Exposition of Ezekiel 6-13, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 11 · Verse 4 – Verses 10-11
VERS. 4.
Therefore propheſie againſt them, &c.
THe word propheſie is twice mentioned, to ſet out the intention of God which was ſet againſt them, the certainty of the thing, and to prevent delay in the Prophet, he muſt goe and tell them of heavy and ſad things: God was greatly diſpleaſed with them, and therefore will have the Prophet without any delay to make known his pleaſure againſt them; he muſt ſpeak freely and boldly, and foretell them of their deſtruction.
Obſerv. 1 That prophane ſcoffing at the tru…hs and threats of God provokes him greatly: They had ſcoffed at Jeremies words; This Citie is the cauldron, and we be the fleſh, and made conſtructions of them to pleaſe themſelves: Therefore ſaith God, propheſie againſt them. His ſpi…it was ſtirr'd, and he ſtirs up the Prophet to declare his wrath againſt ſuch ſcoffers. Gods threats and judgements ſhould make men tremble, Job 41.10 Who is able to ſtand before me. At his preſence the mountains melt, Iſa. 64.3. When he threatned, the great City Nineveh repented, Jonah 3. and Devils tremble, Jam. 2.19. Mountains, Ninevites, Devils, melt, repent, tremble, and yet Iſraelites ſcoffe at the threats and judgements of God; but the Lord will not endure it, the Prophet muſt declare dreadfull things againſt them.
Men that have ſcoffed at the truths and wayes of God, have been laſh'd with the judgements of God.
John Apowel ſcoffing at one for praying,Fox in Acts & Monument. was preſently ſurpriz'd with feare, and the next day found mad, crying out night and day, O the Devill, the Devill.
Another hearing a godly Miniſter preaching of that Text, Prov. 10.7. The memory of the juſt is bleſſed, but the name of the wicked ſhall rot, ſcoffed at the Miniſter, and ſaid, he had made a rotten Sermon; preſently after hurting his tongue with a litttle wood which he held at his mouth, his tongue ſwel'd, rotted, and he dyed of it.
2. That ſervants of God having divine warrant, are forthwith to doe their office, although they be meſſengers of ſad tidings. Propheſie, propheſie againſt them; he hath command from God, and he muſt not ſtick now, and ſay, they are great men, the chiefe of the Citie, ſuch as ſought Jeremie's death, and If I ſhall propheſie againſt them, they will uſe means to cruſh me; God by doubling the word, takes him off from all ſuch reaſonings, from all delayes, and expected immediate performance of his commands. Let men fret at the meſſages of Gods ſervants, they muſt reſpect God, and not man, they muſt give out what the Lord hath given in. If men be great, God is greater, we muſt be faithfull to him, who ever ſuffers by it.
VERS. 5.
And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me.
Reſedit ſuper me ſpiritus prophetiae a facie Domini ſaith the Chald. Cum in me Jehovae ſpiritus illapſus eſt, Caſt. Cecidit ſuper me, Tigur. Incidit in me. Jun. Irruit in me. Vulg. Survint en moy French.'T The Hebrew word foreign notes the falling of a thing from a high place,*Jerome. cum vi & impetu: and ſo here the Spirit coming from above, offered not violence to the Prophet, but came upon him with might and power, and provoked him to propheſie.
Thus have you ſaid.
Whether the Spirit or Prophet repeated their words, is not evident, they are not expreſſed; where the ſenſe is evident from former expreſſions, the Scripture is frequently ſilent, and repeats not the words. 2 Kings 5.4. Thus and thus ſaid the maid that is of the land of Iſrael. So 2 Sam. 17.15. Thus and thus did Ahitophel counſell, ſaith Huſhai, and thus and thus did I counſell; the ſenſe was known by what was before, and therefore the words are not repeated, the Scripture ſhuns the multiplying of words needleſly.
O houſe of Iſrael.
That is, the houſe of Judah, the whole being put for a part, and this is frequent.
I know the things which come into your minds.
