Matthew Henry Commentary Ezekiel 7
Matthew Henry Commentary
Ezekiel 7
Matthew Henry Commentary
Ezekiel 7
"Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, And thou, son of man, thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto the land of Israel, An end: the end is come upon the four corners of the land. Now is the end upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations. And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity; but I will bring thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: An evil, an only evil; behold, it cometh. An end is come, the end is come; it awaketh against thee; behold, it cometh. Thy doom is come unto thee, O inhabitant of the land: the time is come, the day is near, [a day of] tumult, and not [of] joyful shouting, upon the mountains. Now will I shortly pour out my wrath upon thee, and accomplish mine anger against thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations. And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will bring upon thee according to thy ways; and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, do smite. Behold, the day, behold, it cometh: thy doom is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness; none of them [shall remain], nor of their multitude, nor of their wealth: neither shall there be eminency among them. The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they be yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, none shall return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life. They have blown the trumpet, and have made all ready; but none goeth to the battle; for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword: and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him." — Ezekiel 7:1-15 (ASV)
The abruptness of this prophecy, and the many repetitions, show that the prophet was deeply affected by the prospect of these calamities. Such will the destruction of sinners be, for none can avoid it. Oh, that the wickedness of the wicked might end before it brings them to an end!
Trouble is to the impenitent only an evil, for it hardens their hearts and stirs up their corruptions. But there are those to whom it is sanctified by the grace of God and made a means of much good.
The day of real trouble is near—not a mere echo or rumor of troubles. Whatever the fruits of God's judgments are, our sin is their root.
These judgments shall be universal, and God will be glorified in all. Now is the day of the Lord's patience and mercy, but the time of the sinner's trouble is at hand.
"But those of them that escape shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, every one in his iniquity. All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads. They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be as an unclean thing; their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of Jehovah: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels; because it hath been the stumblingblock of their iniquity. As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty; but they made the images of their abominations [and] their detestable things therein: therefore have I made it unto them as an unclean thing. And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall profane it. My face will I turn also from them, and they shall profane my secret [place]; and robbers shall enter into it, and profane it." — Ezekiel 7:16-22 (ASV)
Sooner or later, sin will cause sorrow; and those who will not repent of their sin may justly be left to pine away in it.
There are many whose wealth is their snare and ruin; and the gaining of the world is the losing of their souls. Riches profit not in the day of wrath. The wealth of this world does not have in it anything that will satisfy the desires of the soul, or provide any satisfaction to it in a day of distress.
God's temple will be of no avail to them. Those are unworthy to be honored with the form of godliness who will not be governed by its power.
"Make the chain; for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence. Wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pride of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be profaned. Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none. Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon rumor; and they shall seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders. The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah." — Ezekiel 7:23-27 (ASV)
Whoever breaks the bands of God's law will find themselves bound and held by the chains of His judgments. Since they encouraged one another to sin, God would dishearten them. All will inevitably be in trouble when God comes to judge them according to what they deserve. May the Lord enable us to seek that good part which shall not be taken away.
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