1 4<\/strong>. Introductory. Certain elders came to the prophet to enquire of the Lord, in the seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin and tenth day of the fifth month Aug. 590 b.c., four years before Jerusalem fell.<\/p>\n The elders of Israel – <\/B>These were as in Eze 14:1<\/span>, some of Ezekiels fellow-exiles, designated in general terms by the name of Israel, though more properly belonging to the kingdom of Judah.<\/P><\/p>\n Eze 20:1-4<\/span><\/p>\n Certain of the elders . . . sat before me.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The elders before Ezekiel<\/strong><\/p>\n 1<\/strong>. <\/em><\/strong>True religion is emphatically a walking with God, not a mere occasional coming to Him. The precise manner in which the date is given may possibly be taken as conveying a reproof to those who, instead of making it their constant business to know Gods will, were contented to let a year elapse between two successive visits to the prophet.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>The need of leaving our sins behind us when we come to inquire of God. The severe answer which the elders received was due chiefly to the fact that they canto without first repenting and bringing forth fruits worthy of repentance<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>Prayer, or indeed coming to God in any way, must not be made a mere matter of convenience, but must be regarded as a matter of constant spiritual necessity. These elders came when they thought it would answer their purpose; they forgot God when all went well, they sought Him when they were at their wits end; they did not look upon communion with God as the one great spiritual need of their souls. Were they singular in this? The habitual lives of nine out of ten persons in this Christian country would rise up and contradict us if we said that they were. I am not now contemplating the case of notoriously evil men, but only that of easy-going worldly persons who live without church, prayer, Scriptures, passing a quiet animal kind of life, with no cares except those of getting daily bread. These persons will, many of them, cry to the Lord in trouble; put them upon a sickbed, and they will say their prayers for the most part vigorously enough, and the prayers so offered up may possibly be the beginning of a more Christian life, yet I do not at all the less maintain that this is no right use of prayer, but a most egregious and unchristian abuse. (Bp. Harvey Goodwin.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Cherished sin disqualifies for prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n Manton says, Empty the bucket before you go to the fountain. Wise advice. If the pail be full of the best and cleanest water it is idle to carry it to the well, for its fulness disqualifies it for being a receiver. Those who think themselves full of grace are not likely to pray aright, for prayer is a beggars trade, and supposes the existence of need. What does a full bucket want with the well? Let it stay where it is. Fitness for mercy is not found in self-sufficiency, but in emptiness and want. He can and will receive most of the Lord who has least of his own. If the bucket is full of foul water, it is wise to throw it away as we go to the crystal spring. We must not come to the Lord with our minds full of vanity, lust, covetousness, and pride. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. He will not make His grace the medium of floating our unclean desires. (C. H. Spurgeon.<\/em>)<\/p>\n CHAPTER XX <\/P> A deputation of the elders of Israel, as usual, in their<\/I><\/P> distress, came to request Ezekiel to ask counsel of God<\/I>, 1.<\/P> In reply to this, God commands the prophet to put them in mind<\/I><\/P> of their rebellion and idolatry: In Egypt<\/I>, 2-9,<\/P> in the wilderness<\/I>, 10-27,<\/P> and in Canaan<\/I>, 28-32.<\/P> Notwithstanding which the Lord most graciously promises to<\/I><\/P> restore them to their own land, after they should be purged<\/I><\/P> from their dross<\/I>, 33-44.<\/P> The five last verses of this chapter ought to begin the next,<\/I><\/P> as they are connected with the subject of that chapter, being a<\/I><\/P> prophecy against Jerusalem, which lay to the south of Chaldea,<\/I><\/P> where the prophet then was, and which here and elsewhere is<\/I><\/P> represented under the emblem of a forest doomed to be destroyed<\/I><\/P> by fire<\/I>, 45-49. <\/P> NOTES ON CHAP. XX<\/P> <\/P> Verse 1<\/span>. In the seventh year<\/B><\/I>] Of the captivity of Jeconiah, (see Eze 8:1<\/span>,) and the seventh of the reign<\/I> of Zedekiah.<\/P> <\/P> The fifth<\/B><\/I> month, <\/B>the tenth day<\/B><\/I>] That is, according to Abp. Usher, Monday<\/I>, August 27, A.M. 3411.