Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 16 · Verses 1-5
1. Againe the word of Lord came unto me ſaying.
2. Sonne of man, cauſe Jeruſalem to know her abhominations.
3. And ſay, thus ſaith the Lord God unto Jeruſalem, thy birth, and thy nativitie is of the Land of Canaan, thy Father was an Amorite, and thy Mother an Hittite.
4. And as for thy Nativity, in the day thou waſt borne, thy Navell was not cut, neither waſt thou waſhed in water to ſupple thee, thou waſt not ſalted at all, nor ſwadled at all.
5. None eye pittied thee, to do any of theſe things unto thee, to have compaſſion upon thee, but thou waſt caſt out in the open field, to the loathing of thy perſon, in the day that thou waſt borne.
WE are now come to the longeſt Chapter in the whole Propheſie, and it is againſt the Jewes who were at Jeruſalem.
The parts of it are theſe,
1. The principall ſcope of the Chapter laid downe in the ſecond verſe.
2. The naturall ſtate of the Jewes repreſented under a parable of an infant left and neglected of all; from the 2. verſe to the 6.
3. A comemmoration of Gods dealing with them, from the 6. to the 15.
4. An exprobration of their great ingratitude in running out from God, and ſinning above other Nations, from the 15. to the 35.
5. A Commination of grievous judgements, from the 35. to the 60. wherein alſo the aggravation of their ſinnes are laid downe.
6. A promiſe of merciemercy to reſtore and eſtabliſh them, from the 60. to the end.
Verſ. 1. Againe the word of the Lord came unto mee ſaying.
Theſe words are frequent, they ſhew whence he had what he ſpake, and with what authority he ſpake, viz. divine authority, and ſerve for attention to provoke the ſons of men, to heed what the Prophet delivered.
Verſ. 2. Cauſe Jeruſalem to know her abhominations.
By Jeruſalem, he meanes the men of Jeruſalem, and by abhominations, thoſe ſins of Idolatrie, adulterie, injuſtice, &c. which were abhominable.
The Prophet being in Babylon, how could he cauſe Jeruſalem to know her abominations, his voice would not reach thither?
He might by Letters ſend to Jeruſalem, to Jeremiah or ſome of the faithfull, to make known what a meſſage, what a Propheſie he had received from the Lord.
Or elſe, he might give it out in Babylon, where were ſome that would quickly carrie, or ſend tydings thereof unto Jeruſalem.
Obſer. 1. That a People may be guiltie of abhominations, and not know nor acknowledge them, Jeruſalem was ſo, and did not know nor acknowledge it, Cauſe Jeruſalem to know her abhominations. Amos 3.10. They know not to doe right.
When men know not what is right, how can they know what is wrong?
They ſtor'd up violence and robberie in their pallaces, they got wealth by injuſtice, oppreſſion, laid it up, and thought it well gotten.
They know not God. Jer. 9.3. They proceed from evill to evill, and know not me ſaith the Lord, when People know not God, they doe evill after evill, and know not that they doe evill; They know not the way of the Lord, Jer. 5.4. Therefore their owne wayes ſeeme good in their eyes, Joh. 16.2. The time commeth, that whoſoever killeth you, will thinke he doth God Service: when men ſhall murther the Saints of Chriſt, (a crying ſinne, a great abhomination) they will be ſo far from knowing or acknowledging it, that they will juſtifie the fact, in Iſai. 5.20. you may reade what the Jewes ſaid of evill, they cal'd Evill good and good, evill, they put darkeneſſe for light, and light for darkneſſe, they put bitter for ſweet, and ſweet for bitter: they ſet up Idols, worſhip'd the Queene of Heaven, oppreſſed in the Gates, fil'd the Land with bloodie crimes, and yet juſtified themſelves, Jer. 7.9. Will ye ſteale murther, commit adulterie, ſweare falſly, burne incenſe unto Baal, and walke after other Gods, whom ye know not, and come and ſtand before me in this houſe, and ſay we are delivered? we are in no danger, whatever is threatned; they were blinded: and as they knew not their abhominations, ſo they acknowledged them not. Hoſ. 5.15. I will goe and returne to my place till they acknowledge their offence; if they did know their doing to be evill, yet they did not acknowledge them to be ſuch evils as in truth they were; they did not profeſſe themſelves to be guilty, the Lord therefore puts them upon it, Jer. 3.13. Only acknowledge thine iniquitie, that thou haſt tranſgreſſed againſt the Lord thy God: lay it to heart and confeſſe it.
