READINGS ON EZEKIEL (7)
[p. 140] READINGS ON EZEKIEL (7)
Ezekiel 33:7-13; Ezekiel 33:30-33; Ezekiel 34: 23 - 31; Ezekiel 36: 24 - 38
JT We looked at chapters 25 to 32 last time, and observed that they deal with the nations adjacent to Israel. These are all seen as divinely judged, Egypt being specially mentioned, as representing the world of the flesh, turning the resources of nature to selfish purposes — causing them to promote man’s greatness and pride. The nations being disposed of by the judgment of God, way is made for the chapters before us now. As we apprehend the judgment of God, seen in these details, the ground is cleared for individual faith. Chapter 33 places responsibility on individuals, particularly on watchmen, who would be responsible persons set up in this sense, to warn God’s people, from an individual standpoint. Chapter 34 deals with “the shepherds of Israel”. It shows how God Himself, in view of the unfaithfulness of the shepherds, becomes their Shepherd and finally appoints a shepherd. “I will set up one shepherd over them” (Ezekiel 34: 23). So that the saints are viewed as directly under God’s care. Chapter 35 deals with mount Seir, or Edom, representing false brethren, and shows that those who are in the position of brethren are in the way, unless they are real. For unless we are real, by taking on the name and the relation of brethren, we are cumbering the ground, and we are sure to persecute those who are real. Then chapter 36 represents God’s work in us; that is, the fundamental state amongst the people of God, in virtue of His work in each of us, giving us a new spirit, and a new heart, and giving us of His own Spirit.
WB-w Do these chapters take up the moral question among the people?
JT Yes; first the responsibility of the watchman. Chapter 33 reads, “When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from [p. 141] among them all, and set him for their watchman: if he see the sword coming upon the land, and blow the trumpet, and warn the people; then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood is upon him: whereas had he taken warning, he would have delivered his soul. But if the watchman see the sword coming, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, if the sword come and take a person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand” (Ezekiel 33: 2 - 6). That is the first thing, and it relates to those who are in the position of watchmen, however constituted. And then verse 7 says, “So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel” Ezekiel 33: 7. Ezekiel was a watchman that God had appointed especially, but first of all, there is given the responsibility of those who were to warn the people of God of impending judgment.
AR Those of the house of Chloe were evidently good watchmen, were they not?
JT Yes; there were others, too, apparently, who reported the evil. Here the watchman was to warn the people of judgment about to visit the land. In chapter 3 the responsibility of being a watchman was wholly on Ezekiel. Now it appears in a more extended way, as fitting in with the truth unfolded. The clearance of the ground in chapters 25 to 32 makes way for this ministry; that God is now set for the deliverance of His people, first of all on individual lines; but He stresses the responsibility of persons who are in the position of watchmen, to warn them. It makes it very solemn for the whole of christendom, I think, for there are thousands of persons in that position, but what are they doing? And then there is a voice for all of us who have any ability in this public way. Are we being faithful in warning [p. 142] souls?
AC Is the thought of the watchman here somewhat akin to Isaiah 21:11, the burden of Dumah: “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?”
JT Yes; and the watchman knows what to answer.
AR Would you say that Mr. Darby’s ministry was like the blowing of the trumpet to warn christendom at large?
JT Just so, and all such ministry would be of that character.
ANW This would go beyond the range of what we call gospel preaching, would it not?
JT It is not evangelical work that is alluded to, but watchmen’s work; as those who watch for souls, as Peter says. It is a question of the saints knowing that God is bringing something to pass. “When I bring the sword upon a land”; that is, we are now at the end of the dispensation, and it is the time of judicial dealings; as with Israel then, so with ourselves now. God is acting judicially; and when He does this in any particular case, then it is the watchman’s responsibility to call attention to it. We can see all around us the judicial actings of God in the nations, and watchmen — whether appointed by the people or by Jehovah — are responsible to warn them.
ABP Would you distinguish between a watchman and a seer?
JT Yes; the word seer is more official, really involving a gift, I think. Of course, Ezekiel was a seer. The word “seer” was at one time applied to prophets, as we learn in the first book of Samuel. They were called seers because they could see, but it involved that they were prophets. A watchman is set up as a lookout for enemies or for anything of an adverse nature, and to warn the people of it; but a seer might bring in what is possible in the way of ministry. With regard to the watchman, it is a question of any one being recognised by the saints in this sense. Even persons in denominations, I think, would be called to account in this way;
[p. 143] whether the people have made them that (Ezekiel 33: 2), or their appointment is by God, as in verse 7.