<\/P> <\/P> Certain of the elders of Israel<\/B><\/I>] What these came to inquire about is not known. They were doubtless hypocrites and deceivers, from the manner in which God commands the prophet to treat them. It seems to have been such a deputation of elders as those mentioned Eze 8:1<\/span>; Eze 14:1<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n The seventh year<\/B> of Jeconiahs captivity and Zedekiahs reign, two years and five months before Nebuchadnezzar did besiege Jerusalem. <\/P> The fifth month; <\/B>August. <\/P> The tenth day; <\/B>which answers to cur twenty-seventh. <\/P> Certain, <\/B>Heb. men<\/I>. Some of note among the elders and rulers of Israel. Either some of the captives in Babylon, as most likely they were who, Eze 8:1<\/span>, came to him, or some of those who were sent from Zedekiah to compliment or carry tribute to Nebuchadnezzar, as most likely they were, Eze 14:1<\/span>. <\/P> Of the elders; <\/B>not of the priests or Levites, but of the laity, civil magistrates and officers, who might be sent to view the state of Babylon, and to observe what posture things were in, the better to resolve on that Zedekiah and his councils were forming, whether it will be advisable to shake off the yoke of the king of Babylon by a rebellion, or patiently bear it: and I conjecture this might be the main inquiry they made now, which was two years and five months before the siege began, during which two years and five months I suppose the design was resolved on, framed, provision made of all sorts, and at last a rebellion raised. <\/P> Came to inquire of the Lord; <\/B>yet resolved beforehand what they would do, as will appear. Prophets neither did pretend to, nor could they, resolve such inquiries, but the Lord whom the prophets did consult. <\/P> Sat before me:<\/B> whether it speak the quality of the persons, that did not stand as mean persons, or their resolution to wait for answer, or be a phrase proper with the Jews to express the common deportment of the country, I leave you to guess. <\/P> <\/p>\n 1. seventh year,<\/B> c.namely,from the carrying away of Jeconiah (Eze 1:2<\/span>Eze 8:1<\/span>). This computation wascalculated to make them cherish the more ardently the hope of therestoration promised them in seventy years; for, when prospects arehopeless, years are not computed [CALVIN].<\/P> elders . . . came toinquire<\/B>The object of their inquiry, as in Eze14:1<\/span>, is not stated; probably it was to ascertain the cause ofthe national calamities and the time of their termination, as theirfalse prophets assured them of a speedy restoration.<\/P><\/p>\n And it came to pass in the seventh year<\/strong>,…. Of Zedekiah’s reign, and of the captivity of Jeconiah; from whence the dates of Ezekiel’s visions and prophecies are taken, Eze 1:2<\/span>; two years, one month, and five days, after Ezekiel began to prophesy, and eleven months and five days after the preceding prophecy:<\/p>\n in the fifth [month], the tenth [day] of the month<\/strong>; the month Ab, which answers to our July and August; on this day afterwards Jerusalem was twice destroyed, first by the Chaldeans, and then by the Romans:<\/p>\n [that] certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord<\/strong>; by the prophet; these were either some of the elders that were carried captive, who came to inquire how long they should continue in this state; or what methods they should use to free themselves from it; or what they should do while they were in it; whether it would be advisable that they should conform to the customs of the Heathens among whom they were; or what would be the case of those that were left in Judea: or else these were sent by Zedekiah to pay the king of Babylon his tax, or to negotiate some affair with him relating to the captives; and who took this opportunity of consulting the Lord by the prophet what methods should be taken to throw off the yoke, and to know what was the mind of God in it; but these things are uncertain, as are also the persons the inquirers; though the Jews say e they were Ananias, Azarias, and Misael; which is not probable, since they were good men, whereas these seem to be hypocritical persons:<\/p>\n and sat before me<\/strong>; with great seriousness and devotion seemingly, waiting for an answer.<\/p>\n e Seder Olam Rabba apud Abarbinel in loc.<\/p>\n The date given in Eze 20:1<\/span> applies not only to Ezekiel 20, but also to Ezekiel 20-23 (compare Eze 24:1<\/span>); the prophetic utterances in these four chapters being bound together into a group of connected words of God, both by their contents and by the threefold repetition of the expression, “wilt thou judge?” (vid., Eze 20:4<\/span>; Eze 22:2<\/span>, and Eze 23:36<\/span>). The formula , which is only omitted from the threat of punishment contained in Ezekiel 21, indicates at the same time both the nature and design of these words of God. The prophet is to judge, i.e., to hold up before the people once more their sinful abominations, and to predict the consequent punishment. The circumstance which occasioned this is narrated in Eze 20:1-3<\/span>. Men of the elders of Israel came to the prophet to inquire of the Lord. The occasion is therefore a similar one to that described in the previous group; for we have already been informed, in Eze 14:1<\/span>, that elders had come to the prophet to hear God’s word from him; but they had not gone so far as to inquire. Here, however (Ezekiel 20), they evidently address a question to the prophet, and through him to the Lord; though the nature of their inquiry is not given, and can only be gathered from the answer, which was given to them by the Lord through the prophet. The ground for the following words of God is therefore essentially the same as for those contained in Ezekiel 14-19; and this serves to explain the relation in which the two groups stand to each other, namely, that Ezekiel 20-24 simply contain a further expansion of the reproachful and threatening addresses of Ezekiel 14-19.