2. Note there is an unwillingneſſe, an averſeneſſe in ſinners to heare of their ſinnes, Cauſe Jeruſalem to know her abhominations, ſhe is againſt it, but make her to know them, Jer. 44.16. Wee will not hearken unto thee; thou telleſt us of ſinning, and judgement for ſins, but ſay what thou wilt, Wee will not hearken, Zech. 7.11.12. They refuſed to hearken, and pul'd away the ſhoulder, and ſtopped their eares, that they ſhould not heare, yea they made their hearts as an Adamant ſtone, leaſt they ſhould heare the Law, and the words which the Lord hath ſent in his ſpirit by the former Prophets, what averſeneſſe was here in this people, to heare of their ſinnes or dutie, 2 Chron. 36.16. They mocked the Meſſengers of God, deſpiſed his words, and miſuſed his Prophets, they were not only unwilling to heare of their ſinnes, but wilfully add to the heape of their ſinnes, they mock, deſpiſe, miſuſe the Prophets, that told them of their mocking, deſpiſing, miſuſing: when Stephen told them of their practiſes, Acts 7.51.52. what followed upon it, They were cut to the heart, they gnaſhed upon him with their teeth, they cryed with a loud voice, they ſtopped their eares, and ranne upon him with one accord, caſt him out of the Citie and ſtoned him. 54, 57, 58. verſes: ſo when Chriſt told them of their ſinnes, they derided him, Luk. 16.14. told him he had A Devill, Joh. 8.48. they Were fild with wrath, thruſt him out of the Citie, led him to the brow of an Hill, that they might caſt him downe headlong, Luke 4.28, 29. And not only wicked men are unwilling to heare of their ſinnes, but even good men alſo; when God reproved Jonah, Doeſt thou well to be angrie, his reply was, I doe well to be angrie? even to death: he thought God did evill in reproving him, that he had more cauſe to be angrie than God had to chide him for his anger: when Hanani the Seer came to Aſa the King (who was a godly King, and told him he had done fooliſhly in relying upon the King of Aſſyria, and not upon the Lord, and that therefore he ſhould have wars; Then Aſa was wrath with the Seer, and put him in a priſon Houſe, for he was in a rage with him becauſe of this thing: Paul was become the Galathians enemie, becauſe he told them the truth, he told them of their ſinnes; good men doe not eaſily indure to heare of their faults, and this is that diſcourages friends from telling them what they heare, obſerve and know, and ſo through feare they become unfaithfull.
3. What God commands the Prophets and Miniſters to doe, it matters not how it is taken by the People, they are to doe it.
Here God commands Ezekiel to cauſe the People to know the abhominations, it was not for him to excuſe himſelf from this ſervice, to object againſt it, to ſay they will mock me, deſpiſe me, miſuſe me, hate me, ſeeke my hurt, ruine me, God commanded, and it was his duty to doe it, carefully, conſcientiouſly, and faithfully, he muſt make known their ſinnes to the world, to themſelves, let the event be what it will, Iſai. 58.1. Cry aloud, ſpare not, lift up thy voice like a Trumpet, and ſhew my people their tranſgreſſions, and the Houſe of Jacob their ſinnes: the Prophet muſt not whiſper, but crye, and that aloud, it matters not who heares, he muſt lift up his voice like a Trumpet: when men blow Trumpets, they doe it with all their ſtrength, and the ſound of it goeth farr; ſo muſt the Prophets with extention of their voice, utter the ſinnes of the people, and ſhew them their tranſgreſſions, they muſt repreſent them fully, and livelilie before their eyes, and to their eares; this they muſt doe,
1. That others may take warning, and not doe as they have done, 1. Tim. 5.20. Them that ſinne, rebuke before all, them that ſinne openly, muſt be rebuked open y.
And why?
That others alſo may feare.
