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NOTES for Eze 33:1-33

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1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.
18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.
19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.
21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.
22 Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.
23 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.
25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?
26 Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land?
27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.
28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.
29 Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.
30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.
31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.
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Once again we are shown the Lord's mercy, which surpasses our understanding: He proposes appointing a watchman to protect people from Himself, from His wrath. Though in justice He could bring the existence of His creatures to an end, He not only refrains from doing so but Himself gives us the opportunity both to defend ourselves and to intercede before Him for sinners. Here the mystery of our freedom is partly disclosed: the freedom of beings created in His image and likeness and placed at the head of all creation. The mystery of God's love for us is also revealed, for He sets our dignity high despite all our disgraceful deeds.

For the prophet's hearers, the theme of recompense for what has been done is revealed from a new and apparently unexpected perspective. Many of them, and many of us as well, would understand it if sins and good deeds could be counted and compared, then presented to God in the hope of obtaining a comfortable place. But it turns out that both former merits and old sins may fail to decide the matter: one single final act can cancel them out. The significance of one action can sometimes outweigh the combined weight of many others, and it is not for us to judge whether our deeds are truly good. God's assessments may not coincide with ours.

Those who listen to the prophet receive his words poorly. Their attitude to his speeches might be called aesthetic; it is not even a dispassionate assimilation of information. Today too, behind the beauty of church art and the eloquence of preachers, we risk ceasing to hear what they are telling us. Whenever we notice this, however, we must shake ourselves awake and return once more to hearing what matters most and following it.

Other notes

 
For Eze 33:1-33
1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.
18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.
19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.
21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.
22 Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.
23 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
24 Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.
25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?
26 Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land?
27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.
28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.
29 Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.
30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.
31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.
Hide
Once again the prophet turns to the destiny of the chosen people and, beginning with chapter 33, delivers a series of exceptionally...  Read more

Once again the prophet turns to the destiny of the chosen people and, beginning with chapter 33, delivers a series of exceptionally important prophecies. The first prophecy in this part of the book, like those set out earlier, speaks of God’s will and providence and of human responsibility. In addition, the crucial theme of faith and trust in God emerges in the prophet’s words. Yet beyond the content of the Revelation, we also hear in his words an echo of the events and spiritual atmosphere of those days.

As far as we can judge from what God tells Ezekiel, his prophecy had become a rather chilling amusement for his fellow countrymen. They find a strange pleasure in the prophet’s words, full of bitterness, and come to hear Ezekiel for that pleasure. Yet his listeners do not wish to receive his words as the Word of God addressed to them personally. The prophet’s preaching has become for them what concerts of sacred music sometimes are for our contemporaries, when we delight our ears while brushing aside the content.

We can imagine how bitter such an attitude was for the prophet and how offensive it is to almighty God. For Ezekiel, as for anyone, this is a serious spiritual trial whose full weight can be appreciated only by experiencing it. No amount of human strength can suffice to endure it, and at the beginning of the chapter the prophet speaks of how God strengthens him. Ezekiel’s situation and spiritual tasks differ from those of his predecessors and contemporaries. The Lord does not command him, as he does Jeremiah, “to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” Ezekiel must only say what God tells him, “whether they listen or not.” And again the Lord repeats what Ezekiel already recorded in chapter 2: “But let them know that a prophet has been among them.”

If the prophet remains silent, whether out of fear or a sense that his efforts are futile, he will bear responsibility for people’s destruction. But if the prophet speaks what God has commanded him, the Lord tells him, each person is responsible for how he responds to the prophet’s words. Everyone is free to hear them or not, to believe or not. What, then, is the essence of this Revelation?

In terms of content, verses 10–20 form the central part of the chapter. At this time a pessimistic view of their fate had spread among the exiled Israelites. We have sinned, they said, and there is no salvation for us. “Well, so be it,” this attitude implies, “now it makes no difference... we shall be like all the nations...” The Israelites think that God wanted righteousness from them and, having failed to obtain it, will abandon them to their fate. Behind this indifference and pessimism lies disbelief in God’s goodness, disbelief that God desires salvation. This is what the great words of verse 11 counter, as God reveals his will for us: “I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live.” God wants neither retribution nor even righteousness according to the law; he wants the human heart to be turned towards him and the human being to live. This immense Revelation is the foundation of all our hope.

The Lord then says that every person has a chance. The Jews think that past righteousness can atone for wrongdoing. No, says the Lord, it cannot. Yet the Jews do not believe that a wrongdoer who turns back can find favour in God’s eyes. The Lord says that if the wrongdoer turns back, he will be saved. Thus the heart’s direction is precisely what matters. God’s justice is not what people expect, but it is precisely this good will of the Creator that is justice. The Lord calls the prophet’s listeners to believe and turn back. “Why should you die?” he says. The meaning of these words almost coincides with Christ’s final appeal to Jerusalem: “Oh, if only you too had known, even on this your day, what makes for your peace!” The repentance to which God calls his people therefore consists not simply in acknowledging their sins—that is remorse, not repentance. True repentance consists in actively trusting that God desires our salvation.

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For Eze 33:7-9
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Hide
A gift from the Lord is first and foremost a responsibility. In today’s Old Testament reading, the Lord tells Ezekiel that one can not simply hear His word and remain silent...  Read more

A gift from the Lord is first and foremost a responsibility. In today’s Old Testament reading, the Lord tells Ezekiel that one can not simply hear His word and remain silent. If God has given the prophet the gift of hearing, what he hears can not simply be accepted as information and set aside somewhere. In addressing Ezekiel, God speaks through him to the people of Israel. The prophet’s task is to transmit the Lord’s words exactly. His responsibility extends no further: once the word has been spoken, each person bears responsibility for his own actions.

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