<\/p>\n In Ezekiel 20 the prophet points out to the elders, in the form of a historical survey, how rebellious Israel had been towards the Lord from the very first, even in Egypt (Eze 20:5-9<\/span>) and the desert (Eze 20:10-17<\/span> and Eze 20:18-26<\/span>), both the older and the later generations, how they had sinned against the Lord their God through their idolatry, and how it was only for His own name’s sake that the Lord had not destroyed them in His anger (Eze 20:27-31<\/span>). And as Israel hath not given up idolatry even in Canaan, the Lord would not suffer Himself to be inquired of by the idolatrous generation, but would refine it by severe judgments among the nations (Eze 20:32-38<\/span>), and sanctify it thereby into a people well-pleasing to Him, and would then gather it again out of the dispersion, and bring it into the land promised to the fathers, where it would serve Him with sacrifices and gifts upon His holy mountain (Eze 20:39-44<\/span>). This word of God is therefore a more literal repetition of the allegorical description contained in Ezekiel 16.<\/p>\n Date, occasion, and theme of the discourse which follows. – Eze 20:1<\/span>. And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth (moon), on the tenth of the moon, there came men of the elders of Israel, to inquire of Jehovah, and sat down before me.<\/em> Eze 20:2<\/span>. Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,<\/em> Eze 20:3<\/span>. Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Have ye come to inquire of me? As I live, if I suffer myself to be inquired of by you, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah.<\/em> Eze 20:4<\/span>. Wilt thou judge them? Wilt thou judge, O son of man? Make known the abominations of their fathers to them.<\/em> – If we compare the date given in Eze 20:1<\/span> with Eze 8:1<\/span>, we shall find that this word of God was uttered only eleven months and five days after the one in Ezekiel 8; two years, one month, and five days after the call of Ezekiel to be a prophet (Eze 1:2<\/span>); and two years and five months before the blockading of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans (Eze 24:1<\/span>). Consequently it falls almost in the middle of the first section of Ezekiel’s prophetic work. , to seek Jehovah, i.e., to ask a revelation from Him. The Lord’s answer in Eze 20:3<\/span> is similar to that in Eze 14:3<\/span>. Instead of giving a revelation concerning the future, especially with regard to the speedy termination of the penal sufferings, which the elders had, no doubt, come to solicit, the prophet is to judge them, i.e., as the following clause explains, not only in the passage before us, but also in Eze 22:3<\/span> and Eze 23:36<\/span>, to hold up before them the sins and abominations of Israel. It is in anticipation of the following picture of the apostasy of the nation from time immemorial that the sins of the fathers are mentioned here. “No reply is given to the sinners, but chiding for their sins; and He adds the oath, ‘as I live,’ that the sentence of refusal may be all the stronger” (Jerome). The question , which is repeated with emotion, “gives expression to an impatient wish, that the thing could have been done already” (Hitzig). The interrogative form of address is therefore adopted simply as a more earnest mode of giving expression to the command to go and do the thing. Hence the literal explanation of the word is also appended in the form of an imperative ( ). – The prophet is to revert to the sins of the fathers, not merely for the purpose of exhibiting the magnitude of the people’s guilt, but also to hold up before the sinners themselves, the patience and long-suffering which have hitherto been displayed by the Lord.<\/p>\n The Prophet Consulted by the Elders.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 592.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> 1 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month,<\/I> the tenth day<\/I> of the month, that<\/I> certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD<\/B>, and sat before me. 2 Then came the word of the LORD<\/B> unto me, saying, 3 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD<\/B>; Are ye come to enquire of me? As<\/I> I live, saith the Lord GOD<\/B>, I will not be enquired of by you. 4 Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them?<\/I> cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:<\/P> Here is, 1. The occasion of the message which we have in this chapter. That sermon which we had ch.<\/I><\/span> xviii.<\/span> was occasioned by their presumptuous reflections upon God; this was occasioned by their hypocritical enquiries after him. Each shall have his own. This prophecy is exactly dated, in the seventh year of the<\/I> captivity, about two years after Ezekiel began to prophesy. God would have them to keep account how long their captivity lasted, that they might see how the years went on towards their deliverance, though very slowly. Certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the Lord,<\/I> not statedly (as those ch.