Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 3:7
But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel [are] impudent and hardhearted.
7. impudent and hardhearted ] See on ch. Eze 2:4.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Eze 3:7
But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me.
The distinction between predestination and foreknowledge
God gives Ezekiel an express command to speak his words to the house of Israel (verse 4), and, at the same time, distinctly informs him that the house of Israel will not hearken or attend. The prophet is commanded to speak, and told, at the same time, that the preaching would be useless in regard of the working contrition and amendment in his hearers. Now we are well assured that God honours the ordinance of preaching, seeing that it is His chief engine for rousing those who are dead in trespasses and sins. But though this be the main use of preaching, it is clear from our text that it is not the only use. We shall not meddle with the mysterious things of Gods predestination, though there may be much in our text which is associated with this inscrutable doctrine. We have only to remark that Gods foreknowledge must be carefully distinguished from Gods predestination. They are often confounded, but never without injury to all that is fundamental in Christian theology. It is essential to the correctness of our every notion of God that we consider Him unconfined, whether by space or by time; and as, therefore, having possessed throughout the eternity already passed, an acquaintance with every event which shall occur in the eternity to come God foreknows, with unvarying accuracy, whether or not an individual, who is privileged to hear the Gospel, will so listen to the Word as to be benefited by its delivery. But this is a widely different thing from saying that God predestines the reception which shall be given to the message; and thus fixes, by a positive decree, that such or such hearers shall put from them the proffers of forgiveness. But, because known, must you pronounce it decreed? Will you say that God cannot be certain of a thing unless He Himself have determined that thing, and made arrangements for its occurrence? What! not foresee the shipwreck, unless He take the helm, and steer the vessel to the quicksand? But the chief question still remains to be examined–why God should enjoin the preaching of the Gospel in cases where He is assured, by His foreknowledge, that this preaching will be wholly ineffectual? We think the answer is to be found in the demands of the high moral government which God, undoubtedly, exercises over the creatures of this earth. There is no more common, and at the same time, no more palpable mistake, than that of considering the Almightys dealings with our race as referring wholly to man, and not at all to his Maker. I cannot understand how there could be equity in the sentences which shall be finally passed on Christians, unless there be now what we shall dare to call moral honesty in the offer of pardon which the Gospel makes to all men. We are apt to regard the preaching of the Gospel merely as an engine for the conversion of sinners, and lose sight of other ends which it may undoubtedly subserve, even when it fail of accomplishment. But we are to blame in confining our thoughts to an end in which we have an immediate concern, in place of extending them to those in which God Himself may be personally interested. We forget that God has to make provision for the thorough vindication of all His attributes when He shall bring the human race to judgment, and allot to each individual a portion in eternity. We forget that in all His dealings it must be His own honour to which He has the closest respect; and that this honour may require the appointment and contrivance of the means of grace, even when those means, in place of effecting conversion, are sure to do nothing but increase condemnation. We will hope that God had other ends in view than that of making His minister the savour of death unto death in bringing you up to His courts this day. We have no foreknowledge of the reception that you will give to the message; we can therefore deal with you all as with beings of whom we have hopes. Yes, indeed, hopes!–strong, earnest, scriptural hopes! We could pursue each one of you to the very verge of the grave, and still say we had hopes. We should not be hopeless, though the life were just ebbing, and the soul departing, and the Saviour not embraced. We should still feel–feel even in that moment of terrible extremity–that nothing was too hard for the Lord; and it would be in hope-a faint hope it would be–but still in hope, that we sat down by your bedside, and said to the fainting and almost lost man, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. (H. Melvill, B. D.)
Attention in listening
In the act of listening we are not only distinctly conscious of sounds so faint that they would not excite our notice but for the volitional direction of the attention, but we can single out these from the midst of others by a determined and sustained effort, which may even make us quite unconscious of the rest so long as that effort is kept up. Thus a person with a practised musical ear (as it is commonly but erroneously termed, it being not the ear, but the brain, which exerts this power), whilst listening to a piece of music played by a large orchestra, can single out any one part in the harmony and follow it through all its mazes; or can distinguish the sound of the weakest instrument in the whole band and follow its strain through the whole performance. And an experienced conductor will not only distinguish when some instrumentalist is playing out of tune, but will at once single out the offender from the midst of a numerous band. (Carpenter, Mental Physiology.)
