Chapter V: Part 5

Upon the beautiful background of Jehovah's love and mercy, there is now written the dark picture of Jerusalem's whoredoms, symbolical of her wicked idolatries. "But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and played the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was" (verse 15). It started all with pride. Jerusalem did not acknowledge the giver, who had made her great. Instead of worshipping in Jehovah's appointed way, they established the "high places" and conformed to all the wicked Canaanitish practices. The wickedness of the Amorites and Hittites, from which she came, were reproduced in her. Their little ones were given to Moloch as a sacrifice. "Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, that thou hast slain thy children, and delivered them to pass through the fire for them?" (verses 20-21). From the Second Book of Kings we learn that Ahaz was the first king who committed this atrocity. "He made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel" (2 Kings xvi:3). And Manasseh, the wicked son of a pious father, also followed the same horrible practice (2 Kings xxi:6). The historical books of Second Kings and Second Chronicles must be read to understand more fully the symbolical language used by Ezekiel and to learn the idolatry and degradation of Jerusalem. All Jehovah had given and bestowed upon her was devoted to practice this spiritual fornication. What Jehovah had done for her was forgotten.

"And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood" (verse 22). But worse than that followed. Not enough that Jerusalem had her high places and revived the practices of the Canaanitish natives, she began to have also idolatrous intercourse with the idol-gods of Egypt, Assyria and Chaldea (verses 23-34). She sought them out and courted them all to increase her harlotry. So great became Jerusalem's abominations that the daughters of the Philistines became ashamed of her lewd way (verse 27). And while such was the religious degradation of Jerusalem in following the basest and most corrupt idolatries, a corresponding moral degradation was linked with it. All the rites of the Canaanites and the other nations consisted in the grossest immoralities. The most shameless and the vilest things of the flesh were practiced in the midst of the idolatrous city. "How is the faithful city become a harlot!" (Isaiah i:21). In the next section the Lord addresses her by that title and once more her judgment doom is announced. "Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord" (verse 35).

The spiritual adultery which characterizes the end of the present age is even greater than that of Jerusalem. The apostacy of Jerusalem is overshadowed by the rising tide of an approaching, final apostasy in which Satan's man and masterpiece will demand and receive the worship which belongs to the Lord. Antichrist, yet to come, his shadow cast so sharply in our days, will be the consummation of the greatest departure from God and defiance of God the world has ever seen. And therefore the coming judgment will also be greater.

After the beautiful parable of the abandoned child, from which we learned Jehovah's grace and mercy shown to Jerusalem, and the description of Jerusalem's idolatries and moral degradation, we find her judgment doom announced once more. In connection with this the prophet beholds the time when Sodom and her daughters and Samaria and her daughters, as well as Jerusalem and her daughters, will return to their former estate.

III. The Doom of Jerusalem on account of Her Wickedness.

Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord
God; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness
discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the
idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which
thou didst give unto them; Behold, therefore I will gather all thy
lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou
hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather
them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto
them, that they may see all thy nakedness. And I will judge thee, as
women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give
thee blood in fury and jealousy. And I will also give thee into
their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall
break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy
clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and
bare. They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they
shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their
swords. And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute
judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause
thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no
hire any more. So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my
jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no
more angry. Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth,
but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also
will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord God: and
thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.

Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against
thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. Thou art thy
mother's daughter, that loatheth her husband and her children; and
thou art the sister of thy sisters, which loathed their husbands and
their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an
Amorite. And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters
that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth
at thy right hand is Sodom and her daughters. Yet hast thou not
walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as
if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they
in all thy ways. As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister
hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and
thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom,
pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in
her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and
needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me:
therefore I took them away as I saw good. Neither hath Samaria
committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine
abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all
thine abominations which thou hast done. Thou also, which hast
judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast
committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than
thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou
hast justified thy sisters. When I shall bring again their
captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the
captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the
captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: That thou mayest
bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast
done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. When thy sisters, Sodom
and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria
and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and
thy daughters shall return to your former estate. For thy sister
Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride. Before
thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the
daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters
of the Philistines, which despise thee round about. Thou hast borne
thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the Lord. For thus saith
the Lord God; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which
hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant (verses 35-59).