<\/I><\/span> viii. 1<\/span>), but, as it should seem, occasionally, and upon a particular emergency. Whether they were of those that were now in captivity, or elders lately come from Jerusalem upon business to Babylon, is not certain; but, by what the prophet says to them (v.<\/I><\/span> 32<\/span>), it should seem, their enquiry was whether now that they were captives in Babylon, at a distance from their own country, where they had not only no temple, but no synagogue, for the worship of God, it was not lawful for them, that they might ingratiate themselves with their lords and masters, to join with them in their worship and do as the families of these countries<\/I> do, that serve wood and stone.<\/I> This matter was palliated as well as it would bear, like Naaman’s pleading with Elisha for leave to bow in the house of Rimmon, in compliment to the king; but we have reason to suspect that their enquiry drove at this. Note, Those hearts are wretchedly hardened which ask God leave to go on in sin, and that when they are suffering for it. They came and sat<\/I> very demurely and with a show of devotion before the prophet,<\/I> ch.<\/span> xxxiii. 31<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. 2. The purport of this message. (1.) They must be made to know that God is angry with them;<\/I> he takes it as an affront that they come to enquire of him when they are resolved to go on still in their trespasses: As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you,<\/I> v.<\/span> 3<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. Their shows of devotion shall be neither acceptable to God nor advantageous to themselves. God will not take notice of their enquiries, nor give them any satisfactory answers. Note, A hypocritical attendance on God and his ordinances is so far from being pleasing to him that it is provoking. (2.) They must be made to know that God is justly angry with them (v.<\/I><\/span> 4<\/span>): “Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them?<\/I> Thou art a prophet, surely thou wilt not plead for them,<\/I> as an intercessor with God; but surely thou wilt pass sentence<\/I> on them as a judge for God. See, I have set thee over the nation;<\/I> wilt thou not declare to them the judgments of the Lord? Cause them therefore to know the abominations of their fathers.<\/I>” So the orders run now, as before (ch.<\/I><\/span> xvi. 2<\/span>) he must cause them to know their own abominations.<\/I> Though their own abominations were sufficient to justify God in the severest of his proceedings against them, yet it would be of use for them to know the abominations of their fathers,<\/I> that they might see what a righteous thing it was with God now at last to cut them off from being a people, who from the first were such a provoking people.<\/P> <\/p>\n EZEKIEL – CHAPTER 20<\/strong><\/p>\n A VINDICATION OF JEHOVAH’S CHASTENING ISRAEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Verses 1-4:<\/strong><\/p>\n THE ELDERS BEFORE EZEKIEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Verse 1 states <\/strong>that on the fifth month of August, and the tenth day of the seventh year, after the deportation of Jeconiah, (Eze 1:1<\/span>; Eze 8:1<\/span>), certain of the elders (of the Jews) came to seek the message of the Lord before or from Ezekiel, as also related Eze 14:1<\/span>. The object of their inquiry is not specially stated, but is believed to have been regarding the cause of their national calamities and how long they would continue.<\/p>\n Verse 2 is a transitional <\/strong>verse certifying that the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, by which he responded to the elders, 2Pe 20, 21. It was a little more than two years after His call to prophesy, Eze 1:2<\/span>.<\/p>\n Verse 3 asserts <\/strong>that the Lord directed Ezekiel to respond to the inquiries of the elders of backslidden Judah with words of irony or sarcasm. In essence the Lord said, “you really do not expect me to stoop to converse with you, to impart any knowledge of my purpose to you, do you?” They had already blatantly perverted and disregarded the express law and will of God with which they were entrusted. Note how the Lord responded to Saul in his rebellion, 1Sa 28:6<\/span>. They were morally incapable of receiving knowledge, they had stooped so low, Psa 66:18<\/span>; Pro 28:19<\/span>; Joh 7:17<\/span>.<\/p>\n Verse 4 calls <\/strong>upon Ezekiel to judge them, as the son of man or His representative; You will judge them, prophecy or announce judgment upon them, will you not? He was to tell them of the abominations of their fathers, then of their own chosen idolatry and abominations for which soon judgment was certain, Num 32:23<\/span>.