Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Ezekiel · Chapter 14 – Chapter 15
CHAP. XIV.
THen came certaine Elders of Israel unto me and sat before me. These Elders of Israel V. 1.must needs be some of those, that were now in the land of Caldees together with Ezekiel, because that although he had been carryed away in the spirit to Jerusalem, and to the Temple before, Ch. 8. where he saw 70. Elders worshipping all maner of idols, yet now he was in Caldea again, and there these come unto him to enquire or to hear somewhat from him for their comfort, whereby they pretended themselves to be better then the Elders at Jeruslem before spoken of, even the servants of the true God, in that they came to hear his Prophet. But the Lord instructeth him better touching them, that he might not be deceived in them, and therefore he tels him, that they set up idols in their hearts, and laid a stumbling block before their faces, the Vulg. uncleannesses in their hearts, but V. 2. 3.the proper signification is idols, and the meaning is, that although they were not any gross worshippers of idols, yet bare as evil a mind, as they that were, because they came not to the prophet with a minde to hear any thing to be reformed thereafter, but being fully bent still to walk in their own evil wayes, which they loved more then they did God, and therefore were justly said to have set up idols in their hearts. For whatsoever a man chiefly loveth, and with his heart, is his God, his idol, so the voluptuous man is Note. said to be one, whose belly is his God, and the covetous to be an idolater. Phil. 3. 19. Col. 3. 5.And this is the case of every one, that liveth in sin, yet is an hearer of the word of God, he is an idolater in his heart. And he layeth a stumbling block before his own face, keeping him, that he cannot walk in the way of life, althoug he be daily pressed so to do, for at this he is still stumbling and falling till he falleth into everlasting destruction in hell fire. v. 9. If the Prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived him. Here the Lord meeteth V. 9.with an objection, that might be made by the wicked before threatned thus. Jeremiah indeed and Ezekiel now threaten us for setting up idols in our hearts, as hath been said, but we have other Prophets more then they, who speak peace unto us, why should we not then believe these, as well as those? Ans. These are deceived, and deceive you, when they speak peace unto you, having your hearts set upon your sinnes; yea, I, saith the Lord, have deceived them, that is, for your punishment, who delight more in unrighteousness, then in the truth, I have put these deceitful flattering speaches into their mouthes, as I did sometime into the mouthes of the false prophets that stood before Ahab consenting together in a lye to intice him to go to Ramoth Gilead, 1 King. 21.that he might fall there for his wickedness toward Naboth. for so it is also said, When a false prophet ariseth and giveth you a sigue, I do it to prove you: and Deut. 13.touching the Apostate Antichrist, the Lord saith, that he shall come with lying signes, and that they, who delighted in unrighteousness, and not in the truth, should be given over to believe lies, that they might be damned. from all which places we may gather, that for sin God doth work by Satan, and 2 Thess. 2. 11.not permit him only to mislead wicked instruments into error, that by them the body of the people might be misled, and perish both together, as they are well worthy, and as the next words do declare, I will stretch out my hand upon him and I will destroy him. v. 10. And they shall bear the punishment V. 10.of their iniquity, the punishment of the Prophet shall be as of him that seeketh to him, Hebr. for punishment is foreign both iniquity and the punishment of iniquity. Ob. …f this be so, that God by Satans ministry deceiveth, he is he author of deceit and lying. Sol. Far be it from us to say so, he is the author of punishments Note. for sin, but of sin, deceit and lying, not he but the devil is the father, who of himself is ready to act this way, if God doth but permit him; only the Lord takes it upon himself, as if he did it, because at his direction and permission, John 8.the devil impels to lying and to all manner of wickedness. That the Lord tempteth no man to evil see Jam. 1. 14. And both false prophets being thus deceived and people deceived by them are justly punished therefore, because the just Judge of the whole world cannot but proceed against sinners, and which way soever he proceedeth, either by giving order to Satan to harden them in their sins, or when this is done by executing judgements upon them, he doth all most justly.
That the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, &c. Here the fruit and effect V. 11.that should finally follow of their punishment is set forth, viz. they should hereby be reformed. But it is to be noted, that he saith, that the house of Israel may no more erre, not those false prophets, or such as were seduced by them, for he threatned them with cutting off from the house of Israel, but a remnant of chosen ones whose God he promiseth againe to be and that they shall be his people, that is, taken into his protection, and restored to their own land and City.
