THE elders of Israel, the old men of the nation, by reason of their years, should have been faithful men, examples of righteousness and godliness, but those who came to Ezekiel, evidently to get him to inquire of God for them, were not a whit better than the other leaders of the people spoken of in earlier chapters.
The heart-knowing God (Acts 1:24; 15:824And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen, (Acts 1:24)
8And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; (Acts 15:8)) from whom nothing is hidden, told His servant what sort of persons his callers were: they had set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face. Thoroughly joined to idolatry, their minds were closed to any call to repentance; with seared conscience they approached God as though He were like themselves, or that He was indifferent to His dishonor. There was no fear of Him before their eyes (Romans 3:1818There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:18)).
The answer God gave Ezekiel to return for Him to the elders was a direct rebuke, a revelation to them that He discerned them through and through, and a promise of certain judgment except they repented (verses 4 to 8). Marvelous, indeed, is the grace of our God, who speaks of mercy when any but Himself would have long since ceased to consider it. Yet will He never compromise with sin, and if a prophet were to join hands with the sinners of that day, linking God’s name with. His dishonor, both the prophet and the man who sought him, should be punished for their iniquity (verses 9 and 10).
Verse 11: Here again, as previously noted in connection with the book of Ezekiel, is a promise of God’s unchangeable purpose to bless Israel, without mention of the centuries of Gentile dominion which were to elapse before that, yet future, but now no longer distant, day shall dawn.
Verses 12 to 21, while in principle applicable to any land where God has been known, refers, primarily, to Israel, for they alone, among the nations, have occupied a place of special relationship to God.
“When a land sinneth against Me by working unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand upon it, etc.” (verse 13, N.T.) describes the position of guilt in which the whole people stood before Him, and the wrath which was poured out upon them.
Righteous persons (and there were such, even in that dark hour in Israel’s history) would not avail to stay the execution of divine judgment upon the land. Abraham’s intervention in behalf of Sodom (Genesis 18:23-3323And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 33And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. (Genesis 18:23‑33)) and Jeremiah 15, where Moses and Samuel are named, recalling times of special intercession for Israel, (Exodus 32:80-35; 1 Samuel 7:3-123And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. 5And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord. 6And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. 7And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 9And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him. 10And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. 11And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. 12Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. (1 Samuel 7:3‑12)) throw light upon this portion of chapter 14, but here it is clear that Israel’s sins were now such in God’s sight that no intercession would avail them.
Noah, Daniel and Job are therefore singled out for mention as righteous persons in God’s reckoning.
Job, who evidently lived about the time of the patriarch Jacob, was another man righteous in his generation (Job 1:11There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. (Job 1:1)), and there was none like him in the earth (verse 8); he prayed for his three friends and was heard (chapter 42:7-10). When these two, Noah and Job, lived and died; the nation of Israel was as yet unborn.
With whom, in Israel’s long history, shall these honored names be linked? The Spirit of God chooses: it is the young man Daniel, at the court of, or at least in authority under, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon at this time (Daniel 2:18, 4918That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. (Daniel 2:18)
49Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. (Daniel 2:49)). After this, when Daniel was old, we have God’s testimony concerning him, that he was “greatly beloved” (Daniel 9:23; 10:11, 1923At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. (Daniel 9:23)
11And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. (Daniel 10:11)
19And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. (Daniel 10:19)), but the divine record of his life shows him to have been from his youth one who feared and honored God (Daniel 1:8; 2:178But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Daniel 1:8)
17Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: (Daniel 2:17) etc.; 5:11-23; 6:3-22).
Though these three men were in the land, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness in the day when God’s four sore judgments were sent. Yet in affecting grace, God’s prose is given (verses 22 and 23) that there shall be a remnant delivered out of the all-including judgment. Of this Isaiah and Jeremiah have testified.
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