<\/p>\n Here he does not narrate a vision but an event which really happened. It is a simple historical narrative, that some of the elders of Israel were chosen to interrogate him. We know this to be customary, and when God separates His people from the profane nations, he opposes his prophets to the soothsayers and magi, augurs and astrologers. For he says that the Gentiles inquire what concerns them in various ways, and so interrogate their deities; but that he prescribes to the chosen people but one method: I will raise for them a prophet from the midst of their brethren, says Moses, (Deu 18:18<\/span>\ud83d\ude09 that is, they need not wander about, like the wretched gentiles, destitute of counsel, first to their soothsayers, then to magi, and then to astrologers: there is no end to them’ but I will meet them, says he, by my prophets, who shall always exist among the people. In this sense Ezekiel says that the elders of Israel came to consult God. The verb, דרש, deresh, properly signifies “to seek” but it is here received for “to consult” or “inquire into,” as in many other places. Now it is not surprising that the elders came by public consent to the Prophet: for the Israelites were already worn out by long weariness, and thought that they had almost perished through their long exile. But there was another reason, since false prophets, as we saw, tickled the ears of the simple by offering them daily some new hope. Since therefore they were agitated between hope and fear, and the devil scattered false prophecies which distracted the minds of the vulgar, it is probable that the elders of Israel came and were sent to inquire concerning either the prosperous or disastrous event of their captivity. They come therefore to the prophets; he says it happened in the seventh year, that is, after the captivity of Jehoiakim. They reckoned the years from that change, and deservedly so: for so remarkable an act of God’s vengeance ought to be kept constantly in remembrance. There was also another reason, since God gave some hope of restoration. The reckoning of the years, then, which the Israelites dated from Jehoiakim’s exile, had a twofold use and end, first, that God’s judgment might remain fixed in their minds, and next, that they might nevertheless refresh their spirits by the hope of good. Hence as often as they dated the first year or the second, it was just as if they kept before their eyes that slaughter by which God testified himself grievously offended. But for another reason they ought to cheer their spirits by good hopes, because if the kingdom had been utterly abolished and no promise added to lighten their sorrow, that reckoning was superfluous, since in a state of desperation we do not take an account of years: but when seventy years were fixed, they nourished and cherished hope in this way, because they renewed the remembrance of their liberty, which had been promised them by the mouth of Jeremiah. (Jer 25:12<\/span>, and Jer 29:10<\/span>.) Now therefore we understand why he simply says the seventh year he mentions also the day and the month. <\/p>\n Now the Clause which I have noticed contains some useful instruction, — the elders of Israel came to consult God and sat before the Prophet. We see, then, as far as concerns outward forms, that they followed what God had commanded in his law; lest you should say, Who shall ascend above the clouds? who shall descend into the abyss? who shall cross the sea? The word is ever there, in thy heart and in thy mouth. (Deu 30:12<\/span>; Rom 10:6<\/span>.) Since therefore God in some way brought himself forward whenever he instructed his servants by the spirit of prophecy, so when the elders of Israel came to the Prophet, they are said to come to God himself, because God was unwilling to utter his own oracles either from heaven or by means of angels, but he appointed his servant by whom he would speak, and suggested what he should say. Hence we gather that our faith is not rightly founded unless when we listen to God alone, who only deserves and claims us as listeners. But at the same time, we must remark that faith was joined with humility and modesty. Hence if any one desires to ascend to the clouds to inquire what God will answer, he departs far from him, although he pretends to approach him. Hence this moderation is to be observed, that our faith may acquiesce in the authority of the one God, and not be carried hither and thither by the will of men; and yet it should not object to here God speak through his servants, but calmly submit itself to the prophets. It now follows — <\/p>\n THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF ISRAEL (Chap. 20.)<\/p>\n EXEGETICAL NOTES.The date given in Eze. 20:1<\/span> applies also to chap. 2023. (compare chap. Eze. 24:1<\/span>). These four chapters are bound together by their contents into one group of connected words of God, and also by the threefold repetition of the expression, wilt thou judge? (chap. Eze. 20:4<\/span>; Eze. 22:2<\/span>; Eze. 23:36<\/span>). The prophet is appointed to judge the people, i.e.,<\/em> to make manifest their sin to them, and to predict the punishment. In Eze. 20:1-4<\/span>, we have the date, occasion, and subject of the prophetical discourse.<\/p>\n Eze. 20:1<\/span>. In the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month.