Chapter VI: Part 6

The other one of her whelps mentioned in verse 5, whom the lioness, Judah, made a young lion, that is a King, was Jehoiachin. Jehoiachin was made King, when all hope of a return of Jehoahaz was lost, and the new King also "devoured men," did evil in the sight of the Lord. "And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done" (2 Kings xxiv:90). In verse 7 the word "palaces" should be changed to "widows." The verse describes the cruelties and wicked deeds of the King. Then judgment overtook him. Under him the first deportation to Babylon took place, in which the Prophet Ezekiel was included. "And he (Nebuchadnezzar) carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the King's mother, and the King's wife, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon" (2 Kings xxiv:14). The correct rendering of the next part of verse 9 is: "And they put him in a cage with hooks and brought him to the King of Babylon." Both Kings deserved their fate. God had warned, and as they continued in wickedness judgment fell upon them. And it was a warning to Zedekiah who was soon to share the same fate. In view of the violence which is on the earth now, the wickedness which is seen on all sides, these judgments of the past may well be remembered. God is the same to-day as He was of old. He must deal in judgment with sin; in many parts of the holy Scriptures we read of the time when God will keep not silence, but deal with conditions on the earth according to His righteousness.

II. The Lamentation over the Land of Judah.

Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters; she
was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. And she
had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her
stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in
her height with the multitude of her branches. But she was plucked
up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried
up her fruit; her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire
consumed them. And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry
and thirsty ground. And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches,
which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be
a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a
lamentation (verses 10-14).

Judah typified by a vine is not a new figure in Ezekiel. See chapters xv:1-5; xvii:6-10. The statement here reminds us also of Psalm lxxx:8-11. Many were the blessings Judah enjoyed, like a vine planted by the waters, fruitful and full of branches. The eleventh verse describes the period of Judah's greatest prosperity under David and Solomon. Then the judgment which comes upon the land, the east wind is typical of the Chaldeans which swept from the East and spoiled the vine. The fire of divine wrath burned in their midst. Her exilic judgment is pictured in the next verse: "And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land." And the fire of judgment came out of a rod of her branches, that is, the judgment came upon them on account of their wicked Kings. Thus ends the sorrowful lamentation over the princes and the land of Judah. But there is a better future in store for the land and the people, a future which can only be realized in Him, who said, "I am the true vine." Israel still is under the rod, but in God's own time the curse will give way to the promised blessing, for God's gifts and calling are without repentance.

FURTHER AND FINAL PREDICTIONS CONCERNING THE JUDGMENT OF JERUSALEM.

Chapter xx.

With this chapter we enter upon the last prophecies given through the prophet before the fall of the City of Jerusalem. There is first an arraignment of the unfaithful nation. This is followed by the divine announcement that the sword of the Lord is now to be drawn to do its judgment work. The twenty-first chapter, in which this announcement is made, has been called the sword-song. In chapter xxii another arraignment of the people and the sins of Jerusalem is given and the corruption of all classes, prophets, priests, princes and the mass of people is described. Once more in chapter xxiii the wickedness and vileness of Samaria and Judah is uncovered, corresponding to the similar message in chapter xvi. The last prophetic message of this cycle was given on the day when the siege of Jerusalem began. On the same day Ezekiel's wife died; the prophet was commanded not to mourn. All this has a meaning in connection with Jerusalem's complete fall. Thus God waited and waited for the repentance of His people and sent these burning messages to them till at last there was no remedy and judgment had to come.

I. A Retrospect of the Nation's Sins.

And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the
tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to
enquire of the Lord and sat before me. Then came the word of the
Lord unto me, saying, Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel,
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye come to enquire
of me? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by
you. Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause
them to know the abominations of their fathers: And say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted
up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself
known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand
unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God; In the day that I lifted
up mine hand unto them to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into
a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey,
which is the glory of all lands; Then said I unto them, Cast ye away
every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves
with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled
against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man
cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake
the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them,
to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of
Egypt. But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be
polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I
made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land
of Egypt (verses 1-9).

