Ezekiel the Watchman for Israel
After the oracles of judgment in chs 1–24...
After the oracles of judgment in chs 1–24 and the oracles against the nations in chs 25–32, Ezekiel here describes the future renewal of the land, the covenant, the people, and the unity of Israel and Judah under new leadership.
1Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
watchman: See study note on 3:16–19. Here the...
watchman: See study note on 3:16–19. Here the message about the watchman is part of Ezekiel’s public proclamation, not a private commission. It puts more emphasis on the people who hear the watchman’s message; they are responsible to take action in response to it. Just as the people before the destruction of Jerusalem were unwilling to hear the message of destruction, so the people after the Exile could not believe the message of hope. In both cases, in having to face the rejection of what he was saying, Ezekiel was tempted to keep quiet. God warned him again that he could not.
2“Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land choose a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman, 3and he sees the sword coming against that land and blows the ram’s horn to warn the people.
4Then if anyone hears the sound of the horn but fails to heed the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.
Ezekiel’s message encouraged the people of Israel even...
Ezekiel’s message encouraged the people of Israel even now to repent so that they might live and not die. The Lord had said that he would bring an army against their country, and this was evidently what was now happening. Ezekiel had been faithful to his calling as a watchman; no one who had heard his prophecy thus far could say that he did not warn the people of the coming judgment. However, the people had not heeded the warning; without a change of heart they would die in their sins.
5Since he heard the sound of the horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life.
6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’
7As for you, O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from My mouth and give them the warning from Me. 8If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.†
The Message of the Watchman
Our sins are heavy upon us... How can...
Our sins are heavy upon us . . . How can we survive? Now that the people of Israel were finally taking the prophet’s warnings seriously, there was danger of despair rather than a response of repentance and faith. Unlike deterministic fate, God’s judgment leaves room for forgiveness. The sovereign Lord takes no pleasure in the death of wicked people. Even wicked people . . . can live if they repent and turn from their wickedness.
10Now as for you, son of man, tell the house of Israel that this is what they have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we are wasting away because of them! How can we live?’
11Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
The principle stated in 33:10–11 is worked out...
The principle stated in 33:10–11 is worked out in two case studies. The first involves righteous people who trust in their past righteousness to save them, even though they turn to sin. God will destroy these people in their sins, notwithstanding their earlier righteous behavior. The second case study involves wicked people who repent of wickedness. Complete forgiveness is available from the Lord. Whatever their past, those who turn from their sins and do what is just and right will live. As with the word concerning the watchman, what had been said earlier is revisited. In ch 18, the people said that they were being punished for their parents’ sins. Here they were apparently saying that their parents’ sins had put the nation under an endless curse, so repentance was useless.
12Therefore, son of man, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. Nor will the righteous man be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.’
13If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but he then trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteous works will be remembered; he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.
14But if I tell the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is just and right— 15if he restores a pledge, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity—then he will surely live; he will not die. 16None of the sins he has committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.
The Lord isn’t doing what’s right: The perception...
- The Lord isn’t doing what’s right: The perception was that God’s bringing Babylon to destroy Jerusalem was inappropriate. The Lord immediately refuted this argument (33:18).
- they . . . are not doing what’s right: The people’s fault was in refusing to repent and in accusing God of injustice.
- I judge each of you according to your deeds: The Lord’s judgment upon his people is never arbitrary but is a fitting response to their sins. If they repent, trust the Lord for salvation, and do what is just and right, they have hope for the future (cp. Eph 2:8–10).
17Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 18If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it. 19But if a wicked man turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this.
20Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his ways, O house of Israel.”
Word of Jerusalem’s Fall
21In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!”
22Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.
Those who remained in the ruined cities of...
Those who remained in the ruined cities of Judah hoped to turn the disaster of the Exile into an opportunity for personal profit rather than repentance. Claiming to be the sole remaining heirs of the promise to Abraham, they sought possession of the entire land. By their behavior, they proved that they were not really Abraham’s children. They did not follow the laws prohibiting eating meat still containing blood (see Deut 12:23), they worshiped idols, and they murdered the innocent. The lives of such people were a denial of Abraham’s faith, and they would not inherit the promise given him.
Both those in Judah (33:23–29) and those in...
Both those in Judah (33:23–29) and those in exile (33:30–33) continued to act as they had before Jerusalem fell.
23Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 24“Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’
25Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land? 26You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’
The rebels in Jerusalem would continue to inherit...
The rebels in Jerusalem would continue to inherit the curses of the Mosaic covenant—the sword, wild animals, and disease (see Lev 26:22–25)—until the mountains of Israel were desolate and these sinners were utterly destroyed.
27Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I will give to be devoured by wild animals, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague. 28I will make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass through. 29Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.’
The situation was not significantly better among the...
The situation was not significantly better among the exiles in Babylon. Ezekiel’s presentations were now the topic of widespread discussion among the exiles, yet their hearts remained as untouched as the hearts of those in Judah. They would sit before Ezekiel pretending to be sincere, but with no intention of doing what the Lord told them. They found his messages entertaining, but the Lord warned them that time would demonstrate the power behind the words of a true prophet.
30As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD!’
31So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. 32Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice. 33So when it comes to pass—and surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”