Chapter
26
(Verses
1 through 6) And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first
day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she
is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I
shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: therefore thus saith
the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause
many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves
to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break
down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her
like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of
nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord
GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations. And her daughters
that are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall
know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel
tells us that this coming of the word of the LORD unto him was in
the eleventh year, and on the first day of the month; but he does
not tell us in what month this was. We, I suppose, are to consider
this to be the eleventh year of the captivity of king Jehoiachin,
since that is his reference in Chapter 1, verse 2. This word, or
prophecy, is against Tyrus, a city on the shore of the Mediterranean
Sea, which had at one time been a renowned port, but was envious of
Jerusalem
, because
Jerusalem
was considered “the gates of the people,” and had more glory
than did she at that time. Tyrus had greatly rejoiced in the
downfall of
Jerusalem
, thinking that with
Jerusalem
destroyed she would have an opportunity to regain her former glory.
But the LORD was displeased with this attitude, and declared that He
would cause many nations to come against Tyrus, and destroy her,
even as the sea sends its waves against an object and carries it
away. Even the dust He will scrape away, and leave her as a bare
rock , and only a place for the spreading of nets, not for catching
fish, but for the drying of the nets. And her daughters (or indeed
her children, or inhabitants) that are absent from the city at that
time (“in the field”) shall be killed with the sword, and thus
brought to know that He is the LORD.
(Verses
7 through 14) For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon
Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a kings of kings, from the
north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and
companies, and much people. He shall slay with the sword thy
daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and
cast up a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.
And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes
he shall break down thy towers. By reason of the abundance of his
horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the
noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when
he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is
made a breach. With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all
thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong
garrisons shall go down to the ground. And they shall make a spoil
of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall
break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses, and thy
timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. And I will cause the
noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no
more heard. And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt
be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I
the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
In
the preceding text, the LORD declared that He would bring many
nations against Tyrus. Now He tells us who these nations are. He
says, “Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon
, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots,
and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.” Nebuchadrezzar
is not “The King of kings,” which title belongs only to the
LORD, but God had enabled him to conquer many nations, and bring
them under subjection to the point that he could use them as
soldiers, so as he reigned over the kings of these peoples, he was a
king of kings. And these were the many people Nebuchadrezzar brought
against Tyrus. Without re-quoting all that the LORD said, we can sum
it up by quoting only verse 14. “And I will make thee like the top
of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be
built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
That is, the city will be completely destroyed, leaving nothing but
the bare ground whereupon it stood: and it shall never again be
built.
(Verses
15 through 21) Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles
shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the
slaughter is made in the midst of thee? Then all the princes of the
sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes,
and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves
with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at
every moment, and be astonished at thee. And they shall take up a
lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that
wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast
strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror
to be on all that haunt it! Now shall the isles tremble in the day
of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at
thy departure. For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a
desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall
bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; When
I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with
the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the
earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit,
that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the
living; I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though
thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the
Lord GOD.
Thus
shall a lamentation be made for Tyrus. At her fall all those who
inhabit the islands of the sea shall be astonished that such a great
city could be made so desolate: and her fall shall cause them to be
extremely afraid that the same might come upon them. Even their
kings shall come down from their thrones and cast aside their royal
attire, while they tremble at the horror of such a thought. All the
islands of the sea, that is, all their inhabitants, shall be
troubled at the fall of such a great city. Her desolation will be
complete, and she shall be built no more. In verses 20 and 21, the
LORD gives the description of what she shall be brought to by the
curse He is going to bring upon her. “When I shall bring thee down
with them that descend
into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the
low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go
down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I will set glory in
the land of the living; I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be
no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found
again, saith the Lord GOD.” This is clear enough without further
comment. Such is the lamentation that the nations that were left
should take up for Tyrus.
(Verses
1 through 9) The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Now,
thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus; and say unto Tyrus,
O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a
merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD, O
Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty. Thy borders are in
the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. They
have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken
cedars of Lebanon to make masts for thee. Of the oaks of
Bashan
have they made thine oars; the company of Ashurites have made thy
benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim. Fine linen
with broidered work from
Egypt
was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple
from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee. The
inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O
Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots. The ancients of Gebal and
the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the
sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise.
Ezekiel
is commanded of the LORD to take up a lamentation for Tyrus. The
beginning of it speaks of the great glory that was hers before the
LORD brought desolation upon her. Her location was “at the entry
of the sea,” that is, it was in a very convenient place for a port
for ships, and the city was made beautiful. In fact she was so
beautiful that she became lifted up with the pride of her beauty so
much that she declared her own beauty perfect. She was not bordered
on all sides by man made walls, as were most cities, but because she
was on the coast of the sea, the sea was her borders on three sides,
and her builders had done everything they could to enhance the
beauty of her setting. Her harbor was, of course filled with ships,
going to and fro. And all of them were decorated wonderfully, as
well as being made of the choicest materials. She had her own wise
men for the pilots of the ships, and the inhabitants of Zidon and
Arvad as her mariners, while the old men of Gebal were the ones who
kept her ships properly caulked, and fitted for the sea. And ships
from all ports of the sea were in her harbors to carry her
merchandise.
(Verses
10 and 11) They of
Persia
, and of Lud, and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they
hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.
The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about,
and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon
thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.
Here
we are told from whence Tyrus obtained her protection. She, having
little, if any territory outside the city itself, had to depend upon
others to furnish her soldiers, mercenaries, for her protection. And
these came from many places. They were her army and her guards.
In
verses 12 through 25, we are given a list of many cities and lands
from which came the merchants, those who bought and sold merchandise
in her markets. Without copying the entire list, we shall call
attention to a few of them. The first one mentioned is Tarshish,
which is what is now called
Spain
. And it is at the opposite end of the
Mediterranean
from Tyrus. Then we are told, “Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they
were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of
brass in thy market.” Tubal is the city that is now called Tobolsk,
and Meshech is
Moscow
. So people from the area of what we now call
Russia
traded there. So we can readily see that Tyrus was world renowned,
that is in all of the then known world. And since Tarshish was at
that time one of the great powers of the sea, her ships were very
busy in replenishing the market of Tyrus with all the wares that
were there traded. And by their help Tyrus was made very glorious.
(Verses
26 through 31) Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the
east winds have broken thee in the midst of the seas. Thy riches,
and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy
calkers, and the occupiers of thy
merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all
thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst
of the seas in the day of thy ruin. The suburbs shall shake at the
sound of the cry of thy pilots. And all that handle the oar, the
mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their
ships, they shall stand upon the land; and shall cause their voice
to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast
dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in ashes: and
they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with
sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and
bitter wailing.
In
spite of the splendor she once had, Tyrus has come to a sad end. The
ones upon whom she had depended for her glory have brought her into
extremely troubled waters. Her glory is forever gone. They shall
forsake their ships, and began to wail for her. All her oarsmen,
mariners, and pilots can only stand by and bewail her terrible
devastation. But there is nothing they can do for her.
(Verses
32 through 36) And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation
for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus,
like the destroyed in the midst of the sea? When thy wares went
forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich
the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy
merchandise. In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in
the depths of the waters thy
merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall. All
the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their
kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their
countenance. The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou
shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.
This
is the conclusion of the lamentation for the great city Tyrus, She
was indeed great, and made many rich with her markets, and the wares
sold there. Everything that could be considered merchandise had been
traded therein; but now that will all be forever stopped. She is
destroyed, never again to be re-built. She will be as if the waves
of the sea had completely swept her away. It will be a great
astonishment to the people of the islands of the sea, and will bring
great fear upon their kings, as well as a terror to all the
merchants. Nothing will be left.
This
is a very controversial chapter, in that some commentators see
nothing in the first 19 verses but an address to the king of Tyrus,
while others see it as reaching beyond the king of Tyrus, and
addressing Satan himself, who caused that king to be so lifted up
with pride that he brought such destruction to Tyrus.
The
word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto
the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; because thine heart is
lifted up, and thou hast said, I am God, I sit in the seat of God,
in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though
thou set thine heart as the heart of God: behold, thou art wiser
than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: with
thy wisdom and with thine understanding, thou hast gotten thee
riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: by thy
great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and
thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: therefore thus saith
the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;
behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of
the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of
thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. They shall bring
thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are
slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou yet say before him that
slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the
hand of him that slayeth thee. Thou shalt die the death of the
uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith
the Lord GOD.
The
word of the LORD came again to Ezekiel. This time it was a message
to the prince of Tyrus. And this portion of it could, possibly, have
no further reach than to that prince. First, the LORD charges him
with having been so lifted up with pride that he considered himself
as God, and his throne as the seat of God. But, in reality, he is
only a man, and not God at all, although in his pride, he has set
his heart upon being God. Verses 3 through 5 the LORD tells him what
he thinks of himself, not what he actually is. He thinks himself
wiser than Daniel, and able to find out all secrets. He believes
that it is by his wisdom and understanding that he has become so
rich. And because of this his heart has been so lifted up with pride
that he thinks he is God. But the LORD sees the matter quite
differently, and because of this prince’s pride, He will bring him
down. He will bring upon him “strangers--- the terrible of the
nations.” This is, of course, a reference to Nebuchadrezzar and
his army, as He said in Chapter 26, verse 7. They will all come with
drawn swords against all of this in which he takes such pride.
Without further comment, verses 8 through 10, give us the picture of
what will be the outcome of this. “They shall bring thee down to
the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the
midst of the seas. Wilt thou say before him that slayeth thee, ‘I
am God?’ but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him
that slayeth thee. Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by
the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.”
(Verses
11 through 19) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say
unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of
wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of
God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, the topaz,
and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire,
the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy
tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day thou wast
created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set
thee so: thou wast upon the holy
mountain
of
God
; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day thou wast created, till
iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they
have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned:
therefore will I cast thee as profane out of the
mountain
of
God
: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the
stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty,
thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will
cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may
behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of
thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I
bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, and I will bring thee to
ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All
they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee:
thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
In
addition to giving Ezekiel a message to the prince of Tyrus, the
word of the LORD also came to him, commanding him to take up a
lamentation against the king of Tyrus. Although sometimes
“prince” and “king” are used interchangeably, they do, of
course, have slightly different meanings. And the separation of
these two messages seems to indicate a difference here. And when we
consider all that is contained in this lament against the king of
Tyrus, it seems to indicate a farther reach than does that of the
former verses. And since Satan is, unquestionably, the one who
causes any man to be lifted up with pride, he surely was the cause
of the prince of Tyrus being so lifted. The description given of
this king of Tyrus seems to be far too great to describe any mortal
man. Unless the LORD is using sarcasm all the way, which does not
seem likely, verses 12 through 15, are a description of a being who
was created far wiser, and more beautiful than any mortal man. This
king is said to seal up the sum. He was “full of wisdom, and
perfect in beauty.” He had “been in
Eden
the
garden
of
God
.” And surely that was the first place on earth in which the
serpent, the representation of Satan, appeared. At one time he was
“the anointed cherub that covereth.” This seems to be a
reference to his having been the cherub that covered the true mercy
seat, of which the one Moses was commanded to make, was only a
shadow, or type. He was clothed with all manner of precious gems,
and walked up and down in the stones of fire. The capstone of this
description is verse15, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the
day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Then
the message changes. It no more concerns the beauty and wisdom this
king had when he was created, but tells of the terrible fall of this
one. The LORD declares that He will cast him out of the mount of
God, and will destroy him. Although our Lord Jesus said, “I saw
Satan as lightning fall from heaven,” the time has not yet come in
which Satan shall be completely destroyed. But the Lord God has
declared that He will destroy him because he corrupted that
wonderful wisdom that was given to him when he was created. His
heart has been lifted up by his beauty, and his wisdom corrupted
because of his brightness, so that the LORD will cast him to the
ground, and lay him before kings, that they may behold him. He will
destroy him so that all who know him will be astonished at him. And
the finality of the matter is expressed thus, “And never shalt
thou be any more.”
(Verses
20 through 23) Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son
of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it, and
say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon;
and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know
that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and
shall be sanctified in her. For I will send into her pestilence, and
blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst
of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that
I am the LORD.
This
is a very short message, but one that declares a great judgment upon
Zidon. The LORD declares that He is against her, and will therefore
send against her both pestilence and the sword to such an extent
that the people thereof shall know that He is the LORD.
