John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 14

Here Ezekiel relates a noteworthy event. For this was not a mere vision, but a real transaction, since some of the elders of Israel came to him for consultation. He says that he sat, as people who are perplexed and astonished by evils are accustomed to do when they see no remedy.

The gesture, then, that the Prophet describes was a sign of anxiety and despair. A person wishing for an answer is said to sit before another; but since it is probable that they disputed among themselves about how to begin, and did not immediately discover how they should commence, they therefore became anxious to consult the Prophet.

Ezekiel, indeed, might have been touched and softened by pity when he saw them seeking God in this way. For this was a sign of repentance when they turned to the true and faithful servant of God. But since they had no sincerity, the Prophet was warned in time against supposing they came with sincerity.

Therefore, God instructs His servant not to yield too easily when he sees these men coming to be disciples. But He shows their hypocrisy, because superstition still reigned in their hearts; indeed, they desired openly to violate God’s law, and they did not disguise this feeling whenever the opportunity arose.

First, he says they have set up idols in their hearts; by these words he means that they were addicted to superstition, so that idols held a high rank in their hearts. Just as Paul exhorts the faithful that the peace of God, which passes all understanding, may rule in their hearts (Philippians 4:7; Colossians 3:15), so, on the other hand, the Prophet says that these men had given supreme sway to idols.

Again, an implied comparison between God and idols must be noted. For God has established the seat of His rule in our hearts; but when we set up idols, we necessarily endeavor to overthrow God’s throne and to reduce His power to nothing. Therefore, the most heinous crime of sacrilege is shown here in these men who caused idols to rise above their hearts. For from this it follows that all their senses were drowned in their superstitions.

He adds, they placed the stumblingblock of their iniquity before his face. By this second clause, he signifies their hardness and perverseness; as if to say, although the doctrine of the law was put before their eyes, yet they had no regard for piety and despised even God’s threats, as if God were not going to be their judge.

When, therefore, the sinner is not moved by any admonitions, is more than convicted of his impiety, and is compelled, whether he wills it or not, to suffer God’s anger, and yet afterward despises it, he is said to put the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face. For many go astray through error and thoughtlessness, because they do not think they can attempt anything against God.

But here Ezekiel expresses that there was a gross contempt of God in these men, and even a professed rebellion against Him. Now God asks, Shall I by inquiring be inquired of by them? Some translate this as, "Shall I, when consulted or asked, answer them?" But this interpretation seems to me too remote from the Prophet's meaning; and it is probable they understood it this way because they could not grasp what else the Prophet meant.

But God shows that this was astonishing, since these men dared to come forward and pretend to have some desire to inquire into the truth. Therefore, their audacity is shown here, because they did not hesitate to place themselves before God’s servant and to feign a regard for piety when they had none.

God says, therefore, can it be done? For this question expresses the absurdity of the situation. Its purpose, as mentioned before, is to make their wickedness all the more apparent in their daring to insult the face of God. For what is it, other than openly reproaching God, when impure men approach Him and wish to become partakers of His counsel? Meanwhile, they show by their whole life that they are most inveterate enemies of all heavenly doctrine.

Here God seems to treat those hypocrites too indulgently who pretend to ask His advice and yet despise His counsel. But God here rather threatens what would be destructive to the wicked than promises anything which they ought to expect. It is indeed a singular testimony of God’s grace when He answers us, for prophecy is an image of God’s fatherly concern for us and our salvation.

But sometimes prophecy only ends in destruction, and this is merely an incidental outcome. Although, therefore, God’s word by itself is naturally to be greatly desired, yet when God answers as a judge and takes away all hope of pardon and pity, no taste of His favor can then be perceived.

Thus this passage must be understood. God pronounces that He would answer, but whom? The reprobate, and those who tauntingly inquired of the Prophet what they should do. When He answers them, He only shows Himself as the avenger of their treachery; and thus His answer contains nothing else but the fearful judgment which hangs over all the reprobate.

For God does not here impose a perpetual law on Himself; for He does not always act in the same way towards all the reprobate. Instead, He says that those impious ones should realize they will not profit by their cunning and deceptions, since they will discover the difference between God and Satan.

