PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2
Edward Hayes Plumptre [1821-1891] · 422,810 words · 476 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 121
they shall know that I am the Lord God." In the relief afforded to them and the deliverances wrought for them they would recognize the presence and power and 11upremacy of Jehovah. Thus "the Lord of hosts is exalted in judgment, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness" (Isa. v. 16).-W. J, Vere. 25, 26.-God…
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ffi. l:i: HIS RESTORATION OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY TO THEM. "And they shall dwell; securely therein ; yea, they shall build houses, and plant vineyards," etc. (ver. 26). "As we have seen that the prophecies a,,crainst the heathen reached, not merely to the particular nations, but to the world-power which they represe…
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Ver. 3.-The great dragon. The wor<l is Ver. 8.-Behold, I will bring a sword cogno.te with tho.t used in Gen. i. 21 for the upon thee. The words are probably greo.t "whe.les," monsters of the deep. The 1ddressed to the nation personified rather "dragon," probably the crocodile of the Nile tho.n to the king. The sentence…
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an Oriente.l king, as in the case of the seventeen years after those which precede oaptivities of Se.maria (2 Kings xvii. 6) e.nd and follow it, oithcr by the prophet, oe Jeruse.lem, and of the nations that were he oollected ond revised his writings, or settled in Sam1Lria (2 Kings xvii. 6), and of by some later edi…
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HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-6.-The doom of Egypt. I. .AN INSPIRED PREACHER PROPHESIES CONCERNING A GREAT FOREIGN NATION. The Hcbre1v prophet did not confine bis attention to the little strip of territory on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, which we call the Holy Land. He was God's messenger to the world. I. The hea…
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for help (Isa, xxxi, 1), Now, however, Egypt is blamed for being so false and treacheroua 1m ally as she proved herself in the time of J uda.h's nee«. I. WEAn'Ess rs CULPABLE, Egypt ought not to have been weak as a Nile reed. In her friendship, at all events, she should have shown more stamina. Moral weakness is cer…
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called Egypt. But this is but an evident instance of what is true in less conspicuous ways. All great things, all new things, all things that exist, come from God. They spring from God, and they depend on him. 1. In nature. God is the Creator and l'reserver of nature. He not only made the stone that the sculptor chi…
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Vers. 17-20.-Nebucliadnezzar's wages. Nebuchadnezzar was used as God's servant in the work of destroying Tyre. But he got little profit out of that expedition. Therefore he was to receive his wages in the possession of the fertile and wealthy land of Egypt. This curious rendering of history in the light of Hebrew pr…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 3.-B=iful self-confidence, The prophet, interdicted from prophesying con- ctrning his own nation, directs his regard to one and another of the neighbouring states, with all of which the Jews were in some way connected. With Egypt, Isra.el hnd from the earliest period of its history be…
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his haughty self-confidence and dell.ant fearlessness, regarded himself as the grtat potentate of the world, secure from all molestation, able to carry out all his schemes of aggrandizement, ready to meet in battle, and certain to overcome, the f->rccs of aay nation that might be foolhardy enough to challenge his supre…
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success. But the Lord reigneth; and sooner or later action which he disapproves shnl issue in disappointment and disaster.-T, Vers. 8-12.-111,e humiliation of Egypfs pruk, It certainly gives a reader a somewhat dark and gloomy view of the state of the world in the time of Ezekiel, to read, as we ha".e to do in his …
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II. THE QUALIFI0ATION AND TEMPERING OF THE BOON THUS GRACIOUSLY VOUCHSAFED. Lest Egypt should be again puffed up, the prophet was directed to utter an assurance that the nation, though spared utter humiliation and extinction, should nevertheless never resume its former greatness. Two points are expressly mentioned. I. …
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III. THE WORLDLY KING is A DANGEROUS ALLY. "They have been a etnft' of reed to the house of Israel." As a mau maimed or invalided rests his weight, when walking, upon some mechanical support, and suffers grievous injury if his support breaks, so was it when Israel foolishly leant upon Egypt for support. The prospect…
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IV. ANOTHER FRUIT 01!' Goo's DISPLEASURE 19 TEMPORARY DISPERSIOli. "I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. . . . I will bring again the captivity of Egypt." Compulsory banishment is a eerioue disgrace, a heavy calamity. The poor, no less than the rich, have tender attachment to their homes. 'fhe tendrils of st…
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endured. Not an item of hardship or fidelity is overlooked. Every tear of the widow, every sorrow of the orphan, was lodged in his memory. To have rewardeJ the king immediately might have been to do him injury. It might have unduly elated him. It might have fed his pride. It might have fostered an ambition for furt…
