Ezekiel 14
[Ezekiel 14:1] THEN CAME CERTAIN OF THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL UNTO ME, AND SAT BEFORE ME.
[Ezekiel 14:2] AND THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME UNTO ME, SAYING,
[Ezekiel 14:3] SON OF MAN, THESE MEN HAVE SET UP THEIR IDOLS IN THEIR HEART,
AND PUT THE STUMBLINGBLOCK OF THEIR INIQUITY BEFORE THEIR FACE: SHOULD I
BE ENQUIRED OF AT ALL BY THEM?
We all have some idol of some sort in our hearts, i.e. something whose
importance we would be tempted place before our duty to the Almighty.
[Ezekiel 14:4] THEREFORE SPEAK UNTO THEM, AND SAY
UNTO THEM, THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; EVERY MAN OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL THAT
SETTETH UP HIS IDOLS IN HIS HEART, AND PUTTETH THE STUMBLINGBLOCK OF HIS
INIQUITY BEFORE HIS FACE, AND
COMETH TO THE PROPHET; I THE LORD WILL ANSWER HIM THAT COMETH ACCORDING TO THE MULTITUDE OF HIS IDOLS;
<<ACCORDING TO THE MULTITUDE OF HIS IDOLS>>: i.e. the less
idols one has, the more chance he has of God listenting to him in time of
trouble. We are all human. We may not be able to be as good as should be,
or even any good at all, but whatever we do will be set in our favor. Even
a small thing can sometimes set us on the right track.
[Ezekiel 14:5] THAT I MAY TAKE THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
IN THEIR OWN HEART, BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL ESTRANGED FROM ME THROUGH THEIR
IDOLS.
[Ezekiel 14:6] THEREFORE SAY UNTO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, THUS SAITH THE LORD
GOD; REPENT, AND TURN YOURSELVES FROM YOUR IDOLS; AND TURN AWAY YOUR FACES
FROM ALL YOUR ABOMINATIONS.
<<UNTO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL>>: In this case both the ten tribes and Judah.
[Ezekiel 14:7] FOR EVERY ONE OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL,
OR OF THE STRANGER THAT SOJOURNETH IN ISRAEL, WHICH SEPARATETH HIMSELF FROM
ME, AND SETTETH UP HIS IDOLS IN HIS HEART, AND PUTTETH THE STUMBLINGBLOCK
OF HIS INIQUITY
BEFORE HIS FACE, AND COMETH TO A PROPHET TO ENQUIRE OF HIM CONCERNING ME; I THE LORD WILL ANSWER HIM BY MYSELF:
<<FOR EVERY ONE OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, OR OF THE STRANGER THAT
SOJOURNETH IN ISRAEL, WHICH SEPARATETH HIMSELF FROM ME>>: The stranger
who sojourns with us and identifies with us will have the same rights as
us {Ezekiel 47:22]. He also has the same responsibilities.
[Ezekiel 14:8] AND I WILL SET MY FACE AGAINST THAT
MAN, AND WILL MAKE HIM A SIGN AND A PROVERB, AND I WILL CUT HIM OFF FROM
THE MIDST OF MY PEOPLE; AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.
Membership of the Israelite nation should be considered the most important
thing we could have. From the above verse and other verses it sounds as if
this membership can be lost, i.e. we can be cut off from our ancestry. We
should do everything we can to avoid such a fate and be as good as we can.
[Ezekiel 14:9] AND IF THE PROPHET BE DECEIVED WHEN
HE HATH SPOKEN A THING, I THE LORD HAVE DECEIVED THAT PROPHET, AND I WILL
STRETCH OUT MY HAND UPON HIM, AND WILL DESTROY HIM FROM THE MIDST OF MY PEOPLE
ISRAEL.
A bad person who thinks he is inspired can sometimes be deceiving himself or be deceived by the Almighty.
[Ezekiel 14:10] AND THEY SHALL BEAR THE PUNISHMENT
OF THEIR INIQUITY: THE PUNISHMENT OF THE PROPHET SHALL BE EVEN AS THE PUNISHMENT
OF HIM THAT SEEKETH UNTO HIM;
false prophets can bring disaster on themselves and on those who follow after them.
[Ezekiel 14:11] THAT THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL MAY
GO NO MORE ASTRAY FROM ME, NEITHER BE POLLUTED ANY MORE WITH ALL THEIR TRANSGRESSIONS;
BUT THAT THEY MAY BE MY PEOPLE, AND I MAY BE THEIR GOD, SAITH THE LORD GOD.
<<BUT THAT THEY MAY BE MY PEOPLE, AND I MAY BE THEIR GOD, SAITH
THE LORD GOD>>: We must stribe to be the people of God so that God
will be with us.
[Ezekiel 14:12] THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME AGAIN TO ME, SAYING,
[Ezekiel 14:13] SON OF MAN, WHEN THE LAND SINNETH AGAINST ME BY TRESPASSING
GRIEVOUSLY, THEN WILL I STRETCH OUT MINE HAND UPON IT, AND WILL BREAK THE
STAFF OF THE BREAD THEREOF, AND WILL SEND FAMINE UPON IT, AND WILL CUT OFF
MAN AND BEAST FROM IT:
[Ezekiel 14:14] THOUGH THESE THREE MEN, NOAH, DANIEL,
AND JOB, WERE IN IT, THEY SHOULD DELIVER BUT THEIR OWN SOULS BY THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS,
SAITH THE LORD GOD.
