The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 41

e.lrendy come. By prophetic inspiration Ezekiel knew that on that identical dny on 'l\·hich he spoke to the people in Chaldea, N ebuchadnczzar lay siege to J crusalem. Tbo veri6cation of this fact would impart a weight of authority to Ezekiel's mission ns n prophet of Jehovah. It was now too late to evade, by repentance, the scourge. Still, the moral lesson would he healthful. It is never unseasonable to be assured of tho righteous faitbfulne5s of God. ill. THE SEVERITY OF THE SCOURGE. The truth intended to be conveyed by this 11ingular and striking figure is that of entire and indiscriminate destruction. Chasfo e- ments less drastic in their nature had heen tried in vain; and, as the evil seemed to be ingrained in the very nature of the body politic, no other measure was availing than overwhelming disaster. Thie is represented by keeping the cauldron on the fire till its contents were evaporated. To men this punishment appears severe, but to those intelligences who stand near God's throne the punishment does not appear such an evil as does the sin. No punishment is equal to the hatred of man's heart toward God, Calamity that is external to the man is not such a curse as the sin in the soul. This inward canker is the heaviest of all catastrophes. IV. THE THOROUGHNESS OF THE SCOURGE. "I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent, saith the Lord" (ver. 14). Every piece of flesh was to be brought out for the foe; no exemption was to be allowed. Even the scum was to be consumed. The very rust upon the cauldron was to be burnt off. In other words, the city itselt was to be destroyed as well as the inhabitants-the institutions, political and religious, as well as nobles and priests. God's cleansing will be thorough, In God's esteem there are no small sins. Only give them time, and small sins become great. Therefore, no sin must be spared. God is represented, in one place, as "searching Jerusalem with candles" in order to discover her secret sins. Over the gateway of the new Jerusalem it shall be written, "Nothing that is defiled, or that worketh abomination, can enter herein!" And unless sin be separated from us, we and our sins must be destroyed together. Li_ght and darkness cannot dwell in the same room at the same moment; nor can sin and holiness. 'l'he God of righteousness will exterminate sin root and branch. V. THE HIDDEN HAND THAT WIELDS THE SCOURGE. Ordinary observers of the invasion of Judma, and of the overthrow of Jerusalem, saw only the activity of man. 'l'o them it woul.d seem only a human quarrel. Human ambition on the one side, and violation of treaties upon the other, appeared as the immediate causes of the war. To military captains, I dare say the probability of success was on the side of the besieged. The walls were stroug and high; the natural ramparts were almost inaccessible; the gates had withstood many a foe. Yet there was a factor in that martial business that was not apparent. The mightiest agent was out of sight. All the forces of righteousness were on the side of Nebuchadnezzar. He had been commissioned to this undertaking by the in~incible God. At what point, or in what way, the directing and controlling will of Jehovah acted upon the mind of the Babylonian king, we cannot say. But that Gud did move him to this undertaking, and did give him success, is a plain fact. Even men of the world are the sword in the he.nd of God.-D. Vers. 15-27.-Graduated lessons. Most important truths can only be learnt by e. series of comparisons. We best know the magnitude of the sun by comparison with the moon and stars. We prize the fragrance of the rose by comparison with the per- fume of other flowers. We learn the dignity and strength that belong to a man by passing through the stages of childhood and youth. God teaches us and trains us, not only through the understanding, but also through the feelings, affections, griefs, inward experiences. Every event that occurs is a lesson for the immortal life. I. GRIEF FOB THE LOSS OF A WIFE IB NATURAL. A wife occupies e. more central place in a man's heart than any other among humankind. God himself he.s ordained that this mutual affection shall transcend all other. It is a relationship born of mutual choice. In proportion to this depth and intensity of affection is the sense of loss when death occurs. 'fo suffer anguish of heart at such a time accords with the laws and instincts of nature. It is a lose not to be measured by words, and in proportion to the sense of loss is the abundance of the grief. II. MAN'S CAPACITY FOil. FEELING GRIEF IB UMITED. Every capacity of the soul of man has, on earth, limitation. Whether this will continue when released from the 011, xx1v. 1-27.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. 43