ANW Would the individual withdrawal movement in 2 Timothy 2 be the result of this ministry?
JT Yes; that would be one of the results; one judges the evil one is connected with and abandons it. Now verses 21 and 22 read: “And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth of the month, that one who had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten! Now the hand of Jehovah had been upon me in the evening, before he that had escaped came; and he had opened my mouth against his coming to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb” Ezekiel 33: 21,22. The man was a messenger to report evil. Considerable time had elapsed since the overthrow of Jerusalem, so that it must have taken him a long time to come, but he evidently was a very burdened man who had a heart for the things of God, to take such a journey to bring the tidings to the prophet. But it relieved the prophet, for his mouth had been shut (according to chapter 24), and now it is opened in view of this man’s coming. It would show how God acts in these circumstances; how those who feel things may serve — as the man who brought the tidings; and then how the prophet is released and able to proceed with the ministry; his mouth is opened.
WB-w It seems to be a question of death or life in this chapter; death if one does not escape the judgment.
JT Yes; it is a very solemn, searching chapter, putting responsibility on individuals; first on the watchmen, and then on the persons warned; each of us is put under responsibility. God says, in verse 11, “As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live” Ezekiel 33: 11. God is now ready to pardon people and it is a question of each one taking the matter to [p. 144] himself. If he has been going on in a course of wickedness, and he turns to God, all his past is overlooked; it is not brought up against him. It is a question of his present state. On the other hand, if a man has been going on in righteousness and sins, his righteousness does not count. It is remarkable instruction. What I am doing at the present moment is the point; it is a question of where I am now.
CAM Is it in view of the fact that God is going to bring in another order of things? Perhaps it is on the same principle as Noah preaching righteousness, in view of a new world of righteousness being introduced. Righteousness is therefore an all-important matter.
JT Yes, and it becomes a question of how each delivers himself; the point is, what I am doing now. God says, in effect, The matter must be settled now. If you have been in unrighteous associations or your conduct has been unrighteous, turn to righteousness now, and the matter will be settled. I will not bring up the past against you. On the other hand, if you have been on the ground of practising righteousness and you turn away now, then your righteous acts will not be remembered. It is remarkable instruction.
Ques To whom does this refer?
JT Anyone; primarily it is a question of God’s dealings with Israel, but it is of interest to note that the first verse says, “And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people” Ezekiel 33: 1,2, so that the matter was on Ezekiel. It is the people that stand in relation to him. And then God says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33: 11). God says in effect, You can see the line I am on: I am on the line of saving, and the way of salvation is open to all now. Verse 10 shows the people were lethargic, taking up the attitude of [p. 145] despair.
AR Does not verse 14 show that even though the verdict may be already passed, yet, if the sinner repent, grace is shown him? It is remarkable how far God is prepared to go with men.
JT Yes; this is a good chapter for evangelical work because it shows the attitude of God; according to the earlier chapters He had cleared the ground through His judgments, and now it is a question of individual faith and self-judgment. This principle always applies, as seen in chapter 18. Governmental wrath on Israel was announced by the Lord (Luke 21: 22), but Peter could say to his hearers at Jerusalem, “Repent, and be baptised, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”, Acts 2: 38.
Rem Verse 13 speaks of a man trusting to his own righteousness and doing what is wrong.
JT Yes; trusting to one’s righteousness and doing what is wrong often go together. It might be said of someone that he has a good reputation, so that we must make allowance for him. But what is he doing now? “When I say to the righteous that he shall certainly live, and he trusteth to his righteousness and doeth what is wrong, none of his righteous acts shall be remembered; but in his unrighteousness which he hath done, in it shall he die” (Ezekiel 33: 13). That is a serious position. He may be legalising what is wrong by his past righteousness. God says, about that man, “none of his righteous acts shall be remembered”. So that wrong-doing is wrong-doing, whoever the wrong-doer is. God is showing that His ways are equal. Each one is judged “after his ways” (Ezekiel 33: 20), not for those of his fathers.
WB-w Lot was told to escape for his life. He is called a righteous man in Sodom, but had he remained in Sodom, he would have come under the judgment [p. 146] of God.
JT Quite so; his righteousness would not have saved him.
