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Commentary on Ezekiel 33 verses 10–20
These verses are the substance of what we had before (Eze 18:20, etc.) and they are so full and express a declaration of the terms on which people stand with God (as the former were of the terms on which ministers stand) that it is no wonder that they are here repeated, as those were, though we had the substance of them before. Observe here,
I. The cavils of the people against God's proceedings with them. God was now in his providence contending with them, but their uncircumcised hearts were not as yet humbled, for they were industrious to justify themselves, though thereby they reflected on God. Two things they insisted upon, in their reproaches of God, and in both they added iniquity to their sin and misery to their punishment: - 1. They quarrelled with his promises and favours, as having no kindness nor sincerity in them, Eze 33:10. God had set life before them, but they plead that he had set it out of their reach, and therefore did but mock them with the mention of it. The prophet had said, some time ago (Eze 24:23), You shall pine away for your iniquities; with that word he had concluded his threatenings against Judah and Jerusalem; and this they now upbraided him with, as if it had been spoken absolutely, to drive them to despair; whereas it was spoken conditionally, to bring them to repentance. Thus are the sayings of God's ministers perverted by men of corrupt minds, who are inclined to pick quarrels. He puts them in hopes of life and happiness; and herein they would make him contradict himself; "for" (say they) "if our transgressions and our sins be upon us, as thou hast often told us they are, and if we must, as thou sayest, pine away in them, and wear out a miserable captivity in a fruitless repentance, how shall we then live? If this be our doom, there is no remedy. We die, we perish, we all perish." Note, It is very common for those that have been hardened with presumption when they were warned against sin to sink into despair when they are called to repent, and to conclude there is no hope of life for them. 2. They quarrelled with his threatenings and judgments, as having no justice or equity in them. They said, The way of the Lord is not equal (Eze 17:20), suggesting that God was partial in his proceedings, that with him there was respect of persons and that he was more severe against sin and sinners than there was cause.
II. Here is a satisfactory answer given to both these cavils.
1.Those that despaired of finding mercy with God are here answered with a solemn declaration of God's readiness to show mercy, Eze 33:11. When they spoke of pining away in their iniquity God sent the prophet to them, with all speed, to tell them that though their case was sad it was not desperate, but there was yet hope in Israel. (1.) It is certain that God has no delight in the ruin of sinners, nor does he desire it. If they will destroy themselves, he will glorify himself in it, but he has no pleasure in it, but would rather they should turn and live, for his goodness is that attribute of his which is most his glory, which is most his delight. He would rather sinners should turn and live than go on and die. He has said it, he has sworn it, that by these two immutable things, in both which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation. We have his word and his oath; and, since he could swear by no greater, he swears by himself: As I live. They questioned whether they should live, though they did repent and reform; yea, says God, as sure as I live, true penitents shall live also; for their life is hid with Christ in God. (2.) It is certain that God is sincere and in earnest in the calls he gives sinners to repent: Turn you, turn you, from your evil way. To repent is to turn from our evil way; this God requires sinners to do; this he urges them to do by repeated pressing instances: Turn you, turn you. O that they would be prevailed with to turn, to turn quickly, without delay! This he will enable them to do if they will but frame their doings to turn to the Lord, Hos 5:4. For he has said, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, Pro 1:23. And in this he will accept of them; for it is not only what he commands, but what he courts them to. (3.) It is certain that, if sinners perish in their impenitency, it is owing to themselves; they die because they will die; and herein they act most absurdly and unreasonably: Why will you die, O house of Israel? God would have heard them, and they would not be heard.