(Verses
24 through 26) And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the
house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all them that are round
about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the
Lord God. Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the
house of
Israel
from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be
sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they
dwell in their land that I have given to My servant Jacob. And they
shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant
vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have
executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about
them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.
Notice
should be taken that from the beginning of Chapter 25 through verse
23 of the present Chapter, the message has all been directed against
the nations round about
Israel
. In this the LORD has declared destruction upon all these nations.
Now He tells us that this is done that when He shall restore
Israel
, there will be no “pricking brier or grieving thorn” of any of
them to annoy
Israel
. All these nations that have despised her will cause her no more
trouble. That this is looking forward to the final re-gathering of
Israel
more than to the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity is
proven by history. Even though the king of
Babylon
sent some of the Jews back to re-build both the temple and the city
of
Jerusalem
, they were troubled on every side even while doing the building.
And their history from that time until the destruction of
Jerusalem
and the temple in 70 AD is filled with accounts of wars. But the
LORD declares that He will re-gather them, and will give them peace,
so that “they shall dwell safely therein, and build houses, and
plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have
executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about
them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.”
(Verses
1 through 7) In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth
day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of
man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy
against him, and against all Egypt: speak and say, Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the
great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said,
My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. But I will put
hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick
unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy
rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.
And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the
fish of thy rivers, thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt
not be brought together, not gathered: I have given thee for meat to
the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. And all the
inhabitants of
Egypt
shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of
reed to the house of
Israel
. When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and
rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou
brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.
This
is the beginning of the prophecy against
Egypt
. The LORD charges Pharaoh of being arrogant, and lifted up with
pride, so that he thinks he has even been the maker of his river,
that is, the
Nile
. But the LORD declares that since he has not been a dependable
friend to Israel, but has only been a “staff of reed” to them,
He will draw him, together with all the people of Egypt, up out of
the river, and cast them out into the desert; and there He will
leave them to be food for the beasts of the field and the fowls of
the heaven. This He will do because he and his people let
Israel
down when
Israel
depended upon them for help. This is, no doubt, a reference to the
time when
Israel
tried unsuccessfully to get help from
Egypt
against the Assyrians.
(Verses
8 through 12) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will
bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. And
the
land
of
Egypt
shall be desolate and waste, and they shall know that I am the LORD:
because he said, The river is mine, and I have made it. Behold, I am
against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the
land
of
Egypt
utterly waste and desolate, from the
tower
of
Syene
even unto the border of
Ethiopia
. No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass
through it , neither shall it be inhabited forty years. And I will
make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that
are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste
shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians
among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
The
LORD says that He will bring upon
Egypt
the sword so that the land shall be left desolate, having neither
man nor beast in it for forty years. This is because of the pride of
Egypt
, since the Pharaoh has declared that he has made the river which is
the source of the life of
Egypt
. Except for the water that is brought to
Egypt
by the
Nile
river, the whole land is desert. And only along the river is there
moisture enough for life to flourish. So by laying claim to having
made the river, Pharaoh is claiming to be responsible for all the
people who live there. The LORD has created all things; and He has
declared that He will not share His glory with another. He is
therefore against Pharaoh for such a claim. So He will bring this
desolation upon
Egypt
for forty years.
(Verses
13 through 16) Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty
years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were
scattered: and I will bring again the captivity of Egypt., and will
cause them to return into the
land
of
Pathros
, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base
kingdom. It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it
exalt itself any more
above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more
rule over the nations. And it shall be no more the confidence of the
house of
Israel
, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look
after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
The
LORD said that He would make the
land
of
Egypt
desolate, having neither man nor beast for forty years. Yet, after
this forty years, He will bring back the captivity of
Egypt
, and settle the Egyptians again in their land. However
Egypt
will never again be as great a kingdom as it had been, but will be a
“base kingdom.” It can never again raise itself up to the point
of ruling over the nations as it had formerly done. And it will no
more be a kingdom upon which the house of
Israel
can lean with confidence. By this shall they know that God is the
Lord GOD.
(Verses
17 through 20) And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year,
in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the
LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus:
every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet he had
no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service he had served
against it. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give
the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall
take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey, and it
shall be wages for his army. I have given him the
land
of
Egypt
for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought
for Me, saith the Lord GOD.
Here
the LORD tells Ezekiel that Nebuchadrezzar and his army have been
working for Him when they overthrew Tyrus; but for so doing they had
not been paid. Therefore He has given
Egypt
to Nebuchadrezzar and his army for his wages in the operation
against Tyrus, because in that they had been working for Him.
(Verse
21) In that day will I cause the horn of the house of
Israel
to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the
midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
The
expression, “the horn of the house of
Israel
,” simply means the power of the house of
Israel
. When the LORD says, “In that day,” He is, probably referring
to the day in which He shall give
Egypt
into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar. In that day He will also cause the
power of the house of
Israel
to bud forth, or begin to grow. Then He will also give to Ezekiel
“the opening of the mouth” in the midst of them. That is, He
will cause them to pay heed to the words of Ezekiel, as he
prophesies among them. And then shall they know that He is the LORD.
(Verses
1 through 9) The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of
man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth
the day! For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a
cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. And the sword shall
come upon
Egypt
, and great pain shall be in
Ethiopia
, when the slain shall fall in
Egypt
, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall
be broken down.
Ethiopia
, and
Libya
, and
Lydia
, and all mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is
in league, shall fall with them by the sword. Thus saith the LORD;
They also that uphold
Egypt
shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the
tower
of
Syene
shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. And they
shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate,
and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.
And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire in
Egypt
, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed. In that day shall
messengers go forth from Me in ships to make the careless Egyptians
afraid, and great pain shall be upon them, as in the day of
Egypt
.
This
is the word of the LORD concerning
Egypt
and all the nations around her, when He shall deliver them into the
hand of Nebuchadrezzar. An expression is used in verse3, that is
several times used in the scriptures, and it always refers to a time
of judgment that is coming upon someone. That expression is “the
day of the LORD.” It sometimes denotes the day of final judgment
against the world, the wicked, wickedness itself, and Satan. At
others, it refers to temporal judgment to be sent upon some
particular person, place, or nation. In the present usage it
concerns
Egypt
,
Ethiopia
,
Libya
,
Lydia
, Chub, and all who will be in league with them. In that day the
LORD declared He would send upon them a sword that would bring them
all down, and make them desolate. This sword, according to what He
has said in the latter part of Chapter 29, is, no doubt, that of
Nebuchadrezzar and his army. This He confirms as we continue.
(Verses
10 through 19) Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also make the
multitude of
Egypt
to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon
. He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be
brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords
against
Egypt
, and fill the land with the slain. And I will make the rivers dry,
and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the
land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the
LORD have spoken it. Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy
the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and
there shall be no more a prince of the
land
of
Egypt
: and I will put fear in the
land
of
Egypt
. And I will make Pathros desolate, and I will set fire in Zoan, and
will execute judgments in No. And I will pour My fury upon Sin, the
strength of
Egypt
; and I will cut off the multitude of No. And I will set fire in
Egypt
: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph
shall have distresses daily. The young men of Aven and Pibeseth
shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.
At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break
there the yokes of
Egypt
: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her; as for her, a
cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.
Thus will I execute judgments in
Egypt
: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Thus
will Nebuchadrezzar and his army completely devastate all the
land
of
Egypt
. He mentions several cities of
Egypt
; and since they are fairly well scattered over the whole land, it
seems obvious that no part of
Egypt
will be spared. The LORD has said that he would give
Egypt
to Nebuchadrezzar and his army as wages for their service against
Tyrus. When He executes these judgments against the Egyptians, they
will know that He is the LORD.
(Verses
20 through 26) And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the
first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the
LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have broken the arm of
Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be
healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the
sword. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against
Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, the strong, and
that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his
hand. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will
disperse them through the countries. And I will strengthen the arms
of the king of
Babylon
, and put My sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh’s arms,
and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded
man. But I will strengthen the arms of the king of
Babylon
, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that
I am the LORD, when I shall put My sword into the hand of the king
of
Babylon
, and he shall stretch it out upon the
land
of
Egypt
. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse
them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
We
often hear someone say, “If the LORD should do ------ (this, or
that,) He would be unfair, or unjust.” I invite anyone to examine
this text, and tell me where is the fairness or justice in it,
according to man’s rules. But God has already told us that His
ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. So why
should we try to judge Him according to our rules? They just do not
fit. Men are all objects of His creation, and therefore they are, in
this respect, on equal footing; and their rules are necessary to
them to insure fairness and justice between them. But God is the
Creator, and has a perfect right to do what He will with any one, or
all, His creatures. So when He declares that He will reduce the
strength of one group of them, and increase that of another group,
that is His right: and none can accuse Him of unfairness. And that
is exactly what He has declared that he will do. The analogy is that
He will break both arms of one man, while at the same time
increasing the strength of the arm of the other. He declares that He
will cause the Egyptians to fall, and be scattered through the
nations. He declares that when He does this, “they shall know that
I am the LORD.”
Chapter
31
(Verses
1 and 2) And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third
month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying, Son of Man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and
to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
Having
declared upon Pharaoh and the people of Egypt such great calamities
as are recorded in Chapters 29 and 30, The Lord now asks Pharaoh,
“Whom art thou like in thy greatness?” Then He will make a
comparison between Pharaoh and another king whom He has already
brought to destruction.
(Verses
3 through 9) Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in
Lebanon
with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high
stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. The waters made him
great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round
about his plants, and sent out her little rivers to all the trees of
the field. Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of
the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became
long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth. All the
fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his
branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young,
and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. Thus was he fair in
his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by
great waters. The cedars of the
garden
of
God
could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the
chestnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the
garden
of
God
was like unto him in his beauty. I have made him fair by the
multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of
Eden
, that were in the
garden
of
God
, envied him.
Assyria
had been a great power among the nations; and she was the one who
had overrun Israel, and taken them away as captives, and scattered
them through the nations so that even today they are still
scattered. Throughout that area the cedars of Lebanon were renowned
for their height and beauty; and the LORD says that “the
Assyrian” (either the nation of
Assyria
, or the king thereof) was a cedar of Lebanon. Then as He further
describes him, he was, unquestionably, the greatest of his time.
Since in this description
Assyria
is likened to a cedar of Lebanon, no doubt the other trees mentioned
represent the other nations of the time. He was so great that even
the other trees were not so great as his boughs. There was no tree
in the
garden
of
God
that was his equal. And all the other trees envied him.
(Verses
10 through17) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast
lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot forth his top among
the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; I have
therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the
heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for
his wickedness. And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut
him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in the valleys
his branches have fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the
rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down
from his shadow, and have left him. Upon his ruin shall all the
fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be
upon his branches: to the end that none of all the trees by the
waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top
among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their
height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death,
to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of
men, with them that go down to the pit. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In
the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I
covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and
the great waters were stayed:
and I caused
Lebanon
to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. I
made the nations to shake at the sound of
his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend
into the pit: and all the trees of
Eden
, the choice and best of
Lebanon
, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of
the earth. They also went down into hell with him unto them that be
slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under
his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
Having
in the earlier text told Pharaoh how great was ”the Assyrian,”
the LORD tells him the account of how He brought him down with such
a great calamity that it caused all the nations to shake when He
cast him down to hell. Men can argue all they wish as to whether
this means that he was cast into hell, as we consider it, or just to
the grave. I will not join the argument: but I will refer any who
care to read it to Psalms 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into
hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Whichever it means,
Assyria was completely destroyed, and today there is no nation of
Assyria
. What the LORD has here told Pharaoh is to show that just as He has
brought down Assyria, He will also bring judgment upon
Egypt
.
(Verse
18) To whom art thou thus like in glory and greatness among the
trees of
Eden
? Yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of
Eden
unto the nether parts
of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with
them that be slain with the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his
multitudes, saith the Lord GOD.
This
should need little, if any, comment. The LORD is telling Pharaoh
that just as He has brought down Assyria, so shall He devastate
Egypt
.
