John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 20:21-24

"But the children rebelled against me; they walked not in my statutes, neither kept mine ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live in them; they profaned my sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. Nevertheless I withdrew my hand, and wrought for my name`s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them forth. Moreover I sware unto them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries; because they had not executed mine ordinances, but had rejected my statutes, and had profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers` idols." — Ezekiel 20:21-24 (ASV)

I join these four verses together because they have already been explained, and I do not wish to burden you with useless repetitions.

In short, God accuses the whole posterity because they were by no means more obedient than their fathers. Again, He charges them with rebellion, since they neither obeyed His commands nor were persuaded by mild promises. For, on the one hand, He demanded the worship due to Him and invited them softly with the promise of reward. He complains that neither plan succeeded.

He adds, as we have already seen, that He proposed to scatter them through various parts of the world and utterly to disperse them. He assigns as a reason for His moderation His unwillingness that His name should be profaned among the nations.

He also announces that they had never restrained their impiety from bursting forth. Hence, it was only through His own incredible patience and indulgence that they had not perished a hundred, nay, a thousand times.

The rest may be gathered from the previous context.