EEH Is the point that we are to continue in righteousness?
JT That is right; not to depend upon the past. God is dealing with us according to what we are now.
EEH Peter, in speaking to Cornelius, remarks, “but in every nation he that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him” (Acts 10: 35), meaning that he continues in the thing and so is acceptable to God.
JT That is right; not he that has feared and has worked righteousness, but he that is doing it.
TW What does death in this connection mean amongst the saints?
JT It is the governmental dealing of God. “When I bring the sword upon a land”. Ezekiel 33: 2. We are dealing here with externals. The question of the “second death” had not yet quite come into evidence.
Ques Which is more serious: what we have here, or the wilful sin in Hebrews 10: 26?
JT Sin in the epistle to the Hebrews is always regarded as apostasy; for which there is no forgiveness. What is before us here is what occurred in man living on the earth, and in relation to which God is appealing to him to turn from his unrighteousness. It brings one’s moral status on earth up to date. Many of us are merely historical christians; but God says we must be up to date. I mean to say, it is what you are doing now. “Blessed are they that wash their robes”, Revelation 22: 14. That means that we are doing it today - and every day.
WR Is that where meetings for prophetic ministry are of help to us?
JT They help as bringing our conduct to our consciences.
JTJr Does David’s history help us in this connection? He sinned, but he turned from the sin; he [p. 147] did not die in it. He went through the thing morally and washed his robes.
JT Quite so.
ANW Does our chapter refer to what is governmental rather than final and eternal judgment?
JT Well, we have to go to the New Testament really for the final thing, but it is a most serious matter here. He dies, the passage says, in his unrighteousness. “But in his unrighteousness which he hath done, in it shall he die”. Ezekiel 33: 13. I should not like to mitigate that. I think God is pressing upon us, now, this matter of being up to date with Him. I know full well that in the New Testament we are taught that a christian — one of Christ’s sheep — never perishes (John 10: 28). Then in 1 Corinthians 11: 30 - 32 it says, “On this account many among you are weak and infirm, and a good many are fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, so were we not judged. But being judged, we are disciplined of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world”. God takes His people away, I believe, in mercy; but how serious it is! In the Old Testament, we are dealing with death and life as here on earth; and of course nothing was more serious than that one should die in his unrighteousness.
TA Is that what John means when he speaks about the sin unto death?
JT Yes; he would mean death as occurring here — not the second death. It is governmental.
APf Ananias and Sapphira died in their sin.
JT Yes; the same thing: they were undoubtedly believers, because they got a burial. I believe the way the Spirit of God records the fact indicates they were christians, but they died in their sin. Things are clearer in the New Testament. In Ezekiel God is dealing with the public position.
ETB What would you say about Sardis? “Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead”, Revelation 3: 1. Would that be the history of [p. 148] Protestantism?
JT That is a state; not that thou shalt die; but, art dead. Death there is not judgment, but a state of death — no pulsation Godward; no spiritual life. Of Jezebel the Lord says, “her children will I kill with death” Revelation 2: 23 — death in a moral sense as a penalty.
JTJr The wicked one turns from his unrighteousness, and then the righteous one turns from his righteousness to wickedness: is that not the point here, that there is a turning one way or another?
JT Just so. In either case the turning is regarded as definite. God is establishing the fairness of His ways. He is not here treating of national guilt, but the present state of each person, and how the way of life was open to him. It was truth for the time. The attack was: “The way of the Lord is not equal” (Ezekiel 33: 17).
ABP Would the attitude of the apostle, when writing to the Philippians, fit in? It says, “if any way I arrive at the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already obtained the prize, ... but one thing — forgetting the things behind, ... I pursue”, Philippians 3: 11 - 13.
JT Quite so. He said elsewhere, “I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest after having preached to others I should be myself rejected”, 1 Corinthians 9: 27. So that this public matter is most solemn; one is to be up to date with God. It is a most important matter where I stand today at this very moment. If I am shown to be wrong, why not turn? The way of adjustment is open. Paul says, “not having my righteousness”, Philippians 3: 9. He sought to have the righteousness of God. Philippians 3 contemplates a man in the race, and he sees to it, from his own point of view, that he is kept fit and in the race. It is not the point of view of divine counsel here. Peter says, “in your faith have also virtue, in virtue knowledge, in knowledge temperance, in temperance endurance, in endurance godliness, in godliness brotherly love, in brotherly love love”, 2 Peter 1: 5 - 7. We are thus kept in trim: fruitful, and [p. 149] we do not forget that we were purged from our former sins.