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confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to remembrance" (Revised Version). For that misplaced hope in Egypt was iniquity in the sight of God (see Isa. xxx. 2, 3; xxxi. l; xxxvi. 4, 6). It was a sinful failure to trust in its one true Refuge, and it was a blind and sensuous confidence in mere numbers and mi…
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EXPOSITION. everywhere (see note on eh. xiii. 5), the CHAPTER XXX. words stand for any time in which the Di- Ver. 1.-The word of the Lord oame vine judgments manifest themselves in the again, etc. The section that follows, ending world's history. Of it Ezekiel s11.ys, follow- with ver. 18, is exceptional as standing…
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African, e.nd not the Asie.tio, people of that general. Now Ezekiel, following in the name. In Jer. xlvi. 9 the two ne.tions are footsteps of Jeremiah (eh. xlvi.), specifies the named among the e.uxilie.ries of Egypt. Chaldean king and his people, the terrible Po88ibly the similarity of name may have of the nations …
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sun" of Jer. xliii. 13, the Heliopolis of the follows wns written in April, n.o. 586. Its LXX. and Vnlgate. The form Aven (Heb. contents show that it wns written at or about for" 11 vnin thing I" RS in Hos. iv. 15; x. 5) the time of the abortive attempt of Pharaoh- was perhaps chosen as a word of scorn Hophra. to oo…
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ju_dgm~nts. rity follows wrath, The terrible condition that fills the prophet's mind with ~1smay 1s full of more pressing warning when it is such as to excite the deepest commiseration. The advent of Divine chastisement is always a cloudy day. I. PBOGNOBTIOATIO_Ns. OF A 0LOUDY DAY. The dreadful day has not yet come;…
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assurance ngninst the fatal consequences of wickedness that can be effected by means of nssociation. "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished" (Prov. xi. 21). III. THERE 1s NO PROTECTION IN OBSCURITY. Poor Cush and Phut and Lud are obscure, unimportant, aud remote. Yet they share the fate of be…
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ruined abbeys of England are famed for their beauty, and few may regret their present condition when admirin~ the relics of architectural splendour. But there is a. worse desolation for Churches than roofless naves and crumbling walls. A Church is indeed desolate when the Spirit of Christ bas forsaken her. She may seem…
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desolation that was approoching, not only would these iilols prove themselves useless lJrotectors, they themselves would share the fate of their patrons. The idols are destroyed in the ruin of the idolaters. I. 'l'RERE rs No_ D~FENCE IN IDOLS. This is a lesson for the heathen, But not only pagans who worship 11nage…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vera. 1-3.-" The day of the Lord." There is in this expression, which occurs in various parts of this book of prophecy, a certain vagueness which is not inconsistent with grandeur and sublimity. The prophet's own mind was evidently impressed with the fact that, whilst every day is an occas…
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Ver. 13.-Idols destroyed. It is well known, from the records of ancient history, and from the explorations and studies of Egyptologists of our own century, that the land of the Pharaohs was the seat of idolatry of the most deeply rooted, widesproad, and at the same time most debasing and contemptible kind. It was not p…
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Vera. 1-19.-The Lori£s day in Egypt. The Lord's day is the day in which God romes nearest to men and manifests himself. Whether he will come as our Friend or as our Foe depends on our state of mind towards him. He has not abandoned the race of men. They are on trial, undergoing discipline. Now and again he comes near,…
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Vers. 20-26.-The broken arm. It is marvellous that men do not realize as o. fact how completely dependent they are upon the unseen God. In theory, the bulk of men are theists; in practice, atheists. It would produce a blessed revolution in society if believers in God's nearness lived up to their beliefs. How differentl…
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iniquity is destruction, desolation; witness the cities of the plain, Nineveh, Babylon, Jerusalem. The" de.y" of sin e.nd of defiance, of tyrannical power and guilty grati- fication may last long, but its sun is sure to set in dark clouds, and when the morrow comes, as it will come, there will be a de.y of dire and wid…
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yoke is broken and the man is freed. There is another yoke of an entirely different nature; it is in- III. THE SERVICE OF .JESUS CHRIST, "Take my yoke," he says; "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." In that which is the service of love and of righteous- ness there is real liberty and lasting joy.-C. Vers. 21…
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eh. nx. 4, for hie nuKiliory forces. It opene ns in eh. xvii. 23; Dan. iv. 9; Matt. x.m. with one of the cuatomory formulm of an 32, was the natural symbol of the fact Eastern opologue (Me.rk iv. 30), intended to that o.11 the neighbouring nations owned the sharpen the curiosity e.nd win the attention eovereignty of As…