Chapter
32
(Verses
1 through 10) And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the
twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of
the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a
lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou
art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale
in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and
troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their
rivers. Thus saith the Lord GOD, I will therefore spread out
My net over thee with a company of many people; and they shall
bring thee up in My net. Then will I leave thee upon the land,
I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all
the fowls of heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the
beasts of the whole earth with thee. And I will lay thy flesh
upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height. I
will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest,
even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and
make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a
cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright
lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness
upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD. I will also vex the hearts
of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the
nations, into the countries which thou hast known. Yea, I will
make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be
horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish My sword
before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man
for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
Again
the LORD calls upon Ezekiel to take up a lamentation for
Pharaoh king of
Egypt
. As can readily be seen, it sets forth what the LORD is going
to do to
Egypt
, as well as its effect upon the nations around her.
Egypt
has been as a young lion of the mountains, feared by all the
beasts of the forest; and as a whale in the seas, larger than
any other creature therein. But this will be no longer. Just
as a whale out of water is powerless, so shall
Egypt
be. The LORD will bring such destruction upon her that she
will be as a whale left out on dry land for the fowls of the
heaven and the beasts of the field to devour. The LORD will
water the land with her blood. It will be a day of great
darkness for
Egypt
, when He brings upon her this destruction. It will be as if
the sun was covered with a great cloud, and the moon did not
shine. Not only will it be a day of darkness for
Egypt
, but the hearts of many people will be vexed thereby. Many
people will be amazed at the calamity He will bring upon
Egypt
; and their kings will fear for their own lives, when this
great fall shall come.
(Verses
11 through 16) For thus saith the Lord GOD, The sword of the
king of
Babylon
shall come upon thee. By the swords of the mighty will I cause
thy multitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, all of
them: and they shall spoil the pomp of
Egypt
, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed. I will
destroy also the beasts thereof from beside the great waters;
neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the
hoofs of beasts trouble them. Then will I make their waters
deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord
GOD. When I shall make the
land
of
Egypt
desolate , and the country shall be destitute of that whereof
it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein,
then shall they know that I am the LORD. This is the
lamentation wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters of
the nations shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even
for
Egypt
, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
Thus
the lamentation for
Egypt
continues. The LORD says that He will bring the sword of the
Babylonians upon
Egypt
and make her desolate. She will be completely destitute of all
the things which have been in plentiful supply therein There
shall be neither man nor beast to pass through her. Also the
daughters of the nations shall lament for her and her
multitude. There is no way to avoid this destruction, for the
Lord GOD has Himself spoken.
The
remainder of this chapter, Verses 17 through 32, are a
continuation of this lamentation for the multitude of
Egypt
. They are to be cast down “unto the nether parts of the
earth, with them that go down into the pit,” Then the
question is asked, “Whom dost thou pass in beauty?” This
seems to have the effect of saying that they are no better
than the many multitudes that have been cast there before
them. And they are commanded to “Go down, and be thou laid
with the uncircumcised.” This seems to be in reference to
the fact that God gave to Abraham, and to the Israelites the
rite of circumcision, as a sign that they were His people.
Thus to be laid with the uncircumcised shows that these are
not to be placed with His people, but with the wicked. Then
the LORD says, “The strong among the mighty shall speak to
him (Pharaoh) out of the midst of hell with them that help
him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the
sword. That is, many strong among the mighty have been cast
down into the midst of hell ahead of Pharaoh. Then the LORD
names some of those who have been so cast down. Among them are
Asshur, (apparently another name for Assyria,)
Elam
, Meshech,
Tubal
,
Edom
, and Zidon. Their graves are all around, and although they
did cause terror in the land of the living, they have all been
brought to shame, and their bed is among the uncircumcised
that have fallen Then , in verses 27 and 28, He says, “And
they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the
uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons
of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but
their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were
the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. Yea, they
shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shall
lie with them that are slain with the sword.” They will not
even be accorded the honor that is usually given to great
warriors who have overcome their enemies, and have then died
in peace. Such usually had their swords laid under their heads
when buried, but these will be treated like those who have
fallen in battle; their iniquities shall even be upon their
bones, and they shall lie with the uncircumcised, or wicked.
The only comfort Pharaoh will get is that he will not be
alone; but shall see all his multitude and all his army slain
with the sword. He can then say, “I have caused my terror in
the land of the living, “And he shall be laid in the midst
of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword,
even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.”
|
Chapter
33
(Verses
1 through 7) Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of
man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I
bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of
their coasts, and set him
for their watchman: if when he seeth the sword come upon the land,
he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; then whosoever heareth the
sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come and
take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the
sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon
him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the
watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the
people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from
among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I
require at the watchman’s hand.
As He
did in Chapter 3, the LORD again tells Ezekiel the seriousness of
the position of the watchman that is set over His people. This is to
be considered as binding also on a minister of the gospel today,
just as it was upon the watchman in Ezekiel’s day. If he does not
warn the people of the danger he sees coming, they will be made to
suffer for their iniquities, but the responsibility is upon the
watchman. If he does warn them, and they pay no heed to the warning,
they will suffer; but he is free from the responsibility, because he
has fulfilled his duty.
(Verses
7 through 9) So thou, O Son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto
the house of
Israel
; therefore thou shalt hear the word at My mouth, and warn them from
Me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die;
if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked
man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine
hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from
it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity;
but thou hast delivered thy soul.
This
is only a repetition of instructions the LORD had given Ezekiel
earlier. He has appointed Ezekiel a watchman for the house of
Israel
. So when He gives Ezekiel a warning against a wicked man, Ezekiel
must deliver that warning whether, or not the one warned will pay
any heed to the warning. If he does give heed to the warning, and
turn from his wickedness, he shall not perish, and Ezekiel has
delivered his soul. On the other hand, if the wicked man , having
been warned to turn from his evil ways, refuses to turn away from
them, he shall die in his sins, but Ezekiel will have delivered his
soul from blame. And this is the manner of the LORD’S dealing with
the watchmen He sets in
Zion
even today. They are to be faithful to the LORD, whether or not the
people will ever listen.
(Verses
10 through 16) Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of
Israel
; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon
us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? Say unto
them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death
of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn
ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of
Israel
? Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people,
The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day
of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall
not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness;
neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in
the day that he sinneth. When I shall say to the righteous, that he
shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit
iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his
iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. Again, when I
say unto the wicked,
Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is
lawful and right; if the wicked restore the pledge, give again that
he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing
iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins
that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done
that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
This
may, at first, seem somewhat complicated. But, in reality, it is
very simple. The LORD is rebuking
Israel
for a system of thinking they had adopted. They thought that if one
had ever done any righteousness that righteousness would take care
of him even if he turned away from it and continued in sin. On the
other hand, they thought that if one ever committed a wicked act,
that stood against him for ever. But the LORD tells them that He has
no pleasure in the death of the wicked. That is, when He gives a
warning to a wicked man, telling him that he shall surely die, it is
for the purpose of turning that wicked one away from his wickedness
to righteousness. And if that one heeds the warning it is much more
pleasing to Him than for the man to continue on and die in his
wickedness. Also, if one has been walking in righteousness, so that
the Lord commends him for it, and he begins to think that his former
righteousness is great enough that he can lay it aside and turn to a
life of sin, his former righteousness is of no avail to him, but he
is condemned for the wickedness he is now doing. Since this was all
addressed to
Israel
, the key to the whole is found in the last portion of verse 11,
“Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O
house of
Israel
?” And even though it was addressed to
Israel
, it is also applicable to us, even today. Let us turn from our evil
ways, and turn back to His commandments and walk in them. We do not
need to get sidetracked by the argument that some are sure to raise.
They will argue over what kind of death this is that He calls upon
us to turn away from. My answer to that is, “No matter what kind
of death it is, death is never pleasant. So we should put forth
every effort to avoid it. And that is to be done by turning away
from our iniquities, and walking in His commandments.”
(Verses
17 through 20) Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the
LORD is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal. When the
righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity,
he shall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his
wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live
thereby. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of
Israel
, I will judge you every one after his ways.
Even
after the LORD explained to Ezekiel His way of dealing with both the
righteous man who turned away from righteousness, and followed the
way of wickedness, and the wicked man who gave heed to the LORD’S
warning, and turned from his wickedness to work righteousness, He
declares that the children of the people of Ezekiel still say that
His ways are not equal. And because of this attitude He will bring
judgment upon every one of them.
(Verses
21 through 24) And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our
captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that
one that had escaped out of
Jerusalem
came unto me, saying, The city is smitten. Now the hand of the LORD
was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had
opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth
was opened, and I was no more dumb. Then the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying, Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the
land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the
land: but we are many; the land is given to us for inheritance.
Although
nothing has been said concerning such, it seems that the LORD had
temporarily caused Ezekiel to be dumb and not able to speak just
before the man who had escaped from
Jerusalem
came to him with the message that
Jerusalem
had fallen. Now, however, the word of the LORD came to him and
opened his mouth that he was no more dumb. Also the word of the LORD
told him of the attitude of the remnant of the Jews that lived in
the waste areas of
Israel
. They were saying that Abraham was only one man, and he inherited
the land; so surely since they were many, the land was given to them
for inheritance. Sometimes it seems that we are prone to think just
as they did. We think back to earlier days, perhaps even to the
beginning of our local church, and consider that there were very few
of us in that day, but we have now increased into a much larger
number. Then we may be tempted to think, “If such a small number
as there were in the beginning could grow and prosper as they have,
surely with the number we have now, we will continue on, and be
stronger and stronger.” The fallacy of this kind of thinking is
that we begin to believe in our own importance instead of trusting
in the LORD Who alone can cause us to prosper.
(Verses
25 through 29) Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye
eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and
shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? Ye stand upon your sword,
ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour’s wife:
and shall ye possess the land? Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall
fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to
the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the caves shall die
of the pestilence. For I will lay the land most desolate, and the
pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of
Israel
shall be desolate, that none shall pass through. Then shall they
know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate
because of all their abominations which they have committed.
This
is the LORD’S judgment upon those who “inhabit the wastes” of
Israel
. That is, they were not destroyed in the fall of
Jerusalem
. Nevertheless God has declared that because of their sins they
shall be destroyed, and the whole land will be left completely
desolate. And only then shall they know that He is the Lord GOD.
(Verses
30 through 33) Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people
still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the
house, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying,
Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from
the LORD. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit
before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but will not do
them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart
goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a
very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play
well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them
not. And when this cometh to pass (lo, it will come,) then shall
they know that a prophet hath been among them.
Certainly,
this needs no explanation. But it does indeed give a very apt
description of the general situation in the church today. Many want
to go to church, and listen to what the preacher will tell them: but
few indeed will actually try to incorporate the message into their
lives. They consider it entertainment, just as if they went to a
concert, and listened to some performer who is considered a good
singer or musician. They may even be, for the moment, so lifted up
that they think they are in heaven itself. But as soon as it is
over, it is gone. We are thankful that this is not the way it is
with all who attend church. But it does, indeed, describe many of
modern day professed Christians. They are not interested in the word
of the LORD, but only in entertainment.
Chapter
34
(Verses
1 through 6) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of
man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say
unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the
shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the
shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with
the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The
diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which
was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither
have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye
sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye
ruled them. and they were scattered, because there is no shepherd:
and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were
scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon
every high hill: yea, My flock was scattered upon all the face of
the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
Of
course, a message can be taken from this that might apply to the
religious leaders today; but, primarily, it applies to those to whom
it is addressed, “the shepherds of
Israel
,” the religious and political leaders of
Israel
, as they were in that day, and had been for some time previously.
They were concerned only about what profit the people could be to
them, and not at all about what was good for the people. For some
reason or other they could not see that if the people did not
prosper neither could they. They forgot about the LORD and his laws,
and made up some that were more to their liking. It was even the
leaders that set up the idols, and commanded the people to serve
them.E even Jeroboam, the first king of
Israel
after the dividing of the kingdom, made the two molten calves, and
commanded the people to worship them. And many times from that time
to that of Ezekiel kings brought in more idolatrous practices, and
had the people follow them. But GOD had commanded them to have
nothing to do with idols, and had declared severe penalties upon
them if they disobeyed. And these rulers ruled them with cruelty. So
the LORD declared, “And they were scattered, because there is no
shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when
they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains,
and upon every high hill: yea, My flock was scattered upon all the
face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.” Notice
that in speaking of the shepherds, He is speaking of both the
political and the religious leaders. They would not even listen to
the prophets of the LORD whom He sent among them , but even in some
cases would have them killed. The LORD’S sheep were indeed
scattered because of their leaders.