For they were accustomed to lies and had itching ears; therefore, they wished to have some pleasing and flattering answer from the servant of God, as the false prophets gratified their inclinations.

What then does God say? I will answer them, but far differently than they either wish or desire, for I will answer them according to the multitude of their idols. For they bring with them the material for their own condemnation. Therefore, they will take back nothing from Me but the seal of that condemnation which is already placed upon their hearts and appears on their hands.

In short, God here laughs at the foolish confidence of those who inquire about future events of His prophets. Meanwhile, their hearts are bound up with superstitions, so they openly show their gross impiety. Therefore, He says that He would answer them, not as they thought, but as they deserved.

He shows God’s purpose in being unwilling to dismiss without an answer the hypocrites who still impiously trifled with Him. He says, that I may seize the house of Israel in their heart. It is still asked how the impious are seized, when God answers them neither according to the opinion of their mind nor their expectation, but pronounces what they dislike and fear most severely.

I reply, that the impious are answered when they are driven to madness, and God thus extracts from them what was formerly hidden in their own hearts. He says, therefore, that their impiety may be evident to all, I will answer them. For as long as God spares the impious, they endeavor to soothe Him by a kind of flattery; but when they see that they achieve nothing by their false flatteries, then they roar, indeed, bellow furiously against God: thus they are caught in their own hearts. That is, all their former pretense is exposed, so that all may easily perceive that there never was a spark of piety in their hearts.

God, therefore, bears witness that His answers would be of this kind, that He may take the house of Israel in their hearts; that is, that His severity may draw out into the light what was formerly hidden. For the word of God is a two-edged sword, and examines all the sentiments of men (Hebrews 4:12).

Some are so slain by this sword that they become wise again; but others are stung with fury when they see that they must engage with the power of God. Therefore they are seized in their own hearts when God wrings from them what they would have willingly kept hidden.

Since they have estranged themselves from Me, literally, in their idols. This passage is explained in two ways, as we have said. Some say, because they separated themselves; but I approve of the other version, because they have alienated themselves, and we will understand the point more clearly afterwards when the subject leads us to it. They alienated themselves, then, from God; that is, when they had completely turned away from God’s law; yet, as long as this was concealed, they still wore their masks. The separation of which the Prophet here speaks seems to be referred to this pretense. Since, then, they so alienated themselves from Me by their idols; that is, He says they are deceived in thinking that they cannot be found out, and that their abominations, however vile they are, will remain secret. And this agrees with the last clause, namely, that He would seize the hypocrites in their own heart.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, since we are so inclined to all kinds of vices, that we may be restrained by the power of Your Spirit: then that we may be attentive to the teaching which sounds continually in our ears, so that we may persevere in the pure worship of Your name; and thus being strengthened against the cunning of the wicked, may we be upheld in our weakness, and preserved from all error, until we finish our course, and arrive at the goal which is proposed to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Amen.

Now God shows why He had threatened the false prophets and the whole people so severely: namely, that they should repent. For the object of God’s severity is that, when terrified by His judgments, we should return to the way. Now, therefore, He exhorts them to repentance. From this we gather the useful lesson that whenever God inspires us with fear, He has no other intention than to humble us and thus to provide for our salvation, when He reproves and threatens us so strongly by His prophets, and in truth is verbally angry with us, so that He may truly spare us.

But the exhortation is short: that they may be converted and turned away from their idols, and may turn their faces from all their abominations. When he uses the word השיבו, heshibev, in the second clause, some understand it to mean “wives;” but this is strained. Others think the verb is transitive, yet impersonal, meaning “make yourselves return;” this also is awkward.

I have no doubt that the Prophet here exhorts the Israelites that each person should desire to reconcile himself to God, and at the same time bring others with him. Since many were mutually responsible for one another's evils, he now orders them to do their utmost to bring others back with them. And surely this is a true proof of our repentance: when we are not only converted to God one by one, but when we also reach out to others and recall them from error. Especially if they have gone astray through our fault, we must take care to make amends for the harm with at least equal diligence.

Therefore, the Prophet’s meaning is, first, that the Israelites should repent; next, that one person should assist another in repentance, or that they should mutually unite in the pursuit of piety, just as each one was previously corrupted by his companion and brother. This seems to be the full meaning.