From al which note, 1. That it wil be no plea for the seduced to error to say, Note. Thy Ministers (O Lord) or other illuminated persons making me believe, that they wer thy Ministers, have drawn me away this or that way, or for such Esa. 8. 20.Ministers to say, We had it by revelation from God, for they shall all be cut off notwithstanding, who go from the way traced out in holy Scriptures, which are our light and lanthorne, and whereunto only we must take hee dand to those that speak according to them, and accordingly walk and do in al things.
2. The same judgements shall be to the seduced and to the seducers as to the wizards, and to those that seek unto them.
3. The end of Gods judgements ot his Elect is good, viz. to be the more sanctified and purified hereby, and to be the more confirmed touching the Rom. 8. 28.love of God unto them, of which they might before for his frowning upon them be in some doubt.
Here lest any should harden themselves, hoping by the prayers of the true prophets to escape the judgements threatened, the Lord declareth, that if V. 12. 13, &c.Noah, Job, or Daniel Were amongst them to pray for them, and but one of his severe judgements, the famine, noisom beasts, the pestilence or the sword were to come upon them, they should by no means avert it, much less they being now adjudged to suffer by all these. so that hereby it appeareth, that nothing will prevaile to save sinners from destruction, but repentance, and casting away their transgressions, as is further taught, ch. 18. and not without thus Note. doing any prayers of those, that are with God most gratious. Jer. 15. there is somewhat like this, but Moses and Samuel are there named; it may be inquired why these three are here named more then any other? Calvin saith, that some give this reason, these three were famous for righteousness at three severall times, Noah in the old world, Daniel in the time Calvin.of captivity, being also now living, and Job being one of another countrey eminent above all amongst the Nations. Others because Job could not save his sons or daughters by his piety, nor Daniel the Jews, amongst whom he was carryed away captive into Babylon, neither could Noah save the old world from drowning. But he thinketh nothing else to be meant in specifying these, but only in general, if some of the most gracious men, that ever lived were amongst them, such as these 3. were, whom he named rather then others, as they came first to his mind, they should not profit such incorrigible sinners as they were. I rather conceive, because it is the Lord that thus speaketh, that there was some special reason of this his specification, and that might be because these three men more then others of great note lived in times of proving what might be done in that case, which is here in agitation, and yet the old world was not the more delivered for Noah his righteousness, nor Jobs children for his, nor the Jews that went into captivity in the third yeer of Jehoiakim for Daniels. But what meaneth he by adding, he shall save his Dan. 1. 2.own soul by his righteousness; shall any man have his soul saved for his own righteousness, or by faith only? Sol. Although a man be saved by faith only, yet no true faithful person but is upright in his heart and life, which is his righteousness and is by reason of his faith accepted of, as if he were perfect, and he therefore worthy to be saved, as it is said of Abraham that he believed and that was counted to him for righteousness, but not without his being upright, to shew, that none are thus accepted of, although believers, except they also walk before God and be upright, as was said to Abraham, and Gen. 17. Jam. 2.as James reasoneth at large. And the like is said of them that in Sardis kept their garments, they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy; wherefore they Rev. 3. 1, 2, 3.that from this and the like places inferre salvation for a mans own righteousness in part do foully erre, see Rom. 11. 6. Election is of grace, not of works, otherwise grace were no grace, And this may serve for the cleering of that which is likewise said, Chap. 18. where living by his righteousness is often spoken of.