The Hebrew is,Aſcenſiones ſpiritus veſtri. Calv. Quae ſubeunt animum veſtrum Jun. Quae aſcendunt, Tig. Mentis veſtrae cogitatus. Caſt. Cogitationes ſpiritus veſtri. Pol. Les choſes qui montent. Fr. foreign foreign which notes thoſe things that riſe up out of mens hearts, as weeds out of the earth, or leaves upon trees, foreign is a leafe, quia ſurſum creſcit, what ever goes out and up from the heart or ſpirit of a man, that is underſtood by Maaloth, Matth. 15.19. ill thoughts goe out from the heart, goe up to the tongue, to the eyes, Luke 24.38. Why doe evill thoughts or reaſoning ariſe in your hearts.
Obſer. 1. Whom the Lord ſends about his work, he enables to do it; goe propheſie, propheſie, & preſently the Spirit fell upon him, whereby he was furniſhed with propheticall matter, and inabled to deliver it. When God ſent Moſes, he furniſhed him for the great work he appointed him to; Moſes pleaded his in eloquence and ſlowneſſe of ſpeech; but God ſaid, Exod. 4.12. Goe, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee, &c.
2. To new acts or propheſie, new acceſſe of the Spirit is requiſite; he had received the ſpirit before divers times, Chap. 1.3.2.2.3.14.22.24.8.1. And here again b…fore he propheſies, the Spirit falls upon him, which ſhews that to ſpirituall work antecedent receptions of the ſpirit ſufficeth not, there muſt be new influxe of the ſpirit, for new acts of propheſie: Propheta eſt ſupernaturalis quaed…m cognitio in divina revelatione fundata a quo praedictio prophetica praecedit. If the Spirit therefore doe not reveal new things unto the Prophets, they could not propheſie; for propheſie is no habit which men might ſtir up, and uſe at their pleaſure. Prophets know not ſecret and future things, but as the Spirit reveales them. Eliſha knew not the death of the Shunamites ſonne, 2 Kings 4.27. The Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me,Hermas in his book cal'd paſtor. c. 2. mentions a booke of their propheſie, & cites theſe words, prope eſt Dominus his quiſe ad eum converiunt ſicut ſcriptum eſt in Eldad & Medad qui vaticinati ſunt in ſolitudine populi, Alap. and Nathan knew not the mind of God about building the Temple, 2 Sam. 7.3. There muſt be new acts of the Spirit revealing unto the Prophets when they give out Propheticall things; but Numb. 11.26. The ſpirit reſted upon Eldad and Medad, and they prophecyed in the Camp. Some think they continued conſtantly prophecying, and ceaſed not, but that is an opinion only. The ſpirit reſting upon them, argues not that they did alway propheſie, or had a habit of prophecying, but that they were numbred amongſt the Prophets, and at what times it pleaſed the Spirit, had new revelations, which they declared, ſuitable to that in Iſa. 50.4. He wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine eare to heare as the learned; the Prophet could not ſpeake a word in ſeaſon if God had not wakened him, and ſpake to him every morning.
3. Supernaturall things commmanded are not in vaine; God bid Ezekiel propheſie, he was not able to doe it; the Phliſtims might more eaſily have interpreted Sampſons riddle: Job might as well have anſwered Gods great queſtions, in Chap. 38, 39, 40, 41. as our Prophet have prophecyed; but God commanded, and he cauſed the Spirit to fall upon him; as the Lord calls upon us to repent, to believe, theſe be ſupernaturall workes, and men may as ſoo…e remove mountains, plucke the Sun out of heaven, as do theſe; but God that commands them, gives power & grace to doe them, Phil. 1.29. 2 Tim. 2.25.