Truth unheeded
All this and more than this you have been told, and told again, even till you are weary of hearing it, and till you could make the lighter of it, because you had so often heard it; like the smiths dog, that is brought by custom to sleep under the noise of the hammers, and when the sparks do fly about his ears. (R. Baxter.)
The wilfulness of the impenitent
A mans will is his hell, saith Bernard. And it is easier, saith another. to deal with twenty mens reasons than with one mans will. What hope is there of those that will not fear; or if they do, yet have made their conclusion afore-hand, and will stir no more than a stake in the midst of a stream? (J. Trapp.)
Responsiveness not easily evoked
Tyndall, in 1857, took a tube, a resonant jar, and a flame. By raising his voice to a certain pitch he made the silent flame to sing. The song was hushed. Then again the proper note was sounded, and the response was at once given by the flame. If the position varies, there is a tremor, but no song. Again it stretches out its little tongue and begins its song. When the finger stopped the tube the flame was silent. Standing at the extremity of the room one may command the fiery singer. Immediately sonorous pulses call out the song. What greater skill is needed to evoke the melody of a reluctant, shrinking soul! The adjustments of the human heart are more delicate. The laws of excitation and persuasion therefore need attract as careful study as those of heat and sound. (E. P. Thwing.)
The hardening of the heart
On a winter evening, when the frost is setting in with growing intensity, and when the sun is now far past the meridian, and gradually sinking in the Western sky, there is a double reason why the ground grows every moment harder and more impenetrable to the plough. On the one hand, the frost of evening, with ever-increasing intensity, is indurating the stiffening clods. On the other hand, the genial rays, which alone can soften them, are every moment withdrawing and losing their enlivening power. Take heed that it be not so with you. As long as you are unconverted, you are under a double process of hardening. The frosts of an eternal night are settling down upon your souls; and the Sun of Righteousness with westering wheel, is hastening to set upon you for evermore. If, then, the plough of grace cannot force its way into your ice-bound heart today, what likelihood is there that it will enter tomorrow? (R. McCheyne.)
Ministerial obligation not dependent on success
I am thankful for success, says Mr. Spurgeon, but I feel in my heart a deeper gratitude to God for permission to work for Him. It seems to me to be one of the highest gifts of His grace to be permitted to take any share whatever in His grand enterprise for the salvation of the sons of men. It is even so; and they are blessed who realise it, for never are they allowed to labour in vain. Indeed, not unfrequently, when all is seeming failure and sore discouragement, great success is near. The Lord has often first to humble before He can greatly use. It is told of an eminent man that when at one period of his ministry he became, through discouragement, sorely tempted to abandon both sphere and work, he had a singular dream. He thought he was working with a pickaxe on the top of a basaltic rock. His muscular arm brought down stroke after stroke for hours, but the rock was hardly indented. He said to himself at last, It is useless; I will pick no more. Suddenly a stranger stood by his side, and said to him, Are you to do no more work? No. But were you not set to do this task? Yes. Why then abandon it? My work is vain; I make no impression on the rock. The stranger replied solemnly, What is that to you? Your duty is to pick whether the rock yields or not. Your work is in your own hands–the result is not; work on. He resumed his task. The first blow was given with almost superhuman force, and the rock flew into a thousand pieces. This was only a dream, but it so impressed him that, through grace, he was able to turn it to good account; for when he awoke he returned to his work with fresh interest and hope, and with greater tokens of his Masters presence and power than ever before.
Unsuccessful ministry
In a newspaper we met with the following:–There was an old turnpike man, on a quiet country road, whose habit was to shut his gate at night and take his nap. One dark, wet midnight I knocked at his door, calling, Gate, gate! Coming, said the voice of the old man. Then I knocked again and once more the voice replied, Coming. This went on for some time, till at length I grew quite angry, and jumping off my horse, opened the door and demanded why he cried Coming for twenty minutes, and never came. Who is there? said the old man, in a quiet, sleepy voice, rubbing his eyes. What dye want, sir? Then awakening, Bless yer, sir, and ax yer pardon, I was asleep; I gets so used to hearing em knock, that I answer Coming in my sleep, and take no more notice about it. Thus may the ministry accomplish nothing because the habitual hearer remains in a deep sleep, out of which the Spirit of God alone can awaken him. When the secret influence from heaven ceases to speak to the heart, the best speaking to the ear avails little. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 7. Impudent and hard-hearted.] “Stiff of forehead, and hard of heart.” – Margin. The marginal readings on several verses here are very nervous and very correct.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
But, Heb. And, put adversatively, is rightly rendered but.
