John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 14:8

"and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah." — Ezekiel 14:8 (ASV)

Here God adds that the execution of His wrath would be ready when the prophet had proclaimed it. For ungodly people always invent empty excuses for themselves, and when God threatens, they say that it is only thunder without lightning. Since the prophetic threats moved the ungodly either not at all or very little, God now shows that He would not only say what they did not wish to hear, but they would also perceive by its effect how truly He had spoken.

And this ought to be understood from the last statement. For when God answers Himself, He does not merely strike the air with threatening words, but He proclaims what He has determined to fulfill and accomplish in His own time. For God never answers Himself without joining the effect with the prophecy. But hypocrites are too dull to acknowledge this, unless a clearer explanation is provided. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet brings a message concerning the effect.

He says, I will put my face upon that man: when God speaks openly against us, this is sufficient for our destruction. But He wished to express more in this case: namely, that prophets were the heralds of His wrath, and that hypocrites should be warned about the penalties that await them and even now hang over them, since His hand is stretched out against them.

He is said to set His face against another who rises against Him, or descends to a contest and engages hand to hand. So also God declares that He would be an adversary to all the ungodly who thus tried to elude Him. He says, I will place him for a sign and a proverb. He indicates the severity of the punishment by these words, for God sometimes punishes the faults of people, but in a common and accustomed way.

But when punishment excites the wonder of all and is like an omen, then God displays the sign of His wrath in no common way, as they say. The Prophet, then, means this, and therefore at the same time warns us how detestable a crime it is to turn away from the pure worship of God.

For God punishes thefts and lewdness, drunkenness, deceptions, and plundering, but not always so severely that the punishment is remarkable and draws everyone's attention to itself. Therefore, from the greatness of the punishment, the heinousness of the crime is made known. He now adds, for proverbs. This phrase is taken from the Law, as the prophets, who are the interpreters of Moses, use words from it (Deuteronomy 28:37).

When any remarkable slaughter occurs, it is said to be for a proverb, as all people usually remark when speaking of any slaughter, that none is equal to it or more horrible. But, משל, meshel, is also used for a disgrace: as if He had said, it should not only be a subject for remark among all the people, but their name should also be subject to reproach and contempt.

Finally, He adds, I will cut him off from my people. This is the most severe of all, for even the hope of pity is taken away. A person may be an object of wonder for a time; then his calamity may be the subject of common taunts and proverbs. And yet God may still be entreated and may not cut him off from His people. But when anyone is cut off from God’s people, his salvation is already beyond hope. It is not in vain that this statement is so often repeated, you shall know that I am Jehovah, He says, since we previously saw hypocrites always put a veil before themselves, because they think they only have to deal with the prophets, and thus they securely despise mortals. Therefore, God here inscribes His name on His word, so that they may know that He has spoken, and may experience the effect of His words by His hand.