Pre-Eminent Privilege, Perversity, and Punishment
W. Jones Ezekiel 5:5-17 Thus said the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the middle of the nations and countries that are round about her.… Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem, etc. In these and some succeeding verses we have the interpretation of the symbolism of the previous part of the chapter; or "an authoritative commentary on the preceding allegory." The text presents to our notice - I. A POSITION OF PRE-EMINENT PRIVILEGE. "Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her." The position here stated may be viewed: 1. Geographically. We are not to interpret this as asserting that Jerusalem was situated in the centre of the earth. But Palestine really occupied "a central position with regard to that group, or those groups, of nations which to it practically constituted the world." On the north of it was Syria, on the south Egypt, on the east Assyria, on the west Europe. "It stood midway between the two great seats of ancient empire, Babylon and Egypt." And, as Fairbairn observes, "viewing the world as it existed at the time of Israel's settlement in Canaan, and for a thousand years afterwards, we believe it would be impossible to fix upon a single region so admirably fitted, at once to serve as a suitable dwelling place for such a people, and to enable them, as from a central and well chosen vantage ground, to act with success upon the heathenism of the world." 2. Religiously. The Israelites were placed in the midst of the nations, as in a position of honour by their possession of higher and fuller religious privileges. They had been blessed with more illustrious men than other nations; mightier and more wonderful deeds had been done for them than for any other people; a clearer and brighter revelation of God had been given to them; a purer and nobler worship had been instituted amongst them. 3. Influentially. The Israelites had been thus favoured and stationed, in order that they might be a blessing to other nations. Not selfishly were they to enjoy their privileges, but for the benefit of others. Their light was to shine for the illumination of other peoples. They were specially blessed, that others might be blessed through them. With unmistakable clearness is this expressed in the sixty-seventh psalm: "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known upon earth," etc. (cf. Deuteronomy 4:5-8; John 4:22). In like manner, Christians are called to be "the salt of the earth," and "the light of the world;" and they are exhorted, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16; cf. 1 Peter 2:9). II. SINS OF PRE-EMINENT WICKEDNESS. 1. Their rejection of God's commands, "She hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations," etc. (vers. 6, 7). The word "judgment" is here equivalent to "commands" or "ordinances." Two degrees of rebellion against the Divine will are clearly indicated. (1) Disobedience of Divine commands. "They have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them Ye have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments." (2) Hostility to the Divine commands. "She hath changed my judgments into wickedness" is not an accurate translation. Hengstenberg renders it, "She opposed my judgments worse than the heathen;" and Schroder, "She quarreled with my judgments more wickedly than the (heathen) nations." The spirit of disobedience had grown daring and defiant. The seventh verse presents the same idea: "Ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you." Here also the translation is incorrect. Hengstenberg, "Ye raged more than the heathen who are round about you." There is a reference to Psalm 2:1, "Why do the heathen rage?" The chosen people had grown more fierce in their rebellion against God, even than the heathen nations. 2. Their desecration of God's sanctuary. "Thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations" (ver. 11). Heathen idols, altars, and ceremonies had been introduced into the temple and worship of the Lord Jehovah. We have some account of these abominations in ch. 8. and 2 Kings 16:10-18; 2 Kings 23:4-14. The favoured Israelites had corrupted their highest and holiest things. 3. Their exceeding even the heathen in wickedness. "She quarrelled with my judgments more wickedly than the (heathen) nations," etc. (ver. 6); "Ye raged more than the (heathen) nations which are round about you" (ver. 7). In two ways the house of Israel had exceeded the heathen in wickedness, (1) Because they sinned against greater and clearer light. The heathen had the light of conscience, "the law written in their hearts" (Romans 2:14, 15); but Israel had the Law in statutes and ordinances. The will of God had been made known to them by lawgiver and seer, by poet and prophet. They sinned against the Law of God, both as spoken within themselves and as proclaimed by inspired men. (2) Because their standard of moral attainment was lower than that of the heathen. "Neither have ye done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you." The charge