophet is in ge…ll acquainted with the mind of GOD towards Iſrael, and in the two next more ſpecially.
foreign Verſe 2.Alſo thou Sonne of man:
The Hebrew is, And thou O Sonne of man: Here is a Nominative caſe abſolute, without reference to any thing; the like you have Pſal. 41.12. As for mee thou upholdeſt me in mine integrity: The Hebrew is, and I, in the Nominative. Thou upholdeſt me: Ego in integritate ſupportaſti me, Zech. 7.5. Did you faſt at all unto mee, even to mee, this laſt mee is Ego: Jeiunaſti mihi ego, ſaith the Originall: Eccleſ. 2.15. As it happeneth to the Foole, ſo it happeneth even to me, Secundum eventum ſtulti etiam ego eveniet mihi: Such Hebraiſmes you have, 1 Sam. 25.24. Gen. 27.24. and in Iſa. 11.10. Pſal. 11.4. you have Nominative Caſes put abſolute, as Thou here in the Text, and it ſerves to quicken up the Prophets ſpirit, and to put him into a readineſſe of Propheſying; And then Ezekiel attend, propheſie.
Ʋnto the Land of Iſrael, or concerning the Land of Iſrael: Its not ſpoken of all the Tribes: Ten were gone long before into Captivity, but by a Synechdoche, of the Tribe of Judah, which yet remained undeſtroyed.
An end, the end is come: The word End is doubled and mentioned againe in the third Verſe: Now is the end, repeated in the ſixth Verſe, An end is come, the end is come; theſe repetitions are not in vaine, they ſet out, Firſt the zeale, intention, and ſpeed of the ſpeaker; Secondly, the evidence, certain y, and weight of the thing ſpoken of: Thirdly, they ſerve to make the deeper impreſſion.
End notes deſtruction, yea a generall deſtruction, Gen. 6.13. The End of all fleſh is come; God would bring a Flood upon the whole Earth, take away all fleſh; and this is cal'd the End of all: So here, God had dealt mercifully with them formerly, but now he would be ſevere, and make an end of them.
Ʋpon the four Corners of the Land: Hebrew is Wings, which metaphorically expreſſes the parts of the Land; Wings are extenſive things, and the parts of Judea that extended from Jeruſalem, Eaſt, Weſt, North, South, are called the Wings or Corners thereof; and the end ſhould come, not onelyonly upon the extreame parts of the Land, but the whole Land: Ʋpon all their Cities, Habitations, and Quarters, from one end to the other: What our Prophet calls here the four Corners or Wings of the Land, Chriſt cals, Mat. 24.31. the 4 winds, they ſhall gather his Elect from the four winds or quarters of the World.
Obſer. 1 That Kingdomes and Churches have their periods; they may continue for ſome hundreds of yeares, but at length they expire; the Kingdome and Church of Judah flouriſhed many years: from Saul their firſt King to Zadekiah their laſt, were 480 yeares, but then you ſee an end is come, the end is come, an end of the State, an end of their Church, an end of all comforts, of all glory and greatneſſe: The Aſſyrian, Perſian, Grecian, and Roman Monarchies had their ends, their glory was layd in the duſt, after it had dazeled the Worlds eyes a few yeares. Wiſedome, ſtrength, greatneſſe, riches, were found in them, but neither any, or all of theſe, preſerved them from ſeeing corruption: The ſeven famous Churches in Aſia are gone, and ſince that time many other Churches and Kingdomes have been ruined: Is not an end comming, if not come upon many Kingdomes at this day, let Germany, Denmarke, Ireland ſpeake: No State, no Church, no condition under the Sunne, is everlaſting; all have their changes and their ends, Pſal. 119.96. I have ſeene an end of all perfection, but thy Commandement is exceeding broad: There is nothing in the World ſo firme, perfect, laſting, bus it's ſubject to corruption: Kingdomes are ſubject to Warres, Plagues, Famines, Treacheries, which ruine them; Churches are ſubject to Errors, Hereſies, Schiſmes, corruptions, prophaneſſe, which ruine them. And all other things have principles of deſtruction in themſelves, which bring them to an end, within the compaſſe of a few years, But thy Commandement is exceeding broad, it goeth beyond the terme of theſe periſhing things, it's not for a hundred or thouſand years, and ſo to expire, but it abides for ever.
