Ezekiel 3:12 Komentář

In this chapter we have the further preparation of the prophet for the work to which God called him. I. His eating the roll that was presented to him in the close of the foregoing chapter (Eze 3:1-3). II. Further instructions and encouragements given him to the same purport with those in the foregoing chapter (Eze 3:4-11). III. The mighty impulse he was under, with which he was carried to those that were to be his hearers (Eze 3:12-15). IV. A further explication of his office and business as a prophet, under the similitude of a watchman (Eze 3:16-21). V. The restraining and restoring of the prophet's liberty of speech, as God pleased (Eze 3:22-27).

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 3 This chapter contains a further account of the prophet's call and mission; of his preparation of him for is work; of, the persons to whom he was sent; of what happened to him upon this; of the nature of his office, and the work of it; and of what followed upon the renewal of his call. His further preparation for prophesying is in Eze 3:1; where he is bid to eat the roll showed him, which he did, and found it in his mouth as honey for sweetness; and then he receives fresh orders to go to the people of Israel, and prophesy to them, Eze 3:4; and, that he might not be discouraged, an account is given beforehand of the people to whom he was sent; of their language, behaviour, and disposition; by which he could not expect success, Eze 3:5; and, for his further encouragement, strength, boldness, resolution, firmness, and presence of mind, are promised him, Eze 3:8; also a revelation of mere things to him; all which he should hear, receive, and speak, whether the people would attend to them or not; which ought to be no discouragement to him, since it was not regarded by the Lord, Eze 3:10; then follows an account of his being lifted up by the Spirit from the earth, when he heard a voice, which is described by the manner and matter of it; and a noise, both of the living creature's wings, and of the wheels he had seen in a former vision, Eze 3:12; and next of his being carried away by the same Spirit; and of the condition he was in, in his own spirit, as he went; and of the strength he received from the Lord; and of the place to which he, was carried; and his state and circumstances, and time of continuance there, Eze 3:14; where, after a time mentioned, he has a fresh call to his office, under the character of a watchman, whose business was to hear Christ's words, and warn the house of Israel from him; and who are distinguished into wicked and righteous; and whom the prophet was to warn at his own peril, Eze 3:16; and the chapter is concluded with a narration of various events which befell the prophet; he is bid by the Lord to go into the plain, which he did, and there saw the glory of the Lord, as he had before seen it at the river Chebar; which so affected him, that he fell upon his face, Eze 3:22; the spirit entered into him, let him on his feet, and spake with him; ordered him what he should do himself, that he should shut himself up in his house, Eze 3:24; informed him what the people would do to him; bind him with bands, that he should not come forth, Eze 3:25; and what Christ would do to him; strike him dumb in judgment to the people, that he might not be a reprover of them, Eze 3:26; but he is told that, when the Lord spoke to him; his mouth should be opened, and he should declare what was said to him, Eze 3:27.

Then the spirit took me up,.... Not the wind, nor an angel, but the Spirit of God; who took up the prophet from the ground, from the place where he was, among the captives by the river Chebar, and had seen the glorious vision described in the first chapter; and had had his call and mission, as expressed in the second chapter, and hitherto in this; and was carried by him to another company of captives, who were at another place by the same river, as appears by comparing Eze 1:1, with Eze 3:15; for this was not done in a visionary way, as Kimchi thinks, but in reality; not in spirit, but in body; just as the Spirit caught away Philip from the eunuch, Act 8:39; and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing; of the living creatures and wheels, as is afterwards explained: saying, blessed be the glory of the Lord out of his place; either out of heaven, the place where his glory is manifested; so the Targum, out of the place of his Shechinah or majesty; or out of the temple, from between the cherubim over the mercy seat, from whence he was about to remove, Eze 10:4. These words may be considered either as a doxology of the church, and people of God, ascribing glory, blessing, and praise unto him; not only on account of the perfections of his nature, but because of his works of nature, providence, and grace, and even for his righteous judgments on men. Maimonides (p), by his place, understands the essence of God. Or as a lamentation for the departure of the blessed and glorious majesty of God from the temple, which seemed to be threatened; for the words may be rendered, "the blessed glory of the Lord out of his place" (q); that is, it is just ready to go out of his place. (p) Moreh Nevochim, par. 1. c. 8. p. 12. (q) "benedictam gloriam Jehovae e loco ipsius, migrantem", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus.

Did you see how great is the holy dread in heaven and how great the arrogant presumption here below? The angels in heaven give him glory; these heretics on earth carry on meddlesome investigations. In heaven they honor and praise him; on earth we find curious busybodies. In heaven they veil their eyes; on earth the busybodies are obstinate and shamelessly try to hold their eyes fixed on his ineffable glory. Who would not groan, who would not weep for them because of this ultimate madness and folly of theirs?

For the place of God is everywhere in which he finds hospitality, for surely the Son is the place of the Father as much as the Father is the place of the Son.

