Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Ezekiel · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
AND he said unto me, stand upon thy feet and I will speak unto thee, and the V. 1. V. 2.Spirit entred into me and set mee upon my feet: This was done to shew, that whoso would hear the Lord speaking must stand upon his feet by being intent in his affections to that which he speaketh. But this he cannot doe till the Spirit entring into him sets him up, but the Spirit entring he doth stand up; which maketh against all those that intend not the word of the Lord when he speaketh, but are remisse in their affections towards it; and let none say, I Note. shall then be set upon my feet when the Spirit enters into mee, taking no further care hereabout, but ask the Spirit by earnest praying of our heavenly Father, for hee will (saith the Lord) give his Spirit to them that aske him.
Son of man I send thee to the children of Israel, but I know, that they are a rebellious V. 3.house. Here the Prophet first by word of mouth hath the task of prophesying to the children of Israel laid upon men, but with little encouragement, to shew that the servants of God must not forbear the execution of their office, Note. because the people amongst whom they teach are refractary and rebellious, and harden their hearts against their teaching. For God hath not onelyonly one end in sending Prophets to a people, viz. to convert them, but if they harden Note. their hearts he hath another, viz. that they may know that there hath been a Prophet amongst them, and therefore when destruction cometh, that there was no defect on Gods part, through which it is brought, but altogether in themselves, in that they hardened their hearts and were not moved by his threatnings and admonitions, who never smiteth before that he giveth warning. Calvin notes from that which went before, that God never casts Calvin.his down but he lifteth them up again, but reprobates are terrified and so left Note. to the judgments to come. And again, that the Word of God goeth not alone, but his Spirit together, to make them stand up that are faln; so that it is not through any weaknesse in the Word, that so many lie still in their sins: but because they ungraciously reject the Spirit, offering to enter in at the dore of their heart. And for this they shall know that there hath been a Prophet amongst them; he saith, this was added for consolation to the Prophet, although his teaching be sleighted for the present, yet it should one day appear to their confusion and his praise, and when those things that hee foretold should come to passe, it should from themselves bee extorted that God sent him, and by the greatnesse of the judgments coming upon them, they should know by experience what it was to harden their hearts against his premonitions. And thus it shall be to all impenitent hearers of the Word, upon whom it worketh not, but they goe on in rebellion still, they shall know one day to their cost what it was to have a Prophet amongst them, but either to sleight or malign him for his labour.
Though briars and thornes be with thee, and thou dwellest amongst Scorpions, bee V. 6.not afraid of their words: Vulg. for briars and thorns hath increduli & subversores sunt tecum; but the first word signifieth Rebels, and the next Subverters, or Thorns in Hebrew; and the wicked amongst whom the Word is preached, are hereby shewed not onelyonly to be Rebels, but also like Thorns, pricking and galling the Preacher by their sharp words and malicious practises against him; and they are also like Scorpions, stinging, and so poysoning him, that is, procuring his death, as John the Baptist also called the Pharisees generation of vipers, which Luc. 3.are another sort of most poysonous serpents. But our Lord to comfort his Ministers against such auditors, saith, Yee shall tread upon Scorpions, and take up Mar. 16.Serpents and they shall not hurt you. And this is spoken as Gregory noteth, to shew, that the Saints of God living amongst evill company cannot be corrupted Gregor:by them, as Lot amongst the Sodomites; neither doth the most holy Note. place keep others from sinning, as Paradise did not Adam, but Alel living with Cain a Scorpion persists in Gods favour.
But bee not thou rebellious; that is, to conceal that which I bid thee speak, open V. 8.thy mouth and eat, which is thus spoken, to intimate, that the Preacher by opening his mouth to teach others, feeds himself, and is spiritually nourished Gregor.thereby as with sweet and pleasant meat; as is shewed, ch. 3. 3. That which he was bidden to eat was a roul written within and without, Lamentations, Mourning, V. 9, 10.and Woe: Vulg. Lament. a verse or song, Carmen and Woe; expounded by some of the sorrows to be suffered here by the wicked, the joyes of the godly in heaven, and the torments of hell to come to the wicked for ever. But the word is foreign signifying either clamour or roaring; so that herein was nothing joyfull: It is said to be the roll of a book, because they wrote then in parchment, and one parchment was a book rolled together, as it was apt of it selfe to doe. Yet the roll here, as Gregory noteth, intimated the obscurity of his Prophesie, requiring much study to understand it; and further, the writing within and without, intimates some things obscure, and some things plain; it being full of Lament. &c. to shew abundance of miseries coming, concerning which he was to prophesie; or within, was to the Jews within covenant, and without, to other nations, for he prophesieth against them also, as chap. 25, &c. to chap. 40. And Ezekiel hath this roll opened to him, and then he eateth it; to shew, that the Preacher must open and take out of the Word of God what he preacheth, and teach nothing else but what is herein written; and this he must eat by meditation, and it filleth his belly, when he groweth hereby full of light and holinesse, and he keeps it in his memory to declare it to the congregation, it being nothing grievous or harsh, but sweet and pleasant Rev. 10. 9.to him so to doe, as ch. 3. 3. So John also had a book given to him to eat; and our Lord said it was meat to him to do the will of his Father, when Joh. 4.he was about to preach to the Samaritans. How alike the Lord proceeded with Ezekiel and John in Revel. see ch. 4. & 10, &c. there, for he also saw a throne, and four Animalls full of eyes, and a rainbow about the throne.