2.Those that despaired of finding justice with God are here answered with a solemn declaration of the rule of judgment which God would go by in dealing with the children of men, which carries along with it the evidence of its own equity; he that runs may read the justice of it. The Jewish nation, as a nation, was now dead; it was ruined to all intents and purposes. The prophet must therefore deal with particular persons, and the rule of judgment concerning them is much like that concerning a nation, Jer 18:8-10. If God speak concerning it to build and to plant, and it do wickedly, he will recall his favours and leave it to ruin. But if he speak concerning it to pluck up and destroy, and it repent, he will revoke the sentence and deliver it. So it is here. In short, The most plausible professors, if they apostatize, shall certainly perish for ever in their apostasy from God; and the most notorious sinners, if they repent, shall certainly be happy for ever in their return to God. This is here repeated again and again, because it ought to be again and again considered, and preached over to our own hearts. This was necessary to be inculcated upon this stupid senseless people, that said, The way of the Lord is not equal; for these rules of judgment are so plainly just that they need no other confirmation of them than the repetition of them.
(1.)If those that have made a great profession of religion throw off their profession, quit the good ways of God and grow loose and carnal, sensual and worldly, the profession they made and all the religious performances with which they had for a great while kept up the credit of their profession shall stand them in no stead, but they shall certainly perish in their iniquity, Eze 33:12, Eze 33:13, Eze 33:18. [1.] God says to the righteous man that he shall surely live, Eze 33:13. He says it by his word, by his ministers. He that lives regularly, his own heart tells him, his neighbours tell him, He shall live. Surely such a man as this cannot but be happy. And it is certain, if he proceed and persevere in his righteousness, and if, in order to that, he be upright and sincere in it, if he be really as good as he seems to be, he shall live; he shall continue in the love of God and be for ever happy in that love. [2.] Righteous men, who have very good hopes of themselves and whom others have a very good opinion of, are yet in danger of turning to iniquity by trusting to their righteousness. So the case is put here: If he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, and come to make a trade of sin - if he not only take a false step, but turn aside into a false way and persist in it. This may possibly be the case of a righteous man, and it is the effect of his trusting to his own righteousness. Note, Many eminent professors have been ruined by a proud conceitedness of themselves and confidence in themselves. He trust to the merit of his own righteousness, and thinks he has already made God so much his debtor that now he may venture to commit iniquity, for he has righteousness enough in stock to make amends for it; he fancies that whatever evil deeds he may do hereafter he can be in no danger from them, having so many good deeds beforehand to counterbalance them. Or, He trust to the strength of his own righteousness, thinks himself now so well established in a course of virtue that he may thrust himself into any temptation and it cannot overcome him, and so by presuming on his own sufficiency he is brought to commit iniquity. By making bold on the confines of sin he is drawn at length into the depths of hell. This ruined the Pharisees; they trusted to themselves that they were righteous, and that their long prayers, and fasting twice in the week, would atone for their devouring widows' houses. [3.] If righteous men turn to iniquity, and return not to their righteousness, they shall certainly perish in their iniquity, and all the righteousness they have formerly done, all their prayers, and all their alms, shall be forgotten. No mention shall be made, no remembrance had, of their good deeds; they shall be overlooked, as if they had never been. The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him from the wrath of God, and the curse of the law, in the day of his transgression. When he becomes a traitor and a rebel, and takes up arms against his rightful Sovereign, it will not serve for him to plead in his own defence that formerly he was a loyal subject, and did many good services to the government. No; he shall not be able to live. The remembrance of his former righteousness shall be no satisfaction either to God's justice or his own conscience in the day that he sins, but rather shall, in the estimate of both, highly aggravate the sin and folly of his apostasy. And therefore for his iniquity that he committed he shall die, Eze 33:13. And again (Eze 33:18), He shall even die thereby; and it is owing to himself.
