Exposition of Ezekiel 6-13, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 7 · Verse 23
CHAP. VII.
23. Make a chaine, for the Land is full of bloody crimes, and the City is full of violence.
IN this Verſe is another calamity, and the cauſe of it laid downe. The calamity is a chaine, the cauſe blood, violence.
foreignMake a Chaine.
Trouble, ſaith the Sept. a Concluſion, the vulgar, the Hebrew is, a Chaine, and ſo it's rendered in 1 Kings 6.21. Chaines, and ſo the Rabbies take it here; we may extend it to a roap, a wyth, a chaine, any thing that a man may be bound with
A chain is an embleme of bondage, Nabum 3.10. Her great ones ſhall be bound in chains, Pſalm 107.10. Acts 12.6. & Jerem. 28.13, 14. The yoke of Iron that the Prophet was to make noted the imbondaging of the Nations unto Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon.
Whether by the Chaine be prefigured the ſiege of Jeruſalem as ſome interpret it, or leading into captivity as others will have it: Bondage is included in both: Some thinke the Lord here alludes to Malefactors, that in chaines anſwered at the Bar of Juſtice as Paul did, Acts 26.29. They had freely and fully runne out in vitious courſes, but now they were to anſwer it to God who was ſet in judgement, and ſentencing them to ſuffer heavy things: This alſo notes bondage, which is the ſenſe of the Prophet.
In a Chain 4 things are conſiderable.
Firſt, It's burthenſome, heavy, 1 Kings 12.10. Thy father made our yoake heavy. And yokes, chaines, fetters about neckes, armes, legges, are grievous; when Peter was bound with two chaines, Acts 12.6. it was troubleſome unto him, and ſo was the condition of theſe Jewes, the ſiege, their captivity was very burthenſome; therefore Lam. 3.7. the Church ſaith, hee hath made my chaine heavy. Shee cals her bondage a chaine, and a heavy one.
2. It's reſtrictive, a mans liberty of going and doing is taken away by a chaine, Acts 21.23. When Paul was bound with chaines, whither could he goe, what could he doe, and bondage by a ſiege, captivity, Impriſonment, ſickneſſe, or otherwiſe, is a reſtraint of a man, which are threatned here: Jehoahaz was put in bands at Riblath, that hee might not reigne in Jeruſalem, 2 Kings 23.33.
3. Reproachfull, 2 Tim. 1.16. Oneſiphorus was not aſhamed of my chaine. There is ſhame and reproach attending chain…, and therefore Paul at the Bar, when he wiſhed Agrippa and others were ſuch as he was, excepted his bonds as reproachfull things, Acts 26.29. This is threatned here, and was made good, Jerem. 39.7. Zedekiah had his eyes put out, and was bound with two brazen chaines, and ſo the thing he feared came upon him, mocking and reproach, Jer. 38.19. And not only he, but all of them ſhould be for a curſe, an aſtoniſhment, an hiſſing, and a reproach among all Nations, Jer. 29.18.
4. Tendency to further puniſhment: Paul was bound, Acts 21.33. with two chains. And Acts 24.27. two yeares hee lay in bonds, and to what end, that he might come to judgement, and have further puniſhment, and he was to that purpoſe brought before Agrippa and Feſtus, Acts 26.29. and that in bonds, they tend to other and ſorer judgements: Hence the Devils are ſaid to be in chaines of darkneſſe reſerved unto judgement, 2 Pet. 2.4. Jude 6. They have not their full damnation, they are ſemi-damnati, halfe condemn'd, and kept in chaines for the reſt, and here God would chain up theſe Jewe with bondage, and reſe ve them in bondage to further pun…hment, even eternall deſtruction, Job 21.30. The wicked are reſerved to the day of d…ſtruction, they ſhall be brought forth to the day of wrath.
The Land is full of bloody crimes.
The Hebrew is, the judgement of bloods, they gave out unjuſt ſentences that had power, and condemn'd the innocent; guilty men were ſpared, and the good ſuffered, 2 King. 21.16. Manaſſes filled Jeruſalem with innocent blood, Athaliah ſlew all the Royal ſeed, 2 Kings 11.1. Naboth is falſly condemn'd & ſton'd to death, 1 King. 21.13. Zechariah is ſlain by an unjuſt ſentence, 2 Chron. 24.21. Joaſh the King was ſlain by his ſervants, verſ. 25. Hence its ſaid, Iſa. 59.3. That their hands were defiled with blood, that they were full of blood, Iſa. 1.15. And here, that the land is full of bloody crimes, Ezek. 22.6. Every Prince in Iſrael to his power did ſhed blood.