(Verses
7 through 10) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As
I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey,
and My flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there
was no shepherd, neither did My shepherds search for My flock, but
the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not My flock; therefore, O ye
shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require My flock at
their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither
shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver My
flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
The
very elders of
Israel
who have been coming to Ezekiel to inquire of the LORD are of these
shepherds the LORD is here addressing; but one can easily see that
He is not cutting them any slack either. This captivity of the Jews
by
Babylon
is simply a part of the LORD’S work in delivering His flock from
their mouths. He will require His flock at their hand. That is, He
will destroy their power over His flock, by, if necessary,
destroying them. That is why He has brought them into captivity.
(Verses
11 through 16) For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will
both search My sheep, and seek them out. As shepherd seeketh out his
flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so
will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of all places
where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I
will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the
countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon
the mountains of
Israel
by the rivers, and in all inhabited places of the country. I will
feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of
Israel
shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a
fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of
Israel
. I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the
Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that
which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and
will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and
the strong; I will feed them
with judgment.
This
text, together with the remainder of this chapter, leaps forward to
the time, not of the return of the Jews from the Babylonian
captivity, but even to the final re-gathering of
Israel
from all the countries in which they have been scattered. The LORD
says that He will judge “between cattle and cattle.” That is He
will determine which are the ones who have been misled and
scattered, and those who have been responsible for their being in
such a condition. And as He has already said, it is the failure of
the “shepherds,” the leaders of His people, that they have been
so scattered. They have been eating up the good pasture, and
treading down the residue, so that there is no good food left for
the flock. That is, they have been leading them away from the way of
the LORD instead of leading them in it. The leaders have so fouled
up their teaching to the flock, that they have led the flock into
all manner of idolatries and sins. So the LORD will bring judgment
upon them for this. He has already sent the whole flock into
captivity. And before He brings them back home, He will judge
between the flock and the leaders who have brought them into this
predicament.
(Verses
20 through 26) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold,
I.
even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean
cattle. Because ye have thrust with side and shoulder, and pushed
all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them
abroad; therefore will I save My flock, and they shall no more be a
prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up
one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even My servant
David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the
LORD will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I
the LORD have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of
peace, and will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they
shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I
will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing; and I
will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be
showers of blessing.
Many
will tell us that this text refers only to the coming of Christ
Jesus into the world to redeem His chosen. And, perhaps, that is
included in it. But its primary reference is to the time when the
LORD will re-gather
Israel
from all the countries whither they have been scattered. At that
time He will cause them to rest in peace in the land which He
promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their seed for a
perpetual possession. Zechariah tells us that when He does this, and
destroys the nations that have assembled against
Jerusalem
,
Israel
shall rest in peace, and all that are left of the nations that had
come up against her shall come up year by year to
Jerusalem
to worship the King. And that King is none other than Christ Jesus
our Lord. Certainly, in that day shall be showers of blessings. And
the LORD’S people and His hill,
Mount
Zion
, together with all “the places round about” His hill shall be a
blessing.
(Verses
27 through 31) And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and
the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their
land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken their
yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served
themselves of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen,
neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall
dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will raise up
for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with
hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and
that they, even the house of
Israel
, are My people, saith the Lord GOD. And ye My flock, the flock of
My pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
Thus
the LORD declares that He will deliver
Israel
from the nations wherein they have been scattered, and will make
them dwell in safety in their land. Then their fields and orchards
shall yield their fruit so that they will never again suffer hunger.
They will not even be bothered by the beasts of the land, but will
dwell safely. Neither will they have to any more bear the insults of
the heathen. Then shall they, the house of
Israel
, know that the LORD their God is with them, and they are His
people. Then He declares, “And ye My flock, the flock of My
pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.”
(Verses
1 through 6) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son
of man, set thy face against Seir, and prophesy against it, and say
unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against
thee, and I will stretch out Mine hand against thee, and I will make
thee most desolate. I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be
desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. Because thou hast
had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of
Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in
the time that their iniquity had an end: therefore, as I live, saith
the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee
unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated
blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
Again
the word of the LORD comes to Ezekiel. This time it is a message to
Seir, the home of Esau and his descendants, (the Arabs,) and it is a
message of judgment against them. It can hardly be made any plainer.
The LORD declares that He will make their land waste, and their
cities desolate. This is “because thou hast had a perpetual
hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of
Israel
by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time
that their iniquity had an end.” This may seem a somewhat strange
statement. It seems to refer to something that has been going on for
a long time, but also to something that will come to a head in a
time yet future. The Arabs have had a perpetual hatred for
Israel
from the time of Esau and Jacob, and even from that of Ishmael and
Isaac. But, seemingly it will come to a final head, at the time of
the re-gathering of
Israel
, “in the time that their iniquity had an end.” When The LORD is
satisfied with the punishment He has laid upon
Israel
, her iniquity will have an end, and He will re-gather her, and
bring her back into the
land
of
Israel
. At that time The Arabs will set forth to destroy her. But the LORD
will be her defense, and the Arabs (Seir) shall be laid desolate.
(Verses
7 through 12) Thus will I make
Mount
Seir
most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that
returneth. And I shall fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy
hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall
that are slain with the sword. I will make thee perpetual
desolations, and thy cities shall not return: ye shall know that I
am the LORD. Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two
countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD
was there: therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do
according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou
hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make Myself
known among them, when I have judged thee. And thou shalt know that
I am the LORD, and that I have heard all the blasphemies which thou
hast spoken against the mountains of
Israel
, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.
Before
Esau and Jacob were born, the LORD declared, “Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated.” Men have made many arguments about what
the LORD meant when He said He hated Esau. It seems that this text
gives about as great a description of the depth of that hatred as
can be found anywhere. It is so great that He will completely
destroy the populace and the cities of Seir. It seems impossible to
make this text any clearer by comment. The LORD simply declares that
He will bring perpetual desolation upon all the cities and
inhabitants of Seir. Thus shall they know that He is the LORD.
(Verses
13 through 15) Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against Me, and
have multiplied your words against Me: I have heard them. Thus saith
the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee
desolate. As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of
Israel
, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be
desolate, O Mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they
shall know that I am the LORD.
The
LORD declares that His knowing of the boasts and blasphemies of the
people of Seir against Him are not something He has heard of, but
something He, personally, has heard. So in the time when He shall
make the remainder of the earth rejoice (which is the time when
Israel
shall be restored) He will make Seir and all Idumea desolate. There
will be no rejoicing for them.
(Verses
1 through 5)Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of
Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you,
Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: therefore
prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD: Because they have made
you desolate, and swallowed you up every side, that ye might be a
possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in
the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: therefore ye
mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the
Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, and to the valleys, to
the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which
became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are
round about; therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire
of My jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and
against all Idumea, which have appointed My land into their
possession with joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to
cast it out for a prey.
Thus
the Lord GOD begins an address to the
land
of
Israel
. In the first verse, He addresses the mountains of Israel; but in
verse 4 He speaks to the “mountains, and to the hills, to the
rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the
cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and a derision to the
residue of the heathen that are round about.” Some may try to
“spiritualize” this, as they do with everything else. But He is
actually speaking to the physical
land
of
Israel
which has indeed been made completely desolate, first by the
carrying away of the inhabitants of the
kingdom
of
Israel
, and then by the captivity of
Judah
. He declares that He has in His jealousy spoken against the residue
of the heathen, and against all Idumea, for they are the ones who
have tried to appropriate to themselves the
land
of
Israel
, and have rejoiced over her desolation “with the joy of all their
heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.” That
have rejoiced at the calamity of
Israel
, and have decided to take over all the land for their possession.
They have not recognized the fact that this land was given by the
Lord GOD to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their seed after them
for a perpetual possession. Even though this land has been made
desolate, that does not nullify the promise of God.
(Verses
6 and 7) Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say
unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the
valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in My
jealousy and In My fury, because ye have born the shame of the
heathen: therefore saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up Mine hand,
Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.
Again,
this message is to the
land
of
Israel
. The LORD simply declares to the land that since the heathen round
about have brought shame upon the land by trying to take possession
of it, though it belonged to the Lord GOD, and by His gift to the
children of Israel, He has “lifted up” His hand ( He has sworn)
that these heathens shall bear their shame, the shame of believing
that they could take possession of that which belonged to the Lord
God and His people.
(Verses
8 through 15) But ye, O mountains of
Israel
, Ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My
people of
Israel
; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I
will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: and I will
multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and
the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded: and
I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and
bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will
do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I
am the LORD. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even My people
Israel
; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance,
and thou shalt no more bereave them of men. Thus saith the Lord GOD,
Because they say unto you, Thou land that devourest
up men, and hast bereaved thy nations, therefore thou shalt
devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the
Lord GOD. Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the
heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people
any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more,
saith the Lord GOD.
Notice
that the LORD’S promise to the
land
of
Israel
is that He will again turn it into a fruitful land, and it shall
yield its fruit to His people
Israel
. And He emphasizes that it will be “all the house of
Israel
. Since the Jews are only two of the tribes of
Israel
, Judah and Benjamin, this has to look forward beyond the return of
the Jews from
Babylon
, even to the final re-gathering of
Israel
. Many will try to “spiritualize” this, and apply it to the
gospel church. But this will not fit the text itself, and certainly
not the context; for there is entirely too much physical description
given of the
land
of
Israel
, and too much said about the reaction of the heathen round about
when
Israel
and
Judah
were brought to desolation. This has to refer to national
Israel
, and the LORD will gather them back to the
land
of
Israel
. When He does this, the land will be fruitful and the people of
Israel
will multiply so that the whole land will be inhabited. The
land
of
Israel
had often been called the land that devoured men, and bereaved her
nations. It is easy to see why this was so. All we have to do is to
look back to the wars of the Israelites as they approached, and were
settled in the
land
of
Israel
. Just as the LORD had promised, He drove out or destroyed the
heathen nations that had possession of the land before the
Israelites were brought in. Some of those nations completely
vanished from history. A while before Ezekiel’s time
Israel
was carried away, and dispersed over the nations, and at the time of
this vision he was in the Babylonian captivity. So
Jerusalem
and
Judah
were also taken away captive. This would seem sufficient ti give the
land
of
Israel
a reputation for devouring men and nations. But the LORD declares
that when He brings “all the house of
Israel
back, this will no more be done. This promise has not yet come to
pass, because, although the Jews were allowed to return to
Jerusalem
after seventy years, and re-build the temple, they were again
dispersed and the temple and
Jerusalem
destroyed in 70 AD. And not until 1948 were they permitted to
return, and even yet they have not all returned. How much longer it
will be until the complete re-gathering, no one except GOD knows.
But He has promised it; and it shall come to pass. Then the land
will devour men no more.
(Verses
16 through 20) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Son of man, when the house of
Israel
dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by
their doings: their way is before me as the uncleanness of a removed
woman. Wherefore My fury upon them for the blood that they had shed
upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:
and I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed
through the countries: according to their way and according to their
doings I judged them. And when they entered unto the heathen,
whither they went, they profaned My holy name, when they said to
them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of
His land.
Not
only did the Israelites pollute the land the LORD had given them by
both their wickedness and their idolatry; but even when the LORD
poured out His fury upon them and caused them to be dispersed among
the heathen, but they magnified their sin by not confessing that He
had brought judgment upon them and caused them to be thus dispersed.
But they said, “These are the people of the LORD, and are gone out
of His land.” That is they claimed to be serving the LORD, and had
voluntarily gone out of His land. Thus they profaned His holy name
before the heathen, because they claimed to be the people of the
LORD, and at the same time continued in their evil ways. They did
not realize that the LORD knows all things, and we cannot hide from
Him.
(Verses
21 through 24) But I had pity for Mine holy name, which the house of
Israel
had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say
unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for
your sakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holy name’s sake,
which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I
will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the heathen,
which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall
know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be
sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among
the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you
into your own land.