We should look at chapter 34 briefly. God has been challenging the watchmen, and now He challenges the shepherds. “And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy; and say unto them, unto the shepherds, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the shepherds of Israel that feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool; ye kill them that are fattened: but ye feed not the flock” (Ezekiel 34: 1 - 3). It is a solemn matter. Persons who are regarded as shepherds — who ought to be looking after the saints in a shepherdly spirit, are here arraigned as to how they were fulfilling their responsibility.
CAM Was the last commission to Peter to feed the sheep, due to the Lord anticipating that in the course of time that feature of service would be lacking; particularly at the end?
JT Yes; “Feed my lambs”, and then, “Shepherd my sheep”, and then, “Feed my sheep”. The shepherd’s commission is given to Peter in John’s gospel; in Matthew the Lord had earlier given him the keys of the kingdom of the heavens — an especial administrative commission, but in view of the need of the last day, shepherding is brought in. Paul regarded the Ephesian elders on the same ground. So that it is a very important service, and what comes out here is that those engaged in it in Israel had failed. The shepherds are spoken to on account of their failure. And so, it is most touching to see that Jehovah undertakes to be Shepherd. It is one of the most touching parts of this chapter. It connects our thoughts immediately with Jesus in John’s gospel; how the Lord Himself took on the service in which others failed. “For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold I, even I, will both search for my sheep, and tend them. As a shepherd tendeth his flock [p. 150] in the day that he is among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the water-courses, and in all the habitable places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie down in a good fold, and in a fat pasture they shall feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will myself feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord Jehovah. I will seek the lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up the broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong: I will feed them with judgment” (Ezekiel 34: 11 - 16). As I said, that, I think, is one of the most touching things in this book, especially in view of the gospel of John, which corresponds in this respect; that the Lord does certain things Himself, others having failed to do them. The synoptic gospels would make matters official in the hands of the disciples, but the Lord does them Himself in John. For instance, He feeds the multitude in chapter 6; He is the Good Shepherd in chapter 10; He finds the colt in chapter 12; so that it seems to me that this fits in with our own times when the shepherds have all failed. The Lord came in Himself and began to seek out His sheep and to bring them back, and He is doing that still. That feature seems to be the point in verse 23 of our chapter: “And I will set up one shepherd over them” Ezekiel 34: 23. That is, God is referring to the place that Christ has personally. He is called David here — “even my servant David”. A great thought of Christ, according to John’s ministry, is seen in allusions to David. John 10 shows Christ’s love for the sheep; the length to which He went, laying down His life for [p. 151] the sheep.
FHL Would the opening of John 5 connect with what you have in mind? It says, in regard to the man at the pool, “Jesus says to him” John 5: 8, and then later “Jesus finds him” John 5: 14.
JT Chapter 9 is much the same. As He passed on the Lord saw the blind man; He saw him; His attention is not called to him; He saw him, and the disciples asked, “who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind? Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned nor his parents, but that the works of God should be manifested in him” (John 9: 2, 3). That is, the Lord knows His sheep; He knew all about that man, and that man illustrates how the sheep come to light and follow Him; they move in the light. So that as the man in John 9 is cast out because of his faithfulness to the light, the Lord finds him.
JTJr Are you connecting the official side with the shepherds in the first part of this chapter; whereas, what the Lord is doing today is connected with what is secret and unofficial?
JT Quite so; that is a good way to put it. He is carrying on this great work today, and it is most touching, for in John 10 He says that He lays down His life for the sheep.
AC The thought of the shepherd and the commission that Peter had from the Lord so impressed him that he later exhorted the elders to be shepherds over God’s flock.
JT The commission to feed the sheep was given after Peter was thoroughly restored; that is, the breakdown of the official side is seen in Peter prior to this. He said, “I go to fish”, John 21: 3. The Lord had said to Peter and Andrew that He would make them “fishers of men”; but He does not send Peter to fish here; He sends him to look after sheep, and that is a leading thought in John. He is to feed and shepherd the sheep after he is restored; that is, after the breakdown of the official side and the recovery in this moral way. He is [p. 152] not seen as the apostle Peter in John; John’s gospel does not employ the word “apostle” in that sense. The twelve are usually called “disciples”, which is not an official term. The Lord might use any saint to feed the lambs and the sheep today, but behind the service lies the great thought that He is doing it. The verse we have read says, “I will set up one shepherd over them” Ezekiel 34: 23.