There is first a review of the nation's sin in Egypt. At the time given in the first verse the elders came to the prophet to enquire of the Lord. Outwardly it seemed as if these enquiring elders were sincere and came in the spirit of humility acknowledging the prophet's authority. But the Lord knoweth the heart; He read their innermost thoughts and knew that their inquiry was only a sham; the real heart exercise in true repentance was lacking. So He tells them through the prophet, "As I live--I will not be inquired of by you. Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers." Instead of giving them a message of comfort and encouragement, Ezekiel, here addressed again as son of man, is commanded to judge them, that is to put before them their sins and to pronounce judgment upon the nation. The same phrase is found twice more in this section. "Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? Yea thou shalt show her all her abominations" (xxii:2). See also xxiii:36. And first of all the prophet had to show them the nation's sins in Egypt. He had chosen them as a nation; He had made Himself known to them in Egypt and had lifted up His hand unto them saying, "I am the Lord your God." He had entered into covenant relations with Israel and pledged Himself to bring them out of Egypt into the land, which here is called "the glory of all lands." From verses 7 and 8 we learn that Israel was contaminated by the idol worship of Egypt and a holy God was ready to pour upon them His fury in the midst of the land of Egypt. But sovereign mercy prevailed and instead of making Himself known to the nation in judgment, He made Himself known in bringing them forth out of Egypt.

Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and
brought them into the wilderness. And I gave them my statutes, and
showed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in
them. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me
and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify
them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness:
they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments,
which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they
greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in
the wilderness, to consume them. But I wrought for my name's sake,
that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I
brought them out. Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the
wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had
given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all
lands. Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my
statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their
idols. Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them,
neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness (verses 10-17).

In these verses we have the history of the first generation in the wilderness. His hand brought them out of the land of Egypt into the wilderness and there He gave them the law and the different sabbaths, the feasts of Jehovah. Their sins and failures in the wilderness are briefly sketched. They rebelled; they were disobedient; they despised His judgments and polluted His sabbaths. Then comes the statement that this first generation was not to enter into the land promised unto them. Again in sovereign mercy He spared them and did not make a complete end of them in the wilderness.

But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the
statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor
defile yourselves with their idols: I am the Lord your God; walk in
my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; And hallow my
sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may
know that I am the Lord your God. Notwithstanding the children
rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my
judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them;
they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury
upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake,
that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose
sight I brought them forth. I lifted up mine hand unto them also in
the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and
disperse them through the countries; Because they had not executed
my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my
sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols. Wherefore
I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby
they should not live; And I polluted them in their own gifts, in
that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb,
that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know
that I am the Lord (verses 18-26).

And now the record of the second generation in the wilderness is brought to their notice. They were just as rebellious as their fathers, who fell in the wilderness. They also were worshippers of idols in the wilderness, besides offering sacrifices and offerings unto Jehovah (Amos v:25-27). The statement in verse 25 "wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live," has been explained in different ways. It cannot mean the law, for that is holy, just and good. "The solution is due to the simple principle that God in His government chastens His guilty people retributively and calls the scourges His own, even when the instruments may be wholly foreign to His mind and heart." They were disobedient to His statutes and then in punishment for their sins He let them go into the terrible worship of Moloch, in casting their first-born into the fire as a sacrifice to the idol-god. It is the same principle here as in Romans i:26-28. God gave them up in every way after they had turned away from Him. It was a punishment for their sins.

II. Their Sins in the Land.

Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto
them. Thus saith the Lord God: Yet in this your fathers have
blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.
For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up
mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all
the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there
they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they
made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.
Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And
the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day. Wherefore say unto
the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after
the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their
abominations? For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons
to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols,
even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of
Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by
you. And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that
ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries,
to serve wood and stone (verses 27-32).

According to His promise He brought them into the land. He did not go back on His Word, in spite of their failure, for God's gifts and calling are without repentance. And thus they continued in their evil ways, committing all manner of abominations. And therefore the Lord said to the inquiring elders, "And shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you." Verse 32 shows that in the iniquity of their heart they wanted to be like the heathen to serve wood and stone; but God would take care that this should not be, for He had chosen them to be His nation.

