The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 27

3. Heinou.• infidelity, This is the aspect of Israel's sin to which prominence is given in the text. Iu forsaking the Lord God for idols they committed a treacherous brench of a sacred engagement, Their conduct is an illustration of the action of those who having avowed their allegiance to him, turn their backs upon him and upon hie oause: Terrible is their guilt, and deplorable their c:mdition, "It is a miserable thing," snys Bishop Ryle, "to be n backslider. Of all unhappy thin.,.s that can befall a man, I suppose it is the worst. A stranded ship, a broken-winged eagle, a garden overrun with weeds, a harp without strings, a church in ruins,-all these are sad sicrhts • but a liackslider is a sadder sight still." And appalling will be their doom eve;;" 11, 'certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the ndver• sarics." Says Bunyan, "They fall deepest into hell who fall backwards into hell." Let backsliders relum unto the Lord while there is yet time. "Return, thou back- sliding Israel, saith the Lord; I will not look in anger upon you," etc. (Jer. iii. 12, 14; Hos. xiv. 1-4).-W. J. Ver. 9.-Sinners left to themselves and to their sins. "Wherefore I delivered her into the hand of her lovers," etc. The aspect of the sin of Israel which is most con- spicuous in this chapter is not their idolatry so much as their contracting political alliances which were forbidden by God. "'l'he imagery," as Fausset remarks, "is similar to that in eh. xvi.; but here the reference is not, as there, so much to the breach of the spiritual marriage-covenant with God by the people's idolatries, as by tbeir worldly spirit, and their trusting to alliances with the heathen for safety, rather than to God." Our text suggests two observations- I. DETERMINED PERSISTENCE IN SIN LEADS Goo TO ALLOW THE SINNER TO TAKE HIS OWN OOURSE. The Israelites would trust in Egypt or in Assyria rather than in the Lord their God. Remonstrances against political alliances with heathen nations, or conformity to their religions observances, with warnings of the consequences of so doing, had been addressed to them in vain. Exhortations to trust in Jehovah alone had proved fruitless. All moral means had been employed to secure their fidelity to their duty and their God, but without avail. Wherefore the Lord "delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted." 'l'he Israelites would have their own way, and God at length allowed them to take it (cf. Ps. lxxxL 11, 12). There are some to-day in whom we fear the same process is at work. Here is a man who makes riches the object of his supreme concern. Money is the god in which he trusts, and to which he is devoted. His great and constant efforts are made in order to acquire and retain riches, Remonstrances and rebukes for the course he is pursuing are unheeded by him. Exhortations and encouragements to cherish a different and nobler ambition, to trust a worthy object, and to live to God, nre addressed to him in vain. He will go on in his own way, And at length God allows him to take his course, and live for money. The same thing takes place with others who make a god of pleasure, or who will trust supremely in their own sagacity and judgment, or whose grand ambition and ruling purpose is to attain conspicuous position or commanding power, If they are invincibly determined to follow their own course, God allows them to do so. 'l'he case is thus forcibly stated by Dr. Joseph Parker: "A man sets his mind on standing on some high place; he points to a pillar, and says that if he could ascend to its summit he would see from that lofty elevation glimpses of heaven, and he determines that he will stand upon that st:mmit, whatever hazards he may incur. At length God grants him his request; and when the man has ascended to the eminence which he coveted, what does he find? Sand, sand, sand I Mile on mile of sand-sand for mile on mile! And now he wishes to descend ; but how to get down is his great difficulty. '!'here may be no way down but that which involves suicide. Yet the man was determined to reach that elevation; nothing could stand between him and his wish; he urged God to grant him his request; with importunate desire he besought that he might have his own way; and there is no punishment heavier than that which falls upon any man when God allows him to take his own course." God does much to lead men to forsake sin and follow holiness; he gave his own beloved Son as a sacrifice for the abolition of sin and the salvation of tho sinner; he is working for the~c ends by many and powerful agencies; for these objects he will do everything that he can, everything that is consistent with his own holiness on. xxm. 1-49.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 2!)