The Word of the Lord is now addressed not to the beloved city, but to the harlot. She had committed the most awful spiritual fornication, with which she had insulted Jehovah, and utterly rejected His love and mercy. All the idols of abominations were found in her. The different nations which surrounded the land were given to the most degrading idolatries, and Jerusalem had not alone taken up this wicked idol worship, but she became worse than the heathen which practised these things. "They did after the abominations of the heathen which the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel" (2 Kings xxi:2). Graven images were set up in Jerusalem. Moloch service (sacrifice of children) became general. Sorceries and demon-cults flourished. The vilest immoralities were linked with all this false worship. Jerusalem had become a harlot in the fullest sense of the word, a sink of iniquity. And her lovers, the nations, whose idolatries she had accepted, would now be gathered against her to be used in her judgment (verse 37). Her judgment would be "as a woman that breaks wedlock," that is, an adulteress--"and I will give thy blood in fury and jealousy" (verse 38). Stoning was the judgment for a woman who committed adultery (Lev. xx:10; John viii:5). Therefore the Lord said, "They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones and thrust thee through with their swords" (verse 40). The judgment would be exhaustive upon her and she would be caused to cease playing the harlot--"thou shalt also give no hire any more" (verse 41). Without following the description of her doom and Jehovah's scathing condemnation in detail, we turn to that which is of much importance and interest. Samaria is mentioned and her daughters as the elder sister of Jerusalem, and Sodom and her daughters as her younger sister (verse 46). And though the corruption of Samaria and Sodom were so great, yet Jerusalem "was corrupted more than they" in all her ways. "As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters" (verse 48). Samaria is called the elder sister, because the northern kingdom was the larger; and Sodom is called the younger, because her territory was smaller. The daughters mentioned in connection with each has reference to the allied towns of Jerusalem, Samaria and the region south of Jerusalem, where Sodom was the chief city. Then Sodom's sin is mentioned. Pride stands first (verse 49); luxurious living, and then followed abomination, and God took them away. After the sins of Samaria are briefly rehearsed we find in this chapter the following words: "When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them" (verse 53). And again we read: "When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate" (verse 55). These two statements are used by a certain class of teachers to back up their unscriptural theory of a future restitution of the wicked dead. They say that these two passages predict a restoration of Sodom and the other wicked cities which perished in judgment by fire (Gen. xix), and also a restoration of Samaria as well as Jerusalem, and upon this they built their hope that all the wicked dead will be raised up and restored to a place of blessing. They make therefore much of a restoration of the wicked dead by resurrection.[13] Besides these two passages they also use the following Old Testament scriptures to confirm their theory: Eze. xxxvii:1-14; Hosea xiii:14; Jere. xlviii:47; Is. xxv:7-8, and others. These passages are applied by these teachers to a restitution of the wicked dead by resurrection. But this is the wrong interpretation. They have nothing to do with the resurrection of the physical dead. They refer to national resurrection and restoration. Three facts will show the error of making the Old Testament teach the restoration of the wicked dead:

_I. The Old Testament is not that part of the divine Revelation where teachings and doctrines about the future state are given._

[13] Millennial Dawn, or Associated Bible Students, Restorationists, etc., do this.

This is a most important fact. The Old Testament shows man as upon the earth, on this side of death, and not beyond death. The future of Israel on the earth, their supremacy and destiny of glory amidst the nations of the earth, the judgments of God in the earth, as well as the future blessings for the nations inhabiting the earth during the coming age, are all clearly revealed in the Old Testament. The state after death, that which is beyond this life, is shrouded in mystery in the Old Testament Scriptures. That great judgment, the great white throne judgment, is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament, nor do we read a word there of "the second death." Resurrection of the dead, no doubt, was known to individual saints of Old Testament times; the Spirit of God revealed it to their hearts, but as a doctrine, resurrection is not found in the Old Testament. In Psalm xvi is revealed the hope of resurrection of the body, and there is a prophecy of the resurrection of our Lord.

_II. Should we find anything in the Old Testament concerning the future state, the state of the righteous and the unrighteous after death, such a hint or statement can only be rightly understood and interpreted by the great doctrine concerning the future state as revealed in the New Testament._

By this, of course, we do not say that the Old Testament needs correction by the revelation of the New, nor do we say that the Old is inferior to the New; all _is_ the Word of God. However, as the Old Testament does not show man's condition after death, any passage which appears to relate to such a condition must be interpreted by the full light as given in the New Testament.