Furthermore, this sequence must be noted: many show zeal in trying to correct others and reaching out to free them from error, but they themselves never think of repenting. But the Holy Spirit here shows us the true way to proceed, when He commands us to repent, and then directs our concern towards others who need our exhortations. Finally, He adds, withdraw your faces, or turn away from all your abominations. Here the Prophet uses a part to represent the whole, as turning away the face means the same as withdrawing all one's senses. Therefore, since they had been almost attached to their own abominations, on which they had fixed their eyes and were completely intent, he orders them to turn away their faces, so as to bid them farewell.

Ezekiel again returns to threats, because exhortations were not effective enough with such hardened people; for we have seen that they were stubborn in their vices and almost like untamed beasts. For unless God’s judgment had often been set before them, there would have been little fruit from teaching and exhortation.

This then is the reason why God here sets before them his vengeance: a man, a man, he says, or a stranger who sojourns among Israel. When he adds strangers, he undoubtedly speaks of the circumcised who professed to be worshipers of the true God, and so submitted to the law as to refrain from all impieties.

For there were two kinds of strangers: those who transacted business there but were profane men, remaining uncircumcised; and others who were not descended from the sacred race and were not native to the land, but yet had been circumcised and, as far as religion was concerned, had become members of the Church. God wanted them to be regarded in the same class and rank as the sons of Abraham.

The law shall be the same for the stranger and the home-born, wherever the promise is concerned (Numbers 15:15–16), and the same sentiment is repeated in many places. This is how the word 'foreigners' is now to be explained. But this circumstance exaggerates the crime of the chosen people. For if anyone settled in the land of Canaan and embraced God’s law, this was an incidental event; but the Israelites were by nature heirs of eternal life, because the adoption was continued through successive ages.

Since, then, they were born sons of God, it was all the more disgraceful to depart from his worship. And so, when Ezekiel here gravely rebukes the strangers, he shows how much more atrocious the crime was for those who were bound by a more sacred bond to the worship of God.

He says, and he was separated from after me. The Prophet yesterday said מעלי, megneli, from near or from towards me; here he more clearly expresses departure, when men reject the teaching of the law and openly show that they pay no obedience to God. For a person is said to follow God or to walk after him who sets God before himself as a guide, is devoted to his precepts, and continues in the way God pointed out. Thus, by the obedience of faith we follow God or walk after him; so we draw back from him when we reject his law and are openly unwilling to bear his yoke any longer. Hence, he shows what kind of separation of the people or of individuals from God occurs: namely, when they refuse to follow his law. The Israelites indeed wished God always to remain united to them, but they initiated the divorce, although they denied it. Therefore, the Prophet preemptively removes this excuse for backsliding when he says that they separated from God by not following him.

Finally, he repeats what we saw yesterday: he who caused his idols to ascend into his heart, he who placed the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face—that is, one who was drowned in his own superstitions, so that his idols held sway in his heart. Lastly, he speaks of one who is so audacious that he did not conceal his wish to oppose the Almighty: if anyone, he says, came to a prophet to inquire of him in me, or in my name, I will answer him.

He confirms what we saw yesterday: that he could no longer bear the hypocrites who so proudly deluded themselves. And certainly, when they openly worshiped idols and were defiled with many superstitions, what audacity and pride it was to consult true prophets! It is much the same as if a person should wantonly insult and rail at a physician, not only loading him with reproaches but even spitting in his face, and should afterwards go and ask his advice, saying, “What do you advise me to do?”

Such pride could not be tolerated between people. How then will God permit such insults to go unpunished?

For this reason he says that he would answer, but in his own way, as if he had said—they seek flatteries, but I will answer in myself: that is, in my natural character. I will not change it according to their pleasure, for they change my character by their fictions, but they are deceived. They gain nothing when they expect me to answer according to their views.

I will answer, he says, in myself; that is, they will feel that the answer proceeds from me, and they will have no reason for thinking that my servants will be submissive to them, as they are accustomed to abuse the false prophets whom they buy for reward, because they are venal.

For when anyone is venal, he is compelled to flatter like a slave. For there is no freedom except in a good and upright conscience. Therefore, God here distinguishes his servants from impostors who make a trade of their flatteries.