Will not hearken unto thee; have no mind or will. The original is not here, as mostly it is elsewhere, content to express it by the word in the tense which connoteth the event. But the original first points out their want of a will and inclination, they have no propensity to hear, they are obstinate in their refusal; next adds what it was their wills were obstinately averse to, i.e. hearing and obeying.
For they will not hearken unto me: this passage confirms the prediction, and withal forearms the prophet that he stumble not at their scandalous refusal and abusing of him; so they have used their God and his, and no wonder if they consent as little to him as they have to God.
All the house of Israel, i.e. the far greater part, not every particular person; there were of the captives some few like good figs, &c.
Are impudent; have hardened their faces, they are not ashamed, nor can they blush now, as Jer 3:3. Brazenfaced is no new phrase or Anglicism, but as old as Isa 48:4, nay, as old as habitual sin.
Hard-hearted: this the root whence the other springs; and what hope from such whose hearts are as far from relenting as their faces from blushing? How can it be expected they will hear, whose hearts are deafer than their ear?
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. will not hearken unto thee: for .. . not . . . me (Joh15:20). Take patiently their rejection of thee, for I thy Lordbear it along with thee.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But the house of Israel would not hearken unto thee,…. “They are not willing” l; they have no desire, no inclination, to hear and hearken; but the reverse; they were capable of hearing and understanding his speech and language, and though he was sent unto them by the Lord: and indeed the reason why they did not hearken to him was not because they rejected him and his words, but because they rejected the Lord and his words; they were the words of the Lord, and his reproofs; and therefore they would not hearken to them as follows:
for they will not hearken unto me; and which is an argument why the prophet should bear with patience their disregard to him and his words, and their neglect and contempt of them; for, seeing they would not hear the Lord, how could he exact they should hear him? and therefore he should not be uneasy at it; see Joh 15:20;
for all the house of Israel [are] impudent and hardhearted; or, “strong of front, and hard of heart” m; they had a whore’s forehead, an impudent face, that could not blush and be ashamed; and hearts of stone, like a rock, and harder than the nether millstone, on which no impressions, could be made by all the admonitions and reproofs given them; see Eze 2:4; and this was the case of all of them in general, excepting some very few; which shows the sad degeneracy of this people.
l “non cupient”, Montanus; “non volunt”, Cocceius; “non illi volentes”, Starckius. m “obfirmati fronte et duri corde”, Polanus, Starckius; “obfirmati frontis et duri cordis”, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Now, therefore, we clearly see the sloth of the people assigned as a reason why they purposely rejected the Word of God, and hardened themselves in obstinacy. He also ascends higher, and says, that the people were not only disobedient to the Prophet but to God himself, as Christ also when he exhorts his disciples to perseverance in teaching. Therefore, says he, they will not hear you, because they will not hear me, and why am I and my teaching hated by them, unless because they do not receive my Father? (Joh 15:18.) For this stumblingblock is likely to break the spirits of the pious, when they see their teaching so proudly rejected. This reproach alone, therefore, is often accustomed to recall the servants of God from their course: but this admonition is proposed to them in the midst, that God himself is despised. Why then should they take it ill, that they are held in the same estimation as God, who is himself rejected? They think themselves undeserving of such contempt and haughtiness being thrown upon their labor. But is not God worthy of being listened to before all angels? Since, then, they are proud and unbelieving towards God himself, it is not surprising that they do not reverently receive what is proposed to them by mortal man. Now, therefore, we see what the intention of God is when he says, the house of Israel will not hear thee, because they do not hear me: lest it should be vexatious to the Prophet to see his labor profitless, nay, even the children of Israel rising against him: because he ought to bear it patiently, if he should suffer the same obloquy which they did not hesitate to display against the Almighty himself. It follows, Because the whole house of Israel is of a bold or a daring aspect, and of a hard heart He repeats what we saw before, but in other words — namely, that the people’s hardness of heart was untameable, and that they were not only obstinate in heart but brazen in countenance, so that they cast aside all modesty; and lastly, he implies that their obstinacy was desperate, when he joins a brazen countenance with a hard heart.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) All the house of IsraelMeans, of course, the people generally, as the word all is often used in Scripture and elsewhere. There were even then among them such saints as Jeremiah and Daniel.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Eze 3:7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel [are] impudent and hardhearted.