_III. If such passages as Ezekiel xvi:53 and Ezekiel xxxvii:1-14, etc., teach the restitution of the wicked by resurrection for another chance, we must then find such a doctrine of the restoration of the wicked dead for another chance to accept salvation most clearly and fully revealed as one of the great doctrines of the New Testament._

In vain, however, do we look in the New Testament for such a restoration--second probation doctrine. Such a doctrine is not even hinted at in the New. However, the New Testament gives the fullest revelation concerning resurrection and the future state. It tells us that there is indeed a resurrection of the body for every human being. This revelation of resurrection as contained in the New Testament leaves no room whatever for the Sodomites and all the wicked idolatrous Israelites, to be raised up for another chance. Our Lord in John v:29 reveals a two-fold resurrection, a resurrection unto life and a resurrection unto damnation. The human race, those who have died, are therefore in resurrection divided into two classes: they must come forth either unto life or unto damnation; there is no middle class. Later the New Testament teaches a first resurrection, an out resurrection from the dead. Only those who have believed and died in Christ will have a share in this resurrection. Both Old and New Testament saints belong to it, but none have a part in it who died in their sins. The rest of the dead, meaning of course, the wicked dead, are not raised up till after the thousand years. This is a second resurrection and this takes place not when the Lord comes the second time, but after His millennial reign (Rev. xx). The subjects of this second resurrection appear before the great white throne and are cast into the lake of fire. Now, these teachers claim that the return of Sodom and Samaria to their former estate means their resurrection for another chance when the Lord comes. But as these departed wicked people are wicked still, how can they have part in the first resurrection when the Lord comes, which is the resurrection of the righteous?

They surely cannot belong to this resurrection. And there is nowhere in the New Testament a word about another special resurrection in which all the wicked are raised from dead for another chance. After the resurrection of the righteous dead there is but one more resurrection, the resurrection of the wicked unto damnation. In the light of these facts the flimsy theory built upon misapplied texts of the Old Testament, texts which relate to national restoration and blessing, breaks down completely. And now having seen what the statements in this chapter of Ezekiel do not mean, let us see what is their meaning. While these statements cannot mean the resurrection of individuals, they mean a _national_ restoration. There is promised in many passages of the Old Testament a national restoration of Israel. The ten tribes are to be brought back to their former possessions. Historically they have been lost.[14] But they are not lost to God. He knows where they are. He has kept track of them, and in His own time He will make good the promises of their restoration and will bring back the remnants of the house of Israel, now scattered still among the nations. The Jews will also be restored to their territory. Repeatedly this national restoration of the ancient people is promised under the picture of a resurrection. But to other nations there is also promised such a national restoration in the days to come, when the Lord comes and begins His Kingdom reign over the earth. Such a national revival is beyond a doubt promised for a future day to Moab, Ammon, Assyria and Egypt. Edom and Babylon, however, are doomed as nations and no revival whatever is promised to them.

[14] The so-called Anglo-Israel theory lacks all Scriptural and historical support.

We do not know of course how God will accomplish these promises of restoration and national revivals, and how He will gather the remnants of these former nations from the great sea of nations. We can leave this and other difficulties with Him who will see to the fulfillment of all these things.

And so there is promised not alone a return of Samaria to her former estate, but also to Sodom and the cities which were wiped out by judgment. Here is the difficulty which is used to prove that a literal resurrection of the wicked Sodomites must be meant. Were they not all totally destroyed? How then can there be a national restoration when they all perished? But while it is true that all who were in Sodom and the other cities perished, we do not know how many of the inhabitants of these prosperous cities, thickly populated, no doubt, happened to be away from home, on journeys or outside of the doomed district, and thus escaped the fate of others. God knows all this and keeps track of all. There is certainly promised a healing for the territory occupied by Sodom and her sister cities. The vision of the stream issuing from the temple (Ex. xlvii) is seen emptying into the sea, which is the Dead Sea, "and the waters shall be healed and everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh." See also Zechariah xiv:8. And what else it may mean we do not know. But of one thing we can be assured, it does _not_ mean the resurrection of the wicked Sodomites for a second chance, for we know that they are "suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 7).

IV. The Covenant Remembered and Established.

The closing paragraph of this interesting chapter is the divine assurance that the covenant made in the days of Israel's youth is to be remembered.

Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of
thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt
receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give
them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. And I will
establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the
Lord; that thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open
thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward
thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God (verses 60-63).

The covenant will be remembered and established as an everlasting covenant. Then Jerusalem will receive the elder and younger sister, Samaria and Sodom, not as sisters, but as daughters. They will be added in the coming days of blessing to Jerusalem. This, however, will not be done "by thy covenant," which means the law covenant but by "His covenant," the covenant of promise and of grace (xvi:8). "And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord." Of this great restoration and blessing in store for Jerusalem we shall hear much in the closing visions of Ezekiel.

THE PARABLE OF THE TWO EAGLES. THE CEDAR AND THE VINE.

Chapter xvii.

The Prophet is once more commanded to speak in a parable to the house of Israel. In this parable there is again portrayed the sin of Jerusalem, and the treacherous character of corrupt Zedekiah. Like the sixteenth chapter it ends with another restoration promise, which will find its future fulfilment when God in sovereign grace exalts the branch of David. This will take place when Messiah will be King and rules in righteousness.

I. The Parable of the Two Eagles.

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, put forth
a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel: And say,
Thus saith the Lord God; A great eagle with great wings,
long-winged, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto
Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: He cropped off
the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick;
he set it in a city of merchants. He took also of the seed of the
land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great
waters, and set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and became a
spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and
the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought
forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. There was also another great
eagle with great wings and many feathers: and behold, this vine did
bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him,
that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. It was
planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth
branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly
vine. Say thou, Thus saith the Lord God; Shall it prosper? shall he
not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that
it wither? It shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even
without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots
thereof. Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not
utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? It shall wither in
the furrows where it grew (verses 1-10).

The great eagle mentioned first is Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon. "For thus saith the Lord: Behold he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab" (Jer. xlviii:40). "Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah" (Jer. xlix:22). When Daniel saw the Babylonian Empire rising out of the sea it was in the form of a lion with eagle's wings (Daniel vii:1-2). Nebuchadnezzar had been constituted by God the first great monarch of the times of the Gentiles after the complete apostasy of Israel. Thus Jeremiah had announced it (Jer. xxvii:5, etc.), and Daniel also told the King, "Thou, O King, art a King of Kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a Kingdom, power, and strength and glory" (Dan. ii:37). Ezekiel's parable describes him as a great eagle with great wings and long-winged, denoting his great power and the vast dominion which belonged to him. "Full of feathers" pictures the multitude of his subjects and the "divers colors" the different nations of his empire.

This eagle, Nebuchadnezzar, came to Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar. He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants. The cedar of Lebanon is the symbol of the royal house of David, which was conquered by the eagle. The top of his young twigs, whom Nebuchadnezzar cropped off and carried into the city of merchants, Babylon, describes Jehoiakim and his captivity (2 Kings xxiv:1-5) (2 Chron. xxxvi:6-7). Then Nebuchadnezzar made Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, King over Judah, and changed his name to Zedekiah. This action of the King of Babylon is described in verse 5. And Zedekiah might have done well if he had held to the King who had set him into the place of authority. He was placed like a willow tree beside great waters, so that he became a spreading vine of low stature; his roots were under him, which means, he was dependent upon Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings xxiv:17). The other great eagle, whom Ezekiel mentions in his parable, is Hophra, the King of Egypt. To this king Zedekiah turned for help: "This vine bent her roots towards him." Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. Verse 8 describes the opportunity which had been given to Zedekiah and verses 9-10 announces his judgment. The sin and treacherous dealings of Zedekiah is shown in the next verses.

II. The Interpretation and Application of the Parable.

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Say now to the
rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them,
Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the
king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to
Babylon; and hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with
him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of
the land. That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift
itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. But
he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, "that
they might give him horses and much people. "Shall he prosper? shall
he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant and
be delivered? As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place
where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised,
and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon
he shall die. Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great
company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts and building
forts, to cut off many persons. Seeing he despised the oath by
breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath
done all these things he shall not escape. Therefore, thus saith the
Lord God; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my
covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own
head. And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my
snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him
there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. And all
his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they
that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know
that I the Lord have spoken it (verses 11-21).