(Verse 12). And the spirit took me, and I heard behind me a voice of a great commotion: Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place. The God of whom it is written: The Lord lifts up the meek (Psalm 146:6), he Himself lifted up the prophet, who was not in the flesh but in the spirit, and walking in the spirit, he did not fulfill the works of the flesh; for the Spirit of God was in him. Therefore, despising earthly things, he is caught up by the spirit and hears behind him the voice of a great commotion, forgetting the past and extending himself into the future, leaving the snares of his enemies behind him. We read about this in Exodus (Exod. XXIV) when Pharaoh and all his army pursued Israel, and the angel in the pillar of cloud left the front of the camp; and he came behind them, and stood all night between Israel and the Egyptians: so as to frighten the enemies, and the Israelites might hear: Blessed be the glory of the Lord who came from his place. But the place of the Lord is wherever he finds hospitality. Or rather, the Son is the place of the Father, just as the Father is the place of the Son, as the Lord and Savior says: I am in the Father, and the Father is in me (Joan. XIV, 11). This same thing also signifies Michael: Behold, the Lord shall come forth out of his place, and will come down upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be melted under him, and the valleys shall be as wax melting before the fire, and as waters that run down into a steep place (Mich. I, 3, 4). For when the Lord, the Savior, came down and set forth from the Father, the high places of the earth and the mountains were moved, and the lower parts of the valleys were melted. The place can be the glory of the Lord and the inaccessible light, of which the Apostle speaks: Who alone has immortality and inhabits unapproachable light (I Tim. VI, 16). When we recall the past judgments of the Lord, we hear the voice of a great upheaval from behind. When we ponder the future in our hearts, a voice is heard from what came before, and from what is to come.

"And the spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great commotion: Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place." What is this, that after the prophet is sent to the captivity of the sons of the people, he hears behind him a voice of great commotion, saying: "Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place"? For he had been turned toward the sinners of Babylon, and he was hearing the voice of the glory of the Lord from his place behind his back. For the place of God is Jerusalem, that is, the vision of peace, because indeed those hearts see the things that are of God which do not descend to the captivity of Babylon, that is, to the vices of confusion. For God dwells there where true peace is sought, where the glory of interior contemplation is loved. For those who flow down to perversity disdain to be the place of God. Therefore the place of the glory of God is either every holy soul, or each angelic spirit remaining in the heavens. And the glory of the Lord is blessed from his place, when eternal praise is sung to the author of all things either by elect men or by holy angels. Therefore in this, that the just think about converting sinners, because by considering their vices they direct their eye to carnal acts, they look toward Babylon, as it were. Yet because of the condition of their righteousness, since they never cease to consider the good things of the saints in praise of God, although they direct their thought elsewhere, they hear, as it were, behind them the voice of the glory of the Lord from Jerusalem, that is, from his place.

But why do we linger on these matters, we who are able, by the Lord's bounty, to understand these words of the prophet through another and more subtle sense, and to speak more clearly? For he says: "And the spirit took me up." The spirit takes up a preacher when it renders his mind, elevated in love of almighty God, now estranged from earthly desires, so that nothing pleases him to do except those things by which he may gather spiritual gains and carry the fruit of his daily work to the heavenly kingdoms. Hence it is also commanded to us preachers: "Labor not for the food that perishes, but for that which endures unto eternal life." And it is well added: "And I heard behind me the voice of a great commotion." The prophet, filled with the Holy Spirit, narrates as past events what he foresees will happen, because in predestination those things are already done which still follow in their accomplishment. Hence also in the old translation it is said through Isaiah: "Who has done the things that are to come." What is it therefore that the prophet heard behind him the voice of a great commotion, except that after the word of preaching, which is directed to the hearts of sinners, the lamentations of the penitent follow? The perverse, indeed, while they do wicked things and do not hear right things from the righteous, do not know how grave are the things they commit, and from their very ignorance they are secure in their stupor; and lying in their faults, they rest as if softly, just as it is said of a certain sinful and secure people: "He has settled on his dregs," because he lay secure in his sins. When the perverse begin to hear the word of preaching—what the eternal punishments are, what the terror of judgment is, how subtle the examination of each and every sin—immediately they tremble, they are filled with groans, and they are distressed by sighs they cannot contain, and, shaken by great fear, they break forth into mourning and weeping. Therefore the voice of great commotion follows the prophet; because after the word of preaching, the mourning of the converted and penitent is heard. For those who previously lay quiet in their wound, afterward touched by the hand of medicine, return to health with pain. Concerning this commotion of the penitent it is said through another prophet: "His feet stood still, and the earth was moved," because when the footsteps of truth are fixed in the mind of the hearers, the mind itself, disturbed in the consideration of itself, is moved. Hence the Psalmist prays for sinners, saying: "You who sit upon the cherubim, let the earth be moved." Hence, praying for the afflicted and penitent, he says: "You have moved the earth and troubled it; heal its fractures, for it has been shaken." For the earth moved and troubled is the sinner anxious from the knowledge of his guilt and brought to the lamentations of penance. For to the sinning man it was said: "You are earth, and into earth you shall go." Let him therefore pray that the brokenness of the earth may be healed, because it has been moved, so that the sinner who is afflicted on account of his faults may be consoled by the joy of heavenly mercy. This therefore is the voice of great commotion, when each one, judging his own deeds, is disturbed in the affliction of penance.

