Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 16 · Verse 50
VERS. 50.
And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me, therefore I tooke them away as I ſaw good.
HEre he goeth on in numbring Sodoms ſinnes, and ſhew…ng Sodoms end; they ſin'd againſt God, and he tooke them away for their ſinnes.
They were haughty.
The Sept. foreign they gloryed; ſin they did grievovſly, and gloryed in their ſinnes. Mont: they are lifted up. Some Expoſitors read it participially thus; exalting themſelves, they committed abhominations.
In the former verſe was ſpoken of pride, and therefore I ſhall ſay nothing of haughtineſſe, it being ſo neare of kinne to pride, if not the ſame.
Committed abomination.
By abhomination we may underſtand that ſinne which is denominated from that place, viz. Sodomie, unnaturall luſts, filthy uncleanneſſe; for they being proud and haughty, exceſſive in eating and drinking, abounding in idleneſſe, neglective of the poore and needy, how could it be that they ſhould be chaſt? no, they were uncleane, and abhominable uncleane, according to that you read, Rom. 2.27. The men leaving the naturall uſe of the woman, burned in their luſt one towards another, men with men, working that which is unſeemely. When the Angels came to Lot, Gen. 19. the Sodomites thinking they were men, both old and young: And all the people from every quarter compaſſed his houſe, and ſaid, bring out the men that came unto thee, that we may know them, verſ. 4, 5.
This lying with the Male an unnaturall ſin, we firſt finde practis'd by theſe Sodomites, who as Jude ſaith, gave themſelves over to fornication, and went after ſtrange, or other fleſh: the women did not content them, but they burnt in their luſts men towards men, and committed abhomination one with another; it was other fleſh then God appointed for generation: Man and Wife are one fleſh; but man and man, woman and woman can never be ſo.
Before me.
That is, publiquely, at noon-tide, in the ſight of all, ſuitable to what you find in Iſa. 3.9. They declare their ſinne as Sodome, they hide it not. Lawfull acts of this nature ſhould be in ſecret; but they did unlawfull acts againſt the light of nature, and that openly. Zeph. 3.5. The unjuſt knoweth no ſhame. Such were theſe Sodomites.
Their ſinne is ſet out emphatically, in Gen. 13.13. The men of Sodome were wicked, and ſinners before the Lord exceedingly.
1. They were wicked, and intenſively wicked, which the words wicked and ſinners import; for the ſpirit ſaith not only they are wicked, but wicked and ſinners.
2. Sinners before the Lord; they ſin'd impudently, openly, and as in the preſence of God, himſelfe looking on: and they were ſinners againſt the Lord, as ſome doe read the words; that is, they ſinn'd with a high hand. 1 Sam. 2.25. If a man ſinne againſt the Lord, who ſhall intreate for him? They are heynous ſinnes, and theſe Sodomites ſin'd againſt conſcience, common equity, and light of nature.
3. Exceedingly; they were not ſeldome or little in ſinning, but frequent, and much, and their ſins of a tranſcendent nature: As Nimrod was a mighty hunter before God, ſo theſe were mighty ſinners before him, none equall to them then on the earth.
I tooke them away.
Heb. is, foreign removere feci, I cauſed them to be removed: what this removing or taking away was, you may ſee, Gen. 19.24, 25. The Lord rained upon Sodome and upon Gomorrah brimſtone and fire from the Lord out of heaven: And he overthrew thoſe Cities, and all the Plaine, and all the inhabitants of the Cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
Here is one of the moſt dreadfull judgements, if not the dreadfulleſt of all that we find in the booke of God, executed upon ſinners. The Lord from himſelfe immediately, miraculouſly, ſuddenly ſends a rain from heaven, of fire and brimſtone, which was dreadfull to the fight, to the ſmell, but worſt of all to feele: and they having been helliſh in ſinning, are made helliſh in ſuffering; for fire and brimſtone is the puniſhment of hell. Rev. 19.20.20.10. Jude tels us, they ſuffered the vengeance of eternall fire, verſ. 7. They paſſed through a temporall, or temporary fire, to an eternall fire: and Peter ſaith, They were condemned, 2 Epiſt. 2.6. God turning the Citties of Sodome and Gomorrah into aſhes, condemned them with an overthrow, he condemned them here, and to eternity. And the Prophet Jeremiah, when hee was in a curſing veine, curſes the man brought tidings of his birth, thus; Let that man be in the Cities which the Lord overthrew, & repented not, Jer. 20.16. The Prophet judged them accurſed, and ſo ſeparate from God for ever, they repented not of their ſinne, for Sodome was overthrowne in a moment. Lam. 4.6. Neither did God repent of what he had done, and therefore no reconciliation could be between them, but they periſhed utterly. Not only were the men conſum'd in this judgement, their houſes and buildings turn'd to aſhes, their Cattle, Corne, and what ever grew upon the ground: but even the ground it ſelfe is under a curſe ſtill, being lacus aſphaltites, or mare mortuum, nouriſhing no living creature, and ſo extreamely ſalt, that it beares up whatever is thrown thereinto, and bird… that flye over fall downe into it, being ſuffocated wiith the poyſonous vapours which riſe from it: ſo that now this Plaine which was a fruitful valley, and as Paradiſe, is become through the peoples ſins, and juſt judgement of God, a filthy and ſulphurous and poyſonous Lake.
