Exposition of Ezekiel 6-13, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 11 · Verse 23 – Verse 24
VERS. 23.
And the glory of the Lord went up from the midſt of the City, and ſtood on the mountain, which is on the Eaſt ſide of the City.
HE…e you have Gods departure from the City. To leave the Temple was greivous; had he ſtaid at the gates of it, or in the City it ſelfe, any where within the wals, it had been mercy: but he leaves the Eaſt gate, (which he calls the midſt of the City) and goeth forth unto the mountain, which ſhewed, God would now expoſe the City to the fury and ſpoyle of the Babylonians.
The glory of the Lord.
Of this ſee before Chap. 10.4.18.19. Chap. 9.3. Chap. 8.4. Chap. 3.23.
And ſtood upon the mountain.
There were many mountains about Jeruſalem, Pſal. 125.2. It was compaſſed about with them, the mountaine which the glory went to and ſtood upon, was mount Olivet, or mount Olives, Zach. 14.4. This mountain was before Jeruſalem, on the Eaſt, and the glory of the Lord ſtood before at the Eaſt gate whence it removed, and went up this mountaine; for it was high and had aſcents 2 Sam. 15.30.
The ſtanding of the glory upon this mountain may be eyther to ſee the ruine and deſtruction of the City, and ſo to weepe over it, as Chriſt did upon or neare the ſame mount; Luke 19. or Secondly, to upbraid them for their wickedneſſe there, becauſe they did abominable things in that mount, whence it was cald the mount of corruption, 2 K. 23.13. or,
Thirdly, to make it typicall to repreſent the …ſcending of Chriſt to Heaven, which was from that place, Acts 1.12.
Theſe things being granted, yet I conceive there was ſomewhat elſe in it. The glory of God had made ſeverall ſtands before, which they had not much minded, now it goeth from the Temple and City, to an high conſpicuous mountain, that they might take notice of Gods departure, repent of their ſins, and uſe all poſſible meanes for recalling, recovering, and keeping the glory with them, and Zach. 14.4. The promiſe is of returning and ſtanding upon the ſame mount.
God is unwilling to forſake that people he hath vouchſafed his preſence,Obſer. 1. and communicated his favour unto; no people in the World had God ſo nigh them as this people, Deut. 4.7. Here God goeth out of the City but not quite away, nor quite out of ſight, he ſteps to the mountain over againſt the City. Before, he had removed to the ſide of the Temple, then from within the Temple to the threſhould, after that to the Eaſt gate, and from thence …o mount Oliv …; and God pauzed at every ſtand, whether he ſhould goe any further. The Lord is loath to leave h…s people, they put him upon it. Ezek. 8.6. Seeſt thou the great abominations that they commit here that I ſhould goe farre off from my Sanctuary, they forced God out of all, whe… as ſeeing him upon the leaving them, th…y ſhould have purg d the Sanctuary from all Idolls and falſe worſhip, and have importun'd the Lord to ſtay among them, when a frie…d is l…aving his freinds, what intreaties what teares many times are uſed to ſtay him, Acts 21.12.13. Jer. 14.7.8.9.
2. God is not tyed ſo to any place, or people, bu… when they grow wicked and defile his worſhip, he may leave them, and th… place where he hath recorded his name. Mount Sion God h…d choſen above all places to dwell there. Pſal. 132.14. This is my reſt for ever, here will I dwell for I have deſired it. For ever is a long tim…, in Scripture ſenſe, and God had dwelt a long time with them, but now the time was come of his departure, now the holy Temple, holy City, holy people, were all prophanenes, unto him, they had corrupted his worſhip, polluted themſelves, and therefore he would leave them. The Jewes thought becauſe they had the Temple and God amongſt them, that therefore they were well and happy, though their worſhip were mixt and their lives wicked; but they were deceiv'd. No particular viſible Church hath aſſurance of Gods abiding longer with it, then it keepes his worſhip pure, walks holily and humbly with him; when any corrupt his glory, his worſhip, then the glorious Lord and the glory of the Lord doth leave them.
3. When God leaves a people, then protection of Angells and comfort of Ceeatures leave them alſo, the Cherubims and wheeles together with the glory left them, and went to the mountain. When the King goeth the Court removes, and the Servants follow, when God is gone, we are left naked, lye open to all temptations and miſeries; we have no God to counſell, comfort, protect, or ſave, and what a caſe is ſuch a people in? Jer. 6.8. Be thou inſtructed O Jeruſalem, leaſt my ſoule depart from thee, and what then? Leaſt I make thee deſolate, a Land not inhabited.
VERS. 24.
Afterwards the ſpirit tooke me up, and brought me in viſion by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the Captivity: ſo the viſion that I had ſeen, went up from me.
HEre is the concluſion of this glorious Viſion our Prophet had ſeene. The ſpirit had carryed him not in body, but in ſpirit unto Jeruſalem, Chap. 8.3. And ſhewed him how things were there, what God was purpoſed to doe, and now having ſeen and heard glorious and terrible things, the Viſion went up to Heaven, he ſaw it no more.
The ſpirit an ſhew us things at a great diſtance,Obſer. 1. as if we were preſent, the ſpirit cauſed Ezekiel to ſee things at Jeruſalem, when his body was in Chaldaea. Our ſenſes cannot diſcerne farr, but the ſpirit knoweth all things, in all places, and can ſati…fie us with the knowledge of them, give us ſpirituall and propheticall eyes; Paul ſaith, 2 Cor. 12.2.3. That he was caught up to the third Heaven, but whether in the body or out of the body, he knoweth not, and being there he heard unſpeakable words. The ſpirit took him up, cauſed him to heare ſuch things, ſo did the ſpirit here take up our Prophet, and cauſed him to ſee ſuch things.
2. This Viſion was reall, divine, no imaginary fained thing, not from his braine but from the ſpirit it ſelfe,In raptu abſtrahitur anima a ſenſibus & phantaſmatibus. therefore it's ſaid to put all out of doubt, The ſpirit took him up and brought him in Viſion, and the Viſion I had ſeen went up, which ſhewes it was no humane thing but divine.
3. The ſervants of God have glorious ſights here ſometimes, but they ſoone expire and come to an end, So the Viſion which I had ſeen went up from me. He had ſeen the glory of God, the Cherubims and wheels, and the man cloathed with linnen, Viz. Chriſt, but here was no continuance of this glorious ſight. Jacob ſeeth a ladder reaching up to Heaven, Angells aſcending and deſcending, and the Lord at the top of the ladder, but this was onelyonly for a night and then it ceaſed, Gen. 28.12.13.16. Moſes ſaw the Lord in the burning buſh, Exod. 3.23. But the fight laſted not, Iſaiah ſaw the Lord ſitting upon a Throne, Iſa. 6.1. Peter, James, and John, ſaw the transfiguration of Chriſt. Math. 17. And all the Apoſtles Saw his glory, as the glory of the onelyonly begotten: but the Viſion went up from them.