2. That they may bring the Parties to repentance, Jer. 23.22. If they had ſtood in my counſell, and had cauſed my people to heare my words, then they ſhould have turned them from their evill way, and from the evill of their doings.
How ſhall ſinners come to repentance, if they heare not of their ſinnes, if they be not convinced of the ſinfulneſſe of them, by the Prophets and Miniſters of God? This was the fault of the falſe Prophets, they hid their ſinnes from them, but the faithful ones muſt tell them of them.
3. That they may deliver their owne ſoules, Ezek. 33.8, 9. When I ſay to the wicked, O wicked man! thou ſhalt ſurely dye, if thou doeſt not ſpeak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man ſhall dye in his iniquitie, but his bloud will I require at thy hand; Nevertheleſſe if thou warne the wicked to turne from his way, if he turne not, he ſhall dye in his iniquitie, but thou haſt delivered thy ſoule.
Obſer. 4. The ſinnes of People are abhominations in Gods account, he cals the ſinnes of Jeruſalem abhominations, what his ſoule loathed and abhord, Pſal. 14.1. They have done abhominable wokrs Pſ. 53.1. They have done abhominable iniquitie ſins are works, but works of iniquitie, abhominable works, & abhominable iniquitie, now Pſ. 5.5. it is ſaid of God, thou hateſt al workers of iniquitie, if Gods hatred be againſt the workers of iniquity, how great is it againſt iniquity it ſelf? if a man hate a poyſonous creature, he hates poyſon much more, the ſtrength of Gods hatred is againſt ſinne, and ſo ſhould wee hate ſinne, and hate it with ſtrength, its abomination unto God, let it be ſo unto us., Prov. 6.16, 17, 18, 19. Theſe ſix things doth the Lord hate, yea ſeaven are abhomination unto him; a proud looke, a lying tongue, hands that ſhedd innocent bloud, an heart that deviſeth wicked imaginations, feet that be ſwift in running to miſchiefe, a falſe witneſſe that ſpeaketh lyes, and him that ſoweth diſcord among Brethren.
Verſ. 3. And ſay thus ſaith the Lord God unto Jeruſalem, thy birth and thy nativitie is of the Land of Canaan.
The Jewes ſtood much upon their progenitors, and gloried in it, that they were deſcended from Abraham: but they were ſo degenerated at this time, that the Lord ſends the Prophet to upbraid them, and tell them, that their birth and nativity was rather of the Cananites, Amorites, and Hittites, than of Abraham, your wayes and doings are ſuch, that you ſeeme rather to be the ſeed of any impious ſtock than of Abraham, who was ſo upright, faithfull and honourable, your works are contrary to his, they are ſuch as the Nations are, and ſo teſtifie that you are rather of them, than of him.
Thy birth,
The Hebrew is, foreign, which Montanus interprets Manſiones tuae, and the French, Ton habitation, the Sept. is, foreign thy root, ſo the Vulg. Radix tua, Jun. Piſc. Pola. have it commercia tua, thy commerce, and traffiquing in in matters of Religion is of Canaan, we have it Birth, which implyes, begining, riſe; and all theſe may ſtand, thy birth, habitation, commerce, whatever thou thinkeſt of thy ſelfe, doe all declare that thou art of Canaan, of the Amorites, and Hittites; thy worſhip and practiſes are ſuch, that if any inquire whence thou art, where thou dwelleſt, whom thou reſembleſt, they would conclude thou art of, dwelleſt among, and moſt like unto Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites:
This is truth, but ſome further thing the Prophet ſeems to aime at here, viz. their condition before the Lord tooke them to be his people, and what were they then no better then other Nations, barbarous, idolatrous, like the Canaanites, &c. and ſo the word mecorotheca may import, for ſome of the learned derive it from Cor which is to dig and cut out, Iſai. 51.1. Looke unto the Rocke, foreignwhence ye are hewen, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
Thy nativity,
Hebrew is, foreign Natales tui, thy nativities or birthdayes, its plurall; to ſignifie their deſcent of both Parents, that they were by Father and Mother of the Canaanites. They drew their pedigree from Abraham and Sarah, who were Chaldeans, Gen. 11.31. but no better than the reſt of other Nations, till God pleaſed to cull them, and diſtinguiſh them from others. Joſhua 24.2. They ſerved other Gods they and their Fathers.