As I ſaw good.
Some read it, as thou haſt ſeen. The men of Jeruſalem from the Turrets of the Temple, their proſpects in Sion and Jeruſalem, could ſee this lake, and the hand of God upon the Sodomites therein, and therefore ſaith, as thou haſt ſeen: and ſo Jerome, ſicut vidiſti. But the Hebrew is, foreign as I have ſeene. Gen. 18.21. The Lord went downe to ſee whether Sodome had done according to the cry of it. The crie of her ſinnes was great and grievous, and the Lord finding it ſo, he did as he ſaw good, and cauſe, he dealt with it as you have heard.
Obſer. 1.
The Lord remembers the iniquities of people long after they are committed, yea after they are dead and gone. Sodoms ſinnes were not forgotten, though they had ſin'd them many hundreds of yeares before; no veſtigiaes left of them or their Cities.
Behold, this was the iniquitie of thy ſiſter Sodome, pride, &c.
God remembred the provocation of him by the Jewes at the Red Sea, in Davids days, which was long before. Pſalm. 106.7. The Calfe they made at Horeb, verſ. 19. Their idolatry, fornication and murmuring were freſh in Gods thoughts, in Pauls dayes, 1 Cor. 10.7, 8, 10. Balaam's, Sodoms, the old worlds, the Angels were minded by God, and mentioned by his ſpirit in Peters dayes, 2 Pet. 2.15.6.5.4. The Angels had ſin'd 4000. yeares before, and above, yet was not their ſin forgotten. 1 Sam. 15.2. I remember ſaith the Lord of hoſts, what Amalecke did to Iſrael, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Aegypt. This was 400. yeares before: It was twice 14. generations from David to CHRIST, and yet there is a gentle touch upon Davids ſinnes, Matth. 1.6.17. God hath a firme and tenacious memory, it lets nothing ſlip which once it receives: you ſee ſinfull acts of men in States are kept upon the file, and on record, and many hundreds of yeares after are brought forth. God keeps the ſins of Cities, Kingdomes, Princes and people in his book of remembrance, which ſhould leſſon us to take heed what we doe. Men do not more eaſily ſinne, then forget their ſins, but God doth not ſo eaſily or quickly forget them. Job 13.26. Thou makeſt me poſſeſſe the iniquities of my youth. Pſalm. 25.7. Remember not the ſinnes of my youth.
2. Plenty is the Parent of ſinne, yea many ſins. Sodome as hath been ſhewne, was ſcituate in a Plain very fruitfull and delightfull, as appears, Gen. 13.10. It had abundance, and what was the effect thereof, pride, fulneſſe of bread, idleneſſe, unmercifulneſſe, haughtineſſe and uncleanneſſe. Deut 32.15. Jeſurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxed fat, grown thick, thou art covered with fatneſſe; then hee forſooke God which made him, and lightly eſteemed the rocke of his ſalvation.
