Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 16 · Verse 43
VERS. 43.
Becauſe thou haſt not remembred the dayes of thy youth, but haſt fretted me in all theſe things.
THis verſe conteins two of the principall cauſes moving God to bring ſuch dreadfull judgements upon Jeruſalem,
1. Her forgetfulneſſe of her youth.
2. Her fretting of God by her lewd courſes.
Of her not remembring the dayes of her youth was ſpoken in the 22. verſ.
Haſt fretted me.
Heb. foreign from foreign to move, ſtirre up, provoke. Sept. foreign haſt grieved me. Calv: tumultuata es contra me. Polan. Commoviſti te contra me.
This lewdneſſe.
Heb. foreign ſomething I ſaid of zimmah in the 27. verſ. it ſignifies properly a premeditated evill or villany, which is ſhamefull and abhominable, as Levit. 18.17. The uncovering a womans nakedneſſe and her daughters, it is zimmah, a wickedneſſe, Chap. 19.29. whoredome is zimmah; now what is this lewdneſſe here ſpoken of: Piſcat. ſaith, it was the murthering of her children, verſ. 20, 21. upon which act God ſets an emphaſis: Is this of thy whoredomes a ſmall matter? Some read the words otherwiſe, thus; neither haſt thou made a thought upon all thine abhominations, taking Zimmah in a good ſenſe, viz. thou haſt never thought of thy wicked wayes and abhominations to repent thee of them, but gone on ſecurely.
Obſer. 1.
The Lord expects we ſhould be mindfull of our primitive condition and eſtate he began with us in: thou haſt not remembred the dayes of thy youth: ſo in verſ. 22. Pſalm. 78.42. They remembred not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemie. Their poverty and bondage in Aegypt they thought not of, and what God did for them in bringing them out of that Land, and drowning their enemies in the Red Sea. Verſ. 11. They forgate his workes, and the wonders he had ſhewed them. It's often put upon them to mind their former eſtate. Deut. 15.15. Thou ſhalt remember that thou waſt a bondman in the land of Aegypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee. So Chap. 16.12.24.18.22. And that they might not forget their firſt condition, the Lord appointed the offering of the firſt fruits, all which they were to profeſſe before the Lord: That a Syrian ready to periſh was their Father, who went down into Aegypt, ſojourned there with a few, and became a Nation, great, mighty, and populous; it's the way to keepe us humble, make us thankefull, and to walke anſwerably.
2. When man is advanc'd, hee is apt to forget the low, poore, and miſerable condition he was in: Thou haſt not remembred the dayes of thy youth. There was a time ſaith God, wherein thou waſt inconſiderable: when Jacob ſerved Laban, was in Aegypt with 70. ſoules, how meane? how low was thy condition? but this thou haſt forgotten. When Pharaoh's Butler was brought out of priſon, he forgat the priſon, and Joſeph who had been his companion there. Gen. 40. Saul was taken from ſeeking his Fathers aſſes, & ſet upon the Throne of Iſrael, where he quickly forgat God and himſelf. When men or States are become great Oakes and Mountaines, they forget what little acornes and hillocks once they were; when arrived to the height of Cedars, they are loth to looke what ruſhes once they were, growing in the mire. Deut. 8.12, 13, 14. Beware leſt when thou art full, haſt built goodly houſes, and art multiplyed with heards, flockes, ſilver, gold, &c. thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord, and the condition he brought thee out of, viz. Aegypt, the houſe of bondage: and notwithſtanding this caution, Iſrael did forget her firſt condition, and Gods firſt and great kindneſs unto her, Deut. 31.15. Hoſ. 13.6.
