10 And I bring them out of the land of Egypt, And I bring them in unto the wilderness, 11 And I give to them My statutes, And my judgments I caused them to know, Which the man who doth—liveth by them. 12 And also My sabbaths I have given to them, To be for a sign between Me and them, To know that I 'am' Jehovah their sanctifier. 13 And—rebel against me do the house of Israel in the wilderness, In My statutes they have not walked, And My judgments they have despised, Which the man who doth—liveth by them. And My sabbaths they have greatly polluted, And I say to pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them. 14 And I do 'it' for My name's sake, Not to pollute 'it' before the eyes of the nations, Before whose eyes I brought them forth. 15 And also, I, I have lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, Not to bring them in to the land that I had given, Flowing with milk and honey, A beauty it 'is' to all the lands, 16 Because against My judgments they did kick, And in My statutes they have not walked, And My sabbaths they have polluted, For after their idols their heart is going. 17 And Mine eye hath pity on them—against destroying them, And I have not made of them an end in the wilderness. 18 And I say to their sons in the wilderness: In the statutes of your fathers ye walk not, And their judgments ye do not observe, And with their idols ye are not defiled. 19 I 'am' Jehovah your God, in My statutes walk, And My judgments observe, and do them, 20 And My sabbaths sanctify, And they have been for a sign between Me and you, To know that I, Jehovah, 'am' your God. 21 And—the sons rebel against Me, In My statutes they have not walked, And My judgments they have not observed—to do them, Which the man who doth—liveth by them. My sabbaths they have polluted, And I say to pour out My fury upon them, To complete Mine anger against them in the wilderness. 22 And I have turned back My hand, And I do 'it' for My name's sake, Not to pollute 'it' before the eyes of the nations, Before whose eyes I brought them out. 23 I also, I have lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, To scatter them among nations, And to spread them through lands. 24 Because My judgments they have not done, And My statutes they have despised, And My sabbaths they have polluted, And after idols of their fathers have their eyes been. 25 And I also, I have given to them statutes not good, And judgments by which they do not live. 26 And I defile them by their own gifts, By causing to pass away every opener of a womb, So that I make them desolate, So that they know that I 'am' Jehovah.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 20:10-26
Commentary on Ezekiel 20:10-26
(Read Ezekiel 20:10-26)
The history of Israel in the wilderness is referred to in the new Testament as well as in the Old, for warning. God did great things for them. He gave them the law, and revived the ancient keeping of the sabbath day. Sabbaths are privileges; they are signs of our being his people. If we do the duty of the day, we shall find, to our comfort, it is the Lord that makes us holy, that is, truly happy, here; and prepares us to be happy, that is, perfectly holy, hereafter. The Israelites rebelled, and were left to the judgments they brought upon themselves. God sometimes makes sin to be its own punishment, yet he is not the Author of sin: there needs no more to make men miserable, than to give them up to their own evil desires and passions.