When Iſrael grew rich, had plenty of all things about her, then ſhe became like a fatted Oxe that kickes at the owner, and cares for none. 1 Sam. 2.29. Wherefore kicke yee at my ſacrifice, and at mine offering. They ſlighted the ſacrifices and offerings of God, and in ſo doing, they ſlighted, they kicked at God. Nehem. 9.25, 26. When God had brought them into Canaan, they tooke ſtrong Cities, a fat land, poſſeſſed houſes full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards and olive-yards, and fruit-trees in aboundance: ſo they did eate and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themſelves in thy goodneſſe. Nevertheleſſe they rebelled, and were diſobedient againſt thee, and caſt thy law behind their backes, and ſlew thy Prophets which teſtified againſt them, to turne them to thee, and they wrought great provocation.
Solomon when he abounded moſt with Gods bleſſings, then he loved ſtrange women, multipyed Wives and Concubines, and fell to idolatrrie, as you may ſee from 1 King. 10. & 11. Chap. Jer. 5.27, 28. They are become great, waxen rich, they are waxen fat, they ſhine, they overpaſſe the deeds of the wicked: They went beyond the very heathen in wickedneſſe, Ezek. 5.6, 7. Jeruſalem here in this Chapter, the metaphoricall woman, for whom God had done ſo much, and upon whom he had beſtowed broidered work, skins of Tachaſch, finelinnen, ſilke, ornaments, bracelets, chaines, jewels, rings, a Crowne, gold, ſilver, fine flower, honey, oyle, ſhee playes the harlot, abuſes thoſe choiſe bleſſings and abundance ſhe had, to idolatry: ſhee ſacrificed her children to Idols, and walked in ſuch lewd wayes, that the daughters of the Philiſtims were aſhamed of her, verſ. 27. Dives was wealthy, and as wicked as wealthy. Jam. 5. the rich men that had plenty of all things, with-held the labourers hire that reaped downe their fields: they liv'd in pleaſure, were wanton, condemned the juſt.
Plenty is dangerous, yet all men labour to be rich, and have much about them: mens tables & eſtates prove ſnares. The bag catch'd Judas; and many in proſperity have fallen who ſtood in the dayes of adverſity.
3. The Lord gives outward bleſſings, not only to Saints but to ſinners, yea to great and notorious ſinners; even the Sodomites that were wicked, and ſinners before God exceedingly, had bread, and abundance thereof; that is, of all outward bleſſings, edible and potable; they had variety and likewiſe other things plentifully.
Matth. 5.45. He maketh his ſunne to riſe on the evill and on the good, and ſendeth raine on the juſt and the unjuſt. Not onelyonly Abraham and Lot had the ſunne and raine, who were righteous perſons: but Sodomites, who exceeded all ſinners then in the world, had the ſunne ſhining upon them, Gen. 19.23.
Other Nations had the dewes of heaven, and fatneſſe of the earth as well as the Jewes, Gods own people. The Canaanites & others had that pleaſant land which flowed wi…h milke and honey before they had it: and they were ſo wicked that the Land could bear them no longer, but even ſpew…d them out, Levit. 18.28.
Antiochus a vile perſon had the Kingdome, Daniel 11.21. So Ahab that ſold himſelfe to worke wickedneſſe in the ſight of the Lord, 1 King. 21.25. he was a King in Iſrael.
The whore of Babylon was arrayed in purple, decked with gold, precious ſtones, and pearls: and when Jeruſalem here was grown worſe then the Nations round about her, yet then ſhe had the bleſſings of God in great ſtore: ſo that all things come alike to all, and no man knoweth love or hatred by all that is before them, Eccleſ. 9.1, 2.
If any man ſhould conclude himſelf a good man, belov'd of God, becauſe he gives him many bleſſings, much of the creature; then may it be ſaid, the Sodomites were good men, for they had plenty: If any ſhould ſay he is an evill man becauſe he wants theſe, then Lazarus, the Apoſtles, Chriſt himſelfe ſhould be ſo, becauſe they had little or nothing. God gives his outward bleſſings promiſcuouſly to good and bad, that men may ſee he is impartiall in his outward diſpenſations, that good men uſing them well, and honouring him therewith, might encreaſe their comforts and rewards; that evill men abuſing them to the ſervice of their luſts, and diſhonour of their giver, might have the deeper condemnation.
4. Cities commonly are guilty of great ſins; Sodome was a Citie, 2 Pet. 2.6. the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrha: and there were two more which you have ſpecified in Deut. 29.23. together with the other, Sodome and Gomorrha, Adma and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath; theſe foure Cities periſhed together, and they were full of crying ſins, pride, gluttony, idleneſſe, inhumanity, uncleanneſſe, and the like, theſe ſins runne through them all. Jude 7. Sodome and Gomorrah, and the Cities about them, they gave themſelves to fornication, and went after ſtrange fleſh.
