And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the
tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to
enquire of the Lord and sat before me. Then came the word of the
Lord unto me, saying, Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel,
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye come to enquire
of me? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by
you. Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause
them to know the abominations of their fathers: And say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted
up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself
known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand
unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God; In the day that I lifted
up mine hand unto them to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into
a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey,
which is the glory of all lands; Then said I unto them, Cast ye away
every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves
with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled
against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man
cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake
the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them,
to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of
Egypt. But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be
polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I
made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land
of Egypt (verses 1-9).
There is first a review of the nation's sin in Egypt. At the time given
in the first verse the elders came to the prophet to enquire of the
Lord. Outwardly it seemed as if these enquiring elders were sincere and
came in the spirit of humility acknowledging the prophet's authority.
But the Lord knoweth the heart; He read their innermost thoughts and
knew that their inquiry was only a sham; the real heart exercise in true
repentance was lacking. So He tells them through the prophet, "As I
live--I will not be inquired of by you. Wilt thou judge them, son of
man, wilt thou judge them? Cause them to know the abominations of their
fathers." Instead of giving them a message of comfort and encouragement,
Ezekiel, here addressed again as son of man, is commanded to judge them,
that is to put before them their sins and to pronounce judgment upon the
nation. The same phrase is found twice more in this section. "Now, thou
son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? Yea thou
shalt show her all her abominations" (xxii:2). See also xxiii:36. And
first of all the prophet had to show them the nation's sins in Egypt. He
had chosen them as a nation; He had made Himself known to them in Egypt
and had lifted up His hand unto them saying, "I am the Lord your God."
He had entered into covenant relations with Israel and pledged Himself
to bring them out of Egypt into the land, which here is called "the
glory of all lands." From verses 7 and 8 we learn that Israel was
contaminated by the idol worship of Egypt and a holy God was ready to
pour upon them His fury in the midst of the land of Egypt. But sovereign
mercy prevailed and instead of making Himself known to the nation in
judgment, He made Himself known in bringing them forth out of Egypt.
Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and
brought them into the wilderness. And I gave them my statutes, and
showed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in
them. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me
and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify
them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness:
they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments,
which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they
greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in
the wilderness, to consume them. But I wrought for my name's sake,
that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I
brought them out. Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the
wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had
given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all
lands. Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my
statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their
idols. Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them,
neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness (verses 10-17).
In these verses we have the history of the first generation in the
wilderness. His hand brought them out of the land of Egypt into the
wilderness and there He gave them the law and the different sabbaths,
the feasts of Jehovah. Their sins and failures in the wilderness are
briefly sketched. They rebelled; they were disobedient; they despised
His judgments and polluted His sabbaths. Then comes the statement that
this first generation was not to enter into the land promised unto them.
Again in sovereign mercy He spared them and did not make a complete end
of them in the wilderness.
But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the
statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor
defile yourselves with their idols: I am the Lord your God; walk in
my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; And hallow my
sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may
know that I am the Lord your God. Notwithstanding the children
rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my
judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them;
they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury
upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake,
that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose
sight I brought them forth. I lifted up mine hand unto them also in
the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and
disperse them through the countries; Because they had not executed
my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my
sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols. Wherefore
I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby
they should not live; And I polluted them in their own gifts, in
that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb,
that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know
that I am the Lord (verses 18-26).
And now the record of the second generation in the wilderness is brought
to their notice. They were just as rebellious as their fathers, who fell
in the wilderness. They also were worshippers of idols in the
wilderness, besides offering sacrifices and offerings unto Jehovah (Amos
v:25-27). The statement in verse 25 "wherefore I gave them also
statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not
live," has been explained in different ways. It cannot mean the law, for
that is holy, just and good. "The solution is due to the simple
principle that God in His government chastens His guilty people
retributively and calls the scourges His own, even when the instruments
may be wholly foreign to His mind and heart." They were disobedient to
His statutes and then in punishment for their sins He let them go into
the terrible worship of Moloch, in casting their first-born into the
fire as a sacrifice to the idol-god. It is the same principle here as in
Romans i:26-28. God gave them up in every way after they had turned away
from Him. It was a punishment for their sins.