CAM In using the title “chief Shepherd”, Peter would show that he had been impressed with the personal service of Christ to which we have been alluding.
AR Would you say that His washing of the disciples feet in John 13 is the evidence of the personal care of the Shepherd for the sheep?
JT Just so; it shows what Jesus is Himself in John’s gospel and how we are brought into that. John’s reference to himself in the book of Revelation would show how fully he was in accord with that: “your brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus” Revelation 1: 9.
WB-w Do not both sides of the truth go on today? You have referred to Jesus finding the colt in John and sending someone else for it in Matthew. Do not both sides work out today?
JT Quite so; we never can assume that Matthew’s side is abrogated by John’s. The whole truth of God stands. But because of the great failure of the public body, the Person of Christ is stressed; the Lord is helping us in that today, and particularly in John’s gospel. It is a question of the Person of Christ; who and what He is. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”, John 1:1. That is what He is personally. And then we have what He became: He became flesh, and came down so low as to wash the saints’ feet; to find the colt; to feed the multitude; that is what is so touching; and the commission to Peter to care for His sheep, I believe, carries all that with it. Then there is John, too. Peter says, “Lord, and what of this man?” John 21: 21. The Lord says, “If I will that he abide until I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me” (John 21: 22). It is what He has in reserve in John, as has often been said; and I believe it is to bring out these great truths that apply to these last days, how the Lord is doing the things Himself; and how it is a question of being in accord with Him, and John is in accord with Him, according to Revelation.
WB-w Does it mean that if the saints who are sent to bring in the colt do not do it, the Lord will do it Himself?
JT That is the thought; He Himself finds the colt, according to John 12, and sits upon it; and He is doing it all the time — finding young brothers and sisters for His service. Any of us may be brought into it, but He is doing it.
FNW Is it significant that the Lord refers to Himself as “I” seven times in Revelation 22?
JT Yes; it is peculiarly a book of personalities, so that John introduces himself as “I, John”, and soon. In the gospel he does not refer to himself in a personal way; it is, “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, or, “the other disciple”, and so on. But in the book of Revelation we have the personality — “John”, and “I, John”. Personality is in mind. This is seen also in verse 23 of our chapter. “And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David”. Ezekiel 34: 23. It is a question of personality now; “he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I Jehovah will be their God, and my servant David a prince in their midst: I Jehovah have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell in safety in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in its season; there shall be showers of blessing”
([p. 154] Ezekiel 34: 24 - 26). And then it says in verse 29, “And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the ignominy of the nations any more. And they shall know that I Jehovah their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord Jehovah. And ye, my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men: I am your God, saith the Lord Jehovah” (Ezekiel 34: 29 - 31). Can anything be more touching than that? It covers the present moment — particularly so. God has wrought to bring His people back to Himself, and He is developing this thought of personality; David, the outstanding personality of the Old Testament, being introduced to give character to it. Jesus is the Root of David. In addressing Himself to the assemblies He says, “I Jesus ... I am the root and offspring of David”, Revelation 22: 16. So it is a question of personality in that sense, rather than what is official.
JTJr Is there the need of being grounded in John’s ministry as to the Person of Christ before we can take up active service as in Matthew, where He is seen as the Offspring of David?
JT Yes. It is a question of what one is. John, in his gospel, is out of sight. He does not advance his name at all; it is the “disciple whom Jesus loved”. It is that one who is attractive to Jesus.
WB-w Jehovah sets David over the flock which He Himself has found. Does that mean that He is carrying things out administratively at the present time?
JT I think so. What is coming to light at the present time is Davidic in character. The prophetic word teaches that David rules in Israel in the future; that is, Christ in Davidic character comes in before He is known publicly in Solomonic character. In relation to the assembly, as in the book of Revelation, He is seen as connected with David. His attractiveness is in mind. The history of David brings out attractiveness; his name means “beloved”; so that the man who gives [p. 155] account of him to Saul says, He is “skilled in playing, and he is a valiant man and a man of war, and skilled in speech, and of good presence”, 1 Samuel 16: 18. I believe that the Lord at present is ministering to us the Davidic character — as “the sweet psalmist of Israel”, developing the service of God. Presently He will act against His enemies. They will attack Him after the assembly is gone. He will take up a peculiar place amongst His suffering people, and in military power and prowess, so that He defeats all His enemies before He reigns as Solomon. We are in a wonderful time now; we are in David’s time, so to say; that is, from the standpoint of the service of God, presently it will be from a military standpoint, as in relation to Israel. What I think is meant in the Lord saying, “I am the root and offspring of David”, is spiritual quality, the service of God being in view.