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of the parable posses from Eden to Shoo\, perished. The former mourn nnd shnke tho Hodes of the nations, and. the pl"Ophet with fear, for it is a warning to them tbllt gives the first stroke of the im1tgcry after- their turn nlso mo.y come. On the other wards more fully developed in eh. xxxii. 17 baud, the trees of …
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Proud men glory in their own resources. But no one can be strong and continue in vigour without receiving supplies from without. 'l'he mind must be fed with fresh knowledge, as the body with fresh food. Moreover, the success that a. man seems to create for himself is largely due to favourable circumstances. If the wate…
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Vers. 10-14.-Pride humiliated. The proud cedar is laid low. Assyria falls. The fate of this great empire gives warning for all ages. Magnificence does not secure protection. I. PRIDE IS THE BESETTING FAULT OF WORLDLY BU00ESS. Many things contribute to the excitement of this passion. 1. The per~ption <!f the success…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-9.-Tiie greatness of .As.,yria. The Prophet Ezekiel, in witnessing agains\ Pharaoh and Egypt, inculcated the lesson with all the more emphasis by the help of an historic parallel. He has to reinind Egypt that, great as is her power, there have been powers as great as she that have …
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exaggerate. This may not be so obvious to us as the assertion of Assyria's strength; but so it seemed to the mind of the world of old. V. ITs INFLUENCE. This seems to be the idea conveyed by the sixth verse: "All the fowls of the heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the …
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Vers. 15-11.-Mourning and lamentation. The description here given of the distress and mourning which took place upon the occasion of the downfall of Assyria is very poetical, and might appear exaggerated were we not able, by the aid of imagiuation, to place ourselves in the position of an observer at that critical epoc…
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Vers.1-18.-.A terriole perdition. Precious lessons can be learnt from God's treat- ment of others. As in others' conduct we may find a mirror of our own, so in others' chastisement we may find a reflected image of our own deserts. The principles on which God acts a.re those of eternal immutability. Therefore we may …
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II. GREAT FOLLY. "His heart is lifted up in his height" 1. &if-adulation. To admire one's self so as to forget our Divine Benefactor is both foolishness and sin. This is to cheat God of his due. If robbery is criminal anywhere, it is specially criminal when directed against God. 'l'o interpose ourselves between God and…
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Ver. 7.-The source of strength and beauty. The "great power" of Assyria is likened in this parable to a noble cedar planted in (or transferred to) the garden of Eden, raising its hca<l high above all the othet· trees in that "garden of God; " iti eminence and its beauty being largely due to the fact that it was so we…
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Vere. 8, 9.-" The garden of God." "The garden of God," standing, as it does, fD'I the ideal region in which man in bis perfection was placed when God was" well pleased with "him, may be takeq RB a picture of human society itself as it once was for boweve1 brief a period, and as it shall be again when the purposes of th…
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EXPOSITION. and Smend, however, translate," young lion CHAPTER XXXII. of the nations, thon art brought to nought; " Ver. 1.-In the twelfth year, etc. March, but there is no adequate reason for abandon- B.C. 584, nineteen months after the destruc- ing the Revised translation. Troubledst the tion of J ernsalem. The t…
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ing on the flesh of sea-monsters (Diod. Sic., to ''know the Lord," as the other nntinns iii. H ; Herod., ii. 69 ; Strabo, p. 773), and addressed by Ezekiel were lo know him, as the word may possibly include the crocodile. a righteous Judge, not as yet as rL Deliverer Ver. 6.-1 will water with thy blood. (comp. eh. x…
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arrivA.l, and mA.ke their scornful comments to that invusion in the "evil from the uorth" (comp. Isa. xiv. 9, 18), o.t once classing them of Jer. i. 14; iv. 6; o.nd in Zeph. i. 13-IG. with the uncircumcised. Had they heard, They also, once the terror of the no.tions, we BSk, of the downfall of Egypt? are now represe…
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HOMILETICS. Vers. 2, 3.-The lion in a net, Pharaoh is compared both to a young lion and to a whale. The young lion has left his mark at the watering-place of the cattle, There- fore a net is spread for him, and he is entrapped. I. THE GREATEST ARE UNDER THE POWER OF GoD. • The lion is the king of beasts; the whnlc…
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higher influences. If the sun were blotted out, all life on our globe would perish in darkness and cold-the world reduced to a block of silent frozen matter. If God were to withdraw, all being would come to an end. II. THE LIGHTS OF HEAVEN ARE DARKENED BY SIN. Sin eclipses the soul's sun. It spreads black c_loud~ b…