Obſer. 2 2. God will premoniſh before he doth puniſh a ſinfull people, he comes not upon them unwarned, he tels them before hand what they muſt looke for: If a generall deſtruction be decreed, ready to be executed, he will hint it to his Prophets, they ſhall declare it to the people, that thoſe that are the Lords may be awakened, brought to repentance, be ſecur'd from eternall ruine, if not the temporall, and that the reſt may be convinced of their own evill ways, and may juſtifie the proceedings of the Lord.
Verſ. 3.3. Now is the end come upon thee: They having the common ſickneſſe of mankind in them, to put off judgements, and the day of evill when threatned, as if there were no ſuch thing, or at a great diſtance: The Lord brings the judgement home to them, and cuts off all their ſhifts: Now is the end upon thee, now is the finall deſtruction, and for Thee, not for others that live among the Nations, not for thy Poſterity that comes after thee: Not for the Tribes are carryed away, but for thee that art ſecure and feareſt not. Now is the end, its very nigh; ſome yeares were to paſſe before the end came; it was now the ſixth yeare of their Captivity, and Zedekiah that ſucceeded Jehoiachim, was upon the ſixth yeare of his Reigne at Jeruſalem, and the ninth yeare, the tenth month, began this finall deſtruction, 2 Kings 25.1. Then came Nebuchadnezzar with all his Forces into the Land, and beſieged Jeruſalem, and in the eleventh yeare, the fourth and fifth moneths it was accompliſhed, Verſ. 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10. So that here was three or four years before this end came, five and upwards before it was fulfilled, yet its ſayd, Now is the end come upon thee.
Things future in Scripture are ſpoken of as preſent, or paſt, Iſa. 1.8. The daughter of Zyon is left as a Cottage in a Vineyard, Chap. 24.10. The Citie of confuſion is broken downe: every houſe is ſhut up, that no man may come in: There is a crying for Wine in the ſtreets: This is ſpoken as preſent, and it was yet to come: Chap. 42.22. This is a people robbed and ſpoyled: Revel. 18.2. Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of Devils: John 3.18. Hee that beleeveth not is condemned already: Theſe Scriptures ſpeake of things as paſt and were then to come, the Lord uſeth to ſpeak ſo in his word, of things future ſometimes as preſent, ſometimes as paſt, becauſe with him is no difference of times, and for that they are as certainely to take place, as if they were doing, or done.
God looks not upon time as we doe, that is future, we thinke to be at a great diſtance, that is to come, 2, 3, 7, 20, or 100. yeares hence, that we apprehend very remote, and hath little influence into us; or operation upon us, but God looks upon things at little, and great diſtances as preſent: Now is the end come upon thee: 70 yeares he calls a preſent little moment, Iſa. 54.7, 8. & 1 Pet. 4.7. The end of all things is at hand: 1 John 2.18. It is the laſt houre: It is about 1600 yeares ſince the ſpirit of God ſpake thus by Peter and John, and yet the end of all things is not come, the laſt hour is not out, times future are preſent with God, and ſo propounded to us that they might worke the more ſtrongly upon us, cauſe us to feare God more, to be ſober and watch unto Prayer.
I will ſend mine anger upon thee: God had formerly delt ſparingly with them, now and then chaſtiſed them with rods, now he would be more ſevere and chaſten them with Scorpions, he had kept in his wrath formerly, but now he would ſend it forth in ſtrength, they ſhould not have gentle corrections, but terrible Judgements; he would ſend out wrath and not mercy: Anger here is put for the effects of anger, puniſhments, judgements, by a metonymie of the efficient.
Will judge thee according to thy wayes: Judging is ſometimes put for ſentencing of perſons or things, Rom. 2.16. In the day that God ſhall judge the ſecrets of men: That is, paſſe a ſentence upon them: ſometimes for puniſhing, Heb. 13.4. Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge: That is, puniſh: And ſo here, I will judge thee: Firſt I will puniſh, and leaſt it may be thought God in his anger ſhould exceed meaſure in puniſhing, its added.