<\/strong> There is a Jewish tradition that the tenth day of the fifth month was the day on which the Sentence of Wandering was passed (Num. 14:29<\/span>). It is remarkable that this was also the same day on which the Temple was burnt both by the Chaldeans (Jer. 52:12-13<\/span>), and according to the testimony of Josephus, by the Romans. This chapter (in which Numbers 14<\/span> is several times referred to) announces a new and a far heavier Sentence of Wandering (Eze. 20:35-38<\/span>). If we compare the date given in Eze. 20:1<\/span> with chap. Eze. 8:1<\/span>, we shall find that this word of God was uttered only eleven months and five days after the one in chap. 8.; two years, one month, and five days after the call of Ezekiel to be a prophet (chap. Eze. 1:2<\/span>); and two years and five months before the blockading of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans (chap. Eze. 24:1<\/span>). Consequently it falls almost in the middle of the first section of Ezekiels prophetic work.(Keil<\/em>). To enquire of the Lord.<\/strong> Heb. to seek Jehovah, i.e.,<\/em> to ask, a revelation from Him.<\/p>\n Eze. 20:3<\/span>. As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.<\/strong> The Lords answer is similar to that in chap. Eze. 14:3<\/span>. Instead of giving a revelation concerning the future, especially with regard to the termination of the penal sufferings, which the elders had, no doubt, come to solicit, the prophet is to judge them, i.e.,<\/em> as the following clause explains, not only in the passage before us, but also in chap. Eze. 22:3<\/span>, and Eze. 23:36<\/span>, to hold up before them the sins and abominations of Israel. It is in anticipation of the following picture of the apostacy of the nation from time immemorial that the sins of the fathers are mentioned here.(Keil<\/em>). No reply is given to the sinners, but chiding for their sins; and He adds the oath, As I live, that the sentence of refusal may be all the stronger.(Jerome<\/em>). When Saul enquired of the Lord, we are told that the Lord answered him not (1Sa. 28:6<\/span>).<\/p>\n Eze. 20:4<\/span>. Wilt thou judge them, son of man wilt thou judge them?<\/strong> The repeated question has the force of a command, yea, even implies that a necessity is laid upon the prophet to pronounce judgment. The Hebrew word signifies, not merely to judge,<\/em> but also frequently, as here, to conduct a cause before a tribunal by adducing or hearing such evidence as bears upon it, and shall lead to the delivery of a righteous sentence. (Henderson<\/em>.) The question is repeated in the liveliness of emotion. It is a question of impatience, to which things go too slowly, and show how little right they have to look for grace, or expect a pleasing answer. The son of man cannot go soon enough for the Lord to the work of judgment and punishment for sin, which is here alone announced, and is to be executed in his name. Those who wish to have another answer, must repent beforehand. The summons to make known to them the sins of their fathers, points to this, that the evil is deep-seated, and a radical cure is to be desired, which can only be effected by a judgment of inflexible rigour.(Hengstenberg<\/em>.) Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers.<\/strong> The evil which called for judgment had entered the very life of the nation. They inherited it like a diseaselike a bad name. But the prophet not only mentions the sins of their fathers in order to show the magnitude of their guilt, but also that they might see how great was the patience and long-suffering of the Lord.<\/p>\n HOMILETICS<\/em><\/p>\n THE ELDERS BEFORE EZEKIEL<\/p>\n This is a very different result from that which we might have expected. We might have been inclined to say of the elders, that they could not have inquired of the Lord once, but they have learned wisdom from adversity, and they are come to enquire now. And so Ezekiel would also have said to these elders had they come in the right spirit and temper of mind; as penitents, with sorrow and contrition of heart, bemoaning their past obstinacy and rebellion, and beseeching God to receive their cries of earnest sorrow and their promises to do better things in the future. Had they so come they would have been well received. That prophet who was commissioned to say, When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right he shall save his soul alive, and again, As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, and the likethe prophet who was charged with such messages as these could never have been commissioned to drive away with hard reproachful words any true penitent, who came to enquire of the Lord by him. There was nothing harsh and unreasonable in the answer which Ezekiel gave to the elders. He did not send the hungry empty away, but only as Gods ambassador refused to answer those who would not leave their sins behind them when they entered into the Temple of God. These elders wished to make a mere convenience<\/em> of the oracle of God. They might have enquired of God continually,<\/em> but they did nothing of the kind. But when they found themselves in distress, and knew not which way to turn, then they presented themselves before Gods prophet. They were brought to enquire of God not by love, not by a sense of duty, not even by habit, but merely by a desire to find their way out of difficulties from which they were unable to discover any human means of escape.