But let us hear what the voice itself says: "Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place." For the hearts of sinners had been the place of the malignant spirit; but when, angry with themselves, they return to life through repentance, they become a place for the glory of the Lord. For now they rise up against themselves, now they pursue with tears of repentance the evils they have committed. Therefore the blessing of glory in praise of the Lord is heard from the very place where previously the injury to the Creator resounded through love of the present age. And the hearts of the penitent, which formerly, set in sins, had been a foreign place, now become the Lord's own place. Moreover, those who are converted from their sins to the Lord not only wash away with tears the perverse things they have done, but also advance to lofty heights through wonderful works, so that they become holy living creatures of almighty God, so that they fly up to the heights with signs and powers, so that they utterly forsake the earth, and having received gifts, suspend themselves toward heavenly things through desire.

This chapter contains more particular instructions to the prophet. It begins with repeating his appointment to his office, Eze 3:1-3. Ezekiel is then informed that his commission is, at this time, to the house of Israel exclusively, Eze 3:4-6; that his countrymen would pay little regard to him, Eze 3:7; that he must persevere in his duty notwithstanding such great discouragement; and he is endued with extraordinary courage and intrepidity to enable him fearlessly to declare to a disobedient and gainsaying people the whole counsel of God, Eze 3:8-11. The prophet is afterwards carried by the spirit that animated the cherubim and wheels, and by which he received the gift of prophecy, to a colony of his brethren in the neighborhood, where he remained seven days overwhelmed with astonishment, Eze 3:12-15. He is then warned of the awful importance of being faithful in his office, Eze 3:16-21; commanded to go forth into the plain that he may have a visible manifestation of the Divine Presence, Eze 3:22; and is again favored with a vision of that most magnificent set of symbols described in the first chapter, by which the glorious majesty of the God of Israel was in some measure represented, Eze 3:23. See also Isa 6:1-13; Dan 10:5-19; and Rev 1:10-16; Rev 4:1-11, for other manifestations of the Divine glory, in all of which some of the imagery is very similar. The prophet receives directions relative to his future conduct, Eze 3:24-27.

Then the Spirit took me up - This, as Calmet remarks, has been variously understood. 1. An impetuous wind carried him to the place where his brethren sojourned. 2. The Holy Spirit, which filled his heart, transported him in a moment to the place where the captives were. 3. Or, he was so transported with heavenly ardour in his mind, that he ran immediately off, and seemed to fly to the place where God commanded him to go. The promptitude and impetuosity of his spirit seemed to furnish him with wings on the occasion. However this may be understood, the going to the captives was real. A voice of a great rushing - This was the noise made by the wings of the living creatures that formed the chariot of Jehovah. See the notes on Ezekiel 1 (note) and Ezekiel 10 (note). Blessed be the glory of the Lord - Probably the acclamation of the living creatures: "Let God be blessed from the throne of his glory! He deserves the praises of his creatures in all the dispensations of his mercy and justice, of his providence and grace."

EZEKIEL EATS THE ROLL. IS COMMISSIONED TO GO TO THEM OF THE CAPTIVITY AND GOES TO TEL-ABIB BY THE CHEBAR: AGAIN BEHOLDS THE SHEKINAH GLORY: IS TOLD TO RETIRE TO HIS HOUSE, AND ONLY SPEAK WHEN GOD OPENS HIS MOUTH. (Eze. 3:1-27) eat . . . and . . . speak--God's messenger must first inwardly appropriate God's truth himself, before he "speaks" it to others (see on Eze 2:8). Symbolic actions were, when possible and proper, performed outwardly; otherwise, internally and in spiritual vision, the action so narrated making the naked statement more intuitive and impressive by presenting the subject in a concentrated, embodied form.

(Act 8:39). Ezekiel's abode heretofore had not been the most suitable for his work. He, therefore, is guided by the Spirit to Tel-Abib, the chief town of the Jewish colony of captives: there he sat on the ground, "the throne of the miserable" (Ezr 9:3; Lam 1:1-3), seven days, the usual period for manifesting deep grief (Job 2:13; see Psa 137:1), thus winning their confidence by sympathy in their sorrow. He is accompanied by the cherubim which had been manifested at Chebar (Eze 1:3-4), after their departure from Jerusalem. They now are heard moving with the "voice of a great rushing (compare Act 2:2), saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place," that is, moving from the place in which it had been at Chebar, to accompany Ezekiel to his new destination (Eze 9:3); or, "from His place" may rather mean, in His place and manifested "from" it. Though God may seem to have forsaken His temple, He is still in it and will restore His people to it. His glory is "blessed," in opposition to those Jews who spoke evil of Him, as if He had been unjustly rigorous towards their nation [CALVIN].