Ver. 7. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee. ] They will not. See the like, Joh 5:40 ; Joh 8:44 . A man’s will is his hell, saith Bernard. And it is easier, saith another, to deal with twenty men’s reasons, than with one man’s will. What hope is there of those that will not hear; or, if they do, yet have made their conclusion beforehand, and will stir no more than a stake in the midst of a stream?
For they will not hearken unto me.
Impudent.
a Curtius.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
hearken = be willing to hearken.
will not hearken = are not willing to hearken.
are = they are.
impudent, &c. Reference to Pentateuch. See note on Eze 2:4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Israel will: 1Sa 8:7, Jer 25:3, Jer 25:4, Jer 44:4, Jer 44:5, Jer 44:16, Luk 10:16, Luk 13:34, Luk 19:14, Joh 5:40-47, Joh 15:20-24
all the: Eze 2:4, Eze 24:7, Isa 3:9, Jer 3:3, Jer 5:3
impudent and hardhearted: Heb. stiff of forehead and hard of heart
Reciprocal: Pro 7:13 – with an impudent face said Isa 48:4 – thy brow Jer 15:10 – a man Amo 8:2 – the end Zec 1:4 – unto Zec 7:11 – they refused Zec 7:12 – their hearts Mal 2:2 – ye will not hear Mat 11:21 – for Luk 10:13 – for Act 4:11 – you Act 22:18 – for Act 28:26 – Hearing Rom 2:5 – But after Heb 3:8 – Harden
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
EZEKIELS MINISTRY AND OURS
The house of Israel will not hearken unto thee.
Eze 3:7
Seeing we have this ministry we faint not.
2Co 4:1
I. What is the nature of the Christian ministry?Thank God, it is a very blessed one. It is the ministry of the New Testament, a ministry not of condemnation and death, but of restoration and life. Our commission is not to proclaim wrath and destruction, but to tell of refuge and of pardon. We have indeed to point out the danger, that the refuge may be soughtto show the demands of justice, that pardon may be accepted. But our message is not one of gloom and severity, but of gladness and love. We have not the roll given to Ezekiel, full of lamentations, and mourning, and woe (Eze 2:10). Our errand is rather that of the angel in Longfellows poem
Then with a smile that filled the house with light,
My errand is not death, but life, he said.
II. And it is the ministration of the Spirit (2Co 3:3; 2Co 3:8; 2Co 3:17).When Ezekiel went forth to deliver his message to the children of Israel, he knew that they would not hearken to him (Eze 3:7). He might say, in the words of Isaiah, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought (Isa 49:4). For we read of no hearts touched, no consciences awakened, no lives changed by his preaching. But when, in his vision of the latter days, he prophesied to the dry bones, they came together, and when he prophesied to the wind, the heavenly breath came upon the dry bones, and flesh covered them, and they lived. That is the picture of the ministration of the Spirit.
Truly it is a glorious ministry, full of wealth and beauty, full of honour and blessingone that angels might well desire, and yet committed to us, poor, frail, feeble creatures. Does it seem too great, too high, too glorious to be ours? Thinkwas not the Divine mercy great and wonderful and glorious? Yet it descended to us, raised us out of the dust, and out of the dunghill (Psa 113:7), to make us heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. As surely as this portionthat of a ransomed child of Godis ours, so is this ministry ours.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Eze 3:7. It should be noted that in the frequent statements on the stubbornness of those to whom the prophet was sent, the idea is held out that it is the house of Israel or the people. This does not prevent any individual in the group from taking a different attitude, and that is largely the explanation of why the Lord insisted on giving them the truth regardless of the general rebellion. There were usually some exceptional instances when certain individuals would accept the admonitions and be profited. The value of this small minority was great enough to justify the work of presenting the word of the Lord though it might bring persecution upon the bearer of the words. It is about time again for the reader to see the long note that was offered in connection with 2Ki 22:17 in volume 2 of this Commentary.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Nevertheless the Israelites would not listen to Ezekiel since they refused to listen to the Lord who sent him (cf. Num 14:1-12; 1Sa 8:4-7). All of them were very stubborn and obstinate. The Lord had similarly told Isaiah and Jeremiah not to expect dramatic positive response to their ministries (Isa 6:8-13; Jer 1:11-19).
"There is none so deaf as the person who does not want to hear." [Note: Allen, p. 42.]
"The difficulties of cross-cultural communication are nothing compared to the obstacle of spiritual blindness." [Note: Cooper, p. 80.]