The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 28

and with the moral constitution which he has given to man. But one thing he will not do-he will not compel men to forsake their own evil ways and walk in his way of holiness. And if men were forced into righteousness of action, what would such righteousness be worth? The obedience which is not willing is mechanical, not moral. The goodness which is not hearty is in the eight of God but a dead and hypocrit.ical form. II. THE PUNISHMENT OF BIN GENEI\ALLY ARISES OUT OF THE BIN ITSELF. "Where- fore I delivered her up into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted." "The cause which at last brought destruction on Isrnel was that the King of Assyria found conspiracies in Hosea, who was intriguing with Egypt at the same time that he acknowledged himself a. tributary to Assyria (2 Kings xvii. 4).'' Says Matthew Henry, "'l'he neighbouring nations, whose idolatries she had conformed to and whose friendship she had confided in, and in both had affronted God, are now wade use of as the instruments of her destruction. The Assyrians, on whom she doted, soon spied out the nakedness of the land, discovered her blind side, on which to attack her, stripped her of all her ornaments and all her defences, and so uncovered her, and made her naked and bare, carried her sons and daughters into captivity, slew her with the sword, and quite destroyed that kingdom and put an end to it. . . . And that the Assyrians, whom they had been so fond of, should be employed in executing judgments upon them, was very remarkable, a.nd shows how God, in a way of righteous judgment, often makes that a scourge to sinners which they have inordinately set their hearts upon. The devil will for ever be a tormentor to those impenitent sinners who now hearken to him and comply with him as a tempter." "God excites those against us for punishment to please whom we had sinued." Scott ~ays truly, "God commonly employs tempters to punish those who listen to them." And Shakespeare- •• Heaven is most just, and of our pleasant vicea Makes instruments to scourge us." In the righteous government of God punishment is not arbitrarily annexed to sin : it grows out of the sin. As Hesiod observes, " The seeds of our own punishment are sown at the same time we commit sin." "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap," etc. (Gal. vi. 7, 8). If men will trust in riches or rank, in pleasure or power; if they will live for these things, their life will bear its appropriate fruit. These their gods will prove their ruin. Their hopes will be utterly disappointed, their lives deplor- ably impoverished and degraded, a.nd their souls lost. Let us take heed to the object of our trust. "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is," etc. (Jer. xvii. 7, 8).-W. J, Ver. 27.-.A severe fudgment and its satisfactory consequences. "Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt," etc. The sin referred to in this verse is the idolatry of the people, Two of its clauses make this quite clea.r. "Thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt; . . . thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them." The form of the idols which Jeroboam set up he derived from Egypt, where he had resided for some time. In setting up the golden calves at Bethel and Dan he" translated to Isrn.elitish soil the worship which he had seen at Memphis and Heliopolis" (1 Kings xii. 26-36). And, what is rn0re important for the elucidation of our text, which is addressed to the people of Judah, the whole Israclit.ish people brought with them their deep-rooted tendency to idolatry when they came out of Egypt. 'l'wo chief points are presented to our notice. I. A JUDGMENT OF GREAT SEVERITY FOLLOWED BY SATISFACTORY CONSEQUENCES. God had already visited the kingdom of Israel with his judgmcnts because of their idolatries. He had sent fa.mine upon them (1 Kings xvii. 1; xviii, 1, 2); he hnd allowed tbc,m to suffer by the invasions of their enemies (2 Kings vi. 24-29; x. 32, 33; xiii. 3, 4, 7). Amoe the prophet forcibly sets forth these visitations of Israel by reason of their sins (iv. 6-11). And as all these judgments failed to turn them from idolatry, the Lord suffered them to be carried captive into Assyria (2 Kings xvii. 3-6). Those things should have been a warning to the people of Judah to keep clear of idolatry; yet they frequently lapsed into it. God had caused them o.lso to sulfor by reason of it (2 Kings xviii. 13-16; xxi. 1-15; xxiii. 31-35; xxiv. 1-4, 10-16). llut thcso judgments did not cleanse the kingrlom of J u,lab of iuobtry. Checked for 80 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. [oH, xxm, 1-49,