Ezekiel 3:25 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.

But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee,.... Or, "bands shall be put upon thee"; either visionally, or really; not by angels, but by the Jews, who, taking the prophet for a madman by his motions and gestures; would bind him, and keep him within doors: or figuratively this may be understood of the sins of the people, their rebellion and obstinacy, which hindered the prophet from prophesying among them as yet; and so this is observed to conciliate his mind to the divine order, to shut up himself for a while in his own house, and be silent: or else by these bonds may be meant the divine order itself, which restrained him from doing his office as yet. So the Targum, "behold, I have appointed the words of my mouth upon thee, as a band of ropes with which they bind;'' and shall bind thee with them; which some think is emblematical of the Jews being bound by the Chaldeans: and thou shall not go out among them; to converse with them, or prophesy unto them. The Septuagint version renders it, "shall not go out from the midst of them"; as if he should be taken out of his own house by the Jews, and be bound by them, and kept among them, and not able to get away from them; but it is to be understood of his being bound in his own house, and not able to go out of that to them; and may signify, that in like manner the Jews should not be able to go out of Jerusalem when besieged by the Chaldeans.

“And look, they will bind you with chains and fetters.” That is, the chains that will bind him, so that he might not go out and walk among them, are the Babylonians who encircle Jerusalem and its inhabitants and prevent them from going out and coming in.

So many are the struggles against God that they do not deserve to hear him rebuking them. From this it is clear that where there is a multitude of sinners, those who sin are unworthy, who are corrected by the Lord.

(Verse 25, 26.) And you, son of man: behold, chains have been placed upon you, and they will bind you with them, and you shall not go out from among them, and I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth (or throat), and you shall be mute, not speaking as a man who reproaches them: for the house is rebellious. What is enclosed in a house, what is bound with chains, what does not go out to those among whom it dwells, but suffers the solitude of a prison among a multitude of captives, is a sign of siege, as I have said before, that Jerusalem, closed and surrounded by the army of the Chaldeans, will not allow any of its inhabitants to go out. This is the pot about which Jeremiah speaks (Jeremiah I), and he himself as the Prophet in the following words; in which the flesh of the people is consumed. That the language of the Prophet cleaves to the palate or throat and becomes mute is not the result of a reproachful authority, but has a clear cause: for he says, the house is provoking. And the meaning is: They are of such bitterness, and of such contention against God, that they do not deserve to hear the reproacher. From this it is clear that where there is a multitude of sins, sinners are unworthy to correct those who are corrected by the Lord.

"And you, son of man, behold, chains have been placed upon you, and they shall bind you with them, and you shall not go out into their midst." If we follow these words through the order of typological exposition, the prophet receives bonds in his house and is bound, because in the last days, when Judea shall have believed, she will experience the most grievous persecutions in the time of Antichrist, so that the ministers of iniquity will not receive his preaching, but by resisting will press it down with the bonds of sorrows. And he does not go out into their midst, because preaching does not reach the hearts of the wicked, while the tongue of the good, bound by tribulations, is silent. For there will be at that time many of the unbelieving Jews who will persecute those very ones from among the Jews who shall have believed. Hence it should be noted that here too it is said that the prophet endures bonds in his own house: so that it may be signified that Judea, even from her own people, when she shall have become faithful, will bear the tribulation of persecution. For as long as it is not believed that the Only-Begotten of the Most High Father, having become incarnate and died, rose again and ascended to the heavens, as is preached through the pages of Sacred Scripture, prophecy will certainly be bound among the Jews. If it had flowed into their understanding just as it was spoken, it would have had, as it were, the free steps of its preaching. Hence it is also added: "And you, son of man, behold, bonds are placed upon you, and they shall bind you in them, and you shall not go out into the midst of them." For when any preacher is brought back to the conscience of his own house, bonds are placed upon him, and he is bound in them, because the more he examines himself in thought, the more the soul of the just man recognizes how many infirmities of his mortality it is bound by. For unless Paul had seen himself bound, he would never have said: "Having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ." Hence it is said through the Psalmist: "That he might hear the groaning of those in bonds, and loose the children of the slain." And again: "Let the groaning of the fettered come before your sight." Often, however, when the soul now desires to go forth to contemplate the appearance of its Redeemer, when it sighs to be present among heavenly joys, it beholds and groans at the very bonds of its mortality by which it is still held bound in the present world. Hence it is that Jeremiah, beholding the subtle judgment of almighty God, says: "He has built against me so that I cannot go out; he has made heavy my fetters." For we have fetters, the very weakness and corruption of our mortality; but when tribulation and groaning are added to us, our very fetters are made heavier. And indeed, as long as the just man endures delays in this life, by speaking good things he hastens to benefit others; but when he beholds hardened minds and considers them occupied with contentions, he withholds the word of preaching. And he does not go forth in the midst of them, because he falls silent from the good things he could have spoken, as it is said through Paul: "Nothing through contention." And again: "If anyone wishes to be contentious, we have no such custom." For what more is commended to us through the very words of the history than the virtue of obedience? When the prophet is commanded now to proceed to the transmigration by the river Chobar, now to go out to the plain, now to return from the plain to his house? So that first going forth by command, and a little later going out, and again returning home, and shutting himself in, he might always break the judgment of his own will according to the precept of the divine word, so that, suspended in the heavenly command, he might fulfill not his own will, but that of his Creator? To whom it is said: "And you, son of man, behold, bonds have been placed upon you, and they will bind you in them, and you will not go out in their midst." In this matter it should be noted that the prophet foreknows adversities, so that he may be prepared against all things. For evils prevail less against the mind which do not come unexpectedly; and yet while contrary things are foreknown, how great is the virtue of obedience in him is shown, who both knows that he is about to suffer adversities, and yet is not disobedient to the Lord's voice.

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.

They shall put bands upon thee - Thy countrymen will rise up against thee; and, to prevent thy prophesying, will confine thee.

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.

put bands upon thee--not literally, but spiritually, the binding, depressing influence which their rebellious conduct would exert on his spirit. Their perversity, like bands, would repress his freedom in preaching; as in Co2 6:12, Paul calls himself "straitened" because his teaching did not find easy access to them. Or else, it is said to console the prophet for being shut up; if thou wert now at once to announce God's message, they would rush on thee and bind them with "bands" [CALVIN].