We have next the divine interpretation and application of this parable. After the statement that the great eagle, the King of Babylon, had come to Jerusalem and taken the King and the princes captive, Zedekiah is mentioned. Nebuchadnezzar had made him King and had made a covenant with him and had taken an oath of him. Nebuchadnezzar had made him swear by God (2 Chron. xxxvi:13). Nebuchadnezzar had entered into a solemn covenant with Zedekiah and the name of God was used to make that covenant binding. Then Zedekiah, who had less regard for the name of God than Nebuchadnezzar, rebelled. Ambassadors from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, came to Jerusalem to see King Zedekiah (Jere. xxvii:1-2). A combined revolution was evidently contemplated. He also sent ambassadors to Egypt. He expected great help from Pharaoh, who was a grandson of Necho, named Hophra. He advanced through Phoenicia and obliged the Chaldean army to abandon the siege of Jerusalem (Jere. xxxvii: 5-7). The joy over this event in Jerusalem was great, for the wicked, treacherous King Zedekiah expected that the Egyptian army would be the deliverer. But the relief was of a short duration. The Egyptian army had to retire and the Chaldeans resumed the siege. His great sin was that he had despised the oath and broken the covenant. Ezekiel announced therefore in the name of Jehovah his coming doom. "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; as I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head. And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me." He tried to escape from Jerusalem, but he and his household were taken captives and carried to the headquarters of Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah. Zedekiah was arraigned and sentenced. His daughters were set free, while his sons were slain before him. This was the last thing the oath-despising, covenant-breaking Zedekiah saw. His eyes were put out and he was bound with double fetters of brass and carried to Babylon, where he died a prisoner (Jere. lii:11). He had despised the name of Jehovah and brought dishonor upon the name by violating the covenant with Nebuchadnezzar. The Gentile King had a higher esteem of that Name than the Jewish King. And then Jehovah in His righteous dealings used the Gentile to mete out the well-deserved retribution upon Zedekiah. Thus the Gentile King was used in punishing a faithless Jew. It foreshadows the judgment which came upon the whole nation when they despised and rejected more than a covenant. Ever since they rejected their own Messiah and King, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Gentiles have trodden down Jerusalem and the nation is blinded.

III. The Promise of the Future.

Thus saith the Lord God; I will also take of the highest branch of
the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his
young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain
and eminent: In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant
it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly
cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the
shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees
of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high
tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and
have made the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken and have
done it (verses 22-24).

And now once more Israel's hope and Israel's future comes into view. The allegory of the parable is continued. The cedar is the royal house of David. God in His Sovereignty promises to take "of its young shoots a tender one and I will plant it upon a high and eminent mountain." This tender one is the Messiah, the Son of David. It is the same promise as given in the Prophet Isaiah. "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots" (Is. xi:1). "For He shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground" (Is. liii:2). The high and eminent mountain typifies Mount Zion and the Kingdom of Messiah is pictured in the closing verses of the chapter. The high tree which is brought low, the green tree which is dried up is the symbol of Gentile world-power. The low tree which is exalted and the dry tree which is made to flourish stands for the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel when the Son of David, our Lord, comes again. Then the high tree will be cut down and the now flourishing Gentile dominion will dry up; Israel the low tree will be exalted and the long, dry and barren nation will bring its blessed fruit.

GOD'S JUDGMENTS ARE RIGHTEOUS.

Chapter xviii.

Again the Word of the Lord came unto the Prophet. The contents of this chapter are, therefore, not "the reasonings and expostulations of Ezekiel," but another great message to the stubborn nation, which constantly tried to justify itself. Judgments heavy and severe had come upon them. Instead of bowing under them and confessing their guilt and the justice of all these punitive dealings of a righteous God, they accused Him of injustice, as if He were punishing them, not for their own sins, but for the sins of their fathers. They said, "the way of the Lord is not equal"; and the Lord proves to them that His way is equal, but their way is unequal (verse 25). It is a great and interesting controversy, ending with the sublime declaration and appeal, "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God, wherefore turn yourselves and live."

I. The False Accusation and the Divine Answer.

The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying. What mean ye, that
ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The
fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on
edge. As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any
more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as
the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the
soul that sinneth, it shall die (verses 1-4).