Yet behold therein shall be left a remnant, that shall be brought forth, sons and daughters, V. 22.they shall come forth unto you and yee shall see their way and their doings, and yee shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought, v. 23. And yee shall know, that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, That is, when by the four judgements before spoken of I have made this through destruction in Jerusalem, a remnant yet shall be spared from death, who shall be brought into captivity to you in Babylon, then yee shall see their doings by the effects thereof, that is, what notorious sinners they were by that which for their wickedness befell them, viz. the burning down of their City and temple, the barbarous cruelty endured by them at the hands of their enemies, and their countrey being left desolate, their exile out of it to live in misery worse then death. And in saying that herein they should be comforted, he me meth in regard of this, that they had formerly derided them, that yeilded themselves so cowardly to go into Babylon with their King Jehoiakim, whereas they with their King Zedekiah stood manfully out against the Caldees not fearing what they could do unto them. For in regard of this they shall then be ashamed, and yee shall be comforted, they having now no more cause to insult over you as they did, but rather to envy you for some better condition, wherein yee shall after a while be, and your King, his head being lifted up, as it was by Evilmersdach the successor of Nebuchadnezzar, and therefore most probably the people that were brought down with him were in somewhat a beter estate also. At this sense Calvin partly aimeth, although it be not so fully set forth by him, Calvin.and he mentioneth another exposition of some understanding by this remnant the Elect before spoken of v. 11. and rejects it, as their just cause, for that he saith, yee shall see their wayes and their doings, and shall know that all this is come justly upon them, implying that these left were evil doers, and not the remnant of Elect ones in tender care preserved in the time of that common destruction. Lyra subscribeth to that which went before in part, viz. that their Lyra.comfort shouldbe in regard of this, that the captives brought with Zedekiah into Babylon should call them blessed, that were there before, in respect of themselves, because they had suffered far more grievous things, then they did: but partly he saith, that their comfort should be in this, that their sons and daughters here spoken of should some of them live to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem again. Finally some others think, that the comfort lyeth in this, that they should see some preserved alive to encrease againe the posterity of Abraham, which I cannot deny to have been also a matter of comfort to those of the same cognation, because this was a blessing promised to Abraham in this world, that his seed should multiply so as that they should be innumerable, wherefore in assigning the cause of their comfort we may well put both these together, they should be comforted by the hearing them speak of their greater miseries contrary to their expectation, who tarryed longer in their own contrey, affirming them to have done better, that yeelded, and for the greater hope now of Abrahams posterity multiplying again, as they could not have done, if they had all dyed by those four judgements. Lastly, they should be comforted by this, that they should know all sufferings coming upou them to have been just on Gods part, because for their sins, thus if they had yet hearts to repent concerning hope of pardon and comming into grace with the Lord againe, that they might be restored to their own countrey. Happy are Note. they that having sinned and being punished therefore, come thus at length to be comforted.
CHAP. XV.
THis Chapter tends to nothing else but to aggravate the misery of Jerusalem, which should shortly be burnt down with fire, by a comparison taken from a vine that being cut down is good for nothing but to be burned, therefore much less being cut down and burnt can any good use be made of it any more. And the Lord doth thus debase Jerusalem and the Jews in opposition to their pride and confidence in this, that they were Gods peculiar people. And herein he proceeds by these degrees, 1. By comparing them standing yet in the vineyard, as it were with other trees of the wood, that is, with Heathen Nations. For what is a vine to another tree, either oake or cedar, but only in respect of the fruitfulness? verily it is nothing, for they grow erect and are beautiful to behold but the vine is a crooked low writhen thing, unable to bear up it selffrom the ground, unless it be supported, and so subject to be trodden underfoot, and bitten and torn by cattel: so the Jewes were in comparison of other Nations most contemptible, especially being, as they now were, without fruit, barren of good works and ful of evil, and so is any Church of God being likewise wicked, no Nation is so base and lyeth open so much to the danger of being trodden under foot and destroyed, as it doth, as being void of comeliness and procerity, and having no wall or hedge about it of Gods providence, when for unfruitfulness he takes no further pleasure in it. Of the Church in this case, see Esa. 5. 1, 2, 3. 2. By comparing them pluckt up from the soile, whereupon they stood. For a vine stubbed up is no more of any use, but to be burnt in the fire, a man cannot so much as make a pinne of it to hang a vessel upon, but of other trees buildings may be made, and divers other things: So the Jewes being now adjudged to be pluckt up by being partly slaine and partly carryed away into captivity, could expect none other but to be made as fuel for the fire of Gods wrath. 3. By comparing their parts with the parts of a vine not only pluckt up, but also burnt at both ends, for what is that good for, which remaineth now thereof? verily it is scared and amde now so spalt as that it can no more be put to any use then very ashes. Great cause then is there, that we who are the Church of God, Note. should look to our selves and have a care to be fruitful, and humble, and not be puft up with pride, and grow careless and dissolute in our lives, or degenerate to oppression or violence, for if we do, we are in a moe vile and dangerous condition, then any other Nation, and like to suffer more at the hands both of God and men.