There were high places and Idols in the Cities of Samaria, 1 Kings 13.32. Iſa. 10.10. Hoſ. 8.5. The woman of one of the Cities of Samaria that talk'd with Chriſt, John 4. was very bitter, lived in uncleanneſſe, and worſhipped ſhee knew not what.
Babylon was full of cruelty and pride, Jer. 50. the bloody Citie, Ezek. 20.6. Niniveh ſo abounded with ſin in Jona's dayes, that had they not repented, deſtruction had beene upon them, ſee Nahum 3.13. Jeruſalem had violence and ſtrife in it, Pſal. 55.9, 10, 11. Miſchiefe, ſorrow, and wickedneſſe are in the middeſt thereof, deceit and guile depart not from her ſtreets. Zeph. 3.1, 2, 3, 4. ſhe is cal'd the filthy, polluted, oppreſſing Citie: her Princes were roaring Lyons, her Judges evening Wolves, her Prophets light and treacherous perſons, her Prieſts polluted the Sanctuary, and did violence to the Lord. Ezek. 8. you may read what horrible abominations were in the Temple and Citie. Lam. 4.13. her Prophets and her Prieſts ſhedde the blood of the juſt in the middeſt of her.
5. Sinners in time come to a height and impudency of ſinning, they committed abominations before mee. Nothing reſtrained them, not conſcience, light of nature ſhame amongſt men, fear of puniſhment, ſpectacles of death, but they goe on and ſinne in the ſight and preſence of God. Iſa. 66.4. They did evill before mine eyes, even in the Temple. Where God dwelt, they ſin'd, ſet up Idols, and worſhipped them: to what a height of ſinning did Manaſſes come, and the Jewes in his dayes, they did that was evill in Gods fight, and provoked him to anger, 2 King. 21.15. in tract of time ſinners become ſtout, and will conteſt, Mal. 3.13. Your words have been ſtout againſt me, yet yee ſay what have wee ſpoken ſo much againſt thee? yee have ſayd it's in vaine to ſerve God, &c.
6. When God brings terrible judgements upon Kingdomes, perſons, he ſeeth cauſe for it, therefore I tooke them away as I ſaw good.
I ſaw what ſinners they were, I came down from heaven, examined the cry of their ſins, and ſaw ſufficient cauſe to make me ſtretch out my hand, and raine downe fire and brimſtone upon them. When God drown'd the old world, confounded their language, made the earth to ſwallow up Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, when he ſent fiery Serpents amongſt them, famines, plagues, warres, captivity, hee ſaw cauſe for all theſe.
There is never any publique or private judgement befalls States, Cities, or perſons, but the Lord hath great and juſt cauſe to doe ſo: if there were no ſin, there would be no puniſhment. Lam. 3.39. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the puniſhment of his ſinnes.
7. We ought to take notice of Gods judgments upon ſinfull places, and to beware of their ſins; God doth therefore tel us in his holy word what he hath done to Sodom & other places for that end. This judgment upon Sodome is oft mentioned, Gen. 13.10. Iſa. 1.9. Lam. 4.6. Luke 17.29. Rom. 9.29. 2 Pet. 2.6. Jude 7. And here alſo when God threatens to Puniſh ſinful perſons and places ſeverely, hee tels them they ſhall be made like Sodome, as in Deut. 29.23. Iſa. 13.19. Jer. 49.18.50.40. Zeph. 2.9. and in Amos 4.11. he ſaith, he had overthrowne ſome of them as he overthrew Sodom. In 13. places this ſore judgement is mentioned, that ſo we might frequently meete with it, minde it, and abhorre the ſinnes brought it upon them: If the ſinnes of Sodome be found in Cities, pride, fulneſſe of bread, abundance of idleneſſe, unmercifulneſſe to the poore, uncleanneſſe, they ſhall have Sodomes judgement, or ſome aequivalent. It may be we are free from Sodomes ſins, and I would we were: but are we not guilty of worſe? I feare we are: If wee receive not the Goſpel in the power of it, as Capernaum did not, Chriſt tels you it ſhall be eaſier for Sodome and Gomorrha in the day, &c. Matth. 11.