The same proverb, "the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge" is also mentioned by the Prophet Jeremiah. "In those days they shall say no more, the fathers have eaten a sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge" (Jer. xxxi:29). And Jeremiah adds in a brief sentence what is more fully given through Ezekiel: "But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge." What they meant by this proverb is that their forefathers had committed sin and now they were bearing the results of their iniquities, while they, the children, were innocent. "Our fathers have sinned and are not; and we have borne their iniquities" (Lam. v:7). This was a false and unjust accusation. No doubt they rested their proverb upon Exodus xx:5 and xxxiv:7. But doing this they denied their own guilt and refused to repent and be converted. And now the Lord answers the proverb to show its injustice so that it should no more be used in Israel: "Behold all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sinneth it shall die." He will judge the individual, father or son, according to conduct. All belong to Him, which means, He is the Creator of all and He will deal with each individually. If the sins of the fathers come upon the children, it is because the children follow the wickedness of the fathers. "Every man shall be put to death for his own sin" (Deut. xxiv:16). The person that sins shall die for his own sins. "The soul that sinneth it shall die."

II. The Conditions of Life.

But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right. And
hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes
to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his
neighbor's wife, neither hath come near to a woman in her
separation. And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the
debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his
bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment: He
that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any
increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed
true judgment between man and man. Hath walked in my statutes, and
hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely
live, saith the Lord God (verses 5-9).

This paragraph and the next two begin with an "if." They are, therefore, supposed cases "if a man be just." It shows what God requires as the conditions for life. However, it must be understood that the promise of life, "he shall surely live," has nothing whatever to do with eternal life. This is not at all in view in these paragraphs. It is the natural life. Eternal life was never promised to be bestowed upon man as the result of doing what is lawful and right. Neither righteousness nor eternal life can come by the works of the law. Here negatively and positively God's demands are stated. In the sixth verse false worship is in view. Eating upon the mountains, the high places, was the false worship; the idols of the house of Israel were the calves which Jeroboam had set up (1 Kings xii:25-33). This demand for true worship covers the first part of the decalogue, "Thou shalt have no other gods besides Me." With this spiritual fornication, an idolatrous worship, there was connected the grossest lusts of the flesh. These are mentioned here as well as sins against the neighbor. Thus the commandments in the second part of the decalogue are made prominent. "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not commit adultery," "Thou shalt not steal." This is followed by the divine demand of practical righteousness. He that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity hath executed true judgment between man and man, hath walked in God's statutes, to keep His judgments and deals truly, is pronounced just and shall therefore surely live. His life would be spared.

III. The Conditions which bring Death.

If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that
doeth the like to any one of these things. And that doeth not any of
those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled
his neighbor's wife, Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled
by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his
eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, Hath given forth upon
usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not
live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his
blood shall be upon him (verses 10-13).

Here then is the second supposed case of a son who had a righteous father. This son lives in wickedness and defies God's laws. He does not follow his father's piety, but is unjust in every sense of the word. The question then is asked, "Shall he live?" Can the merits of his father save him? And the divine answer is, "He shall not live--he shall surely die." Physical death would come upon him and he would be cut off in judgment.

IV. The Son does not Die for his Father's Sins.

Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins, which
he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like. That hath
not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the
idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife.
Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither
hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry,
and hath covered the naked with a garment. That hath taken off his
hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath
executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die
for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. As for his
father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by
violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even
he shall die in his iniquity. Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear
the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is
lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them,
he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son
shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father
bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous
shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon
him (verses 14-20).

Still another case is considered so that the proverb of the people might be completely answered and refuted. A wicked father has a son who does righteously and follows not in the wicked ways of his father. Such was the case with several Kings of Judah. Ahaz was a wicked man and Hezekiah, his son, was a God-fearing king; Josiah was also the pious son of a wicked father. In such a case "the son shall not die for the iniquity of his father; he shall surely live." The father dies on account of his own iniquity. This statement was in answer to their question, "Why does not the son bear the iniquity of the father?" This foolish reasoning from their side that the son could suffer for the father's sin was a wicked invention to sustain them in their impenitent state and in their sins. They claimed no guilt of their own, but charged their sufferings to the wickedness of the fathers. But we have seen how perfectly the proverb "the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge," is answered in these paragraphs.

V. The Perfect Equity of God.

But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath
committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and
right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his
transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned
unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have
I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord
God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? But when
the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth
iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the
wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath
done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath
trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he
die. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house
of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? When a
righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth
iniquity, and dieth in them: for his iniquity that he hath done
shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his
wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful
and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and
turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he
shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet saith the house of Israel,
The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways
equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O
house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord
God, Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so
iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your
transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new
heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For
I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord
God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye (verses 21-32).

