Page 82 - NOTES ON EZEKIEL

76 NOTES ON EZEKIEL.

Alas! that repentance awaits a later day; but it will
surely come, and Jerusalem long faithless will have her
heart bowed before the incomparable faithfulness of
Jehovah revealing Himself to her in Jesus whom she
slew. That will be at the end of this age, when the
predicted reversal of captivity is accomplished by grace.
“ And I will bring back again their captivity, the cap­
tivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity
< *f Samaria and her daughters, and the captivity of thy
captives in the midst of them, in order that thou mayest
bear thine own shame and mayest be confounded in all
that thou hast done when thou art a comfort to them.
And thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return
to their former estate; and Samaria and her daughters
shall return to their former estate; and thou and thy
daughters shall return to thy former estate. And thy
sister Sodom was not a report in thy mouth in the day
of thy pride, before thy wickedness was revealed, as at
the time of the reproach of the daughters of Aram
[or Syria] and all round about her, the daughters of the
Philistines that taunted thee round about.” (Yer.
-53—57.) It is a poor view of the prophecy to lower
it to the restoration of the Jews under Cyrus and to
that participation in their fate which the races beyond
the Dead Sea contiguous to Palestine then experienced.
A greater and worse captivity was to follow under the
fourth empire; but the reversal of their captivity awaits
the bright day which will banish all sorrow from the
earth for those who humble themselves before the
returning and reigning Nazarene.
This is made still clearer by what follows. il Thou
hast borne thyself, thy lewdness, and thy abominations,