Beyond
question, this message is to national
Israel
. The LORD is definitely going to restore them, just as he has
promised in many of His declarations. But He is going to do it not
for their sakes, but for the sake of His own holy name. And this is
a lesson that we too should always keep firmly in mind also. Just as
His blessings to
Israel
are not for their sakes, that is, for anything that they have done
for Him, or for any merit they have, but for the sake of His own
holy name, so it is with us. He has not given us eternal life for
anything that we have done, and neither does He give us temporal
blessings for what we have done, or for what we may in the future
do, for Him. He does all for the sake of His own name, and for the
sake of His Son Jesus, by whose imputed righteousness only we are
made righteous. We cannot even pray in our name; for we are not
worthy to even approach Him. We can only pray in the name of His
holy Son Christ Jesus our Saviour. Nevertheless, He declares to
Israel
, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out
of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.” That
promise is still awaiting fulfillment. But it shall come to pass.
(Verses
25 through 30) Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye
shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols,
will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new
spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart
out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will
put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and
ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the
land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I
will be your God. I will also save you from all uncleannesses: and I
will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon
you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of
the field, that ye receive no more reproach of famine among the
heathen.
Not
only will the LORD re-gather
Israel
, and into the land He gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their
seed after them. But after He does, not before, He declares, “Then
will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from
all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.”
As we examine the history of the children of
Israel
, we find that they have often been charged by the LORD with being
wicked, filthy, and very idolatrous. They have often departed from
the commandments of the LORD, and gone after idols. Now He says that
when He gathers them back to His land, He will sprinkle them with
clean water, and wash away all these things. He will even take away
the stony heart that has led them to do such things, and He will
replace it with a heart of flesh. That is, He will give to them a
heart that will love Him and His commandments. He further declares,
“And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My
statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them.” He will
not leave the matter up to them, even after He has given them a new
heart, and put His Spirit within them; but He will cause them to
walk in His statutes. Thus they shall keep His judgments, and do
them. In this condition, they shall dwell in the land He gave to
their fathers; and they shall be His people, and He will be their
GOD. He will save, or keep them from all their uncleannesses, and
will so supply them with food that they will never again receive any
reproach from the heathen about having a famine. So in that
re-gathering, He will bless them both spiritually and naturally.
Many today like to take this text, and try to apply it to the gospel
church. But it will not fit.
(Verses
31 through 34) Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your
doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own
sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your
sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be
ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of
Israel
. Thus saith the Lord GOD; in the day that I shall have cleansed you
from all your iniquities I will cause you to dwell in the cities,
and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be
tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.
When
the LORD shall bring
Israel
back into their land, they shall be so smitten with repentance that
they will hate themselves for all the wickedness they have done. And
He calls upon them to “be ashamed and confounded for your own
ways, O house of
Israel
.” Then, in the day that He cleanses them from all their
iniquities, He will cause them to dwell in the cities, and the
wastes shall be built. That is He will settle them permanently
therein. And the land that has so long been desolate will be tilled.
The desolation will be over.
(Verses
35 through 38) And they shall say, This land that was desolate is
become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and
ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen
that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the
ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have
spoken it, and I will do it. Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for
this be inquired of by the house of
Israel
, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As
the holy flock, as the flock of
Jerusalem
in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with
flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
When
the LORD brings to pass all this that He has spoken, Those who pass
by will say, “This land that was desolate is become like the
garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are
become fenced, and are inhabited.” This will cause even the
heathen that are left round about to know that the LORD builds the
ruined places and plants the desolate; and what He says, He will do.
Then He promises
Israel
that He will cause them to multiply and fill the land with men like
a flock of sheep. They are the holy flock of the LORD. And then
shall they know that He is the LORD.
(Verses
1 through 3) The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in
the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley
which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about:
and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and , lo, they
were very dry. And He said unto me, Son of man, can these dry bones
live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, Thou knowest.
This
is simply the preparation for the vision and message the LORD is
going to give to Ezekiel. The LORD takes him in the Spirit out into
a valley that is filled with bones. (As the scene develops, we
understand that these are human bones.) As Ezekiel is made to walk
around about these bones, the LORD asks him, “Can these bones
live?” Ezekiel’s answer is, “Lord GOD, Thou knowest.” This
answer seems to mean more than is expressed by the words. It seems
to convey the thought that not only does the LORD know, but that He
is the only One who does.
(Verses
4 through 8) Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones; and
say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith
the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter
into you, and ye shall live: and I will lay sinews upon you, and
will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put
breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the
LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied, there
was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone
to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up
upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no life in
them.
This
text is certainly not hard to be understood, so far as what took
place is concerned. However, there have been many, and various,
interpretations thereof. Ezekiel tells us that the LORD commanded
him to prophesy upon these bones, and declare to them that the LORD
would bring them together, cover them with sinews, flesh, and skin,
and put breath in them so that they would live. Then he prophesied
to the bones as the LORD had commanded him, and a great miracle took
place. First the bones, with some noise, came together in their
proper locations, the sinews, flesh, and skin came upon them. But as
yet there was no life in them.
(Verses
9 and 10) Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon
these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as He commanded me,
and the breath came into them, and they stood up upon their feet, an
exceeding great army.
Thus
by the power of GOD these dry bones were made to live. There are
those who will read this prophesy down to this point, lay aside all
the rest of it, and attempt to teach from it the resurrection. And
if this were the end of the prophesy, that might be allowable.
However, as we continue on, we shall find that the LORD explains to
Ezekiel the meaning of this prophesy. And His explanation of it is
quite different from that.
(Verses
11 through 14) Then He said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the
whole house of
Israel
: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we
are cut off for our parts. Therefore Prophesy and say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O My people, I will open your
graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you
into the
land
of
Israel
. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your
graves, O My people, and brought you out of your graves, and shall
put My Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in
your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it,
and performed it, saith the LORD.
Thus
the LORD begins to explain this vision. These dry bones are the
whole house of
Israel
, the living, not the dead; for the dead are not concerned about
where they are, and whether their hope has perished. But these, the
whole house of
Israel
who have been brought out of their land, and scattered through the
nations, are physically alive, and are complaining about their
condition. They are saying that they have been cut off from their
place, their hope is lost, and so far as their ever accomplishing
anything, even their bones are dried up. They consider themselves
completely hopeless, as it they were dead. Certainly it is to them,
and not to the physically dead that Ezekiel is commanded to
prophesy. The LORD declares that He will open their graves, and
bring them out, and return them to their own land. In verse 21He
will explain what He means by their “graves.” When He does this
for them, they will know that He is the LORD Who has both spoken and
done this.
(Verses
15 through 19) The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it,
For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take
thee another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of
Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: and join
them to one another into one stick; and they shall be one in thine
hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee,
saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto
them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of
Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel
his fellows, and put them with him, even with the stick of Judah,
and make them one stick, and they shall be one in Mine hand.
From
the days of Jeroboam and Rehoboam the kingdoms of
Israel
and
Judah
had been separated. But in this sign that the LORD told Ezekiel to
work in the sight of the people, He shows that there is to be a time
when the two kingdoms shall be made one. This is to be signified to
the Jews by Ezekiel’s taking two sticks, writing upon one, “For
Judah
, and for the children of
Israel
his companions,” and writing upon the other, “For Joseph, the
stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of
Israel
his companions,” and joining them together in his hand. Thus will
the LORD do with the two kingdoms. He will lay hold of them, and
they shall become one in His hand. We may have been witnessing the
beginning of this miracle since 1948, when the present nation of
Israel
was established. But if so, it is only at the point of completion
that compares to the description of the bones given in verse 8 of
this chapter. The breath that will make them alive, as in verse 10,
has not yet come into them.
(Verses
20 through 25) And the sticks whereon thou writest their names shall
be in thy hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold I will take the children of
Israel
from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them
on every side, and bring them into their own land. And I will make
them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one
king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two
nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at
all: neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols,
nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their
transgressions : but I will save them out of all their
dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so
shall they be My people, and I will be their God. And David My
servant shall be king over them; and they shall have one shepherd:
they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and
do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto
Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall
dwell therein for ever: and My servant David shall be their prince
for ever.
As
Ezekiel works this sign before the Jews, in verse 20, he is showing
to them the promise of the LORD. In the following verses, the Lord
God sets forth that promise in words. Verse 21 clearly tells us the
meaning of the “graves” mentioned in verses12 and 13. They are
the nations and countries wherein the children of
Israel
have been dispersed. The Lord GOD declares that He will bring them
out from those places, and will “gather them on every side, and
bring them into their own land.” He will also put them together as
one kingdom, cleanse them from all their abominations, put
completely away all their idols and their detestable things so that
they will never again defile themselves with such. He will set over
them Hid servant David as their shepherd and king; and they shall
dwell in their land with David their King for ever. Just as in many
other places where the name David is used, it refers not to the son
of Jesse who was king of
Israel
, but to Christ Jesus the Son of God, and also the son of David.
This shall all take place after He shall, in the great day of battle
described by Zechariah, set His feet on the Mount of Olives, and
shall fight that battle against all the enemies of
Israel
that shall be there gathered against
Jerusalem
.
(Verses
26 and 28) Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it
shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them,
and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them
for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be
their God, and they shall be My people. And the heathen shall know
that I the LORD do sanctify
Israel
, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
This
covenant of peace is that same covenant of which Jeremiah speaks in
his prophecy. (Jeremiah 31:31-34) It is a covenant which, although
it embraces those of today, and indeed those that lived in the days
of the Apostles, who were given faith in our Lord Jesus, will also
embrace the Jews after they have been gathered back from all the
nations in which they have been dispersed. It is to be noted that
the LORD has many times said that when He does re-gather
Israel
, He will settle them in their own land; and then, not before, He
will give them a new heart and a new spirit, and will cleanse them
from all their abominations and all their filthiness. Then will He,
indeed, be their GOD, and they shall be His people. This theme holds
here as well. When He does this, His sanctuary and His tabernacle
shall be with them for evermore. Many seem to think that
“tabernacle” always means a temporary dwelling place, and
usually a tent, simply because the tabernacle the LORD had the
Israelites to make for the place to worship Him as they traveled
through the wilderness was a tent. But His tabernacle is His place
of abode, even if there is not so much as a tent there. And in this
instance He tells us that there He will dwell with them for
evermore.
(Verses
1 through 7) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of
man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince
of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of
Meshech and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and put hooks in thy
jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and
horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great
company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them, all of them with shield and
helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north
quarters, and all his bands; and many people with thee. Be thou
prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou and all thy company that are
assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
This
chapter, together with Chapter 39, tells us about a great battle
that shall involve all the
land
of
Israel
after the LORD has gathered the Israelites back into their land.
This is a battle that the LORD has purposed to bring to pass, not to
punish or destroy
Israel
, but to punish all her enemies at one time. Accordingly, He calls
upon Ezekiel to prophesy against these enemies. The
land
of
Magog
is the area that has for a long time been known as
Russia
. We are given the names of two of its cities that identify it to
us. The city of
Meshech
is the city now known as
Moscow
, and Tubal is the present day Tobolsk. So
Russia
is the first land against which he prophesies. The LORD declares
that he is against Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. He
does not leave Gog any option as to whether or not he will enter
into this battle. For He says, “And I will turn thee back, and put
hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine
army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of
armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them
handling swords.” So they have no choice in the matter. He then
names three more nations that will be with them,
Persia
,
Ethiopia
, and
Libya
, and all of them will be fully armed. He also says that Gomer and
all his bands, which also is one of the northern countries will be
with Gog and his army. Then He gives Gog a charge. He is to prepare
himself to be a guard for all this multitude that he will bring with
him. As we shall later see, his being a guard unto them will be of
little avail.
(Verses
8 through 13) After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter
years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the
sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of
Israel, which have been always waste: but is brought forth out of
the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Thou shall
ascend and cover the
land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus saith
the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time
shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil
thought: and thou shalt say , I will go up to the land of unwalled
villages; I will go to them that dwell safely, all of them dwelling
without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil,
and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that
are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the
nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst
of the land.
Sheba
, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions
thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? Hast
thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and
gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
The
LORD declares that this shall be after many days, and in the latter
years. And, according to history, it has never yet taken place. But
since the LORD has purposed it, no matter how far off it is, it will
come to pass at the appointed time. It can only take place after the
Israelites have been brought back from the places wither they have
been dispersed, and settled in their own land. Then Gog and all his
bands will make the attempt to overthrow them. When all this band
prepares for war, “
Sheba
, Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish” will all be asking if the
purpose of this great invasion is to gain great spoils from
Israel
. Perhaps they will wonder what in
Israel
could be worth such a great military effort. But the real reason for
this invasion is that there the LORD shall destroy the invaders, and
show to
Israel
, and to the world, His great power.