<\/p>\n We see, in the first place, that they were not hardly dealt with; and, secondly, that the whole story may be useful by way of parable to teach people how they must enquire of God if they would enquire aright<\/em>. It is well that we should look into this matter carefully; for we are apt to give an unlimited interpretation to what we read of Gods mercy in hearing prayer, that we perhaps forget that there are very important limitations, and that a prayer may sometimes obtain no answer because there is something amiss in him who makes it. The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican is an instance. The Pharisee who went up to the Temple to pray was a very respectable elder apparently, something much more than respectable if we attend to his own account of himself,yet this Pharisee received no answer, was not justified<\/em> as the Gospel has it. God would not be enquired of by such. This is an instance of unsuccessful prayer. Let us consider what the true conditions of successful prayer are<\/p>\n I. True religion is emphatically a walking with God<\/strong>. It is not a mere occasional coming to Him<\/em>. A certain amount of reproach seems to be implied in the manner in which the day of the visit of the elders, is accurately set down; it was in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month. These visits of the elders were few and far between, there was no danger of confounding one with another. In chap. 8, we read, that in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, there was a similar visit to the prophet, and there appears to have been none between; so that nearly a year separated the one visit from the other. The precise manner in which the date is given may be taken as conveying a reproof to those who, instead of making it their constant business to know Gods will, were contented to let a year elapse between two successive visits to the prophet. Walking with God<\/em> is the scripture phrase which well describes that constant nearness to God, that affinity of heart and affections, which the really religious man strives for. The notion of life,<\/em> too, expresses the same thing. Religion is a life,<\/em> by which word we intend to express, that it is not a series of irregular spasmodic efforts, not an enquiry of God now and then, not a coming to His prophet in the sixth year and the sixth month, and again in the seventh year and the fifth month, but an enquiry in all years and all months and all days, a habit of opening our hearts and consciences to Him, and of guiding our conduct by the answers which we are able to obtain.<\/p>\n II. We must leave our sins behind us when we come to enquire of God<\/strong>. The severe answer which the elders received was due to the fact that they came without first repenting. As a further illustration of this we find, that in their former visit, their presence at once brought upon the prophet a vision of the sins of the people. The prophets eyes wandered in spirit to Jerusalem, and there he saw all the abominations of the house of Israel; there were men offering their incense to idols, and saying, The Lord seeth us not; there were women weeping for Tammuz; worse than all, there were men bowing down in worship to the sun of the creation, not the Creator. These visions rose to Ezekiels prophetic eye when the elders came and sat before him; and because they contained precisely the explanation of all the misery under which the people groaned. The elders may come and sit before the prophet and bemoan their captivity, but of what profit will that be? That will not cure the disease. The disease is unrepented sin,<\/em> and without a change here there can be no acceptance, no answer to prayer. Self-examination, earnest efforts to forsake the evil and to do the good, must ever be the preparations for successful inquiry of God. Prayer is not a thing which is at our command at any moment. Sinners<\/em> can come to Christ, but they must leave their sins<\/em>. John the Baptist came as the herald of Christ, and because he did so, his chief text was: Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. No other way is sure but this; nothing else can save us from the possibility of such a rebuke as that in the text, As I live, etc. The history brings before us this lesson also, that<\/p>\n III. Prayer, or coming to God in any way, must not be made a mere matter of convenience, but must be regarded as a matter of constant spiritual necessity<\/strong>. These elders came when they thought it would answer their purpose. They forgot God when all went well, they sought Him when they were at their wits end; they did not look upon communion with God as the one great spiritual need of their souls. They were a type of the mass of mankind. Large numbers of our fellow creatures do live in utter neglect of God. They live without prayer, and without the Scripturespassing a quiet, animal kind of life, with no cares except those of getting daily bread. And yet many of these persons will cry to the Lord in trouble; put them upon a sick-bed, and they will say their prayers, for the most part, vigorously enough. This is no right use of