3. When men forget the low, poore, and miſerable eſtate they were once in, and Gods loving kindneſſe & bounty in exalting them to a rich, high, or honourable condition; they exaſperate the Lord greatly: Becauſe thou haſt not remembred the dayes of thy youth, but haſt fre…ted me. This ſinne frets and provokes God, that he ſhould pity a Nation when it's low, at the doore of death, brinke of deſpaire, doe great things for it, and then prove ingratefull and forgetfull? Thus was it with the Jewiſh eſtate. God did much for Jeroboam, preſerved his life, cal'd him out of Aegypt, beſtowed ten Tribes upon him: and he forgate what he had beene, what he was at the preſent through Gods mercy, and therefore ſee what a meſſage the Lord ſent him, 1 King. 14.7, 8, 9, 10. Goe, tell Jeroboam, foraſmuch as I exalted thee from among the people (he was as low as others) and made thee Prince over my people Iſrael, and rent the Kingdome away from the houſe of David, and gave it to thee: and yet thou haſt not been as David, but haſt done evill above all before thee, &c. therefore will I bring evill upon the houſe of Jeroboam, &c. God would utterly deſtroy it. So Chap. 16, 2. concerning Baaſha: Foraſmuch as I exalted thee out of the duſt, and made thee prince over my people Iſrael, and thou haſt walked in the wayes of Jeroboam, and made the people ſinne to provoke me to anger. Behold I will take away thy poſterity, and make thy houſe like Jeroboams, dogs and fowles ſhall devoure thoſe that dye thereof. This was the ſinne made the Lord to be a Lyon, a Leopard, and as a Beare bereav'd of whelps unto Ephraim, Hoſ. 13.6, 7, 8.
4. God will deale with ſinners according to their wayes. I will recompence thy way upon thy head. If thy wayes be ſinful, thou ſhalt have the fruit and reward of them upon thy head. Prov. 10.6. Bleſſings are upon the head of the juſt. God recompenceth to the juſt according to their way, and to the wicked according to their way: if men ſhed blood, God will return that blood upon their heads. Joab he ſlew Abner and Amaſa, and ſee what is recorded, 1 Kings 2.31, 32, 33, 34. Benaiah falls upon him, and ſlayes him at the ho…ns of the Altar: ſo their blood which is call'd his blood return'd upon his own head; this blood reſted upon Joabs head all Davids reigne, 2 Sam. 3.29. and was recompenced upon his head in Solomons dayes: what ever a mans ways be, God wil returne them upon his head. Hence ſaith Solomon to Shimei, Thou knoweſt all the wickedneſſe which thine heart is privy unto, that thou didſt to David my Father, therefore the Lord ſhall returne thy wickedneſſe upon thine owne head, 1 King. 2.44. Solomon knew God was ſo juſt and exact in this point, that he prays God would diſtinguiſh between the wicked and the juſt, by recompenſing their wayes upon their heads. 2 Chron. 6.23. and ſo Nehem. Turne their reproach upon their owne head, Chap. 4.4.Canald. Rem. p 252. Edria had ſlaine Edmund the King for the ſake of Chu…e, who after put him to death, ſaying, his blood be upon thy head.
5. Some ſinnes God eyes, and brands, and beats off from above others: thou ſhalt not commit this lewdneſſe above all thine abhominations. The ſlaying of her children, God took ſpeciall notice of that wickedneſſe, ſet a mark upon it, this lewdneſſe, and tells her that he would ſo puniſh her, as that ſhee ſhould not commit it any more. Deut. 17.4. The ſerv ng other gods is call'd there the committing that wicked thing. When the Jews marryed the daughters of the Nations, God was much diſpleaſed at it, and brands it with This treſpaſſe, Ezra 9.2. This thing, verſ. 3. So their ſin in Jerem 44.4. is cal'd an abhominable thing: Doe not this abhominable thing that I hate, Jerem. 2.10. Conſider diligently, and ſee if there be ſuch a thing: hath a Nation changed their gods, &c? ſo Judg. 20.30. There was no ſuch deed done nor ſe…, Deut. 13.11. They ſhould ſtone the ſeducer, and then all Iſrael ſhould feare