Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 16 · Verse 22
VERS. 22.
And in all thine abhominations and thy whoredomes, thou haſt not remembred the dayes of thy youth, when thou waſt naked and bare and waſt polluted in thy blood.
THis verſe containes the ground and cauſe of this womans ſinfull departure from God, of her idolatrie and crueltie, viz. the forgate in what a poore forlorne and miſerable condition ſhe had been in, and what God had done for her, ſhe neither remembred her owne miſerie, nor Gods mercies, ſhe was naked, bare, and he cloath'd her, ſhe was polluted in her blood, and he waſh'd her, ſhe was very deformed, and he put beautie upon her, ſhe was baſe, contemptible, and he made her renowned in the world, but theſe things were not thought on, had ſhe kept in her heart, what a low eſtate ſhe once was in, and how the Lord dealt by her in that eſtate, ſhe would never have left him broken out into and proceeded on in ſuch wicked wayes as ſhe did.
Obſer. 1.
When Gods people are raiſed, they are apt to forget God and themſelves, and to breake out into ſinfull courſes, this Iſraelitiſh woman being exalted by God, thought not upon her former low eſtate, nor what God had been unto her, in that eſtate, Pſal. 106.21. They forgate God their Saviour, he ſav'd them from the plagues in Aegypt, from the Aegytians, from the red Sea, the fierie Serpents, and other evils, and what, did they forget him? Yea they ſoone forgate him, verſe 13. they Soone forgate his workes, the Hebrew is, They made haſt, they forgate; man at firſt was called Adam, earth or red earth, but after the fall Enoſh, which ſome render oblivioſus, forgetfull, becauſe through ſinne he was ſo crack't, that he could not hold or remember any thing. God had done great and many wonderfull things for this people, Deut. 4.32, 33, 34. and charg'd them they ſhould not forget them or him, Deut. 4.9.23.12.8 Chap. 11.14. yet looke into the 32. Chapter 18. Verſe, where it is ſaid, Of the rock that begate thee, thou art unmindful, and haſt forgotten God that formed thee: God begate them, and form'd them into a people, Kingdome, did all for them, yet they forgate him; and is it not ſo among us, whom he hath begotten into families, and formed into Cities, Counties, and a Kingdome? May not we ſay with David, Pſal. 8. Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him? What is Enoſh? he is a ſorrie, miſerable, wretched, forgetfull creature, doe what thou wilt for him, be what thou wilt to him, he will ſoon forget thee, and all thou haſt done.
Obſer. 2.
Conſideration of mens miſerie, and Gods merciemercy to them in that miſerie, it is a ſpeciall help to prevent ſinne, In all thy whoredomes, thou haſt not remembred the dayes of thy youth, when thou waſt naked and polluted in thy blood, their forgetfulneſſe of them opened the doore unto ſinne, the remembance of them, would have ſhut it againſt, and kept them from ſinne. When the heart is ſeriouſly excercis'd about a low, miſerable, loſt, periſhing condition, and what undeſerved kindneſſe God ſhew'd in it, ingatitude, pride, carnal confidence, bud not out, grow not up, bring not forth: and as it is a curb to keep us from ſinne, ſo it is a ſtrong trace to draw us out of ſinne, In all thine abhominations and whoredomes thou haſt not remembred, &c. intimating that if this woman had laid to heart her former condition, and the great kindneſſes of God to her, ſhe would have repented her of her wayes, and turn'd to the Lord, thoughts thereof would have begot ſuch thoughts, workings of Spirit as theſe, What did God pittie me, when none would pittie? Did he take me in when I was caſt out? Did he beſtow life upon me, make me grow and increaſe? hath he waſh'd, annointed me, covered, adorn'd, beautified me? and have I gone out from him, left him, ſin'd againſt him, requited him ill for all his kindneſſe, I am aſham'd of it, I will turne to him and aske him forgiveneſſe. When David had ſin'd, and lay in it, the Prophet minds him of his former condition, and what God had done for him, 2 Sam. 12.7. I annointed thee King over Iſrael, thee who waſt at the Sheepefold, low, meane, deſpiſed, I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul, he ſought thy life, I gave thee thy Maſters houſe, wives, the houſes of Judah and Iſrael: theſe he ſets before him, that upon the due minding of them he might be affected, and led to repentance for his ſinfull practiſes. If you would think what low eſtates you were lately in, what God did for you then, it would be a ſpeciall meanes to keepe you from ſinne.