(Verses
14 through 17) Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when My people of
Israel
dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from
thy place out of the north parts, thou and many people with thee,
all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
and thou shalt come up against My people of Israel, as a cloud to
cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring
thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me, when I shall be
sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by My servants
the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years
that I would bring thee against them?
The
LORD declares that when He shall cause His people of
Israel
to dwell safely in their land, Gog shall know it. Then he will come
up as a cloud over
Israel
with the purpose of destroying them. But the outcome shall be quite
different from that which is expected by Gog and his company. He
says that , after all, this is the same Gog of whom He has had His
prophets prophesy many years ago. Nothing has changed so far as His
mind is concerned. God’s purpose concerning the destruction of Gog
and his armies is the same as His prophets have spoken.
(Verses
18 through 23) And it shall come to pass at the time when Gog shall
come against the
land
of
Israel
, saith the Lord GOD, that My fury shall come up in My face. For in
My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken, Surely in
that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; so
that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the
beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the
earth, and all men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake
at My presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the
steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My mountains,
saith the Lord GOD; every man’s sword shall be against his
brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with
blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the
many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great
hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify Myself, and
sanctify Myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations,
and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Thus
the LORD declares that when Gog and his army shall come against
Israel
, He will take over the battle. He will cause a great shaking, an
earthquake, that will even flatten the mountains, and He will cause
such confusion among this host that they shall fight among
themselves instead of directing their efforts against
Israel
. In addition to this, He will bring upon them a great storm that
will have overflowing rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone,
that will destroy them. He says, “Thus will I magnify Myself,
and sanctify Myself: and I will be known in the eyes of many
nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
(Verses
1 through 7) Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and
say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the
chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and
leave but a sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from
the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
and I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, , and will cause
thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the
mountains of
Israel
, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will
give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts
of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field:
for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. And I will send a fire on
Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they
shall know that I am the LORD. So will I make My holy name known in
the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let them pollute My
holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD,
the Holy One in Israel.
This
text seems to be, primarily, a repetition of some of the things said
in Chapter 38, with the addition of the declaration that the bodies
of the slain of Gog’s army will be left for the ravenous birds and
the beasts of the field to consume. The LORD will also send upon the
land
of
Gog
, and upon the islands, a fire that shall be so great that they will
know that He is the LORD, the Holy One in
Israel
.
(Verses
8 through 16) Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord
GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken. And they that dwell in
the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn
the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the
arrows, and handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them
with fire seven years: so they shall take no wood out of the field,
neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the
weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and
rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD. And it shall come to
pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves
in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east side of the sea:
and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they
bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of
Hamon-gog. And seven months shall the house of
Israel
be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the
people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown
the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD. And they
shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the
land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of
the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they
search. And passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a
man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers
have buried it in the
valley
of
Hamon-gog
. And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they
cleanse the land.
When
the LORD says, “Behold, it is come, and it is done,” He does not
mean that all of this that He has said is over, so far as its coming
to pass is concerned, but that it is established so that it cannot
fail, and it will come to pass at the time appointed. He has
declared the day of its coming to pass, and at that time there will
be no delay, and nothing that can hinder it. He tells us that after
that great battle, it will take seven years to burn all the weapons
that shall be left on the battlefield. Although He names weapons
with people of Ezekiel’s day were well acquainted, the actual
weapons that will be used may actually be ultra modern ones.
Nevertheless they will be sufficient for the fires ( or to power the
economy) for seven years before there will be any need for
additional fuel. Thus by using the materials left by the attackers,
they will be robbing those who had come to rob them. And all that
Gog and his army will get out of their efforts will be a place for
graves in which they will be buried. It will be in the “valley of
the passengers (travelers) on the east of the sea. It shall have
such a foul smell that it will stop the noses of the travelers in
the area. This is where Gog and his multitude shall be buried. And
the valley will be called The
valley
of
Hamon-gog
. For a space of seven months, everyone will take part in burying
those dead. After this certain ones will be appointed to do the
burying, and every one who finds a man’s bone shall set up a
marker by it, that those who are burying the dead may find and bury
it. Thus will they cleanse the land.
(Verses
17 through 22) And , thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak
unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble
yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to My
sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you , even a great sacrifice upon
the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye
shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the
princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks,
all of them fatlings of
Bashan
. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be
drunken, of My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye
shall be filled at My table with horses and chariots, with mighty
men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD. And I will set My
glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see My judgment
that I have executed, and My hand that I have laid upon them. So the
house of
Israel
shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward.
This
is very similar to the invitation given in Revelation 19:17-18. The
principal difference is that in that only the fowls of the heaven
were called, while here both the fowls of heaven and the beasts of
the field are invited. The food supplies of both feasts are the
same.. When all this is over, the heathen shall see the Judgments
the LORD has executed upon them, and the house of Israel shall from
that day forward know that He is the LORD their God.
(Verses
23 through 29) And the heathen shall know that the house of
Israel
went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed
against Me, therefore I hid My face from them, and gave them into
the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. According
to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I
done unto them, and hid My face from them. Therefore thus saith the
Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have
mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for My
holy name; after that they have borne their shame, and all their
trespasses whereby they have trespassed against Me, when they dwelt
safely in their land, and none made them afraid. When I have brought
them again from the people, and gathered them out of their
enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many
nations; then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, Which
caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have
gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any
more there. Neither will I hide My face any more from them: for I
have poured out My Spirit upon the house of
Israel
, saith the Lord GOD.
This
is the summary of the matter that has been discussed from the
beginning of Chapter 37 to the present point. The LORD has promised
that He will call forth the whole house of
Israel
from the many countries in which they have been scattered, and,
effectively, buried. Then He will call the enemies of
Israel
to come against her with all their forces. Then He will take up the
battle, and fight for
Israel
against all her enemies. Thus shall she be delivered from all her
enemies, and brought to repentance for all her transgressions, and
cleansed from all her iniquities. Then shall the children of
Israel
know that the LORD is indeed their God for ever more, and that He
has left none of them in the captivities wherein they had been held.
Neither will He ever hide His face from them again, “’For I have
poured out My Spirit upon the house of
Israel
,’ saith the Lord GOD.”
The
first four verses of Chapter 40 tell us, “In the five and
twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in
the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the
city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon
me, and brought me thither. In the visions of God brought He me into
the
land
of
Israel
, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of
a city on the south. And He brought me thither, and, behold, there
was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a
line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the
gate. And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes,
and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall
shew thee: for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art
thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of
Israel.”
This
sets the stage for Ezekiel to observe this man as he shows to
Ezekiel a building which, according to its description, is, without
doubt, a temple; and its setting is, of course, in
Jerusalem
. But nothing is ever said about when this temple is to be built.
Many learned men have presented their ideas of when it will be, and
many of them have divergent views of the timing. Some even say that
it is not ever to be built as a physical building, but is to be
spiritualized, and considered as the gospel church. And there is no
real evidence given in its description that all can agree upon as
definitive. So we will not get into that argument, although a few
things about it seem to indicate that it may be, not a physical
building, but a sign to represent the perfection of the relationship
between the LORD and His people after He has brought Israel back
from all the nations wherein they have been scattered, and has given
them a new heart and a new spirit, as he has promised them. It must
be of some great significance to the house of
Israel
, for Ezekiel was to declare every thing that he saw to them. From
this point forward to Chapter 42, verse 13, nothing is given except
the description of this building, including the measurements of the
various portions of it. As can easily be seen, this building‘s
dimensions and description will not fit any temple that has yet been
built in Jerusalem, and as we continue through the account, we shall
find that there are some differences between the activities that are
to be carried on in it and those that were done in the temples
before it. So, as we have mentioned, it may be simply for a
representation of the LORD’S dealing with His people after He has
brought them back from the dispersion and established them in
Israel
. I do not set this forth as a hard and fast fact, but only as a
possibility. As said above, this building is never called a temple,
but a house. Thus it may represent, not the temple of the LORD, but
the “House of the LORD,” in the same sense as “the house of
Israel
” is all the Israelites.
At
this point, the man told Ezekiel, “The north chambers and the
south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy
chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat
the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and
the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering;
for the place is holy. When the priests enter therein, then shall
they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there
they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are
holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those
things which are for the people.” At this point the man quit
measuring the inside of the building and the things therein, and led
Ezekiel out through the gate (door) that faced the east. Then he
began measuring the things pertaining to the court. This continues
through the remainder of this chapter.
Chapter
43
(Verses
1 through 6) Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that
looketh toward the east: and, behold, the glory of the God of Israel
came from the way of the east: and His voice was like a noise of
many waters: and the earth shined with His glory. And it was
according to the appearance of the vision that I saw when I came to
destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by
the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. And the glory of the LORD
came into the house by way of the gate whose prospect is toward the
east. So the Spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court,
and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house. And I heard Him
speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
The
principal item of interest in this text is the glory of the LORD.
Ezekiel tells us that it came from the east, and as it did he heard
the voice of the LORD sounding as the voice of many waters. Ezekiel
tells us that at this time the glory of the LORD appeared just as he
had seen it before, which he has already described to us. And it had
the same effect upon him that it formerly had. He fell upon his
face. At this point the glory of the LORD went into the house by way
of the gate that faced the east. Then the Spirit lifted him up, and
brought him into the inner court, while the glory of the LORD filled
the house. Then, while the man stood by him, he heard the LORD
speaking to him from within the house.
(Verses
7 through 9) And He said unto me, Son of man, the place of My
throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in
the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and My holy name,
shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they nor their
kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in
their high places. In their setting of their thresholds by My
thresholds, and their posts by My posts, and the wall between Me and
them, they have even defiled My holy name by their abominations that
they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in Mine anger.
Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their
kings, far from Me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
It
appears from this, that this house, whenever it is built, or even
whether it shall ever be built as a physical house, or temple,
represents the fact that there will be a time when Israel shall
never more defile the temple of the LORD, but will be cleansed from
all their abominations and filthiness, and will worship and honor
the LORD only. And He will dwell among them for ever. He declares
that He has consumed them in His anger. So it is now time for them
to turn away from all their iniquities. In verse 9, He says, “Now
let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings,
far from Me, and I will dwell in the midst of them forever.” This
is the follow-up all that He has said from the beginning of Chapter
36 to the present text.
(Verses
10 through 12) Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of
Israel
, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure
the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew
them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the comings
in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances
thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that
they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances
thereof, and do them. This is the law of the house; Upon the top of
the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy.
Behold, this is the law of the house.”
Ezekiel
is to show to the house of
Israel
all this that he has seen concerning the “house,” or temple, and
have them measure the pattern. That is, they are to measure their
actions according to that which has been shown to him, concerning
all the fashion of the house, “and all the forms thereof, and all
the ordinances thereof, and all the laws thereof. They are to
“keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and
do them. Then the LORD tells him “This is the law of the house;
Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about
shall be most holy. This is the law of the house.” This is unlike
any temple that has been built before this in that, the only part of
the former ones that was designated most holy was that portion
behind the vail, whereas even the whole mountain top around this
temple is most holy. And this is the law of the house.
(Verses
13 through 17) And these are the measures of the altar after the
cubits:: the cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom
shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by
the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the
higher place of the altar. And from the bottom upon the ground even
to the lower settle (seat) shall be two cubits, and the breadth one
cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall
be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit. So the altar shall be
four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns. And
the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the
four corners thereof. And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long
and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about
it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be about; and
his stairs shall look toward the east.
Since
this is only the description and dimensions of the altar, there
seems to be no need of comment concerning it. The dimensions are
clearly given, and steps to the altar face toward the east.
(Verses
18 through 22) And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord
GOD; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they
shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle
blood thereon. And they shall give to the priests the Levites that
be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto Me, to minister unto
Me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering. And thou
shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it,
and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round
about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it. Thou shalt take the
bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the
appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary. And on the
second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a
sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse
it with the bullock.
