Ezekiel 33
Summary for Ezek 33:1: 33:1–48:35 a After the oracles of judgment in chs 1–24 b and the oracles against the nations in chs 25–32 c, Ezekiel here describes the future renewal of the land, the covenant, the people, and the unity of Israel and Judah under new leadership.Summary for Ezek 33:2-4: 33:2-4 d 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.
Summary for Ezek 33:5-9: 33:5-9 e 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.
Summary for Ezek 33:10-11: 33:10-11 f 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.
Summary for Ezek 33:12-16: 33:12-16 g The principle stated in 33:10-11 h 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 i, 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.
Summary for Ezek 33:17-20: 33:17-20 j 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 k).
• 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 l).
33:21 m A survivor arrived from Jerusalem, bringing eyewitness testimony of the city’s fall. This news took more than five months to reach the exiles.
33:22 n The news of Jerusalem’s fall was a turning point for Ezekiel. His voice returned (see 3:26 o; 24:25-27 p), and he was finally able to speak freely. There was new hope for God’s people.
Summary for Ezek 33:23-33: 33:23-33 q Both those in Judah (33:23-29 r) and those in exile (33:30-33 s) continued to act as they had before Jerusalem fell.
Summary for Ezek 33:23-26: 33:23-26 t 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 u), 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.
Summary for Ezek 33:27-29: 33:27-29 v 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 w)—until the mountains of Israel were desolate and these sinners were utterly destroyed.
Summary for Ezek 33:30-33: 33:30-33 x 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.
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