According to thy wayes; not according to my wayes, but thine, which in the judgement of any, or all, muſt be equall, looke what thou haſt done and deſerved by it, that thou ſhalt have, the word Wayes is metaphoricall, and notes mens manners, actions, courſes of life, Prov. 21.2. Every way of a man is right in his owne eyes: ſo Pſal. 1.1.6. Mens owne deviſes, Judges 2.19. Cuſtome, Jer. 10.2. And in this place, their actions and converſations are cal'd wayes; becauſe their affections, the feet of the ſoule are in them, and they lead unto ſome place as wayes doe, all actions have a tendencie to Heaven or Hell. This phraſe is expounded by that in Hoſ. 4.9. I will puniſh them for their wayes: They have done evill and ſhall ſuffer for it.
And will recompence upon thee all thine abominations.
The Hebrew is, I will give, or put upon thee, &c. The Vulgar is,Ponam costra te. I will put againſt thee all; and others have it, I will repoſe or turne back upon thee all thine abominations; hitherto thou haſt put them upon me,Reponam, Juni. and I have borne them, now I will returne them and lay them upon thy ſelfe: God would now reward them for their abominations, Hoſ. 4.9. I will puniſh them for their wayes, and reward them for their doings: Their reward ſhou'd returne upon their owne head, Obad. 15.
Obſer. Gods Judgements prevent ſinners expectations, they are nearer men then they conceive: Now is the end come, the Prophet in Babylon ſees it, but they at Jeruſalem apprehended it not, none would beleive that deſtruction ſhould come upon Jeruſalem, Lam. 4.12. Yee put farre away the evill day, Amos 6.3. they put it farre from their thoughts, hearts, if it came in at all, they looke upon it as comming in after Generations, and not in theirs, Ezek. 12.22. It was come to a Proverbe in Iſrael, the dayes are prolonged, and every viſion faileth, Verſ. 27. The viſion that hee ſeeth is for many dayes to come, and hee propheſieth of the times that are afarre of: they grew ſecure, fear'd not the threatnings put upon them at a great diſtance, and what lay in them, nul'd the Propheſies, and therefore in the 28 Verſe, God ſaith, There ſhall none of my words be prolonged any more; God would haſten the puniſhment of them, and they ſhould ſuddainely overtake them: Iſa 29.1, 5, 6. Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the City where David dwelt. Ariel is Jeruſalem, ſo called, becauſe there was the Mountaine, Temple, and Altar of God; ſo it is in Ezek. 43.15. The Altar ſhall be four Cubits; the Hebrew is, Harel, the Mountaine of God, where the Temple and Altar was, but the word is Ariel, not Harel, and ſignifies the Lyon of God; not becauſe Jeruſalem was in the forme of a Lyon, but for that it was a ſtrong City, thought to be impregnable, and God threatens ruine againſt it: and Verſ. 5. It ſhall be at an inſtant ſuddainely, when men have no thoughts thereof; it ſhould be as ſuddaine as Thunder, Earth-quakes, and Tempeſts are, Verſ. 6. Hab. 1.7. Shall they not riſe up ſuddenly that ſhall kill thee; Yes, they ſhould, the Northerne Army was upon them before they looked for them, they cryed Peace, Peace, and when it is ſo then ſudden deſtruction is at hand, 1 Theſ. 5.3. The old World was ſecure, untill the day that Noah entered into the Arke, Luke 17.27. and then the Flood came preſently and deſtroyed them all; they beleeved neither Noahs Preaching, nor his preparations for himſelfe and Children: So in Sodom, they were not awakened out of their ſecurity till the fire and brimſtone was felt, Gen. 19.28, 29. Agag thought the bitterneſſe of death paſt, when he was going to execution, 1 Sam. 15.32. While Belſhazzer is drinking healths, God ſends a hand to write a ſentence of death againſt him and his Kingdome, Dan. 5.4, 5, 30. In a morning ſhall the King of Iſrael be utterly cut off; ere he can get out of his Bed God would let out his blood, Hoſ. 10.15. What ever men thinke, the Judge and Judgement is at the doore, its neer: Germany, Denmarke, Ireland, England, did not thinke that ſuch ſad bloody deſtroying Judgements were ſo neer as now they find them: Let us not be ſecure but feare, paſſe the time of our ſojourning here in feare, remembring Solomons happineſſe, Prov. 28.14. Happy is the man that feareth alway; and Jobs practice, The thing which I greatly feared is come upon mee, Job 3.25. Let Gods Judgements come ſooner or later, it's duty, wiſedome, in us, to feare, to prepare for them; its folly to ſleep when thieves are about the houſe, and may prove death to doe it, when a fire is kindled in the habita…ion.