<<DANIEL>>: This probably means Daniel the hero of the
Book of Daniel though some say it is referring to an earlier person of similar
name. In Hebrew the name translated as "Daniel" in the above verse is spelt
slightly differently from the "Daniel" who was in the lions den. Even so,
see our commentary on the next verse.
[Ezekiel 14:15] IF I CAUSE NOISOME BEASTS TO PASS
THROUGH THE LAND, AND THEY SPOIL IT, SO THAT IT BE DESOLATE, THAT NO MAN
MAY PASS THROUGH BECAUSE OF THE BEASTS:
[Ezekiel 14:16] THOUGH THESE THREE MEN WERE IN IT, AS I LIVE, SAITH THE
LORD GOD, THEY SHALL DELIVER NEITHER SONS NOR DAUGHTERS; THEY ONLY SHALL
BE DELIVERED, BUT THE LAND SHALL BE DESOLATE.
It says that do to the beasts that would come on the land, no-one could
pass through it apart from Noah, Daniel, and Job who would save ONLY themselves.
What was so special about these three men in the present context? They were
all associated with animals.Noah took representatives of all the animals
into the ark. Daniel was thrown into the lions' den and was not harmed.Job
said that if one was good then he would not be harmed by animals. Job presumably
had experience with wild beasts since he lived in a wild frontier area and
had vast herds of cattle and camels traversing great distances: Job declared:
<<AT DESTRUCTION AND FAMINE THOU SHALT LAUGH: NEITHER SHALT THOU BE AFRAID OF THE BEASTS OF THE EARTH>> [Job 5:22].
[Ezekiel 14:17] OR IF I BRING A SWORD UPON THAT LAND,
AND SAY, SWORD, GO THROUGH THE LAND; SO THAT I CUT OFF MAN AND BEAST FROM
IT:
[Ezekiel 14:18] THOUGH THESE THREE MEN WERE IN IT, AS I LIVE, SAITH THE
LORD GOD, THEY SHALL DELIVER NEITHER SONS NOR DAUGHTERS, BUT THEY ONLY SHALL
BE DELIVERED THEMSELVES.
The three men in question had apparently saved others as well as themselves.Noah
saved his family and through them all the beasts.Daniel saved all the wise
men of Babylon from being massacred.Job saved the widow and orphan and indigent
and probably many others. Through their own virtue these people had saved
others. The verse is saying that things had become so bad that if these men
were now present they would not be able to save others but only themselves.
From the negative point of
this verse we can learn positive ones:
1. Usually, if you do good, your virtue helps not only yourself but other people as well.
2. We are expected to do what we can to help our fellow man.
[Ezekiel 14:19] OR IF I SEND A PESTILENCE INTO THAT
LAND, AND POUR OUT MY FURY UPON IT IN BLOOD, TO CUT OFF FROM IT MAN AND BEAST:
[Ezekiel 14:20] THOUGH NOAH, DANIEL, AND JOB WERE IN IT, AS I LIVE, SAITH
THE LORD GOD, THEY SHALL DELIVER NEITHER SON NOR DAUGHTER; THEY SHALL BUT
DELIVER THEIR OWN SOULS BY THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
[Ezekiel 14:21] FOR THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; HOW MUCH MORE WHEN I SEND MY
FOUR SORE JUDGMENTS UPON JERUSALEM, THE SWORD, AND THE FAMINE, AND THE NOISOME
BEAST, AND THE PESTILENCE, TO CUT OFF FROM IT MAN AND BEAST?
[Ezekiel 14:22] YET, BEHOLD, THEREIN SHALL BE LEFT A REMNANT THAT SHALL
BE BROUGHT FORTH, BOTH SONS AND DAUGHTERS: BEHOLD, THEY SHALL COME FORTH
UNTO YOU, AND YE SHALL SEE THEIR WAY AND THEIR DOINGS: AND YE SHALL BE COMFORTED
CONCERNING THE EVIL THAT I HAVE BROUGHT UPON JERUSALEM, EVEN CONCERNING ALL
THAT I HAVE BROUGHT UPON IT.
[Ezekiel 14:23] AND THEY SHALL COMFORT YOU, WHEN YE
SEE THEIR WAYS AND THEIR DOINGS: AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I HAVE NOT DONE WITHOUT
CAUSE ALL THAT I HAVE DONE IN IT, SAITH THE LORD GOD.
The above verse can be understood several ways. Let us consider one
of the plain meanings:Despite everything God will save a remnant of sons
and daughters.When the actions and mannerisms of those saved are observed
it will be understood why all the others were destroyed. This implies that
they will still be bad after being saved: Even so, from this remnant the
stock of the people is to grow and expand and their descendants will repent
and be righteous.
Ezekiel Index
chapter fifteen
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