The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 1 — Section 241

men. They prefaced their statements a.ud their advice with such la.ngua.ge as Ezekel here quotes: "Hear ye the word of the Lord;" "The Lord sa.ith." Doubtless there were those who were conciliated and attracted by such claims, but who would ha.ve resented any summons addressed to them in the name of a heathen deity. II. Trm PRACTICAL CONTRADICTION OF THEIR PROFESSroN AND OLAIMS, In terms figurafrrn, yet impressive and conclusive, Ezekiel exhibits the hollowness of the pretences adrnnced by these lying leaders of the people, They a.re" like foxes in the waste places "--cunning, crafty creatures, who make their dwelling in the ruins and the wreck of a deserted city. So the prophets who profess to guide the people really prey upon them, and a.re most at home in the destruction and desolation which they ha,e helped to effect. They have not ta.ken their place in the breach, they have not helped in the defence of the city, they have not stood in the van of the battle, when the enemy has made a.n assault. Here is the practical test, which reveals the worth- lessness of all professions of patriotism, of all claims to leadership. III. THE REAL IXSPIBATION OF THE FALSE PROPHETS. The secret is disclosed; the explanation of the illusion is given. The false prophets prophesy out of their own hearts; they follow their own spirit; they have seen nothing; the Lord hath not sent them; theirs is a lying divination; they have spoken vanity, and seen lies. In a. word, professing to derive their commission and their message from the Eternal, the All-wise, they simply utter what commends itself to their own opinion, wha.t serves their own interest, what agrees with their own sinful prejudices. '!'his accounts for the unwisdom and worthlessness of their advice. They who follow them may expect to be misled. IV. THE CONDEMNATION OF THE FALSE PROPHETS. "Woe unto the foolish prophets, saith the Lord God;" "I am against you." This condemnation is apparent from several facts. 1. Their predictions are falsified, and their counsels brought to nought. 2. They mislead the people to destruction. 3. They bring confusion upon themselves. This sentence is pronounced in language very plain and very smiting. The hypo- critical pretenders to a Divine commission are excluded from the register of the house of Israel, and are denied entrance into the land of Israel. All their plotting and lies are not only unmasked; they issue in confusion and destruction to themselves.-T. Vers. 10---16.-Tlie vanity offlattering counsel. It has often been observed regarding the recorded discourses of the Lord Jesus, tha.t his severest denunciations were directed against the hypocritical professors of religion, especially such as misled their fellow- men into error and sin. The same may be said of Ezekiel; his language, when exposing the hollow pretensions of the false and foolish prophets, who by their advice were leading the people into destruction, becomes almost invective. 'l'he particular offence of which these hypocrites were guilty was this-they encouraged the people, in opposition to the declarations of Jehovah by his prophets, to believe that the nation stood in no special danger ; they professed to " see visions of peace" for Jerusalem; and they by this means hindered the people from repentance and reformation, in which alone lay the possibility of salvation. In Ezekiel's view these false prophets pretended to build up the edifice of national stability and prosperity upon unsound foundations and with untempered mortar; all defects were smeared with plaster a.nd concealed from an ordinary observer. The prophet, however, foretold the approach of torrents of rain and hailstones, by which the worthlessness of this pretentious work should be revealed, and the work should be utterly destroyed. I. AN INSECURE FOUNDATION AND STRUCTURE. Spiritual work is often compared tQ the labour of a builder. 'l'he wise and faithful teacher and counsellor lays a sound foundation, builds with strong and approved material, carries out a wise pla.n with patience and efficiency, and brings his work to a prosperous issue when the topstone is laid with rejoicing. Far otherwise is it with the worldly and crafty, who build for their own selfish purposes, who are careless as to the basis upon which they rear the edifice, as to the substance, and the workmanship. All they care for is the appearance presented by their work. When they labour professedly for the good of their fellow-men, they are like the builder who uses rotten stone and daubs it with untempered mortar. The structure is for a time imposing to the eye of the beholder; defects are hidden, a.nd all looks well. Those who mislead the Lord's people a.re in the ha.bit of saying," Peac@&" cm. :rnr. 1-29.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 237