The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 1 — Section 395

Vers. 18-27.-The approachingjudgment. "The word of the Lord ea.me unto me again, saying, Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways," etc. The followin~ homiletic points a.re suggested by this para.graph. I. THE DESTINATION OF THE APPROACHING JUDGMENT DETERMINED BY Goo, THOUGH THE AGENTS THEREOF WERE UNCONSCIOUS OF HIS INFLUENCE. " Son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the King of Babylon may come," etc. (vers. 18-22). The prophet is here summoned to make upon a. tablet, or parchment, or other material, a sketch in which two ways branch out of one principal way-the one lea.ding to Ra.bba.th, and the other to Jerusalem; and a.t the head of one of the ways to make a hand, or finger-post, pointing to a city; and at the head of the two ways the King of Babylon employing divination to ascertain whether he shall proceed first against Rabba.th or Jerusalem, and being directed to go to Jerusalem and besiege it. Thus he was to represent symbolically the judgment that was approaching Jerusalem from Chaldea.. Notice : 1. The use of superstitious means for obtaining direction in conduct. " The King of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, a.t the head of the two ways, to use divination," etc. (ver. 21 ). "Divination" is a general term. Three different kinds thereof are here mentioned. (1) "He shook the arrows to and fro." The method referred to was probably this: Three arrows were ta.ken, on one of them was written" Jerusalem," on another" Rabbatb," while the third was without any inscription. These arrows were placed in a. helmet or in some vessel, which was shaken until one came out; if this one bore any name, to the place thus named the king mnst proceed; but if the arrow without an inscription first came out, they all had to be shaken a.gain until one bearing a name came forth and indicated the course to be taken. (2) "He consulted the teraphim." "The teraphim were wooden images consulted as idols, from which the excited worshippers fancied that they received oracular responses" (cf. Gen. xxxi. 19, 30, 32, 34; 1 Sam. x.ix. 13). The mode of consulting them ie unknown. (3) "He looked in the liver." Of animals offered in sacrifice the liver was looked upon a.s the most important pa.rt; and from an inspection of it, as to its size and condition, omens were drawn amongst several ancient nations. Nebuchadnezzar ie represented by the prophet as feeling his need of direction as to whether he shall proceed first against Jerwsalem or against Rabbath, and as using these modes of divination to obtain such direction. This need of our nature is recol!'.nized by God, and he has graciously provided for it (cf. Jer. L 23; Prov. iii. 5, 6). 2. The use of superstitious means controlled by God for the accumplishment of his own purposes. Rabbath as well as Jerusalem had incurred the resentment of the King of Babylon. The antecedent probability was tba.t he would first attack that place, seeing that it was somewhat nearer Chaldea. than was Jerusalem. But God had determined otherwise, and accordingly the divination points Kebuchadnezzar to Jerusalem. "What a sublime proof," says Fairbairn, "of the overruling providence and controlling agency of J ebovah I The mightiest monarch of the world, travelling at the head of almost unnumbered legions, and himself consciously owning no other direction than that furnished by the instruments of his own blind surierstition, yet having his path marked out to him beforehand by this servant of the cu. xx1. 1-32.] 'l'HE llOOK OI<' '!'HE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 399