The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 1 — Section 372

springs. It proceeds from an impure heart, and it makes tho heart still more impure. D~vid_ ~as_ co~scious of )ts d!filement when he prayed, "Wash me throu~bly from mme 1mquity, etc. (l's. h. 2, ,, 10). The people of God are under the most binding obligations to shun everything that would lead to their moral contamination, and to be true to him both in heart and in life. IV. THE REBELLION OF THE PEOPLE AGAINST GoD. (Ver. 8.) 1. The nature of this re"bellion. "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 or Eg,·pt." They rebelled against Jehovah by persisting in their idolatrous practices. The Mosaic history does not explicitly mention the idolatry of the Israelites in Egypt; but it points to it by implication. The making and worship of the golden cslf was probably an imitation of the Egyptian worship of the various sacred cows or of the sa~red bulls. It appears from Lev. xvii. 7 (Revised Ve~ion), that in the desert the lsraehtes offered sacrifices to he-goats, and "the worship of a deity under the form of a he-goat was peculiar to Egypt" (Hengsten berg). That they worshipped idols in Egypt is e"rident also from Josh. xxiv. 14, "Put away t.he gods which your fathers served beyond the river, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord." And from eh. xxiii. 3 of our prophet, "They committed whoredoms in Egypt." This idolatry they did not abandon when summoned so to do. 2. The punishment of this rebellion. "Then I said I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt." Greenhill explains this clause, "He thought in his heart to destroy them in the midst of Egypt." Scott, "He justly might, and certainly would, have destroyed them with the E?:yptians, if be bad dealt with them according to their deserts." Schroder suggests that the increased oppression, and the persecution of the Israelites by the E?:yptians (Exod. v. 5-23), were signs of the anger of the Lord age.inst them. The Egyptians acted wickedly and cruelly in thus ill treating them; for they had not wronged them. Yet they might have been the unconscious agents of punishing the Israelites for their unfaithfulness to the Lord their God. This is certain, that persistent sin invariably meets with deserved purw;hment. V. THE FULFILME!.'T OF THE PURPOSE OF GOD NOTWITHSTANDING THE REBELLION oF THE PEOPLE. "But I wrought for my Name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt" (cf. Numb. xiv. 13-16). Had he not accomplished his purpose in delivering them out of Egypt, his Ne.me or honour might have been contemned by the Egyptians and others. They might have questioned or even denied: 1. His ability to execute his purposes and fulfil bis promises, asserting that be did not do so because he could not (cf. Numb. xiv. 15, 16). 2. His fidelity to his purposes and promises, asserting that be does not abide by his determinations, but is changeable and therefore unreliable. 3. His kindness towards his people, asserting that he is not so deeply interested in them as to always fulfil his engagements with them. Therefore, for his Name's sake, he brought Israel in triumph out of Egypt. The sins of man cannot frustrate the purposes of God. By his sins man may exclude himself from any participation in their fulfilment, or any enjoyment thereof; but he cannot defeat their fulfilment (cf. Exod. x..xxii. 9, 10; Numb, xiv. 11, 12; :xxili. 19; 2 Tim. ii. 13). CoNcLusroN. Our subject presents: 1. Warnings against rebellion against God, 2. Encouragements to trust and obey him.-W. J. Vers. 10-26.-God, and Israel in the wilderness. "Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt," etc. The chief teachings of this section of the chapter mav be developed under the following heads. I. THE KINDNESS OF GoD IN HIS DEALINGS WITH HIS PEOPLE. This is brought into our notice in four respects. 1. In the deeds which he wrought for them. "l caused tLew to go forth out of the land of E!!;ypt, and brought them into the wilderness." 'ILeir emancipation from their oppressors was effected by the mighty hand of God, aod of I,is unmerited grace to them. Our Loni Jesus is the great Deliverer from the serfdom of sin aod Satan (cf. Isa. Jxi. 1; John viii. 36). 2. Jn the gifts wh-ich he beti'.uu:ed uz,on tl,cm. (1) Hi~ Law. "Anrl J gave them my statutes, and showed t!Jcm t!tr. xx. 1-40,] THE BOOK OF 'l'IIE PROPHET EZEKrnL. 375