4. The Prophets had warrant to deale particularly, even with the greateſt ſinners: Speak, thus have you ſaid, how? thus, it is not neare, let us build houſes, this City is the cauldron, and we be the fleſh. The Prophet muſt goe and tell them what they have ſaid, though they were the chiefeſt men of the City. When great ones ſinne, they muſt be told of their ſinnes in a ſpeciall manner. David he defiles his body with adultery, and the land with blood, Nathan comes to him, and tels him a parable that was ſo generall as David tooke it not home to himſelfe, thereupon the Prophet deales roundly with him, and tels him, thou art the man, 2 Sam. 12.7. And verſ. 9. Thou haſt killed Ʋriah the Hittite with the ſword of Ammon, and taken his wife, now therefore the ſword ſhall never depart from thy houſe. So Elijah ſpake home to Ahab, and told him that it was he and his Fathers houſe that troubled Iſrael, 1 King. 18.18.becauſe they had forſaken the commandements of the Lord, and followed Balaam. Iſaiah flattered not great nor ſmall when he ſaid, Chap. 1.10. Heare the word of the Lord ye rulers of Sodome, and people of Gomorrah: And Jeremie muſt ſay unto the King, and to the Queene, humble your ſelves, ſit downe, for your principalities ſhall come downe, even the crown of your glory, Jer. 13.18. John told Herod it was not lawfull for him to have his brothers wife, Mar. 6.18. & Luke 3.19. It's ſaid he was foreign he ſhewed him the greatneſſe, fowlneſſe, and danger of his ſinne, and laboured to convince him by ſtrong arguments: ſo Paul dealt with Peter, and John with Diotrophes, and there is great reaſon that Miniſters ſhould tell men of their ſins, Ezek. 3.18. If thou ſpeakeſt not to warne the wicked from his wicked way, to ſave his life, the ſame wicked man ſhall dye in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand.
5. That what ever riſings, thoughts, workings, are in mens ſpirits, the Lord knows them, and that exactly. I know the things come into your minds every one; there is nothing in man hid from God; a thought is a ſmall thing, yet thoughts eſcape not the eye of God. Jer. 17.9, 10. The heart is deceitfull above all things, and deſperately wicked, who can know it? Not a mans ſelfe, not Sathan, not Angels, who then? I the Lord ſearch the heart, I try the reines. Man may know it conjecturally, Prov. 20.5. He may by his art pump out much, man may know it by revelation, 1 Sam. 9.19. So Samuel the Seer could tell Saul all that was in his heart; but to know what is in the heart of man, immediately, exactly, and certainly, can none but God, he only is foreign therefore the Apoſtle prayed to him under that notion, Acts 1.24. Thou Lord, which knoweſt the hearts of all men, ſhew which of all theſe thou haſt choſen. There is no jugling with God, his eye beholds all, and if there could be doubt of any thing with him, he ſearcheth the heart, he tryes the reines; this is ſpoken to our capacity, God needs no ſearching, no trying; for Pſal. 119.2. Thou underſtandeſt my thoughts afar off: Not that God is at diſtance from us, or our thoughts, but he underſtands them while they are farre off from us, from our knowledge, while they are potentiall, as Gardiners know what weedes ſuch ground will bring forth, when nothing appears, Deut. 31.21. I know their imagination which they goe about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I ſware. God knew their thoughts before they came into Canaan, what they would be there. And how can it be, but that God ſhould know all our thoughts, ſeeing he made the heart, and it's in his hand, Prov. 21.1. ſeeing we live, move, and have our beings in God, Acts 17.28. ſeeing he is through us all, and in us all, Eph. 4.6. Looke well to your hearts, thoughts, riſings, what ever comes into your mind; let no ſecret ſinnes, corruptions, lodge there, thinke not to conceale any thing from the eye of God, Pſal. 90.8. Thou haſt ſet our iniquities before thee: and not only them, but our ſecret ſins in the light of thy countenance. Thou lookeſt upon them fully, ſeeſt, knoweſt them exactly, therefore remember that, Eccl. 12.13, 14. Feare God, and keepe his commandements: and why? for God ſhall bring every worke into judgement, with every ſecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evill. There is no ſhuffling with God, men in great place, or of great parts cannot elude or evade him.
VERS. 6.
Ye have multiplyed your ſlain in this Citie, &c.
