And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the
tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had
escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.
Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening, afore he that
was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in
the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb. Then
the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, they that
inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham
was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is
given us for inheritance. Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the
Lord God; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your
idols, and shed blood; and shall ye possess the land? Ye stand upon
your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his
neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land? Say thou thus unto
them, Thus saith the Lord God; As I live, surely they that are in
the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open
field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in
the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. For I will
lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall
cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none
shall pass through. Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I
have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations
which they have committed (verses 21-29).
At last the long threatened and predicted fall of Jerusalem through
Nebuchadnezzar, which had happened months before is announced to the
exiles by one who had escaped. The hand of the Lord was then upon the
Prophet in the evening, before the messenger had arrived, and had opened
his mouth. In chapter xxiv:27 the promise had been given that when he
that escaped came, the Prophet should be no more dumb. "In that day
shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and then thou shalt
speak, and be no more dumb, and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they
shall know that I am the Lord." This dumbness does not mean that his
mouth was silent and did not utter a word, for he prophesied in chapters
xxv-xxxii. He was to be dumb as regards Israel and his testimony to his
people; the intervening chapters, before the messenger came concerns
other nations. And now the messenger had arrived, his mouth is opened
again to prophesy concerning Israel. It seems the hand of the Lord was
upon Ezekiel from the evening to the morning when the messenger
announced "the city is smitten." The words recorded in the first part of
this chapter are undoubtedly the prophet's evening discourse, and form
an introduction to this section. He is told to rebuke those that inhabit
the waste places in the land of Israel. This is the remnant left in the
land by Nebuchadnezzar, to whom the king of Babylon gave Geddaliah as
ruler (2 Kings xxv:22). In spite of the great judgment which had come
upon Jerusalem and upon the land, this remnant, which remained in the
land, was unbroken and exhibited a strange self-confidence. They
reasoned in this wise: "Abraham was one and he inherited the land; but
we are many; the land is given us for inheritance." But they lacked the
faith and righteousness of Abraham, and the Lord uncovers now their
false claims and pretensions by showing their moral character. Their
hearts were hardened; they lived on in their wicked, vile and idolatrous
ways. "And shall ye possess the land?" asks Jehovah. And He answers, "As
I live, surely they that are in the waste places shall fall by the
sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be
devoured, and they that be in the strongholds and in the caves shall die
of the pestilence."