III. Judgment and Mercy in Future Restoration.

As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a
stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you.
And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of
the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with
a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you
into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you
face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness
of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God.
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you
into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you
the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them
forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not
enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve
ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken
unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and
with your idols, For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the
height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of
Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them,
and there will I require your offerings, and the first fruits of
your oblations, with all your holy things. I will accept you with
your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather
you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will
be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am
the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the
country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your
fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your
doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves
in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye
shall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for my
name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to
your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God
(verses 33-44).

In this paragraph we read of their future punishment and also of the mercy which is in store for the believing remnant of the nation in the future restoration, of which all the prophets of God have spoken. In the wilderness of people, their dispersion among all the nations of the world, He will plead with them and bring them under the rod. The rebels will be purged out from the nation and they shall not enter into the land of Israel. In verses 40-44 we have a prophecy concerning their true restoration. They will be accepted, brought back and gathered out from all the countries and brought into the land of Israel, as God has promised them. Then the remnant of Israel will remember their ways and repent of their evil.

IV. The Forest Consumed by Fire.

And the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man, set thy
face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and
prophesy against the forest of the south field; And say to the
forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord
God; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every
green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not
be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be
burned therein. And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled
it: it shall not be quenched. Then said I, Ah Lord God! they say of
me, Doth he not speak parables (verses 45-49).

It is a parable. The forest of the south field is Judea; its complete and terrible conquest is here again predicted. The fire of judgment is to sweep through it, like a mighty forest fire which cannot be quenched. And when Ezekiel had faithfully delivered his message, his hearers said, "Doth he not speak in parables?" They refused to understand.

THE IMPENDING JUDGMENT.

Chapter xxi.

"Then said I, Oh, Lord God! they say of me, Doth he not speak in parables?" This is the last verse of the preceding chapter. It showed the hardened conditions of their hearts, which rejected the Word of God, the word of warning and the call to repentance. These sad conditions of the people in Ezekiel's day are deeply significant for our times. We see the outwardly professing people of God, the large numbers of unsaved, nominal Christians in the same hardened condition. Though God speaks loudly, the Word is not heeded. A stronger judgment message follows in which the sword of the Lord is prominent. Critics have acknowledged the majestic character of the so-called "Song of the Sword," and say that the prophet now speaks in "maddened frenzy," carried away by his own passion, breaking out, "in a state of wild excitement," denouncing the nation. But it is not the prophet who gives way to his own feeling. The first verse dispels at once such a conception. "And the Word of the Lord came unto me, saying:" It is the Lord who speaks through Ezekiel.

I. The Sword to be Drawn.

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy
face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and
prophesy against the land of Israel. And say to the land of Israel,
Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth
my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous
and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the
righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of
his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: That all
flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of his
sheath: it shall not return any more. Sigh, therefore, thou son of
man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before
their eyes. And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore
sighest thou? that thou shall answer, For the tidings, because it
cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble,
and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water:
behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God
(verses 1-7).

A fearful word it is coming from the lips of Jehovah, who had yearned over Jerusalem and the nation, "Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked." It was to be an indiscriminate execution of God's judgment, those who claimed righteousness were to fall under the sword of vengeance like the wicked. It was to be a widespread judgment. "My sword shall go forth out of its sheath against all flesh--that all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more." While here it refers to all the nations, to Jerusalem as well as to Judea, there are other prophecies which include under the term "all flesh" the Gentile nations as well. "For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh, and the slain of the Lord shall be many" (Isa. lxvi:16). Fear and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth" (Isa. xxiv:17). This will be at the close of the present age. And do not the events in the world to-day indicate the rapid approach of the judgment sword?