BEfore they had been prophane, now their injuſtice appears. Some think the men were not actually ſlain, but oppreſſed and cruelly dealt withall; violence and oppreſſion being counted in the Scripture ſenſe, murther: but it's not probable that our Prophet would uſe ſuch expreſſions, as to multiply the ſlain, and fill the ſtreets with ſlain, if none were ſlain. Chap. 7.23. The land is full of bloody crimes: And Chap. 9.9. The land is full of blood. And Ezek. 22.2. It's called the bloody Citie. So in the 24.6. & 9. verſes, the Heb. is the City of bloods. Theſe great men who gave the ill counſell, it's likely that they cruſht thoſe oppoſed them, and dealt with them as ſeditious, as rebellious, as enemies to the City and State. Jeremie you know, they ſought his life, petitioned the King that he might be put to death, Jer. 38.4. And it's probable, that many which would not conforme to their idolatrous practiſes were cut off.
When the Lord is about to proceed in judgement againſt evill doers, he declares the cauſe of his proceeding in ſuch a way:Obſer. When God intended to deſtroy the world, he made knowne the cauſe thereof, Gen. 6.5, 6.11.12. When hee was about to fire Sodome, he diſcovered to Abraham the ground of i…, Gen. 18.20.
VERS. 7.
The ſlain whom yee have laid in the middeſt of it, they are the fleſh, and this Citie is the cauldron.
HEre the Lord ſhewes them who are the fleſh in the cauldron: Not in that ſenſe they tooke it; for they thought themſelves ſhould be the fleſh, live till old age in the City: but the Lord tels them here that thoſe they had ſlain unjuſtly, whoſe carkaſſes lay in the ſtreets, and conſum'd away, they were the fleſh boil'd in the cauldron. Manaſſes had been bloody, and Zedekiah was bloody, and the ſlain were the fleſh, and ſo the City was a cauldron to them, but not to the others, I will bring them forth of the midſt of it.
God tels them they ſhall neither live nor dye in it, he would order things ſo, that they ſhould be carryed out of Jeruſalem: and for certainty of it the words are repeated in the beginning of the 9. verſ.
Judgements of God cannot be waved by mens wits or power, they jeered and made a conſtruction of fleſh and cauldron ſuitable to their own minds,Obſer. and conceited they ſhould dye in the City in peace; but the Lord tels them no, he would bring them forth out of the middeſt of it.
VERS. 8.
You have feared the Sword, and I will bring a Sword upon you, &c.
IEremie had counſelled them to yeeld themſelves, Chap. 38.17. the King and reſt through feare would not hearken: They feared the ſword, and therefore ſent to Aegypt for help, Jer. 2.18. They feared the ſword, but not the Babyloniſh captivity, the Lord brought both upon them.
Obſer. 1 Where guilt is, there is fear; they were deeply guilty of impiety and injuſtice, they had ſin'd againſt God by their idolatry, againſt their brethren by their bloodineſſe, againſt the King of Babylon by breaking oath and covenant with him, Ezek. 17.15. and now what ever they ſaid, it's not neare, yet they were full of feare; God ſaw what timorous ſpirits they had. If the horrour of their wicked acts did not ſeize upon them, yet feare of wrath and judgement poſſeſſed them. Pſal. 14.5. ſpeaking of workers of iniquity, he ſaith, There they were in a great feare, Heb. is, they feared a fear; but where was it, in their conſciences? When the light of nature did convince them of their wickedneſſe, there where the conviction was they feared greatly. Prov. 28. The wicked flye when no man purſueth. They feare, and ſo fear, that they flye to ſecure themſelves from imaginary dangers. Lev. 26.36. The ſound of a ſhaken leafe ſhall chaſe them. And Job 15.21. Eliphaz ſpeaking of the wicked, ſaith, A dreadfull ſound is in his eares: The Heb. is a ſound of feares; ſuch was in Richard the 3d whoſe hand was ever upon his dagger. The wicked are a reſtleſſe ſea, Iſa. 57.20.
2. That which ſinners fear, the Lord brings upon them: Saul feared the devolution of the Kingdom to another, and it fell to David. The Jewes feared leſt the Romans ſhould come, and take away their place and Nation, John 11.48. and they did doe it. Prov. 10.24. The feare of the wicked it ſhall come upon him, it's comming towards him every day, and will be upon him ere he dye.
