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Ezekiel Chapter
Thirty-nine
Ezekiel 39
Chapter Contents
The destruction of Gog. (1-10) Its extent. (11-22) Israel
again favoured. (23-29)
Commentary on Ezekiel 39:1-10
(Read Ezekiel 39:1-10)
The Lord will make the most careless and hardened
transgressors know his holy name, either by his righteous anger, or by the
riches of his mercy and grace. The weapons formed against Zion shall not
prosper. Though this prophecy is to be fulfilled in the latter days, it is
certain. From the language used, it seems that the army of Gog will be
destroyed by miracle.
Commentary on Ezekiel 39:11-22
(Read Ezekiel 39:11-22)
How numerous the enemies which God destroyed for the
defence of his people Israel! Times of great deliverances should be times of
reformation. Every one should help the utmost he can, toward cleansing the land
from reproach. Sin is an enemy every man should strive against. Those engaged
in public work, especially of cleansing and reforming a land, ought to be men
who will go through with what they undertake, who will be always employed. When
good work is to be done, every one should further it. Having received special
favours from God, let us cleanse ourselves from all evil. It is a work which
will require persevering diligence, that search may be made into the secret
recesses of sin. The judgments of the Lord, brought upon sin and sinners, are a
sacrifice to the justice of God, and a feast to the faith and hope of God's
people. See how evil pursues sinners, even after death. After all that
ambitious and covetous men do and look for, "a place of graves" is
all the Lord gives them on earth, while their guilty souls are doomed to misery
in another world.
Commentary on Ezekiel 39:23-29
(Read Ezekiel 39:23-29)
When the Lord shall have mercy on the whole house of
Israel, by converting them to Christianity, and when they shall have borne the
shame of being cast off for their sins, then the nations shall learn to know,
worship, and serve him. Then Israel also shall know the Lord, as revealed in
and by Christ. Past events do not answer to these predictions. The pouring out
of the Spirit is a pledge that God's favour will continue. He will hide his
face no more from those on whom he has poured out his Spirit. When we pray that
God would never cast us from his presence, we must as earnestly pray that, in
order thereto, he would never take his Holy Spirit from us.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Ezekiel》
Ezekiel 39
Verse 2
[2] And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part
of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring
thee upon the mountains of Israel:
The sixth part — I will leave in thy country but
one in six.
Verse 3
[3] And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will
cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
Thy bow — What is said of the bow rendered useless, is to be
understood of all other weapons of war; this is one kind, the bow, being most
in use with the Scythians, is mentioned for all the rest.
Verse 8
[8] Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD;
this is the day whereof I have spoken.
It is come — As sure as if already come.
The day — That notable day of recompences against the last great
enemies of the church.
Verse 9
[9] And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go
forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the
bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they
shall burn them with fire seven years:
The weapons — The warlike provision,
instruments, engines, carriages and wagons.
Shall burn — It may be wondered why they burn
these weapons, which might be of use to them for defence; but it was done in
testimony that God was their defence, on whom only they relied.
With fire — In such a country where the need
of fire is much less than with us, it will not seem incredible, that the
warlike utensils of so numerous an army might be enough to furnish them with
fuel for many years.
Verse 11
[11] And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give
unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the
east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall
they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of
Hamongog.
Gog — And to many of those with him; but many were given to
the birds and beasts to be devoured.
Graves — Gog came to take possession; and so he shall, but not
as he purposed and hoped. He shall possess his house of darkness in that land
which he invaded.
The valley of the passengers — So called from the
frequent travels of passengers through it from Egypt and Arabia Felix, into the
more northern parts, and from these again into Egypt and Arabia.
The sea — The Dead Sea.
Hamon Gog — That is, the multitude of Gog.
Verse 13
[13] Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it
shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord
GOD.
Glorified — The day of my being glorified
shall be a renown to Israel.
Verse 14
[14] And they shall sever out men of continual employment,
passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the
face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they
search.
They — The rulers of Israel.
Sever — Chuse out men who shall make it their work.
Passing — To go up and down over the whole land; for many of
Gog's wounded, flying soldiers, died in thickets, and corners into which they
crept.
The passengers — Whose assistance they would
desire of courtesy.
Remain — Unburied by the public labour of the house of Israel
during the seven months.
Verse 16
[16] And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus
shall they cleanse the land.
The city — That is, the multitude: the city which is next to this
common tomb of Gog.
Verse 17
[17] And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak
unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble
yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do
sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye
may eat flesh, and drink blood.
I do sacrifice — The punishment of these God calls
a sacrifice, which he offers to his own justice.