Of the Land of Canaan.
Some underſtand Aegypt here the Land of Canaan, becauſe the Jewes had long liv'd in Aegypt, which is called the Land of Ham or Cham. Pſal. 105.27. but Aegypt was not Canaan, Canaan was a Countrie in Aſia, the leſſe, ſo called from Canaan the ſonne of Cham, Gen. 10.6.18.19. poſſeſſed by him and his Sonnes.
Now Canaan was curſed by Noah, Gen. 10.25. Curſed be Canaan, a ſervant of Servants ſhall he be, that is, extreame vile, and baſe: from him came the Canaanites a curſed race, they were ſo wicked, that Abraham caus'd his Servant to ſweare he would not take a wife unto his Sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites, Gen. 24.3. they were given to ſuch abhominable ſins, as that the Land vomited them out, Levit. 18.25. and when the Iſraelites came to poſſeſſe. Canaan, they were ſo hatefull to God, that he charged his People utterly to deſtroy them, Deut. 7.2. Thou ſhalt ſmite them and utterly deſtroy them, thou ſhalt make no Covenant with them, nor ſhew merciemercy unto them, Verſ. 16. Thine eye ſhall have no pittie on them, they had all abhominations amongſt them.
Thy Father was an Amorite.
The Amorites were of Canaan the Sonne of Cham, Gen. 10.15.16. and they were as wicked as the Canaanites, Gen. 15.16. The iniquitie of the Amorites is not yet full, their iniquites were very great, only God waited for the compleating thereof, before he would deſtroy them, they were great Idolaters, oppreſſors, made inceſtuous marriages, and Ahab one of the moſt wicked Kings that ever were, is compared to the Amorites, 1 Kings 21.16. He did very abhominablie in following Idols according to al things as did the Amorites whom the Lord caſt out before the children of Iſrael. They were bitter enemies unto the Iſraelites, and would not let them paſſe through their Countrie, Numb. 21.23. but fought with them; they forced the children of Dan into the mountaine, Judg. 1.34. They were a people potent, and dreadfull to the Jewes, for Amos 2.9. Its ſaid of them that Their height was like the height of Cedars, and that they were ſtrong as Oaks; they were a Giant-like people, and as they exceeded in height and ſtrengh, ſo they exceeded in wickedneſſe, and therefore God deſtroyed his fruit from above, and his root from beneath.
Thy Mother an Hittite.
foreign Cethaea; The Cethites or Hittites were of the ſame ſtock the Amorites were, viz. from Cham and Canaan, Gen. 10.15. Heth is ſaid to be the Sonne of Canaan, and from him ſprung up the Cethites or Hittites as they are cal'd, Gen. 5.20. what kind of people theſe were you may judge by profane Eſau, who tooke two wives from among the Hittites, which were a continuall griefe to Iſaac and Rebecca, Gen. 26.34, 35. yea ſuch an affliction to Rebecca that ſhe ſaid, I am weaarie of my life, becauſe of the Daughters of Heth. Chap. 27.46. they were contentious, ſtubborn, and Idolatorus, as the Greeke, Chaldie, and the Targum obſerve; and when the charge is given to the Iſraelites to deſtroy the Nations, the Hittites are mentioned firſt, Deut. 20.17.
You ſee what the Canaanites Amorites and Hittites were, exceeding wicked, and the Jewes which were at Jeruſalem were ſo degenerate that they were as if they dwelt amidſt Canaanites, and were the off-ſpring of curſed Amorites and Hittites 2 Kings 21.9. It is ſaid of them that They did more evill than the Nations whom the Lord deſtroy'd, he meanes the Canaanites, Amorites and Hittites, as appeares by what followes, verſ. 11. Manaſſes did wickedly above all that the Amorites did which were before him.