ANW That is very beautiful, and must explain the occasion of the bridal revival, for there immediately follows the word, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come” Revelation 22: 17.
JT It does. It explains all that has been going on in these last one hundred years, referring to Christ as “the root and offspring of David” Revelation 22: 16. He does not refer to Solomon, but to David; and then He says, “the bright and morning star”, which links on with the incoming day.
WB-w What is the force of David being prince in their midst? He set him over the flock. And it says in verse 24, “and my servant David a prince in their midst”.
JT Well, “prince” in such a connection is personality. “King” suggests what is official.
APB The words of Paul to the elders of Ephesus seem to cover the scope of what we have before us. He refers to being free from their blood, like the faithful watchman, having spoken to them of the whole counsel of God; he refers to their shepherdly responsibility,
[p. 156] calling upon them to watch, and warns them of what is about to come in, and then finishes up with the personality of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said ...”, Acts 20: 35.
CAM As to personality connected with a prince, I suppose in a prince there is ability for kingship if it is needed.
JT Quite so.
Chapter 35 reminds us of the sorrowful side of our position — referring to Edom, the false brother and the appeal to us to be true. A true brother is born for adversity, which is the direct opposite to Edom; the brother who is characteristically adverse, as we have here: “Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast given over the children of Israel to the power of the sword, in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end” (Ezekiel 35: 5). Edom from his very birth was to be set aside, with the final result that God said, “I hated Esau”, Malachi 1: 3. The first epistle of John helps us as regards the true and false brother. We are to be like David; that is, like Christ as seen in David, we are to lay down our lives for the brethren. Today there are imitations of what is characteristic of brethren. There is no opposition more specious than imitation of what is of God.
WB-w In chapter 25 the Philistines are said to have an “old hatred”; and in this chapter Edom is said to have had a “perpetual hatred”.
JT Is that not sorrowful? The word used has both senses; although “old”, the hatred has not ceased; it is kept up. It is bad enough to have an old one, but in a perpetual one there is no relenting at all, so that it runs on to the end of the Old Testament and then it appears in the New Testament in the Herods.
AR The greatest opposition against the truth at the present time comes from so-called brethren; it is such that are specially opposing perpetually.
JT [p. 157] Well, the final word in the section we are considering is in chapter 36. One can see the force of it, that after the false brother is exposed and dealt with, there is now liberty for the work of God to go on; in fact, the end of chapter 35 seems to make way for chapter 36. “As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolated, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be a desolation, O mount Seir, and all Edom, the whole of it: and they shall know that I am Jehovah” Ezekiel 35: 15. And then in Ezekiel 36: 1, “And thou, son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah”. Edom had its mountains, but the mountains of Israel are referred to now — the spiritually elevated places of the saints are in view in chapter 36.
WB-w Was it right of Jacob, when going to meet his brother, to appease him with a present?
JT It was a right attitude; but it is remarkable that in Genesis 33: 7 Joseph is mentioned before his mother as they came before Esau. Jacob in presenting his family before Esau presents what is of God in his family to his brother — one after another, and in the midst of them is Joseph, put before his mother; that is, Christ has His place among the true brethren. Joseph is not merely Rachel’s son; he is put before Rachel, as the Lord Jesus in John’s gospel is put before His mother. The Lord calls His mother “Woman” in John’s gospel. It is a question of the greatness of Christ, and that is what God is doing today; He is bringing in the greatness of Christ. He was not ‘begotten before the worlds’ by the Father. That is derogatory to Christ. That is what the creed says, but the truth is that Christ is a divine Person; He is Himself God: “the Word was God”. He has taken the place of sonship here to carry out the counsels of God, but personally He is God, and that in type is what is seen in Genesis 33. Joseph is put before Rachel in the presence of Esau. Did Esau understand? I do not think he did, nor do I think the so-called “brethren” abroad who are persecuting today, understand the greatness of Christ in what He is bringing before us.
