14:1 Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me, and a
sat before me.
(a) He shows the hypocrisy of the idolaters, who will
pretend to hear the prophets of God, though in their
hearts they follow nothing less than their admonitions
and also how by one means or another God discovers
them.
14:3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their b
heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before
their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
(b) They are not only idolaters in heart, but also worship
their filthy idols openly which lead them in blindness,
and cause them to stumble, so that he will not hear
them when they call to him. )See Geneva "Isa 1:15")
14:4 Therefore speak to them, and say to them, Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up
his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of
his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the c
prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according
to the multitude d of his idols;
(c) To inquire of things which the Lord has appointed to
come to pass.
(d) As his abomination has deserved: that is, he will be
led with lies according as he delighted in it,
(2Th 2:10).
14:5 That e I may take the house of Israel in their own heart,
because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
(e) That is, convince them by their own conscience.
14:9 And if the prophet be f deceived when he hath spoken a
thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will
stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the
midst of my people Israel.
(f) The prophet declares that God for man's ingratitude
raises up false prophets to seduce them that delight in
lies rather than in the truth of God, and thus he
punishes sin with sin, (1Ki 22:20,22) and destroys
those prophets as well as the people.
14:11 That the house of g Israel may no more go astray from
me, neither be polluted any more with all their
transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may
be their God, saith the Lord GOD.
(g) Thus God's judgments against the wicked are
admonitions to the godly to cleave to the Lord and not
to defile themselves with the same abominations.
14:13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by
trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out my hand
upon it, h and will break the staff of its bread, and
will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast
from it:
14:14 Though these three men, i Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in
it, they should deliver their own souls only by their
k righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.
(i) Though Noah and Job were now alive, which in their
time were most godly men (for at this time Daniel was
in captivity with Ezekiel) and so these three together
would pray for this wicked people, yet I would not
hear them, read (Jer 15:1).
(k) Meaning, that a very few (which he calls the remnant,
(Eze 14:22)) would escape these plagues, whom God
has sanctified and made righteous, so that this
righteousness is a sign that they are the Church of
God, whom he would preserve for his own sake.
14:22 Yet, behold, in it shall be left a l remnant that shall
be brought forth, [both] sons and daughters: behold, they
shall come forth to you, and ye shall see their way and
their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the
evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, [even] concerning
all that I have brought upon it.