conveyed in these words seems to be" that the Israelites have not even been as faithful to their one true God as the nations have been to their false gods." The heathen clung to their worthless idols, while Israel forsook the living God, who had so mightily wrought for them and so richly blessed them (cf. Jeremiah 2:11-13). Thus mournfully had the exalted people fallen; thus wickedly had the highly favoured people rebelled against their gracious Lord God. III. PUNISHMENT OF PRE-EMINENT SEVERITY. "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations," etc. 1. The great Agent in this punishment. Jehovah represents himself as inflicting every form of the dread judgment upon his sinful people. From ver. 8 unto the end of the chapter, every verse contains a distinct statement showing that the punishments were to proceed from him. He is the great Agent throughout. The Chaldeans were but instruments unconsciously working out his purposes. How inexpressibly terrible is it when the Lord God declares, "I, even I, am against thee"! When he is against any one, what can profit such a one? When he makes bare his arm for judgment, who can stand against its strokes? 2. The nature of this punishment. It takes three chief forms. (1) Famine. "A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee" (vers. 12, 16, 17). And the famine was to be of dread severity, bringing in pestilence and leading of the most horrible cannibalism (ver. 10). It is to be feared that such revealing actions were not infrequent in the sieges of antiquity (cf. Leviticus 26:29; Deuteronomy 28:53; 2 Kings 6:28, 29; Jeremiah 19:9; Lamentations 2:20). (2) Sword. "A third part shall fall by the sword round at out thee" (cf. ver. 2; Jeremiah 15:2, 3). (3) Dispersion. "And I will scatter a third part into all the winds." The majority were carried captives into Chaldea; some were "scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of" the Persian empire (Esther 3:8; Esther 9:2); and others went down into Egypt (Jeremiah 43:4-7). And even when thus scattered, it is said of them, "And I will draw out a sword after them," indicating that even in the country of their exile the Divine judgments would still afflict them. 3. The retributionary character of this punishment. We have seen (in vers. 6, 7) how resolutely the Israelites had set themselves against the Lord God: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against thee." He had set them "in the midst of the nations," to be an example unto them of his righteousness and kindness; they had utterly tailed in this respect; therefore he "will execute judgments in the midst of them in the sight of the nations," and they shall be an example of his righteous retributions. Again, they had exceeded the heathen in wickedness, and he would bring upon them judgments exceeding in their severity anything before or after (cf. ver. 9; Matthew 24:21). This retributionary character of the Divine dealings is affirmed by the prophets (Isaiah 3:10, 11), by our Lord (Matthew 10:32, 33), and by St. Paul (Galatians 6:7, 8; 2 Timothy 2:12). 4. The exemplary aspect of this punishment. "I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by," etc. (vers. 14, 15). The design of the Lord in placing his people in the land which he gave unto them was that they should be patterns of excellence to the neighbouring nations; too often they had been the opposite of this; for this reason he would make them, as the bearers of his wrath, a warning (Authorized Version, "instruction") to those nations. They would not be patterns, therefore they shall be beacons. If they who have extraordinary privileges fail to walk in a manner worthy of them, God will probably make them a warning to less-favoured peoples, by reason of the just judgments which overtake them. The punishment which some suffer because of their sins should powerfully admonish others that they sin not. 5. The awful certainty of the punishment. This is stated with great impressiveness. "As I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary," etc. (ver. 11). And at the close of the dread announcements of this chapter, we have the solemn asseveration, "I the Lord have spoken it." Thus "God subscribes the threatening with the royal monogram of his Name." By his own existence, and his own Word, the Lord binds himself to fulfil the awful declarations of this chapter. Nothing is more certain than this, that the sinner, unless he forsake his sins, must receive the righteous retribution of them. God's Word declares this; his holiness necessitates it, and human experience confirms it. CONCLUSION. Our subject is charged with solemn admonition to those who have great privileges. Our advantages involve corresponding obligations; and unless they are faithfully improved, they will be to us the occasion of terrible condemnation (cf. Matthew 11:20-24; Luke 12:47, 48). - W.J. Parallel Verses KJV: Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. WEB: Thus says the Lord Yahweh: This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations, and countries are around her.