And God's servant was commanded to sigh with bitterness before their eyes. He was to tell them the reason of his agony. "Because it cometh; and my heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water. Behold it cometh and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God." It was not the time for rejoicing, but for weeping and sighing. The prophet was called upon to show forth in his behavior the solemn days which were now to come. And our Lord has predicted for our age upon earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves thereof roaring. "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken" (Luke xxi:25-26). But how little sighing with bitterness there is to-day among God's servants in view of what is in store for an ungodly and unbelieving age!

II. The Sharpening of the Sword.

Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man,
prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord; Say, A sword, a sword is
sharpened, and also furbished: It is sharpened to make a sore
slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make
mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree. And he hath
given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is
sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the
slayer. Cry and howl, son of man; for it shall be upon my people, it
shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the
sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh.
Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod?
it shall be no more, saith the Lord God. Thou, therefore, son of
man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be
doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of
the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy
chambers. I have set the point of the sword against all their gates,
that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is
made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter. Go thee one way or
other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy
face is set. I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause
my fury to rest: I the Lord have said it (verses 8-17).

The sword of judgment is now described as being prepared for the slaughter. How all this should have a meaning for us at the present time. All the nations of the earth, who boasted but yesterday of a civilization which makes for righteousness and peace, are either at war or are preparing for war. May we not see behind it all the sword of the Lord? Has He not begun judgment among those nations? The threatening vengeance of the Lord will ere long fall upon this age which so long has turned a deaf ear to the wooings of His love. And the question here is asked, "Should we then make mirth?" Is this the time of mirth, worldly enjoyment and indifference? Not for God's people who discern the signs of the times and who know from the Word of God the coming events. The place for us is in "Bochim" (Judges ii:4-5. "Bochim" means "Weeping.") The time of the sharpening of the sword is the time for His people to trim their lamps, for earnest heart-searching and prayer. The character of the unsaved, nominal "Christian" masses is also being clearly revealed. They show what they are, "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God." Though the sword is being drawn and sharpened, they are given to mirth and pleasure, like the company described in 1 Sam. xxx:16. The sword of judgment will find them in their merry-making and will change all into weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Again the prophet is commanded to cry and to howl, to smite upon his thigh and to smite his hands together, in view of the coming terrors of judgment. And solemnly the Lord saith, "I will also smite mine hands together, and I will satisfy my fury."

III. The King of Babylon and His Divination.

The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, Also, thou son of
man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon
may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose
thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city. Appoint
a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to
Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. For the king of Babylon stood at
the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use
divination: he shook his arrows to and fro, he consulted with
images, he looked in the liver. At this right hand was the
divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in
the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint
battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a
fort. And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their
sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to
remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken. Therefore thus
saith the Lord God: Because ye have made your iniquity to be
remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in
all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are
come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand (verses 18-24).

The King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, is the chosen instrument through whom the drawn and sharpened sword does its judgment work. He is seen in this paragraph using divination, to decide if he should go to Rabbath of the Ammonites or to Judah in Jerusalem. The King is standing at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways. First he used the arrows. The authorized version is faulty in its translation; it is not, "he made his arrows bright," but "he shook his arrows to and fro." The Babylonians used all kinds of enchantments, sorceries, as well as star-gazers, astrologers, etc., to be guided in their undertakings. (See Isa. xlvii:8-15). The King took two arrows and put upon each the name of the two cities mentioned; they were then shaken in the quiver and one was drawn out. He also used images (teraphim) which he consulted and looked into the liver. They generally killed a sheep and imagined that the different lines and formation of the liver gave them directions what to do. In the British Museum there is a Babylonian clay tablet with a sheep's liver covered with all kinds of lines and oracles. In the twenty-second verse we see the result of his divinations. He has pulled out of the quiver the arrow which has on it the word "Jerusalem." And so the siege of Jerusalem was prepared. But the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who heard of the King's divination, branded it as a false divination (verse 23). They still hoped that all attempts made by Nebuchadnezzar would fail. But the hand of God was guiding all, and in the last verse of this paragraph (verse 25) the Lord announces the hopelessness of their expectations.

