The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 64

Israel," eto.; "And the house of Jacob shall be a. fire, and the house of Joseph a. flame, and the house of Esau for stubble," et.c, (Oba.d. 18). The prophecy points to Judas the Maccabee and his army, and yet more to John Hyrca.nus, who completely subjugated the country of Edom, and annihilated the nationality of the Edomites. 3. The retributory character of the judgment. "Because that Edom bath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and bath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; therefore thus saith the Lord God . . . I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, . . . and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God." The Edomites inflicted vindictive revenge upon the Jews; and for so doing they must suffer the vengeance of the Lord Jehovah. "Revenge for revenge." "The Lord is a God of recompenses; he shall surely requite" (Jer. Ii. 56). CoNOLUBION. Our subject addresses to us : I. Warning against estrangement or want of love amongst relatives. When kinsfolk or former friends become hostile to each other, they are much more embittered than strangers in a similar condition. "A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city : and such contentions are like the bars of a castle" (Prov. xviii. 19); "Love one another with a pure heart fervently." 2. Warning against encouraging any feeling of revenge. Such feelings tum the heart which entertains them into a hell; and the entertainment of them awakens the stem displeasure of the Most High. Our Lord says, " Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you," etc. (Matt. v. 44, 45). And St. Paul writes," ltender to no man evil for evil . . . Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto wrath," etc. (Rom. xii.17, 19-21).-W. J. Vere. 15-17.-The heinous sin and seven puniahment of the Phi1istines. "Thus eaith the Lord God; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge," etc. This paragraph treating of the Philistines is similar in its prominent features to those which dealt with the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, especially the last. In each case there is a. setting forth of the sin and an announcement of the punishment. And there is a close resemblance between the Edomites and the Philistines, both in their sin and in their punishment. With ,this similarity of essential character in the paragraphs of this chapter, it is not easy to suggest variety of homiletical treatment for each paragraph. In our text we have- I. A BRIEF STATEMENT OF A LONG OOUBBE OF HEINOUS SIN. "The Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with despite of soul to destroy it with perpetual enmity." Mark the gradations of their sin as they are indicated in the text. 1, The sin of the Philistines was hatred against the Jews. They were a powerful people, occupying territory to the south-west of Judah, and were unvarying in their hostility to the Israelites. Their sin was the very opposite of that love which God commands as the supreme duty of man to his fellow-man: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Lev. xix. 18). And in Christian ethics their sin is equivalent to murder: "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer" (1 John iii. 15). 2. Their hatred was intense and scornful,. It was no superficial emotion. 'l'hey took "vengeance with despite of soul." They were hearty and passionate and zealous in their enmity to the Jews. 8. Their hatred was inveterate. "The old hatred,'' or 11 perpetual enmity." A glance at their history shows this. In the time of the judges "they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel" (J udg. x. 7, 8). Near the close of the career of Eli they defeated Israel in battle with great slaughter, and seized the ark of God (1 Sam. iv. 10, 11). They were conquered by the Israelites under Samuel, and were kept in check a.II his days (1 Sam. vii. 7-14). But in the days of Saul they a.gain became troublesome, and brought Israel in a measure into subjection to them (1 Sam. xiii. 19, 20). In the battle in which Saul and his sons were slain, they inflicted a. disastrous defeat upon Israel (1 Sam. xxxi.). They were vanquished by David. But in after-times they ca.nsed much trouble and damage to Judah (2 Chron. xxi. 16, 17; xxviii. 18). And they showed their old animosity by acts of hostility at the time when Nebuchadnezzar besieg€d Jerusalem. Their hatred was ancient and persistent. 4. Their hatred was habitually active. " The Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance." Their enmity existed not simply as an emotion, but found vigorous expression. A.nd it expressed itself, not simply in hostile and bitter words, but in malignant deeds, in revengeful actions. And these deeds were J,:ZC,:KIEL-11. i' 66 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKlEL, [on. xx:v1. 1-21.