2. No people ſinning grievouſly againſt God are exempted from deſolating judgements, this people was Gods people more peculiarly then any people in the World beſides, Deut. 7.6. A people neere unto God: Pſal. 148.14. Wiſe and underſtanding: Deut. 4.6. They were the Redeemed ones, Iſa. 62.12. The holy people, Dan. 8.24. that knew Gods name, Iſa. 52.6. That had Gods Law in their hearts, Iſa. 51.7. That were bleſſed above all, Deut. 7.14. They had the holy Land, the Temple, Worſhip, Ordinances, Oracles of God, the Prophets, and preſence of God onelyonly: All the World beſides lay in darkneſſe, were without God; but theſe were his ſtrength, his glory, Pſal. 78.61. As deare to him as the apple of his eye, Zech. 2.8. Yet when theſe people ſin'd and rebel'd againſt God, deſtructive judgements came upon them: An end is come upon Thee; Ʋpon thee Jeruſalem, upon thee my people: They were honoured with many titles, were Gods Church, yet when they ſin'd againſt God, caſt off his Yo…k, none of them, not all their priviledges would protect them from deſolation.
Gods Judgements are Gods meſſengers ſent forth at his pleaſure, I will ſend mine anger upon thee; God hath the command of judgements, as any man hath of his ſervants; the Centurion had not ſo much power over his Souldiers, as the Lord hath over puniſhments, calamities, and ruines of Kingdomes, be they publique or private judgements, they are at the beck of the Lord: What was the anger and judgement here, the ſending of Nebuchadnezzar with his haſty and bitter Caldeans to deſtroy the Jewiſh Nation; God had that King and all Forces at command to ſend out of Babylon about his ſervice, to make Warre upon his people that were Idolatrous: God hath his four ſore judgements to ſend upon a Land when he pleaſes, Ezek. 14.21. He can ſend Hornets among people to ſting them to death, Deut. 7.20. If he doe but hiſſe for the Fly of Aegipt, and the Bee of Aſſyria, they ſhall come and doe their office, Iſa. 7.18, 19. If God call for any evill upon Kingdomes, Cities, Churches, Families, Perſons, they come preſently and accompliſh the meſſage they are ſent for, when God ſpake by Moſes, and ſayd, Let there be Froggs, Flies, Lice, Murraine, Hayle, Locuſts, Blood, Darkneſſe, Death, they came immediatly: God hath called for a Sword upon moſt part of the Chriſtian world, and is it not at worke? Doth it not eate fleſh and drink blood? May we not ſay, O thou Sword of the Lord, how long will it bee ere thou be quiet, put up thy ſelfe into thy Scabbard, reſt and bee ſtill: How can it be quiet ſeeing the Lord hath given it a charge againſt Aſhkelon, and againſt the Sea ſhore, there hath he appointed it, Jer. 47.6, 7.
God hath command of Warres, gives charge to the Sword againſt Ireland, England, other places, there hath he appointed it; and how can it be quiet? no, till Gods will and worke be accompliſhed, there is no quiet.