Thus
the LORD gives Ezekiel instructions for cleansing and purging the
altar when it shall be built. He gives explicit details for making
all the offerings required for this ritual. He declares them to be
the “ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make
it.” That is these are the rules that must be followed. And they
are clear enough to allow no misunderstanding of them. It is a
matter of which we take note, that He almost always speaks of this
building as a ”house,” not as a “temple.” But we never find
the LORD giving any explanation of this: so we will have to let it
stand only as He has said it.
(Verses
23 through 27) When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou
shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the
flock without blemish. And thou shalt offer them before the LORD,
and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them
up for a burnt offering unto the LORD. Seven days shalt thou prepare
every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young
bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish. Seven days
shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate
themselves. And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon
the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt
offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will
accept you, saith the Lord GOD.
The
LORD gives further instructions for the offerings that are to be
offered to further purge and purify the altar. All of this will take
seven days; and after this, and from that time forward the priests
will offer the burnt offerings and peace offerings of the people of
Israel as they bring them to be offered, and the LORD will accept
the people and their offerings.
Chapter
44
(Verses
1 through 3) Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the
outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.
Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be
opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God
of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is
for the Prince; the Prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before
the LORD: he shall enter by way of the porch of that gate, and shall
go out by the same.
Just
as the description of this house does not match that of any temple
that has ever been built unto the LORD, so shall we find ordinances
concerning its use that are different from those given by the LORD
for the use of former temples. One of them is that since the LORD,
the God of Israel has entered through the eastern gate, that gate
shall be shut, and shall so remain that no man shall enter therein.
Yet it shall be for the Prince, or King, Who, no doubt, is none
other that our Lord Christ Jesus. This seems to point us to the days
described by Zechariah in his prophecy, (Zechariah 14:16) “And it
shall come to pass, that everyone that is left of all the nations
which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to
worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and keep the feast of
tabernacles.” This Prince shall sit in that gate to eat bread
before the LORD. He shall both enter in and go out by the porch of
this gate.
(Verses
4 through 8) Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the
house: and I looked, and , behold, the glory of the LORD filled the
house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face. And the LORD said unto
me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with
thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of
the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the
entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.
And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel,
let it suffice you of all your abominations, in that ye have brought
into My sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and
uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary, to pollute it, even
My house, when ye offer My bread, the fat and the blood, and they
have broken My covenant because of all your abominations. And ye
have not kept the charge of Mine holy things: but ye have set
keepers of My charge in My sanctuary for yourselves.
Evidently
the north gate of the house was open; and when the man brought
Ezekiel there, he could see into the house. As he looked, he saw
that the house of the LORD was filled with the glory of the LORD,
which he has previously described to us. At this time, it had the
same effect upon him that has previously been the case. He fell upon
his face. At this point the LORD spoke to him, and told him to very
carefully look at, and listen to all that would be presented to him.
The LORD was going to give him some very important instructions
concerning the laws and ordinances of His house. When the LORD
speaks of the house of
Israel
as “the rebellious,” He is speaking of them as they were at that
time, and not as they will be when this house shall be established.
Ezekiel is to tell them to ”let this suffice of all your
abominations,” that is, “You have wrought your abominations long
enough: now it is time to forsake them.” Then he is to recount
some of these abominations to the house of
Israel
. They have brought strangers that were uncircumcised in both the
heart and the flesh into the sanctuary of the LORD, thus polluting
it, even while offerings were being made; and because of these
abominations they have broken His covenant. They have not even kept
the charge of His holy things; but have set keepers of this charge
for themselves. That is, they have disregarded the instructions of
the LORD as to whom they should set in such a position, and followed
their own minds in doing this, all of which is also an abomination.
(Verses
9 through 14) Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in
heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh shall enter into My sanctuary, or
any stranger that is among the children of
Israel
. And the Levites that are gone away from Me, when Israel went
astray, which went astray from Me after their idols, they shall even
bear their iniquity. Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary,
having charge of the gates of the house, and ministering to the
house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the
people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.
Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the
house of
Israel
to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted Mine hand against
them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity. And
they shall not come near unto Me, to do the office of a priest unto
Me, nor to come near to any of My holy things, in the most holy
place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which
they have committed. But I will make them keepers of the charge of
the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be
done therein.
The
LORD declares that no stranger, and no person uncircumcised in the
heart, or uncircumcised in the flesh, shall enter into His
sanctuary. Not only so, but even the priests that turned away from
Him, although they are the descendants of Levi, will not be
permitted to perform any priestly duty wherein they would approach
unto Him. They will be allowed to slay the sacrifices and offerings,
and minister to the people. But because they ministered to the
people before their idols, and thus led them astray, they shall no
more come near unto Him or His holy things in the most holy place.
All they can do is that which is set forth in verse 14.”But I will
make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service
thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.”
(Verses
15 and 16) But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept
the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray
from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister unto Me, and they
shall stand before Me to offer unto Me the fat and the blood, saith
the Lord GOD: they shall enter into My sanctuary, and they shall
come near to My table, to minister unto Me, and they shall keep My
charge.
Although
the priests who “went away” from the LORD will not be permitted
any more to approach unto Him in their ministering, the sons of
Zadok who were faithful, even during the time of Israel’s
idolatries, shall enter into the sanctuary of the LORD, and shall be
permitted to exercise all their priestly functions, and stand before
the LORD as before.
(Verses
17 through 22) And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at
the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen
garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in
the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen
bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their
loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causeth
sweat. And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the
utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein
they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall
put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with
their garments. Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer
their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads. Neither
shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.
Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that has
been put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house
of
Israel
, or a widow that had a priest before.
Here
the LORD gives Ezekiel instructions concerning the priests; what
they shall wear while ministering to Him in the inner court, as well
as how they are to dress when they go out into the outer court into
the presence of the people. He tells how they shall cut their hair,
and commands then to not drink wine, when they enter into the inner
court; and finally what sort of women they can, and can not, marry.
(Verses
23 through 26) And they shall teach My people the difference between
the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the
unclean and the clean. And in controversy they shall stand in
judgment; and they shall judge according to My judgments: and they
shall keep My laws and My statutes in all Mine assemblies; and they
shall hallow My sabbaths. And they shall come at no dead person to
defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for
daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they
may defile themselves. And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon
unto him seven days.
.The
priests are to teach the people the difference between the things
that are holy, and those that are profane. The word, “profane,”
as here used, does not carry exactly the same meaning as we usually
associate with it, but simply means “common.” The priests shall
be the arbiters in judgment of any controversy; and they shall judge
according to God’s judgment. They shall keep His laws and statutes
in all His assemblies, and they shall keep His sabbaths holy. There
are only special cases in which they may come near to a dead person:
for touching one who is dead will defile them. They are permitted to
thus defile themselves in the case of the death of their father,
mother, son, daughter, or brother, and a sister who has never been
married, but no other. In the event of their defilement by touching
one of these, they must go through the ritual that has already been
established for their cleansing. .
(Verses
27 through 31) And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, unto
the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his
sin offering, saith the Lord GOD. And it shall be unto them an
inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ye shall give them no
possession in
Israel
: I am their possession. They shall eat the meat offering, and the
sin offering, and the trespass offering: and every dedicated thing
in
Israel
shall be theirs. And the first of all the firstfruits of all things,
and every oblation of all, of every sort of your oblations shall be
the priest’s: ye shall give unto the priest the first of your
dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest on thine house. The
priests shall not eat of anything that is dead of itself, or torn,
whether it be fowl or beast.
This
is primarily a repetition of the law originally given concerning the
conduct of the priests, the relationship between them and the
people, and the support of the priesthood by the people. As can
readily be seen, there were some of the offerings of which only
certain parts were to be burned as offerings to the LORD, and that
which was not specified to be burned was to be given to the priest.
In short, the priest’s function was to lift the people up in
prayer to God, and the people were to supply the material needs of
the priest. This is very similar to the answer given by the apostles
to the people of the church in Acts 6:3-4. “Wherefore, brethren,
look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we
will give ourselves continually to prayer, and the ministry of the
word.” So we can thereby see that the LORD still deals with His
people as He did in those days.
Chapter
45
(Verses
1 through 5) Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for
inheritance. Ye shall offer an oblation unto the LORD, an holy
portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and
twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This
shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about. Of this there
shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred
in breadth, square round about for the suburbs thereof. And of this
measure shalt thou measure the length of five and twenty thousand,
and the breadth of ten thousand: and it shall be the sanctuary and
the most holy place. The holy portion of the land shall be for the
priests the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come to minister
unto the LORD: and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy
place for the sanctuary. And the five and twenty thousand of length,
and the ten thousand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the
ministers of the house, have for themselves, for a possession for
twenty chambers.
It is
to be noted that when Joshua divided up the land to the children of
Israel
after they had subdued their enemies, the only possessions allotted
to the Levites were certain cities scattered among the other tribes
of
Israel
. Here Ezekiel is told that they are to be given a certain
territory, the measurements of which are very precisely given. And
this area is near to the “house” that has been described in the
preceding chapters.
(Verses
6 through 8) And ye shall appoint the possession of the city five
thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the
oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of
Israel
. And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on the
other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the
possession of the city, before the oblation of the oblation of the
holy portion, and before the possession of the city, from the west
side westward, and from the east side eastward: and the length shall
be over against one of the portions, from the west border unto the
east border. In the land shall be his possession in
Israel
: and My princes shall no more oppress My people; and the rest of
the land shall they give to the house of
Israel
according to their tribes.
Here
the LORD instructs Ezekiel as to how the
land
of
Israel
shall be divided among the people of
Israel
. It is quite different from the manner in which it was originally
divided. From the beginning of the chapter through this text, the
measurements of different portions have been given. We have
previously noted some changes from the manner in which it was
originally divided. And in this text some other changes are noted.
There have already been mentioned oblations unto the LORD, a certain
portion for the house, and, of this a portion, a segment for the
sanctuary and the most holy place, and one for the Levites. Then a
portion was to be appointed for the Levites, and one for the city,
which was also for the whole house of
Israel
, and another for the prince. When the land was originally divided
unto
Israel
, there was no possession set aside for the prince, for they had no
prince, or king. After this is done, the rest of the land shall be
divided to
Israel
according to their tribes. The fact that the prince is mentioned in
this is part of makes it seem that this is definitely looking to the
time after the final restoration of
Israel
, when the Lord Jesus shall be the prince, or king in
Jerusalem
. And since this prophecy is all a follow-up of God’s declaration
concerning the dry bones in chapter 37, (Ezekiel 37:11)
“Then He said unto me, ‘Son of man, these are the whole house of
Israel,’” and the remainder of that chapter definitely spells
out the fact that He is there referring to that time, since then
only will David, that is, the greater son of David, Christ Jesus our
Lord, be the king in Jerusalem, and all nations that are left in the
earth shall come up to Jerusalem year by year to worship Him, there
is a strong possibility that it refers to not only His people of all
the tribes of Israel, but also those among the gentiles that worship
Him. He now says that, then His princes shall not oppress His people
any more. This does not mean that then He will have more than one
Prince. But the plural is used in reference to the fact that there
have been many princes, or kings, of
Israel
, and they have oppressed the people: but never again shall they do
so.
(Verses
9 through 17) Thus saith the Lord GOD; Let it suffice you, O princes
of
Israel
: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take
away your exactions from My people, saith the Lord GOD. Ye shall
have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath. The ephah and
the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the
tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part ofr an homer:
the measure thereof shall be after the homer. And the shekel shall
be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen
shekels, shall be your Maneh. This is the oblation that ye shall
offer; the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat, and ye shall
give the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of barley: concerning
the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil , ye shall offer the tenth
part of a bath out of the cor, which is an homer of ten baths; for
ten baths are an homer: and one lamb out of the flock, out of two
hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel; for a meat offering, and
for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make
reconciliation for them, saith the Lord GOD. And the people of the
land shall give this oblation for the house of
Israel
. And it shall be the prince’s part to give burnt offerings, and
meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new
moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of
Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering,
and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make
reconciliation for the house of Israel.
Here
the Lord GOD orders the princes of
Israel
to cease from their oppression of the people, and to their exactions
from the people. They had been laying heavy taxation upon the
people, much more than they could justify. And they had been dealing
with false weights and measures. So the LORD tells them how their
measures are to be established. He then gives them some instructions
concerning how much they were to offer in their oblations to Him,
and what they shall give unto their prince. He further declares that
it shall be the prince’s part to furnish and prepare various
offerings to make a reconciliation for the house of
Israel
.