IV. The Wicked Prince and the Coming One.

And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when
iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the
diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt
him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn,
overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose
right it is; and I will give it him (verses 25-27).

And now follows a most interesting utterance of the prophet which has a future meaning. There can be no question that Zedekiah is first of all in view as the profane wicked[15] prince of Israel. But the prophecy looks far beyond Zedekiah. It is the coming wicked prince, the one who comes in his own name, the final Antichrist, the false Messiah, or, as he is also called in Revelation, the false prophet. That verse 25 refers to the time of the end is seen by the words, "in the time of the iniquity of the end" (correct translation). The same phrase appears in Dan. xi:35-39, "the time of the end," and the person described in that passage is the Antichrist, the wicked prince. It is the time of the future great tribulation "when the transgressors are come to the full" (Dan. viii:23). This false Christ will claim priestly and kingly honors. He is the beast out of the earth (Rev. xiii) having two horns like a lamb, but speaking as a dragon. The two horns represent the priesthood and the kingship he assumes. And this we learn from verse 26 is the character of the wicked prince of Israel of whom Ezekiel speaks. Again, we must correct the faulty translation of the authorized version: "Remove the mitre and take off the crown"; the word "diadem" is mitre, the head-dress of the high-priest (Exod. xxviii:4). He wears the mitre of the priest and the crown of the king. He is Satan's final counterfeit (like the pope) of the Priest-King. In verse 27 the overturning times are mentioned. Thrice it is stated, "I will overturn." Even so will it be at the time of the end until He comes whose right it is. And the coming One, who will exalt what is low and abase what is high, who will remove the mitre and the crown from the Antichrist, destroying him by the brightness of His coming (2 Thess. ii) is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is interesting to see that there is in the Hebrew a word used which is very suggestive. In Genesis xlix:10 we have Christ spoken of as Shiloh. The word "until He come" in the Hebrew is almost the same as Shiloh; it is Shelloh. And surely the overturning times are almost upon us, and soon that profane wicked Prince may arise. However, we do not wait for that wicked one; we wait for the Lord.

[15] Literal translation is, "O deadly wounded wicked one, the Prince of Israel."

V. The Judgment to Fall Upon Ammon.

And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God
concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say
thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is
furbished, to consume because of the glittering: While they see
vanity unto thee, while they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee
upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked whose day is
come, when their iniquity shall have an end. Shall I cause it to
return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou
wast created, in the land of thy nativity. And I will pour out mine
indignation upon thee; I will blow against thee in the fire of my
wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skillful
to destroy. Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be
in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more, for I the Lord have
spoken it (verses 28-32).

The judgment came upon the Ammonites is threatened here. But it must not be overlooked that this prophecy also has a further meaning, for the same words "in the time of the iniquity of the end" (verse 29) appears here. And yet there is also promised for the future a restoration of Ammon (Jer. xlix:6).

JERUSALEM'S ABOMINATIONS.

Chapter xxii.

This chapter describes again the sins and abominations of Jerusalem. Before the sharpened sword of divine justice and retribution does its dreadful work, the Lord uncovers the guilt and vileness of the city and lays bare the corruption of her prophets, priests and princes, as well as the people.

I. The Violence and Abominations of Jerusalem.

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now, thou son of
man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou
shalt shew her all her abominations. Then say thou, Thus saith the
Lord God; The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time
may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. Thou
art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled
thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused
thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore
have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all
countries. Those that be near, and those that be far from thee,
shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed. Behold, the
princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed
blood. In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the
midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in
thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. Thou hast
despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths. In thee
are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon
the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness. In thee
have they discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee have they
humbled her that was set apart for pollution. And one hath committed
abomination with his neighbor's wife; and another hath lewdly
defiled his daughter-in-law; and another in thee hath humbled his
sister, his father's daughter. In thee have they taken gifts to shed
blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily
gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith
the Lord God. Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy
dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath
been in the midst of thee. Can thine heart endure, or can thine
hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord
have spoken it, and will do it. And I will scatter thee among the
heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy
filthiness out of thee. And thou shalt take thine inheritance in
thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am
the Lord (verses 1-16).