They had accused the Lord of injustice. "The way of the Lord is not equal" (verse 25). And Jehovah answers, "Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?" He promises that the wicked is surely to live, if he turns from all his sins. Jehovah has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He desires his return so that he might live. How then would He punish them for the sins of others, if He was ready no longer to mention even their own transgressions? But if the righteous abandons righteousness and committeth iniquity, then "in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die." The latter case has often been used to defend the teaching that a truly converted and therefore saved person, may, by sinning, be lost. If only the Word of Truth were rightly divided such, and other misinterpretations, would cease. Here we are on the ground of the law dispensation, and, as already pointed out, the Lord answers Israel, who were in relation to Him through the law covenant and who refused to own their sins and their guilt. The dispensation of Grace, in which Grace reigns through righteousness has a different message. This is fully illustrated if we compare the call to repentance in verses 30-31 with the promise given in chapter xxxvi:26-17. The Lord pleads with them to acknowledge their sinfulness; He speaks to their conscience. "Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" But in chapter xxxvi Grace speaks and promises to bestow, as a gift, what a righteous God demands. "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 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." The result of this gift of grace, a new heart and His Spirit, is true repentance. "_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" (chap. xxxvi:21). It was Augustine who said, "Give what Thou requirest and then require what Thou will." All what God requires He bestows in His infinite Grace through Jesus Christ our Lord and then in possession of what Grace gives we can be what God requires. But the thirty-sixth chapter, where God no longer saith "make you a new heart," but promises to give a new heart to His people, awaits, as regards God's chosen people, its fulfilment. Here God pleads with them to convince them that they were a sinful people and that He is a just God.

In the last verse of this chapter the Lord answers the question of verse 23, "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" His own answer is, "For I have no pleasure in the death of Him that dieth, saith the Lord God, wherefore turn yourselves and live." And yet all these gracious pleadings were not heeded.

LAMENTATION OVER THE PRINCES OF ISRAEL.

Chapter xix.

This chapter ends that section of the book which began with the twelfth chapter. And it is a fitting conclusion, this great lamentation over the Princes of Israel, and over the land of Judah. The English translation does not do justice to the original Hebrew; the outburst of lamentation is written in a poetic form, some kind of an elegy. The lamentation has two sections.

I. The Lamentations over the Princes of Israel.

Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel. And
say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she
nourished her whelps among young lions. And she brought up one of
her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the
prey; it devoured men. The nations also heard of him; he was taken
in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of
Egypt. Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost,
then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion. And
he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and
learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. And he knew their
desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was
desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring. Then
the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and
spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit. And they put
him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they
brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon
the mountains of Israel (verses 1-9).

The lamentation is not the lamentation of Ezekiel, as so many expositors state, but it is the lamentation of Jehovah, the same who later wept over the same city and lamented over her coming fate. The words of divine lament were put into the mouth of the Prophet.

The Princes are Jehoahaz and Jehoachin. King Jehoahaz and his fate, being carried away captive into Egypt (2 Kings xxiii:33) is lamented in verses 1-4. King Jehoiachin who was taken as a captive to Babylon is lamented in verses 5-9. In Ezekiel, however, the word King is not used; the Kings are always called princes. The second verse may be rendered as follows:

"Thy mother was like a lioness, among lions.
She couched amid the young lions, she reared the whelps."

The mother is Judah. Of this Jacob had spoken in his prophecy. "Judah is a lion's whelp" (Gen. xlix:9). And Balaam in his prophetic utterances speaks in the same tones of the nation. "Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion" (Num. xxiv:14). This prophecy will be fulfilled in the future when He appears in power and glory to receive the Kingdom, for He is called "the lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. v:5). And the people will then be as a converted and restored people the same, what the lion is among the animals, the Kingly nation. In Isaiah xxix:1 Jerusalem is called "Ariel," which means "Lion of God." The whelps, the nations heard of, are the sons of the House of David. And Jehoahaz "devoured men" and did evil in the sight of the Lord and was carried away by Pharaoh Necho as a captive into Egypt. Some expositors think that the lioness is the wife of Josiah the mother of Jehoahaz, because she was a woman of much importance and great influence (Jer. xiii:18; 2 Kings ii:9; xxiv:12).