Upon the mountains — Where more thousands
are offered at once, than ever were at any time offered; 'tis a sacrifice so
great, that none ever was, or will be like it.
Verse 18
[18] Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the
blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of
bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
Ye shall eat — In these two and the following
verses, God takes on him the person of one that makes a feast, invites his
guests, and promises to satisfy them. Of the two former, the first is an
Enigmatical invitation, or an invitation in a riddle; the latter is the key to
this character.
The mighty — Who had great authority, great
courage and strength, the giant-like ones, commanders of great note in the
army.
Princes — Many princes came with their country men and subjects
to assist in this war.
Rams — These are compared to rams which lead the flock.
Lambs — Lambs are the more ordinary in the army.
Goats — Goats signify the more lascivious, and impetuous among
them.
Bullocks — Bullocks, such as though more slow, were of great
strength.
Fatlings — Well fed.
Bashan — A mountain of most rich, and sweet soil.
Verse 20
[20] Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and
chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
At my table — In the field where Gog, his
princes, and army, are slain, compared to a table.
Horses — Horsemen, not common foot soldiers.
Chariots — The men that ride in them.
Verse 21
[21] And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the
heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have
laid upon them.
All the heathen — In the countries to which the
news shall come.
Verse 26
[26] After that they have borne their shame, and all their
trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in
their land, and none made them afraid.
Their shame — Reproach for their sins.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Ezekiel》
39 Chapter 39
Verses 1-29
Verse 8
Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is
the day whereof I have spoken.
Christmas Day
We should search the whole range of Scripture in vain for words
more forcibly bringing home to our minds all the great truths upon which the
Christian loves to dwell on this our own peculiar and joyful Festival.
I. “It is come.”
1. Pardon and salvation are come to sinful man: they that have long
sat in the darkness of unatoned transgression, have now seen that true light
which is given to be the guide of their feet along the paths of pleasantness,
into the way of which peace is the beginning, and joy is the end. The message
“is come,” which alone can bind up the broken heart, and speak comfort to the
troubled spirit.
2. Reconciliation with the Father “is come” for all but those who
wilfully reject the means that His Son has given.
3. In the coming of the Son of Man upon earth, there is a special
blessing come unto us. By His birth, as on this day, into the flesh, we are born
again into the Spirit.
II. “It is done.”
The power of the tempter is once and forever subdued, his usurped dominion is
done away. Not that in the great event this day before us, the whole scheme of
redemption is brought to its full accomplishment: to perfect that scheme,
greater things yet must come to pass. Not till the Saviour had died upon the
Cross; and descended into the abodes of death; and raised Himself from the
silent grave on the third day; and ascended with His reassumed body, to the
place which He had ever occupied at the right hand of the Father; and from that
high place had sent down the gifts of the promised Spirit “for the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry”; not till all this had come to
pass, was the whole glorious scheme of man’s redemption complete in all its
full and free loving kindness. Yet may we still, on this beginning of joyful
tidings which came to us even now, say with the Prophet in the spirit of joy
and thankfulness, “It is done.” From this event all the rest naturally and
connectedly springs. Even among those who saw the promises from afar off, there
was a sure word of prophecy; whereunto they did well that they took heed, as
unto a light that shineth in a dark place. Ezekiel looked unto the promised redemption
as clearly when he said, “Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord
God; this is the day of which I have spoken”; as when the aged Simeon held the
infant Jesus in his arms, and with abundant thankfulness exclaimed, “Lord, now
lettest Thou,” etc. Lessons--
1. He who came unto us as a little child, expects in every true
follower of His, that mind of guileless simplicity which is the mind of little
children. And then, as newborn babes, we are further to desire the sincere milk
of the word, that we may grow thereby.
2. Let us remember, in the midst of all our thankfulness for the
great mercy of which this day is the celebration, to have some sobering and
self-humbling thoughts. If it is fitting, on the one hand, that our hearts
should be filled with joy, as we think upon His love to man, it is no less
fitting, on the other hand, that we should remember the sin of man, which
brought the Saviour from His throne on high.
3. Let us not think of the newborn King, and yet forget the “new
commandment” which He gave unto us; that commandment was, that we should love
one another, and it was a new commandment, because it placed Christian charity
on a new and higher footing.
4. With all these glorious sayings, which in the services of this day
are brought before us at one view, with all these still sounding in your ears,
reflect continually on the great privileges that you enjoy, and the clear light
of revelation, in the fulness of which you have your portion. And not only
think of these things, but let me “beseech you,” in the words of St. Paul,
“that ye walk worthy of the vocation,” etc. (H. W. Sulivan, M. A.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》