Jerusalem is called here a bloody city on account of the deeds of violence which were committed in her midst. Once it was a faithful city, full of judgment and righteousness; but she had become an harlot, and murderers lodged in it (Isaiah i:21). The prophets and the righteous had been killed in her midst. And He who sent these messages of warning and impending judgment, who waited so patiently for Jerusalem's repentance and the return of His people, came in the fullness of time, in the midst of His people and to that city. Before He went to the cross of Calvary, where He gave Himself and where also Jerusalem's bloodguiltiness was fearfully crowned by killing the Prince of Life (Acts iii:15), He stood before that city with tear-filled eyes and uttered those tender and never to be forgotten words: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings, and ye would not" (Matt. xxiii:37). And Stephen said, "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One, of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers" (Acts vii:52). "His blood be upon us and our children" was their awful cry, when the bloody city delivered Him into the hands of the Gentiles, and ever since they have been, Cain-like, the homeless wanderers among the nations, till some day they will acknowledge their bloodguiltiness and turn to Him. And in this chapter the Lord describes all her violence and abominations. All were guilty of violence and the shedding of blood, especially the princes, the Kings of Judah. (See Jeremiah xxvi:21 and xxxviii:4, etc.). And inasmuch as they had turned away from Jehovah and worshipped idols, moral corruption and the vile things man is capable of were likewise present.

And such are also the conditions to-day among the nations, which profess to be Christian; violence and bloodshed, moral corruption and abomination. May we not forget that the Lord, who knew Jerusalem's guilt and judged her for it, is the same to-day, who will judge the violence and the abominations on the earth among nations whose privileges have been even greater than the privileges and blessings of Jerusalem. "Thou hast forgotten Me," was Jehovah's accusation against the city. Had they remembered Jehovah's kindness, His gracious dealing with their fathers, had they remembered His Word, these abominations would not have come to pass. And the source of the violence, the bloodshed, the moral darkness in the world to-day, is, that the nations have forgotten God. The judgment of the city is again announced.

II. The Smelting Furnace.

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house
of Israel is to me become dross; all they are brass and tin and
iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross
of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all
become dross, behold, therefore, I will gather you into the midst of
Jerusalem. As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin
into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it;
so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave
you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you
in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst
thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall
ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord
have poured out my fury upon you (verses 17-23).

The smelting furnace is the symbol of Jehovah's fiery indignation against Jerusalem and its inhabitants. A furnace is either for refining or for destruction. In the future the remnant of Israel will be refined by the fires of persecution and tribulation (Mal. iii:1-3). To the godly part of His earthly people He saith, "Behold I have refined thee, but not as silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah xlviii:10). But here in Ezekiel's message it is not the question of refining but of punishment by fire. Israel is dross. Brass, tin, iron, lead, dross of silver are mentioned, but gold is significantly omitted. It stands for righteousness and that was lacking in Jerusalem. The fury of the Lord would fan the flame and all gathered together, like worthless metals would be melted by the wrath of the Lord.

III. The Corruption of the Prophets, the Priests and the Princes.

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto
her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the
day of indignation. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the
midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey: they have
devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things;
they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. Her priests
have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have
put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they
shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid
their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Her
princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to
shed blood and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her
prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and
divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the
Lord hath not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression
and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they
have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man among
them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me
for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have
consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I
recompensed upon their head, saith the Lord God (verses 23-31).

