In their setting of their threshold by my threshold
The threshold is the way of entrance into the house; when men open any other way of entrance into the house of God than he has directed, it is setting up their threshold by his: the Gospel way of entrance into the church of Christ is Christ himself, and faith in him, and a profession of it, and submission to the ordinance of baptism, ( John 10:1 John 10:7 John 10:9 ) ( Acts 2:41 ) ( Acts 9:18 Acts 9:26 ) but when men make carnal descent, religious education, mere morality and civility, the way of entrance into church communion; this is opposite to God's way, and is resented by him; this shall not be hereafter: and their post by my post;
which is done when the ordinances of men are substituted in the room of the ordinances of God, or set upon a level with them; when the ordinances of God are changed and altered, or that brought into his worship which he has not commanded; and the commandments of men are taught for the doctrines of God: so the Pharisees set up the traditions of the elders as equal to the written word, and, made it of no effect by them; as the Papists do, by setting up their traditions, under the name of the traditions of the apostles, and of the church, upon a level with the Scriptures; and the same is done when men set up their own doctrines, concerning the Persons in the Godhead, concerning the power and purity of human nature, and the way of redemption; and oppose their own works to the grace of God, in justification, pardon, and salvation; the allusion is to the setting up of altars and idols in the house of the Lord, by his altar, ( 2 Kings 21:4 2 Kings 21:7 ) : and the wall between me and them;
that these sins and abominable practices were a wall of separation between God and them, and caused him to hide himself from them, withdraw his presence, and deny them communion with him, ( Isaiah 49:2 ) , some render it, "for" or "so that there was but a wall between me and them" F19; so near were their thresholds, posts, and altars, to his: they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they
have committed:
by their false doctrines, idolatrous worship, and immoral lives; such abominations as before mentioned: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger;
as the Jews are now, and all the antichristian states will be.