4. Gods proceedings with a guilty Nation are juſt and equall, his judgements are without reproofe, I will judge thee according to thy wayes, not as I will, but as thou haſt done; not after my wayes, or the wayes of other people, but after thine owne ways; how juſt is it that a man ſhould reap what he ſows: If men have the Law paſſe upon them according to the nature and merit of their facts, what wrong is done to any, who hath cauſe to complaine of the Judge; God knows the nature and merits of a Nations ſinnes, and proceeds in his judgements accordingly: He is a righteous Judge, and no man hath juſt cauſe to complaine; he ſtops the mouth of iniquity, Lament. 3.39. Wherefore doth a living man complaine, a man for the puniſhment of his ſinnes: he ſhould not doe it. Its juſt, equall, that if a man ſinne againſt God, he ſhould ſuffer from God; if God beare his ſins, he muſt beare Gods puniſhments; let Kingdoms ſuffer dreadfull things from Heaven, Warres, Famine, Peſtilence, what ever is deſtructive, God is to be juſtifyed by all, he deales with you according to your wayes; let the moſt carping Momus, the ſevereſt Critick, let Satan himſelfe, Gods greateſt enemy, examine his judgements, upon Kingdomes, Churches, together with their ſinnes, and he ſhall juſtifie God, and pronounce him cleare, equall, righteous; in his wayes, God deales not otherwiſe with men then their wayes require, Zech. 1.6. According to our wayes, and according to our doings, ſo hath the Lord dealth with us: Therefore juſtifie God and be patient.
5. Its mens owne wayes which bring ruine upon them: I will judge thee according to thy wayes; Thy wayes bring my judgements, Proverbs 1.31. They ſhall eate of the fruit of their owne wayes, and bee filled with their owne devices: What fruit doe mens ſinfull wayes bring forth, even ſower and bitter fruit; guilt, feares, ſorrows, afflictions, ruine, upon ſuch fruit they muſt feed, with ſuch fruit they ſhall be filled, Hoſ. 13.9. O Iſrael thou haſt destroyed thy ſelfe; Iſraels ſinnes were her wounds, they were the Plague, Famine, and Sword, that ruined them; the iniquities of a Kingdome are the deaths of a Kingdome, their ſinnes will find them out, Numb. 32.23. They are like Blood-hounds that hunt out the Authors of them, and ceaſe upon them, hence Iſa. 59.12. Its ſayd, Our tranſgreſſions are with us, to weary us, to wound us, to deſtroy us; men cannot ſhake off their ſinnes they have committed, they will follow them, ſeaze upon them, hold them faſt, Prov. 5.22. His owne iniquities ſhall take the wicked himſelfe, and he ſhall be holden with the Cords of his ſinnes; he ſhall dye without inſtruction; wicked mens ſinnes may take others, and ſometimes doe, but they certainely take themſelves; they twiſt Cords to bind, but it is themſelves, its to make themſelves burnt ſacrifices for Hell.
6. When God comes in judgement upon a Nation, he will deale throughly with it, viſit for all ſins, I will recompence upon thee all thine abominations; God tooke notice of what was done in the darke, in the light, upon Mountaines, in Valleys, under every green Tree, no Idols, falſe Worſhip, inventions of theirs, but the Lord obſerv'd them, reſerv'd them in mind, and rendered unto them anſwerable for them; before he had dealt with them for ſome, now he would deale with them for all their abominations, and bring them as an unſupportable burden upon them.
Verſ. 4.And mine eye ſhall not ſpare, &c.
Much is ſayd in the ſacred Scriptures, of the great and tender mercies of the Lord, and many patterns of his mercies are to be found therein, and the ſinners in Zyon conceited God to be all mercy, ſinn'd ſecurely, and fear'd no judgements; upon this great abuſe of Divine mercy, ſaith the Lord, Mine eye ſhall not ſpare, neither will I have pity; you ſhall find me all juſtice, conſuming fire, without any ſparing or pitying: judgement after judgement ſhall come upon you, till you are deſtroyed, you thinke to goe on in your ſinfull wayes, and find me mercifull; but I am provok't and you ſhall feele me dreadfull; nothing ſhall prevaile to draw me to any remorſe or pity, the conſideration you are my people, not reproach of Heathens round about you, not your prayers, teares, ſufferings, blood, not that you are Abrahams and Davids poſterity, not the diſhonour my Name ſhall have by you, I am now hardened againſt you, and will puniſh thee openly according to thy abominations; thou ſhalt have great puniſhments in the middeſt of thee, which will evidence the greatneſſe of thy ſins, and cauſe thee to acknowledge me to be a juſt God; of the words in this Verſ. have been ſpoken, Chap. 5.11. & 8. Verſ. & Chap. 6.7. and in the precedent Verſe of this Chapter.