After the flood the people feared ſcattering, and therefore ſaid, Let us build a tower, whoſe top may reach unto heaven, Gen. 11.4. & verſ. 8. The Lord ſcattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth. Men that feare evils uſually take ſurer courſes to prevent them, which juſtly brings the thing feared upon them. Richard the third feared the Kingdome would not be firme to him, his Nephews he murthers for ſecurity, and this kindled fire in the Kingdome, which quickly conſum'd him. The Prelats feared their ſtanding; to eſtabliſh themſelves, they remove from jus regium, to jus divinum; they frame a new Oath, with an &c. in it, to ſweare all men to put to their ſhoulders for ſupport of their tottering Kingdome, but it is fallen, it is fallen.
VERS. 9.
I will bring you out of the middeſt thereof.
OF theſe words before in the 7. verſ.
And deliver you into the hands of ſtrangers.
Not of the neighbour Nations; for had they come againſt them, becauſe of commerce, conſultation, language, and ſome references to them, the Nobles and great ones might have found favour; therefore God would put them into the hands of ſtrangers that underſtood not their language, that had no inducements to ſhew favour to them, that regarded neither great nor ſmall: They had deſtroyed their friends, now ſtrangers ſhould deſtroy them.
I will execute judgements among you. Of theſe words I ſpake, Chap. 5. verſ. 8.
The Lord can uſe any inſtruments to accompliſh his judgements: ſtrangers, heathens, prophane ones,Obſer. it matters not what the inſtruments be, if the holy God uſe them; his uſage of them is holy, and he orders all their thoughts, counſels, operations, to accompliſh his owne ends.
VERS. 10, 11.
I will judge you in the border of Iſrael.
THe ſame words are in the 11. verſe. Where this was muſt be e…quired, it's generally thought to be at Riblath, and the Scripture is for it, 2 K. 25.6. ſome have thought it to be in Babylon, but without warrant, 2 Kings 23.33. Riblah was in the land of Hamath, which lay on the North part of Canaan on the Eaſt ſide: and Bonfrerius obſerves in his Onomaſticon of Cities and places, that Jerome thinks it to be Antiochia, Adrichomius, ſome Citie of Syria or Judaea in the Tribe of Nepthali, and this the Scripture gives countenance unto, Numb. 34.11, 12. Others think it to be a Province in Syria, afterwards called Epiphania, from Antiochus Epiphanes. This Riblah or Epiphania was at the border of Iſrael, where Nebuchadnezzar was, whether Zedekiah was brought, and there God judg'd him and the reſt, 2 Kings 25.6. They tooke the King, and brought him to the King of Babylon to Riblah, and gave judgement upon him. Heb. is, ſpake judgement; they expoſtulated with him and the reſt about their treachery, in breaking the oath, and revolting from the King of Babylon. And there judgement was executed, Zedakiah ſees his ſons ſlain, his eyes are put out, all the Nobles are put to death, Jer. 39.5, 6, 7.52.10.
Obſer.God puniſheth ſinners in places, and by perſons they think not of. Theſe men thought they ſhould dye in Jeruſalem, never fall into the hands of ſtrangers; but God carryed them to Riblah, to the borders of the land, delivered them into the hands of ſtrangers, from whom they found no pitty, no mercy: It's ſome comfort to men to dye in their owne Countrey among their friends,Oterque quaterque beati queis ante ora patrū Trojae ſub maenibus altis Contigit oppetere. that will take care of their dead corps, ſee the ſame inter'd honourably after death. Hence was it that Aeneas counted them happy who dyed before the walls of Troy; when hee was floating upon the Seas, and in danger of death among the waves. Something is in it that the Prophet ſaith, Jer. 22.10. Weepe not for the dead, neither bemoane him: but weepe ſore for him that goeth away, for he ſhall return no more, nor ſee his native Countrey. They muſt not weep for the dead, but muſt weepe, and that ſorely for thoſe loſt their countrey; the Jewes had rather dye then loſe their land, and be taken from Jeruſalen, verſ. 26. It's laid as a great judgement upon Jeconiah and his mother to be carryed to another land where they ſhould dye.