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root of the worst heart-ache. The old weary world groans without perceiving the cause of its anguish. Clearly something is wrong, for a good Creator would not have made a world for sorrow and disappointment. 'l'he great disillusion which at some time comes to every sanguine soul, and turns May into November, must ha…
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peace. In silence and sorrow of soul people learn to look beneath the surface of life, ns the Egyptians in their desolation could look deep down into the still, smooth water;i of the Nile. This may be a preparation for a holier new life in the future. Ver. 18.-Sympathetic sorrow. I. SYMI'ATHETIO SORROW IS CALLED FOR D…
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fleeting. Every year brings us nearer to the great mystery. We know full well that every eoul among us will soon solve the awful riddle of futurity. Surely, then, it is of eome moment that we should stand in right relations with the world of the dead, if only we can know what those relations should be. IIL GoD BULEB O…
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Ver. 31.-Pharaoh comforted. After his death Pharaoh is comforted by what he beholds of his companions in the realm of departed spirits. He sees that the great ones who preceded. him are as badly off as he is. Those kings and princes were not his enemies; they were his allies. Therefore Pharaoh could scarcely gain co…
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people of tb11t le.nd h11ve committed, and which an omniscient and righteous Ruler cannot possibly pass unnoticed and unrebuked, .According to bis metaphorical habit, Ezekiel pictures F.gypt as a young and ravening lion, seizing and devouring prey; as a dragon or crocodile, troubling the waters with its feet, and fouli…
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concur to assure us that there are elements in man's nature which will surely reveal themselves in hostility and in mutual ill will, in bloodshed, and in violent death. Nation rises against nation. The sword is drawn, and is only sheathed wheu one combatant is constrained to submit to the superior power of the other…
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III. THE COMMON WOE AND LAMENTATION OF THE NATIONS. "Son of man," said the Lord, "wnil for the multitude of Egypt." Although the nations are represented as lying still in the depths of Sheol-their swords under their heads-yet they are repre- sented as in some measure conscious; Pharaoh of Egypt being " comforted" at…
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Vers. 11-16.-The downfall of one involves the downfall of many. Every man is -inked to society by organic ties. A king especially holds an important and responsible place. He is the key-stoue of the arch. " No man liveth unto himself." He lifts others up or drags others down. He goes not to heaven, nor to hell, alone.…
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Vers. 17-32.-0ompanionship in woe. 'l'he prophet is a man of power. He is a king bearing an invisible sceptre, As a monarch wields only a borrowed power-a power lent by God-so a true prophet is God's vicegerent. Here he unfolds a terrible vision, the outline of a woeful reality. Ha leads the Egyptian king to the mou…
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or the mighty in the land of the living;" "With their terror, they are [now] ashamed l>f their might." After all, what a frail reed is the mightiest sceptre or the most Jnartial arm! What real weakness is at the heart of him who brandishes the gory ~word! Like the frog who attempted to inflate himself to the magnitu…
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IV. THAT THE DISCOMFITURE OF ONE MAY MEAN THE CONFUSION OF MANY. When Egypt's light went out, the world immediately around it would be in darkness; all those who were walking in its light would be utterly benighted and confused (vers. 7, 8). If we live in no better and no more enduring light than that of a very stron~ …
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amongst the departed in the nether world. Nothing could save her; thero was no reason why she should not go down as other guilty powers had done. cc Whom did she pa~s in beauty?" (ver. 19). No distinction could be made in her ell.Se; she must "go dotrn and be laid with the uncircumcised" (ver.19), "she and all her m…
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EXPOSITION. asks himself whether he has acted on CHAPTER XXXIII. the Wll1'Iling which was borne in on his Ver. 1.-If we may think of Ezekiel as mind at the very beginning of his mission. compiling and arranging bis own prophecies, Has he sounded the trumpet? Hae he we rn:i.y think of him as returning, with warned th…
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hnd been grouped with other forms of good capture of J crusnlem took plooe in the nnd evil. Here it stands out in solitary pre- fourth month of the eleventh yenr (Jer. eminence. The reason may possibly be xxxix. 2; Iii. 6) from the captivity of found in the fact that a time of exile and Jehoiaohin and the beginning …
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Ezekiel heard from the meeecngcr. He it The words paint, with a terrible vividness, was who reported the boastful claims of what was passing in Ezekiel's fatherland. those who had been !en in the land by the Did the fugitives of Judah seek the open Chaldean armies-the "bad figs" of Jere- country ? they were exposed to …
1,092 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.