Obſer. 1. The Lord judges and pronounces otherwiſe of ſinners, then they do of themſelves; the Jewes thought themſelves better than other Nations, they cal'd them Goijm, Nations, Gentiles by way of diſgrace, they thought themſelves the holy ſeed, the children of Abraham, an honourable and bleſſed people, but God thought and pronounc'd otherwiſe, he tels them they are Canaanites, what you Abrahamites? no, you are Amorites; what you Iſraelites? you are Hittites, as bad as the worſt of Nations. They thought themſelves Children of God, in high favour with him, the true Church, whereas they were abhorred of God, and an Apoſtatiz'd Church, Rev. 2.9. They ſaid they were Jewes, when they were the Synogogue of Satan; Ephraim ſaid, in all my labours they ſhall finde none iniquitie in me that were ſinne, but God found the Ballances of deceit in his hand. Hoſea 12.7.8.
2. Men are their Children, whoſe wayes manners and example they follow; Jeruſalem imitated the Nations in their worſhip, faſhions, practiſes,Orig. Jerome Theodor. and ſhe is the Child of an Amorite, of an Hittite, and her Citizens were Amorrhaeans and Hittaeans, imitating their impietie, they contracted kindred with them, and obtained inheritance with them, as the Fathers comment on the words.
When men live according to the courſes, natures, manners of others, they are ſtiled their Sonnes, or Chidren, and they be their Fathers, Joh. 8.44. Yee are of your Father the Devill, and the luſts of your Father you will doe, he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, ſo you abide not in the truth, you ſeeke to kill me; and herein you reſemble the Devill, and he is your Father; if Abraham were your Father as you pretend, You would doe the workes of Abraham, Verſ. 39. If God were your Father, you would love me, Verſ. 42. The Father loves me, honours me, and if you were his Children you would do ſo too, but you hate me & my doctrine, lye in wait to murther me, You are of your Father the Devill: Chriſt eals the Scribes and Phariſees, foreign, a generation of Vipers, they were ſo bitter, cruel, of ſuch a bloodie and perſecuting nature.
When Elimas the Sorcerer would have hindred the converſion of Sergius Paulus, the Apoſtle told him he was The Child of the Devill, Acts 13.10. his works, wayes, were ſuch as the Devils were, and therefore the Devill was his Father: in Iſai. 57.3. God cals the Jewes, Sonnes of the Sorcereſſe, the ſeed of the Adulterer, and the Whore; becauſe they did ſuch things as Sorcereſſes, Adulterers and Whores uſe to doe; Chap. 1.10. he cals them Rulers of Sodome, and people of Gomorrah, they ſo livelily repreſented their natures and practiſes, that they ſeemed to be of them, and juſtly deſerved thoſe and titles.
Let us looke to it whoſe wayes we take up, if we imitate the world, we are Children of the world; if Rome, Babylon, we are their Children; the Church of Rome boaſts that her birth is from the Apoſtle, that Peter, Paul laid her foundation: but doth ſhe embrace their doctrine, imitate their examples? no ſhee is like the Nations for her Idolatrie, ſuperſtition, whoredome, deceit, pompe, pride, &c. therefore her Father is an Amorite, and her Mother an Hittite. We ſay wee are of Chriſt, but are we like unto Chriſt in our worſhip, lives?
3. All are not godly, which ſpring from godly Parents, Families, and have a name to be godly; the Jewes they came out of the loynes of Abraham, Iſaac, and Jacob, the beſt Families that were then in the world, they of all people were counted the holy, and godly people; but grace is not hereditary, you ſee here they were ſo wicked that God reckons them among Canaanites, Amorites, &c. they were as bad as any of the Nations, yea worſe, Ezek. 5.6. Jeruſalem hath changed my judgements into wickedneſſe, more than the Nations, and my Statutes more than the Countries that are round about her; you ſee it made good, what Paul ſaid. Rom. 9.6, 7. They are not all Iſrael, which are of Iſrael; neither becauſe they are the ſeed of Abraham, are they all Children; they were all Iſraelites and ſeed of Abraham after the fleſh, but they were not the Children of God, they were of the Land of Canaan, &c. Judge not thou from ſuch externall things, for Rom. 2.28.29. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that Circumciſion which is outward in the fleſh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and Circumciſion is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the Letter, whoſe praiſe is not of men, but of God.
4. When the Lord takes in any to be his people, they were like others, no better than they.