What corruption this additional message of the Lord reveals! The land had already been cursed for the wicked deeds of its tenants. The religious leaders, the prophets, these false prophets with their lying messages, instead of saving souls and warning to flee from the wrath to come, devoured souls. The priests, called to minister in holy things, were as bad; they profaned the holy things. They were blasphemers instead of worshippers. These characteristics of false prophets and false priests are repeated in our own times. Like these false prophets whom Ezekiel describes, the modern day religious leaders, mislead the people by giving lying messages and by glossing over men's sins and not giving to them the Word of the Lord. Like priests, like people! The people were lovers of money and oppressors of the poor. Jehovah looked for a man to stand in the gap between Him and the land, but there was none. There is no help and hope in man, for all have gone astray and there is none that doeth good. But there is One--blessed be God!--who has stood in the gap, our Lord Jesus Christ. "And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was none to interpose, therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness, it upheld Him" (Isaiah lix:16). Through Him "all Israel" is yet to be saved and receive the promised blessings.

THE TWO SISTERS AHOLAH AND AHOLIBAH.

Chapter xxiii.

Once more a parable is given to illustrate and expose the wickedness of Samaria and Jerusalem in their ungodly relationship with Assyria and Chaldea. On the whole, this chapter bears a similar message as the one contained in chapter xvi, however, with this difference that here the later history of the two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah and their defilement with heathen nations is the prominent feature. The chapter has five sections.

I. The Two Sisters Aholah and Aholibah.

The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Son of man, there
were two women, the daughters of one mother: And they committed
whoredom in Egypt; they committed whoredom in their youth: there
were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of
their virginity. And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and
Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and
daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem
Aholibah (verses 1-4).

The two daughters of one mother are Samaria and Jerusalem, called sisters in chapter xvi:46. They were sisters not only because they had the same mother, the Jewish nation, but they were also sisters in their vile idolatry. Samaria is called Aholah. Aholah means "her tent." Jerusalem is named Aholibah, "my tent is in her." The latter denotes the fact that the true sanctuary was in Judah, while the Kingdom of Israel, Samaria, practised a "false worship." Yet Jehovah owned them both as His people.

II. Aholah's Wickedness.

And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her
lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours, Which were clothed with
blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen
riding upon horses. Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with
all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom
she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself. Neither left
she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with
her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their
whoredom upon her. Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of
her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.
These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her
daughters, and slew her with the sword and she became famous among
women; for they had executed judgment upon her (verses 5-10).

Aholah's, Samaria's, wickedness is described first. It began with Jeroboam's idolatry (1 Kings xii:25) and became worse and worse. They went to Assyria and shared their corruption in idolatry and made a covenant with that nation (Hosea xii:2). Thus Samaria played the harlot by forsaking the Lord and turning to Assyria, trusting on Assyria instead of on the Lord, and then she defiled herself with all their idols. Hosea described their condition. "Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart; they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. When they shall go I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. Woe unto them! for they have fled from me; destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me, though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me" (Hosea vii:11-13). The judgment of Samaria is also mentioned. The Lord delivered the people into the hands of the nation with which they had become enamored, to discover their nakedness. "Wherefore, I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted." The historical record of this is found in 2 Kings xvii, when Hoshea, King of Samaria, became servant to Shalmaneser, King of Assyria. And when Hoshea acted treacherously, Shalmaneser imprisoned Samaria's king and led the people away into Assyria.

III. The Wickedness of Aholibah.

And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her
inordinate love than she, and in her whoredom more than her sister
in her whoredom. She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours,
captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon
horses, all of them desirable young men. Then I saw that she was
defiled, that they took both one way, And that she increased her
whoredom: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images
of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermillion, Girded with girdles
upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of
them princes to look to, after the manner of their nativity: And as
soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent
messengers unto them into Chaldea. And the Babylonians came to her
into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and
she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. So
she discovered her whoredom, and discovered her nakedness: then my
mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her
sister. Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance
the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land
of Egypt. For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the
flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses. Thus
thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising
thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth (verses 11-21).

And her sister Aholibah, Jerusalem, saw this, but did not profit by it. She became even more corrupt than Samaria and increased her whoredoms. She was enjoying greater privileges and blessings than Samaria and therefore her wickedness and fall was greater. King Ahaz, when pressed by Rezin, the King of Syria and Remaliah, King of Israel, sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser, King of Assyria, with the message, "I am thy servant and thy son, come up and save me" (2 Kings xvi:5-8.)