John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 16:15

"But thou didst trust in thy beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy whoredoms on every one that passed by; his it was." — Ezekiel 16:15 (ASV)

Here God begins to remonstrate with his people; and for this purpose, recounts all the benefits which for a long time he had bestowed on the Israelites, and especially on the tribe of Judah. The Prophet now addresses them. Nothing was more unworthy or absurd than for the Jews to be proud through the pretext of God’s gifts.

But this vice has always been widespread in the world, as it is now too prevalent, and especially among handsome women; for, though beauty is God’s gift, nine women out of ten who possess it are proud, fond of men, and unite lust with elegance of form. This is quite unbecoming to them; but it was customary in all ages, as it is today. For we see the same in men; for as each excels in anything, he claims for himself more than he should, when he boasts against God and is critical of others.

If anyone has abundant riches, he immediately gives himself to luxury and vain display; and others abuse them for various improper, and even corrupt purposes. If anyone is gifted with ability, he turns his sharpness of mind to cunning and fraud; then he devises many schemes, as if he wished to mingle earth and heaven.

Thus, almost all men desecrate God’s gifts. But here the Prophet shows the source of this pride, when he says that the Jews trusted in their own beauty. For if modesty thrived in us, it would certainly suffice for curbing all arrogance; but once that restraint has been cast aside, there is no self-control before either God or man.

This passage, then, is noteworthy, where God rebukes his ancient people for trusting in their beauty. This is because the figure signifies that they found the basis for their pride in the gifts which should rather lead them to piety. For the gifts which we receive from God’s hand ought to be prompts to gratitude; but we are puffed up by pride; and, through luxury, we desecrate God’s gifts, in which his glory should shine forth.

We must also observe that God has, up to this point, recounted his benefits so that the people's ingratitude might appear more detestable. For God gives all things abundantly and upbraids not, as James says (James 1:5), that is, if we acknowledge that we owe all things to him, and thus dedicate and consecrate ourselves in obedience to his glory, along with the blessings he has bestowed on us.

But when God sees us irreverently disregarding and desecrating his gifts, and, by trusting in them, growing arrogant, it is not surprising if he rebukes us more severely than usual.

Thus we see that God, so to speak, takes on another persona when he reasons earnestly with us concerning our ingratitude. He does this because he willingly acknowledges his gifts in us and accepts them as if they were our own. This is similar to how we call the bread by which he nourishes us "ours," although its nature is, in a sense, changed for our use. It always remains the same in itself; I am speaking here of its external form.

God therefore, so to speak, transforms himself to rebuke his own gifts when they are misused—gifts conferred so that we might glory only in him (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13).

God afterwards says that the people had played the harlot according to their renown. I have no doubt that the Prophet alludes to famous harlots who excel in beauty, and commentators have not noted this adequately. For they do not explain anything by saying, "You have committed fornication in your name:" for just as lovers flock from all directions in large numbers to a famous harlot, so the Prophet says the Jews were like her. And since they were widely known, they were exposed to indiscriminate lust and attracted lovers to themselves.

Here the Prophet condemns two kinds of fornication among the Jews: one consisting in superstitions and the increase of idols—the other in corrupt and illicit alliances. And we know this to be the worst kind of fornication: when God’s worship is corrupted. For this is our spiritual chastity: if we worship God purely according to the guidelines of his teaching, if we do not deviate to the right or to the left from his commands. Conversely, as soon as we go beyond the boundary he has set, we wander like impure harlots, and all our superstitions are so many defilements. The Prophet begins with the first kind when he says that the Jews had committed fornication, namely, with their idols. But before he comes to that, he shows that their lust was insatiable, since they had so eagerly and passionately turned to their various idols. Just as a harlot burns with unsatisfied desire, is carried here and there, and must have many men, so the Prophet here says that the Jews committed fornication, not with only one or two, but with whomever they met; and this was caused by that favor of which we previously spoke.