Ezekiel 13:18 And say, Thus said the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes… The people of the East are generally indolent and voluptuous. The art which they most study is the art of making themselves comfortable. Enter an Eastern divan, or the saloon of the more aristocratic mansions, and you will be struck with the ingenuity and expense with which provision is made for bodily ease and sensual enjoyment. Odours and perfumes of sweetest fragrance are diffused through the room; fountains or vases of coldest water help to cool the heated air of the tropics. The sides and corners of the room are cushioned all round, whilst movable cushions of every form and size, richly embroidered and ornamented, are spread on the couches and chairs, and even on the carpet. When this love of ease and luxury was carried to excess, cushions were provided not only for the head and shoulders and back, but for the arms and for every joint, that every part of the body might lie softly and feel comfortable. The words of our text might be rendered "pillows for all arm joints" — including the armholes, the elbows, and wrists. And their use is significant of the greatest ease and luxury. Some suppose that Ezekiel refers to the abandoned women whose vile and detestable ways are graphically described in the Book of Proverbs (chaps. 6, 7). These interpret the words of the prophet almost literally; they regard these "pillows and kerchiefs" as literal pillows and kerchiefs with which they furnished their chambers and decked their persons to allure souls into their snares, and ruin them. They represent these women as of the class who, for a pittance of remuneration, sell themselves to the lowest vice. But whilst, no doubt, some were of this dissolute character, I do not think that the passage is to be interpreted literally; I believe it is best interpreted figuratively. The meaning is almost identical with the "wall of untempered mortar." The prophets predicted safety when there was none. The prophetesses predicted ease, prosperity, and luxury when there should be none. They did, as it were, sew beautifully soft pillows and cushions, to put under every limb and joint of the sleepers, to make their repose more undisturbed and their sleep more profound; and, singing their lullaby o'er the lethargic people, they said, — "Peace, peace, when there was no peace." Therefore, saith God, — "Woe to the women who sew pillows to all armholes." We may vary the figure a little, to adapt it to modern times and this Western region. Activity and motion characterise our times and country. Let us, then, change the figure, and adapt it to our customs. We do not lounge in luxurious divans and voluptuous saloons: we are in the hurry of business, bustling hither and thither. A large proportion of the people are always on the roads and thoroughfares of the land. And what an accommodation to us are these ever-multiplying railways, linking together not only the larger towns, but even the populous villages, into a network of iron roads. And what a comfort, to those who can afford it, are our first-class carriages, with their softly cushioned seats, their resting plates for the arms, and "pillows for all armholes." One could almost sleep there as in his own bed, and travel hundreds of miles without seeing the inside of a house. Now, all this is very well, when one can afford it, and the place of destination is such as you desire. But supposing you were allured and enticed into such a conveyance by fair speeches and flattering promises; supposing it were made so comfortable on purpose to allay your fears and deceive you as to the probable end of your journey, — would all this comfort satisfy you, were you apprised by some kind angel that you were in that easy, smooth fashion to be conveyed to a lunatic asylum or a prison, to end your days amongst madmen or felons, or to be launched headlong over a steep precipice to sudden destruction? I trow not. No; you would one and all start up, and indignantly seek to be set down, if possible; feeling that for such an end, the ease of the conveyance and the smoothness of the path were no compensation whatever. "Ah yes," I think I hear someone say, — "yes, I see; you mean the rich sinners, who fare sumptuously every day, — who never know what it is to want a luxury or a comfort, — who have little work and much pay, — who spend on an article of fancy more than would keep a poor family for twelve months, — who can commit great and many sins, and cover them over with gold and silver, so that they shall never be mentioned, — who pacify conscience with wine or alms, and appease society by their high social standing." No! I rather mean you than them. Those you have mentioned may be included in the list; but so, in all probability, are you. Of course you may be startled, you may be offended when I say so, — mean you. The rich sinner may have his pillow, — you have yours. There is no more common pillow for sinful and fatal lethargy than the one you are sleeping on, which has this inscription: "It is not I." "I am not the person meant; it is the rich man; it is the hypocrite; it is my neighbour; anybody but me." In other words, thousands are continuing in their sins and vicious career, because they never apply the warnings and descriptions of God's Word and servants to themselves. Tell them, "Except ye repent and be converted, ye shall all perish," they say, "It does not mean me; I have nothing to repent of, or if ever I had, I have long ago repented; it must be some other sinner." You will now see what I mean by the use of pillows, after a figurative sense. I mean the various devices and delusions by which sinning is rendered easy, and the way to perdition made smooth. So common are these pillows, that it is rare indeed for any person to be without one of some kind, and many have more than one. I have already described one. A second is a misappropriation of heavenly material to earthly and wicked purposes. It is made from a perversion of the eternal decrees of God, and mistaken notions of Divine sovereignty. This is a pillow on which many a sinner has slept soundly and fatally. The cushion has two sides: on the one side is Election, and on the other is Reprobation. And nosy they lie on one side, and now on the other, and all your preaching and warning cannot rouse them. Where shall we look for a third pillow? There is the pillow of Procrastination. I speak of this in general; no pillow is more frequently used, more comfortable to lie upon, and sin upon, than this: "I admit the Bible is true, the minister is right; I am a sinner; Christ is a Saviour; I am a dying man; I must stand before the judgment seat of God; I must go to heaven or hell, according to my faith and character here. But then, the trump is not yet to be sounded; I am not expecting to die at present; I hope to live a good while longer; I should like to enjoy the pleasures of life as long as possible, and at some more convenient season I will repent; I will seek Jesus as my Saviour, and I hope through Him to die happily, and ultimately reach heaven." But what if your sleep become heavier and deeper every day, so that the voice of warning or mercy no longer can reach your heart, and you perish in your sins? A fourth pillow is the hope of escaping detection. "No eye saw me; it will never be known." This is a most wretched, yet common delusion, Sin will out. You cannot long tamper with the intoxicating cup, and not give evidence of intemperance. You cannot long prove unfaithful to your marriage vows, and not be looked down upon as a base and abandoned man. You cannot long embezzle the money entrusted to your care and rob your master, but soon suspicion will be excited, and proof sufficient to convict you transpire. You cannot long live inconsistently with your Christian profession as a member of Christ's Church and keep up the semblance of godliness, but soon some act of dishonesty or immorality will declare that you are but a whited sepulchre and a vile hypocrite. Or if you do escape the detection and chastisement of your fellowmen, you cannot escape from the omniscience of God, who will judge everyone according to the deeds done in the body. (R. Bruce, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you? |
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