CAM It is very evident they do not understand John’s gospel. We can read Matthew’s gospel more intelligently when we understand John’s gospel.
JT I believe John is the first of the gospels to read. We ought to begin with Paul in the epistles, but John, I believe, is the first gospel to read now.
WB-w You mean that Joseph being put before his mother in the presence of Esau would meet the perpetual hatred?
JT Yes, if Esau understood. If you can get the brethren to see Christ they will be helped. If a brother is genuine he will listen as you bring John’s gospel before him. You begin with the Person of Christ — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”, John 1: 1. If a man does not go with that, he is disqualified; but every genuine brother will go with it.
CAM You can see that brethren who do not understand eternal life as brought before the saints many years ago, cannot understand what the Lord is setting before us today.
JT No; in what has been mentioned as to Genesis 33, there was the opportunity for Esau. He might stop and say, Why is that child before his mother? But there is no suggestion that Esau made any inquiry about it at all. We are freed of the false brother in Ezekiel 35; he has been dealt with, and then God turns to what He will do for His people in their mountains; for a point of importance with Edom is his mountains. Esau’s territory was a place of mountains, but then God says, Israel has mountains, too. Think of the mount of transfiguration, for instance. In keeping with this, what comes in in chapter 36 is the work of God. That is the next thing — what God does in us. He says, “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye [p. 159] shall be clean. ... I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you ... and I will put my Spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36: 25 - 27). That is all according to the teaching of John’s gospel.
JHE The woman in John 4 said, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain” (verse 20), which was but dark national sentiment, but the Lord would clear her mind as to it.
JT Quite so. The verses read in chapter 36 require special attention; verse 24 begins, “And I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your uncleannesses and from all your idols will I cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and keep mine ordinances, and ye shall do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God” (Ezekiel 36: 24 - 28). We are on the line of purpose now; these features being there, God is not ashamed to be called their God, nor to call them His people.
JTJr Is the water ignored in a general way amongst christians? That is why John makes so much of the water and the Spirit; and then in his epistle, it is the water and the blood.
JT His ministry would make us inwardly and outwardly according to God, so that God is not ashamed to be our God and to call us His people. The Lord says, “my brethren ... my Father and your Father ... my God and your God”.
CAM In that way this prophet seems to be a sort of advance on Jeremiah. The latter speaks of the new covenant, but Ezekiel speaks of the Spirit [p. 160] given.
JT Yes; undoubtedly this is the chapter the Lord spoke of in His talk with Nicodemus; it is a most important chapter.
WB-w It ends with the cities being “filled with flocks of men” (Ezekiel 36: 38). Does the use of the word “men” suggest the development of intelligence?
JT It is very beautiful; we can have no doubt as to what these figures of shepherds and sheep mean; it is a question of men. We have “the holy flock” in verse 38; and, as has been quoted, “flocks of men”. The Lord says, “the men whom thou gavest me”, John 17: 6. That is the thought of development. We are no longer babes; it is men that God has in mind.
ABP The thought of sprinkling would suggest a limited quantity of water. The quantity of water in the wash-hand basin in John 13 would be limited, but the quality is equal to the Red Sea.
JT Quite so. It is in a basin that could be carried around; a portable one; that is, love is seen in it more than the Red Sea. It is power in the Red Sea.
Ques Had you in mind to refer back to chapter 33 before we close?
JT Yes; just to the word at the end. “And as for thee, son of man, the children of thy people keep talking of thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from Jehovah. And they come unto thee as a people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they do them not; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their dishonest gain. And behold, thou art unto them as a lovely song, a pleasant voice, and one that playeth well on an instrument; and they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass (behold, it will come), then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them” (Ezekiel 33:30 - 33). I thought we might have these verses [p. 161] before us in closing; how we may sit and listen to what is of God and yet be unaffected by it. It is that kind of thing that these verses refer to, and they often apply at our meetings.
JHE It would be like the Lord saying to Israel, “We have piped to you, and ye have not danced”, Matthew 11: 17.
AR After a meeting like this there should be a change in us.
JT That is the way it should affect us; not simply to say, It was a good meeting; but, What have I received in my soul, and am I moving in relation to it?
Rem The prophet evidently discerned that the people were in this state and he prophesied accordingly.
JT Quite so; God saw they were in that state. He took account of the prophet, too; for it was a word for the prophet, to comfort him, I suppose.