Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 32

Verse 16

THE DIRGE OF EGYPT

‘They shall lament for Egypt.’

Ezekiel 32:16

I. This chapter contains two elegies (1–16, 17–32) over the king of Egypt and his country, destined soon to be overthrown by the Babylonian invasion. They were uttered in the twelfth year after the carrying away of Jehoiakim, and when Jerusalem herself was in ruins. Pharaoh is depicted as a lion on dry land, and a crocodile in the waters; alike by sea and land he was formidable. His land, however, would afford seas to swim in—seas of blood. He is also compared to a bright star, the quenching of which would fill the whole heavens with mourning.

II. How striking is the anticipation that, when the power of Egypt was broken, the waters of the countries should no longer be muddied by the hoofs of beasts, but run clear and pellucid.—Is it so, that your life has been troubled and soiled by the foot of the oppressor? Ah! they who love troubled waters, and who have brought trouble into thy life, shall be overthrown and pass away. God will cause the streams of peace to flow again with crystal purity, mirroring the blue sky of His love. It is but a little while, and the wicked shall not be. Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, but it shall not be.

III. The great lesson of this chapter is the inevitable justice with which God administers the world.—It sometimes seems as though wicked men were allowed to work out their own evil designs without let or hindrance; but beneath the surface, where the eye of the ordinary observer cannot penetrate, God is surely awarding His eternal sentence of recompense to the righteous and destruction to the ungodly. When we are wronged, let us leave our cause with God, the righteous Judge; and having handed the whole matter over to Him, we shall find leisure to bless, to do good, and to pray (St. Matthew 5:44).

Illustrations

(1) ‘The nations mentioned are those that have come into conflict with Israel, although their sin is regarded as more general than this. Their fate is the judgment of Jehovah upon them, His verdict in regard to their life as nations. Their common sin is violence; they put their terror on the land of the living. And their fate is but the Nemesis of their conduct; taking the sword, they perish by it. The history of nations is the judgment of nations.’

(2) ‘All the revolutions and convulsions that take place in the history of the nations, are permitted and over-ruled by God, to reveal His purpose. And as His judgments overtake those which have been found wanting, men are compelled to realise that there is a God that judgeth in the earth. But how thankful should we be, that we are not left to spell out the name and character of God from Nature, Providence, and History, but may hear the voice of Jesus, from the bosom of the Father, proclaiming that He is love.’

‘WATCHING FOR SOULS’

Ezekiel 33:1-11

In this chapter the prophet appears under the figure of a watchman, whose duty it was to warn of impending peril. Such a watchman was Ezekiel, the Old Testament ‘John the Baptist,’ with his thrilling cry of ‘Repent.’ He lived in the dark days of Israel, yet he never doubted the return of the national glory. He was deeply concerned for the religious welfare of the fatherland. Public trust is lodged in the faithful watchman, and he is accountable not only to man, but also to God. May every modern prophet be God’s mouthpiece to his generation!

I. The watchman who does not watch.—He should be a ‘man of eyes’; but he falls asleep and neglects his trumpet, and the city falls into the enemy’s hands. The citizens ventured their lives on his fidelity; but he never sounded the warning. And what was the sequel? ‘Their blood shall be upon his head.’ This passage teaches pastoral responsibility, for the prophet holds other lives in his hands. Let us, like Ezekiel, be faithful in rebuke and solemn in warning. Let us emphasise the absolute righteousness of God in His dealing with sin.

When He says, ‘It is ill with the wicked—it is well with the righteous,’ let us not be ashamed to repeat these words after Him. Let us be faithful echoes of the Divine Voice. The care of souls is an overwhelming responsibility.

II. The forewarned who rejected the warning.—They treated the solemn sound of the trumpet as a huge joke; but their blood was upon their own heads, and not on the watchman’s. The blame of their death must rest upon them alone. If any man deliberately refuses the warning, he must face the consequences. No prophet, however faithful, can ensure the salvation of his hearers, because they are free to accept or reject it. Ezekiel was a popular preacher, but self-interest being predominant, his solemn messages were unheeded. They praised the man’s sermons, but never translated them into life; they heard the word, but did it not. And we have myriads in Great Britain who like the prophet’s preaching immensely, but never honour it with their obedience. Their blood must rest on their own heads alone! It will not do for the sinner to say at the last great assize that the prophet neglected his duty. If the boatman enters the current against your warning, he destroys himself; if a man drinks a cup of poison against your advice, he brings about his own death; and if, after ten thousand warnings, a man deliberately rejects the tender Saviour, he is a felo de se—a moral suicide.

III. How happy the condition of things when the watchman and the citizens are all on the alert.—When both these neglect their duty they must both die; but when the watchman earnestly sounds the trumpet, and the citizen hears and obeys it, then the city is saved. It must be a two-sided transaction—an alert watchman and an obedient citizen. The one without the other can never save the city of Mansoul. Friends, let us ever be on the watch for precious souls. Down in the English Channel you often see little steam-vessels on the look-out for some big ship on its way home, so that they may tow it into its desired haven. Let us, like Channel tug-boats, be always on the alert for souls that need guidance and help. There are millions on life’s tempestuous sea who long for the harbour of peace. In God’s name let us help them to reach it. The watchman sounding the trumpet, and the soul responding to its music—that is salvation.

IV. The God Who is unready to destroy is always ready to save.—Listen to His voice: ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.’ No pleasure? God suffers infinite pain when the sinner dies in his sin. ‘Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways.’ So profoundly anxious is He to save that He repeats the cry of ‘Turn ye.’ Here we have one of the sublimest declarations in the whole Bible of the Divine readiness to show mercy. He has not only said it, but He has sworn it. ‘As I live, saith the Lord.’ This is God’s way of taking His oath. He swears by Himself because He can swear by none greater. His word is enough; but here we have His oath also, so that there can be no doubt as to His positive delight in the salvation of men. God, on His oath, does not wish to destroy you—why, then, destroy yourself? Turn ye; and as soon as you turn to Him, He will turn to you! But it must be a right-about-turn, and not a half-hearted right turn. ‘Why will ye die?’ Yes, why? Is there any good, sound reason for moral suicide? Sinner, if you die impenitent, it will be entirely owing to yourself! Return to sanity, and do not waste your days in signing your own death-warrant.

Illustrations

(1) ‘We are not responsible for the fate of those who take no notice of our warning, when faithfully given; but if we perceive the danger which is threatening a soul, and neglect to sound a note of warning, we shall not only be responsible for its ruin, but shall also bring on our own heads an awful retribution. Well might Richard Baxter lie awake at night beneath his deep sense of responsibility for his parishioners.’

(2) ‘Accompanying our words of warning, there should be the clear reiteration of the love of God. He does not desire the death of the wicked, but rather that they should turn and live. It is not enough to prevent men from taking the wrong path, we must urge and allure them to take the pleasant ways of righteousness and peace on which the smile of God is ever resting. All men are included in the love of God. He hates their sin, but never ceases to love them. Even sin cannot turn away His love, which is like that described by the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 13.’