(Verses
18 through 25) Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the first month, in the
first day of the month, thou shalt take a young bullock without
blemish, and cleanse the sanctuary: and the priest shall take of the
blood of the sin offering, and put it upon the posts of the house,
and upon the four corners of the settle of the altar, and upon the
posts of the gate of the inner court. And so shalt thou do the
seventh day of the month for every one that erreth, and for him that
is simple: so shall ye reconcile the house. In the first month, in
the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the Passover, a feast
of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. And upon that day
shall the prince prepare for himself and for the people of the land
a bullock for a sin offering. And seven days of the feast he shall
prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bullocks and seven rams
without blemish daily the seven days; and a kid of the goats daily
for a sin offering. And he shall prepare a meat offering of an ephah
for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and an hin of oil for an
ephah. In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month,
shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days, according to
the burnt offering, and according to the meat offering, and
according to the oil.
In
this, the LORD gives the instructions for the offerings in the feast
of the Passover, and for the feast of the seventh month which is the
feast of Tabernacles. He gives very specific instructions for the
observance of these feasts. There has been a great deal of argument
among men concerning all of this portion of Ezekiel’s prophecy.
Some hold that this shows that when Israel is re-gathered they will
build a new temple to the LORD, and resume their rituals of
offerings and sacrifices, while others maintain that all such
sacrifices and offerings were only types of our Lord Jesus, and
being fulfilled in His suffering as the Lamb of God have been
forever set aside. I feel that the latter position is more in
keeping with the teachings of our Saviour on the subject. And
therefore it seems to me that all of this description of the
“house,” the division of the land, and the order of the service
and worship of the LORD set forth here, are for the greater part
symbolic. Even the language used by Ezekiel in Chapter 40, verse 2
seems to indicate as much. “In the visions of God brought He me
into the
land
of
Israel
, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of
a city on the south.” That is there was shown him a likeness of
the layout of a city. And in this context comes all the remainder of
this vision. If this be the case, then it seems that the whole of
this vision is to represent how much greater will be the fellowship
with the Lord, and among the saints, as well as the joy of serving
Him when the eyes and hearts of His peo0ple are opened that they may
receive Him as “King in Jerusalem,” as Zechariah tells us. And
it will also be the joy of even the Gentiles that are left. For
Zechariah tells us, in Chapter 14, verses 9 16, “And the LORD
shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one
LORD, and His name one.------- And it shall come to pass, that
everyone that is left of all the nations which came up against
Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King,
the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of Tabernacles. Notice
should be taken that this will all come after the great day of
mourning that is described in Zechariah, Chapter 12, verses 10
through 14. We have already noticed that “the Prince,” or the
King, shall furnish and prepare the offerings that are to be offered
unto the LORD. And does He not do that for us even today in the
gospel church? So, why should we not expect Him to do as much for
Israel
in the day that He opens their eyes to see Him, and their hearts to
receive Him? In the next chapter we shall see that the Prince shall
continue to furnish and prepare offerings to the LORD.
Chapter
46
(Verses
1 through 8) Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court
that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but
on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it
shall be opened. And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch
of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and
the priests shall prepare his burnt offerings and his peace
offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then
he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this
gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons. And the
burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the
sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without
blemish. And the meat offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the
meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin
of oil to an ephah. And in the day of the new moon it shall be a
young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall
be without blemish. And he shall prepare a meat offering, an ephah
for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according
as his hand may attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah. And when
the prince shall enter, he shall go in by way of the porch of that
gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
These
instructions concern the burnt offerings the prince shall make on
the sabbath days, and on the days of the new moons. Notice that with
the bullock or with the ram that he shall offer, he is also to offer
a meat offering of one ephah, and an hin of oil, but with the lambs
there is no specified amount to be offered as a meat offering. He
must enter into the inner court at the gate that looks to the east:
and he must leave the same way. This gate shall be shut during the
six working days, but opened, and left open throughout the day, on
the sabbaths and the day of the new moon. However none but the
prince is to go in, or out, through it.
(Verses
9 through 11) But when the people of the land shall come before the
LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the
north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and
he that entereth in by the way of the south gate shall go forth by
the north gate: he shall not return by way of the gate whereby he
came in, but shall go forth over against it. And the prince in the
midst of them, when they go in, shall go in, and when they go forth,
shall go forth. And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat
offerings shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an ephah to a ram, and
to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
These
instructions apply to the offerings of the people. It would seem
that, since He has already given instructions for the offerings made
by the prince, as well as for his manner of entrance and exit from
his place of making his offering, the expression, “And the prince
in the midst of them,” does not mean that the prince shall enter
in with the people and exit with them. For he has already been
instructed to enter in by way of the gate that faces the east, and
to exit by the same, while the people are to enter by the north gate
and exit by the south gate, or enter by the south gate and exit by
the north. Their meat offering is to be the same as that of the
prince, an ephah to a bullock or a ram, whatever they are able to
give with a lamb, and a hin of oil for each ephah of the meat
offering.
(Verses
12 through 15) Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt
offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the LORD, one shall
then open for him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he
shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he did
on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going
forth one shall shut the gate. Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt
offering unto the LORD of a lamb of the first year without blemish:
thou shalt prepare it every morning. And thou shalt prepare a meat
offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the
third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat
offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the LORD. Thus
shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil,
every morning for a continual burnt offering.
Here
he gives the law concerning any voluntary burnt offering, or peace
offering that the prince may offer unto the LORD. The principal
differences between these and the offerings that he is to make on
the feast days and on the sabbaths is that in them the gate through
which he enters and exits shall remain open all day on those days,
while upon his exit after making these offerings the gate shall be
shut. Then instructions are given for offering the daily burnt
offering together with the meat offering that is to accompany it. In
these instructions instead of saying that the meat offering with the
lamb is to be “as he is able,” we are told, “And thou shalt
prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an
ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil.” It is not so stated,
but one might think from this that, with the six lambs spoken of in
earlier instructions one might be expected to offer a similar meat
offering.
(Verses
16 through 18) Thus saith the Lord GOD; if the prince give a gift
unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons’;
it shall be their possession by inheritance. But if he give a gift
of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to
the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his
inheritance shall be his sons’ for them. Moreover the prince shall
not take of the people’s inheritance by oppression, to thrust them
out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out
of his own possession: that My people be not scattered every man
from his possession.
Here
the LORD spells out the law concerning the prince in his relation to
his sons, his servants, and the people of the land. First, if he
gives a gift of a part of his possession to any of his sons, that
gift shall remain in perpetuity. Second, if he gives such a gift to
one of his servants, it shall be in force, only until the year of
liberty, or, as it is elsewhere called, “the year of Jubilee.”
Finally, he can only make such gifts of his own possessions. He
cannot take away any part of the possession of the people to make
such gifts. This oppression had sometimes been practiced by the
kings of
Israel
and
Judah
, as they also had by kings of other nations. But here they are
forbidden to do so.
(Verses
19 through 24) After he brought me through the entry, which was at
the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which
looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two
sides westward. Then said he unto me, This is the place where the
priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where
they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into
the utter court, to sanctify the people. Then he brought me forth
into the utter , and caused me to pass by the four corners of the
court; and, behold, in the corner of every court there was a court.
In the corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits
long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure. And
there was a row of building round about them, round about them four,
and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about. Then
said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the
ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
This
concludes the description of the “house.” As can readily be
seen, it is quite different in some respects from the actual temples
that have already been built. And there has been much controversy
among men as to when, or even whether, it will be built as a
physical building. I have no doubt that shortly before the
appearance of the “man of sin” Paul describes in II
Thessalonians 2:1-10. But that temple is never described, and it
will be of such short duration that it seems unlikely to be what is
here described. As we have pointed out, this “house” may be more
for symbolic interpretation that for literal.
Chapter
47
(Verses
1 through 5) Afterward he brought me again, unto the door of the
house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of
the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the
east, and waters came down from the right side of the house, at the
south side of the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the
gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate
by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters
on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand
went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and brought me
through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured
a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to
the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the
waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it
was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen,
waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
This
river that flows from “the threshold of the house eastward,”
although, certainly God can bring it forth as a natural river, at
whatever time He has determined that it shall be, seems to much
better lend itself to a symbolic recognition. Yet some of the
language in later verses seem to point to a more literal
interpretation of the whole. Since the symbolic use of water in
scriptures is often to represent the Spirit of the LORD, that might
seem to be what is here set forth. As the man with Ezekiel
takes the various measurements, and leads him into the river as far
as he can go, and then shows him that it becomes so deep that there
is no passing over it, we are shown a little indication of the great
power of the Spirit of the LORD by which He created the heavens, the
earth, and all the fullness thereof. By the reason of His power, no
man can stay the hand of God, and none can question what He does.
(Verses
6 through 12) And He said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this?
Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the
river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river
were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he
unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down
into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into
the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that
every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers
shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of
fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall
healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it
shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi
even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets;
their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the
great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof and the
marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that
side shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade,
neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth
new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued
out of the sanctuary: and the fruit shall be for meat, and the leaf
thereof for medicine.
This
miraculous river, though much of the language in its description
seems to indicate literal interpretation, appears to be “the river
of the water of life,” as described in the first two verses of the
twenty-second chapter of The Revelation. And that river is in The
New Jerusalem, not in this present world. Also the description of
the trees that grow along the banks of this river surely is the same
as that of the “tree of life” in Revelation 22:2. However, since
no other description is given of such things concerning the kingdom
after the destruction of the nations that gather against Jerusalem,
and were destroyed by our Lord as He comes to fight the battle for
Israel, This may apply to that time also.
(Verses
13 through 21) Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border,
whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of
Israel
: Joseph shall have two portions. And ye shall inherit it, one as
well as another: concerning the which I lifted up My hand to give it
unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for
inheritance. And this shall be the border of the land toward the
north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to
Zedad; Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of
Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-hatticon, which is by the
coast of Hauran. And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan,
the border of
Damascus
, and the north northward, and this is the north side. And the east
side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from
Damascus
, and from Gilead, and from the
land
of
Israel
by
Jordan
, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side. and
the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in
Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side
southward. The west side also shall be the great sea from the
border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.
So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of
Israel
.
Thus
the LORD describes by its boundaries the land that
Israel
is to inherit when they are re-gathered, and their enemies are all
subdued. About the only comments that might be needed are that;
first, this land is to be divided to all the twelve tribes of
Israel, including the so called “lost tribes,” as well as the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin who comprised the kingdom taken into
captivity by the Babylonians; and second, that the expressions,
“the great sea,” and “the east sea,” refer, respectively to
the Mediterranean Sea, and the Dead Sea. Otherwise the description
of the land seems clear enough.
(Verses
22 and 23) And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot
for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among
you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto
you as born in the country among the children of
Israel
; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of
Israel
. And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger
sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord
GOD.
These
last two verses seem to clinch the matter, and designate this to be
in the day of the kingdom of our Lord with the saints in
Jerusalem
, after he has overthrown all the enemies of
Jerusalem
. There will be some Gentiles living among the Israelites in that
kingdom. And at that time, there will still be procreation of the
species, which, apparently is not to be the case in the New
Jerusalem described in Revelation 22. In this kingdom the sojourners
shall be given inheritance just as the Israelites themselves.
Chapter
48
As
we continue in this chapter, we find exact instructions for the
division of the land among the twelve tribes. There is also a
portion allotted to the Prince, which was never done in the original
division of the
land
of
Canaan
by Joshua, for, indeed at that time, they did not have a prince, or
king; and no provision was made in the law for one. But, in the day
of this kingdom, our Lord Christ Jesus will be the King in
Jerusalem
. So far as the description of the division of the various lots is
concerned, it seems to need no comments to clear it up. It appears
clear enough. There is a statement in the last verse of this chapter
that seems to conclusively establish that this is the kingdom after
the re-gathering of
Israel
; “And the name of the city from that day shall be The LORD is
there. This agrees with Zechariah 14:16-17 And it shall come to
pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came
against Jerusalem shall even up from year to year to worship the
King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And
it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the
earth unto
Jerusalem
to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no
rain.
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