prayer, but a most unchristian abuse. It was never intended that man should be careless while in health, and religious in sickness; never intended that young men should be dissipated and only old men sober and chaste; never intended that the best of a Christians life and strength should be given to the world, the flesh, and the devil, and only the dross and refuse to Him who made him and redeemed him. Prayer was never intended to be made use of as a convenience when earthly aid fails, but to be the medium of communication with God. the means of gaining continual aid and daily blessing from Him. Pray without ceasing is the best text to enforce our duty. These did not<\/em> pray without ceasing. It was but an occasional work, a remedy resorted to in the last extremity, a death-bed cry for help. If we were independent creatures and lived by our own strength and energy, then<\/em> we might be content to make our approaches to Him rare and exceptional, and only necessary when called for by special circumstances. But what a false view would this be of our relation to Him in whom we live and move and have our being, who alone is able to help us, whom to know is life eternal! And how comforting, how satisfying is that view which represents God as a Father ever ready to bless us, and to whom, therefore, if we pray at all, we can scarcely fail to pray without ceasing!(Goodwins Parish Sermons.)<\/em><\/p>\n Eze. 20:1<\/span>. It is enough to say merely that they came to inquire, for from the prophets mode of answering them we see that they made no inquiry as to deliverance and the way of salvation; they were troubled as to political things, the duration of the exile, the end of the Babylonish power, the issue of Zedekiahs faithlessness. We, too, ask, Watchman, what of the night? rather than, How shall I find grace? Why are we so concerned about the future? It will be like our past. We should be deeply concerned on account of our past. In our approaches to God, humility and reverence should be combined with a strong and assured faith, which must acquiesce in the authority of the one God, and yet must not object to hear God speak through his servants. Summon thyself to the study of the prophets and apostles through whom God has spoken! God will be inquired of, but still more should His will, which is sufficiently known to us, be done. To call on God, and yet not to obey Him is an abomination in His sight. He heareth not sinners (Joh. 9:31<\/span>; Isa. 1:15<\/span>). Eze. 20:2-3<\/span>. Gods suggestive silence, and His more suggestive answer. God in the mouth, and idols in the heart, a most critical condition. God speaks not the smallest word of comfort to hypocrites. For hypocrites there is in the heart of God, and in the Holy Scriptures, no other counsel but to sincere repentance (Isa. 55:7<\/span>). Thus these elders were not in a condition to hear Gods word. God hides Himself from those who hear His word with their gaze fixed only on their idols. They have no part in Gods word.(Lange)<\/em>.<\/p>\n (Eze. 20:1<\/span>.)<\/p>\n 1. The Lord keeps an exact account of his peoples sufferings<\/em>. Be the time long or short, He observes, In the seventh year, fifth month, and tenth day; that was of their captivity. The Lord forgot not how long they had been in Babylon, He notes how the time of their trouble passes. They were captives in Babylon, suffered hard things; but God took notice of the time, and how the years ran out. It is not said only that the woman had a spirit of infirmity, but the time is recorded also, she had it eighteen years (Luk. 13:11<\/span>). Also in Joh. 5:5<\/span>, not only the man and his infirmity is mentioned, but the time also how long, thirty-eight years. God tells the years, months, and days that His people endure adversity. Seventy years were determined that they should be in Babylon (Jer. 29:10-11<\/span>), and God gave them to see; He observed as well, yea, better than they, how they passed. <\/p>\n 2. Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
This is the point in which the elders failed. There is no evidence of their penitence<\/em>. They came to enquire of the Lord without first repenting and bringing forth works meet for repentance. Look at Eze. 20:35<\/span>, and the great reason will be seen why the enquirers were rebuffed, When ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day<\/em>even to this day; you perceive that their sins were not events of the past, but things going on in full vigour up to this very time. It was in the midst of these unrepented sins that they were come to enquire of the Lord; and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel?so the verse continuesAs I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you. Here you have the repetition of the words of the text. The prophet is then commissioned to make known the abominations of their fathers. He shows them that they were as guilty as their fathers, and more guilty, because they had more teaching, more experience, more examples. And yet without any repentance, they expect that they are to be permitted to enquire of the Lord acceptably, but noGod will not be mocked; He will hear the penitent, but not the self-satisfied sinner.<\/p>\n