By bloody crimes ſome underſtand heinous ſins, capitall offences, ſuch as deſerv'd death, and the ſhedding of mens blood as Idolatry, Deut. 13.6.9. Blaſphemy, Levit. 24.16. Witchery, ſorcery, Lev. 20.27. Buggery, Levit. 20.15, 16. Sodomie, verſ. 13. Adultery, verſ. 10. Rapes, Deut. 22.25. Falſe witneſſing, to take away a mans life, Deut. 19.16.18, 19.21. Stealing, any man, woman, or child, Exod. 21.16. Theſe, with murther and treaſon were bloody ſinnes. So that the meaning may be, the Land was ſo full of theſe crimes, that it could not eſcape ſevere puniſhment, Hoſea 4.25. By ſwearing, lying, killing, ſtealing, and committing Adultery, they breake out, and blood touches blood, therefore ſhall the Land mourn; &c.
The City is full of violence.
This holy City was now ſo corrupted, that whereas God and men expected Juſtice and Righteouſneſſe at Jeruſalem above all places in the world, there was violence; yea, a fulneſſe of violence.
By violence, underſtand what ever was contrary to Iuſtice and equity, as fraud in bargaining, Thefts, oppreſſion, uſury, with-holding of rights and wages from the owners thereof, pillaging men of their eſtates, &c. Ezek. 22.7. In thee, that is Jeruſalem, have they ſet light by Father and Mother. oppreſſed the Stranger, vexed the Fatherleſſe and Widowes.
Obſer. 1 That blood and violence, the ſparing of the guilty, and condemning of the innocent, doe bring Lands and Cities into bondage, ſuch ſinnes put them into chaines, which are burthenſome, reproachfull, reſtrictive, and tending to further miſeries, Ezek. 12.19. They ſhall eate their bread with carefulneſſe, and drinke their water with aſtoniſhment, that her Land may be deſolate from all that is therein, becauſe of the violence of all them that dwell therein. It's ſpoken of Jeruſalem, Ezek. 22.4. Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou haſt ſhedde, and haſt defiled thy ſelfe in thine Idols which thou haſt made, and thou haſt cauſed thy dayes to draw neere, and art come even unto thy yeares: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the Heathen, and a mocking to all Countreyes.
Jeruſalems ſins brought reproaching chains upon her, which griev'd and much vext her, verſ. 5. Zephaniah 3.3. Woe to her that is filthy & polluted, to the oppreſſing City. And why woe to her, which includes all miſeries, all judgments, her Princes within her are roaring Lyons, her Judges are evening wolves, they ſucke the blood, eat the fleſh, and gnawed the bones of the people, and therefore woe to them, Jer. 6.6, 7, 8. Hew yee downe trees, caſt a mount againſt Jeruſalem, this is the City to be viſited, ſhe is wholly oppreſſion in the midſt of her. As a fountaine caſteth out her waters, ſo ſhe caſteth out her wickedneſſe: violence and ſpoile is heard in her, before me continually is griefe and wounds. Be thou inſtructed O Jeruſalem, leſt my ſoule depart from thee, leſt I make thee deſolate, a Land not inhabited. She refuſed inſtruction, and was made deſolate, let us be inſtructed now we look to have our chains broken, &c. Jer. 22.15, 16. when Joſiah judged the cauſe of the poor and needy, then it was well with him and the Land. But when Jehoiakims eyes and heart were for covetouſneſſe, blood, oppreſſion, violence, then God threatned that he ſhould be caſt out, and buried with the buriall of an Aſſe, verſ. 17.19. Iſa. 10.1. Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievouſneſſe which they have preſcribed; To turn aſide the needy from judgement, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may robbe the fatherleſſe, and what will ye doe in the day of viſitation, to whom will ye flee for help, and where will you have your glory. Let Magiſtrates, Judges, men in place take heed what decrees they make, what ſentences they pronounce in judgement, they may make our chaine heavy, &c. Let people pray earneſtly that God would aſſiſt them, guide them by his Spirit, that they may judge righteous judgement, execute juſtice upon Delinquents, and keep the Land from blood and violence. Of Edom it's ſaid, for thy violence againſt thy brother Jacob ſhame ſhall cover thee, and thou ſhalt be cut off for ever, Obad. verſ. 10.