The presence of these three men would not save the city if the Lord brought an invading army against it (Ezekiel 14:17-18). The same would be true if God judged His people with disease, the effect of siege warfare (Ezekiel 14:19-20; cf. Revelation 6:1-8). The Lord confirmed the certainty of each of the last three forms of judgment with His oath (Ezekiel 14:16; Ezekiel 14:18; Ezekiel 14:20). read more
§ 4. Further Prophecies of Israel's Guilt and approaching Punishment (Ezekiel 12-19)This is a somewhat miscellaneous group of prophecies intermediate in date between the preceding (August-September, 591 b.c.) and succeeding (July-August, 590 b.c.) sections. It includes fresh symbols of exile, flight, and famine (Eze 12:1-20), a doctrine of prophecy, true and false (Eze 12:21 to Eze 14:11), an explanation of God's exceptional treatment of Jerusalem in sparing a remnant (Eze 14:12-23), Ezekiel's... read more
A Divine Principle and an apparent ExceptionAs a rule when God punishes a land for its wickedness by such judgments as famine, wild beasts, sword, or pestilence, the presence in it of the most eminently righteous men will not save the wicked, not even the members of their own families. They will only escape themselves. Jerusalem will be a seeming exception to this principle, since a remnant of its wicked sons and daughters will be spared when the city is taken, and will escape into exile. But... read more
(15-20) In these verses the same declaration is repeated, for the sake of emphasis, with each one of three other instruments of punishment, with only such variations of phraseology as are required for rhetorical reasons. The phrase “their own souls” is here also simply equivalent to “themselves.” The judgments mentioned are all taken from the warnings in Leviticus 26:0, the famine from Leviticus 26:26, the wild beasts from Leviticus 26:22, the sword and also the pestilence from Leviticus 26:25. read more
Ezekiel 14:3 'Sin,'says Baxter ( Saints' Rest, chap. viii.), 'obscures that which it destroys not; for it bears such sway, that grace is not in action. It puts out or dims the eye of the soul, and stupefies it, that it can neither see nor feel its own condition. But especially it provokes God to withdraw Himself, His comforts, and the assistance of His spirit. As long as thou dost cherish thy pride, thy love of the world, the desires of the flesh, or any unchristian practice, thou expectest... read more
Ezekiel 14:1-23 . These inquiring elders, with wickedness in their hearts, give another illustration of the depth of degradation in which the people had sunk. He who searches the hearts knew what was in them. They came with pious, religious pretensions. It sounded well to inquire of the Lord and seek the prophet-priest for that purpose. Their hearts were full of evil. While their lips spoke of asking the Lord, their hearts were full of idolatry. They liked idolatry. Their hearts were in it and... read more
DISTRIBUTING THE RESPONSIBILITY While these visions and prophecies may be new as to the particular occasions for them, yet they are in substance the same as the preceding. “THE PRINCE IN JERUSALEM” (Ezekiel 12:1-16 ) In chapter 10 we had a vision of the judgment upon the city of Jerusalem, in chapter 11, upon the princes, and in this upon the king himself (v. 10). The explanation of the action commanded the prophet in Ezekiel 12:1-7 is given in Ezekiel 12:8-16 . It is thought that this was... read more
Heart Idols Eze 14:1-11 "Then came " So some event had taken place before, and the incident now about to be related is to be read in connection with preceding circumstances. A wall had been built of which the Lord God disapproved. It was a wrong wall altogether wrong in the foundations, wrong in the structure, wrong because it was daubed with untempered mortar: the Lord therefore sent a strong wind to rend it, and he caused an overflowing shower to fall upon it in his anger, and great... read more
We have no difficulty in explaining sin as the cause of sorrow. The four sore judgments of God, famine, the sword, wild beasts, and pestilence, are among the rods by which guilty nations, in all ages, have been scourged. But when Noah, Daniel, and Job, are spoken of as beings saved from general destruction by their righteousness, this can only be explained upon Gospel principles. The unerring language of the Word of God is, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; and, therefore, by... read more
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Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Ezekiel 14:12-23
5. The need of personal righteousness for deliverance 14:12-23This prophecy continues the emphasis on judgment from the previous one and stresses the irrevocability of Jerusalem’s destruction (cf. Jeremiah 7:16; Jeremiah 15:1-4). read more