Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, cause
Jerusalem to know her abominations, and say, Thus saith the Lord God
unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan;
thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. And as for thy
nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither
wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou was not salted at
all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these
unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in
the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou
wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine
own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea,
I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. I have caused
thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased
and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy
breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast
naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee,
behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over
thee, and covered thy nakedness; yea, I sware unto thee, and entered
into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest
mine. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away
thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee
also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I
girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I
decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands,
and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and
earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus
wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine
linen and silk and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and
honey and oil; and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst
prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the heathen
for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I
had put upon thee, saith the Lord God (verses 1-14).
In the beginning of the chapter the purpose of the parable is stated.
"Son of Man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations." To convict
Jerusalem of all her guilt and wickedness the Lord shows first of all
what He had done for her. While Jerusalem is specially mentioned, the
parable has a wider application to the nation itself. The different
dealings of the Lord with His people can be traced in this beautiful
parable. First, Jerusalem's origin is mentioned. "Thy birth and thy
nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite and thy
mother a Hittite." This does not mean Abraham and Sarah, from which the
nation sprang, but it refers to the origin of the city itself, which was
Canaanitish. The Amorites were the original possessors of Palestine, as
we learn from Genesis xv:16. The name for Palestine in the cuneiform
inscriptions is "Land of the Amorites." The Hittites are also mentioned
in Genesis as the inhabitants of the land. (Genesis xxiii:3, 10;
xxvii:46). Thus Jerusalem is described as coming from a base and unclean
parentage. The Lord had mercy on her whose condition was like an
abandoned child cast out into an open field. He passed by and spoke the
word, which He alone could speak--Live! Then He began His work of
mercy. He caused her to multiply as the bud of the field. He made her to
increase. He entered into a covenant with her. "Yea, I swear unto thee,
and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou
becamest mine." Furthermore we read, "I washed thee with water"; "I
anointed thee with oil"; "I clothed"; "I girded thee"; "I covered thee
with silk." Ornaments were bestowed upon the beloved one. Bracelets upon
the hands; a chain for the neck; a jewel for the forehead; earrings for
the ears; decked with gold and silver; arrayed in fine linen and silk
and broidered work, feeding on fine flour, honey and oil--such were
Jehovah's gifts to Jerusalem. A beautiful crown was put upon her head.
Jerusalem became exceedingly beautiful and prospered into a kingdom. Her
renown went forth among the nations on account of her beauty. All this
is a striking allegory of Jehovah's mercy to Jerusalem, and the
culmination refers to the days of the glorious kingdom under Solomon.
There is no need of applying every statement to some historical fact in
the history of Jerusalem as it has been attempted by certain expositors.
The purpose, as already stated, is to convict Jerusalem of her
abominations, and for this reason Jehovah's goodness to her is so
vividly described. Jehovah had done all for her and not a word is said
about gratitude or love from the side of Jerusalem. All was done for her
by Him. "It was perfect through my comeliness (magnificence), which I
had put upon thee, saith the Lord God."
* * * * *
And this sweet parable illustrates, as few other portions in the Old
Testament do, the grace which the Lord bestows upon the believer in the
Gospel. Thy father an Amorite and thy mother a Hittite reminds us of
what is true of all men, so tersely expressed in David's confession,
"Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me"
(Psalm li:5). Like the child pictured in the parable, we are lost,
perishing in the field (the world). What could that perishing child do
to save itself? Even so we cannot do anything to save ourselves. The
Lord passing by had compassion and spoke His Word of power--Live. He
came from Heaven to this earth, into the field to seek and save what is
lost. He found man in the vile and helpless condition so aptly pictured
by the miserable child. And more than that, He died to save man. He gave
His life so that we might live. The first thing He does for the
believing sinner is to give him life. When the spiritual dead hear His
voice they live. The washing with water, the anointing with oil (type of
the Holy Spirit), the announcement "thou becamest mine," as well as the
clothing, the beautifying and the crowning, all illustrates what His
marvelous grace does for the trusting, believing sinner. It is all grace
from start to finish, from the impartation of life in the new birth to
the crowning in glory.