(2.)If those that have lived a wicked life repent and reform, forsake their wicked ways and become religious, their sins shall be pardoned, and they shall be justified and saved, if they persevere in their reformation. [1.] God says to the wicked, "Thou shalt surely die. The way that thou art in leads to destruction. The wages of thy sin is death, and thy iniquity will shortly be thy ruin." It was said to the righteous man, Thou shalt surely live, for his encouragement to proceed and persevere in the way of righteousness; but he made an ill use of it, and was emboldened by it to commit iniquity. It was said to the wicked man, Thou shalt surely die, for warning to him not to persist in his wicked ways; and he makes a good use of it, and is quickened thereby to return to God and duty. Thus even the threatenings of the word are to some, by the grace of God, a savour of life unto life, while even the promises of the word become to others, by their own corruption, a savour of death unto death. When God says to the wicked man, Thou shalt surely die, die eternally, it is to frighten him, not out of his wits, but out of his sins. [2.] There is many a wicked man who was hastening apace to his own destruction who yet is wrought upon by the grace of God to return and repent, and live a holy life. He turns from his sin (Eze 33:14), and is resolved that he will have no more to do with it; and, as an evidence of his repentance for wrong done, he restores the pledge (Eze 33:15) which he had taken uncharitably from the poor, he gives again that which he had robbed and taken unjustly from the rich. Nor does he only cease to do evil, but he learns to do well; he does that which is lawful and right, and makes conscience of his duty both to God and man - a great change, since, awhile ago, he neither feared God nor regarded man. But many such amazing changes, and blessed ones, have been wrought by the power of divine grace. He that was going on in the paths of death and the destroyer now walks in the statues of life, in the way of God's commandments, which has both life in it (Pro 12:28) and life at the end of it, Mat 19:17. And in this good way he perseveres without committing iniquity, though not free from remaining infirmity, yet under the dominion of no iniquity. He repents not of his repentance, nor returns to the commission of those gross sins which he before allowed himself in. [3.] He that does thus repent and return shall escape the ruin he was running into, and his former sins shall be no prejudice to his acceptance with God. Let him not pine away in his iniquity, for, if he confess and forsake it, he shall find mercy. He shall surely live; he shall not die, Eze 33:15. Again (Eze 33:16), He shall surely live. Again (Eze 33:19), He has done that which is lawful and right, and he shall live thereby. But will not his wickednesses be remembered against him? No; he shall not be punished for them (Eze 33:12): As for the wickedness of the wicked, though it was very heinous, yet he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turns from his wickedness. Now that it has become his grief it shall not be his ruin. Now that there is a settled separation between him and sin there shall be no longer a separation between him and God. Nay, he shall not be so much as upbraided with them (Eze 33:16): None of his sins that he has committed shall be mentioned unto him, either as a clog to his pardon or an allay to the comfort of it, or as any blemish and diminution to the glory that is prepared for him.
Now lay all this together, and then judge whether the way of the Lord be not equal, whether this will not justify God in the destruction of sinners and glorify him in the salvation of penitents. The conclusion of the whole matter is (Eze 33:20): "O you house of Israel, though you are all involved now in the common calamity, yet there shall be a distinction of persons made in the spiritual and eternal state, and I will judge you every one after his ways." Though they were sent into captivity by the lump, good fish and bad enclosed in the same net, yet there he will separate between the precious and the vile and will render to every man according to his works. Therefore God's way is equal and unexceptionable; but, as for the children of thy people, God turns them over to the prophet, as he did to Moses (Exo 32:7): "They are thy people; I can scarcely own them for mine." As for them, their way is unequal; this way which they have got of quarrelling with God and his prophets is absurd and unreasonable. In all disputes between God and his creatures it will certainly be found that he is in the right and they are in the wrong.
(Verse 35, 36, and following) And I will bring you into a desert of peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. Just as I contended with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, says the Lord. And I will subject you to my scepter, and I will bring you into the bonds of the covenant, and I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked: from their place of residence I will bring them out, and they will not enter the land of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord. Thus says the Lord: I will do for you who are in Babylon, and now serve idols, what I did for your ancestors in Egypt. I will lead you into the desert of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face, just as I contended with them in judgment when they came out of Egypt. And after I have judged you, I will subject you to my scepter and rule, and I will make a covenant with you and bring you into your land with the bonds of love, so that bound by my love, you will never be able to depart from me. But I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked, who persist in the hardness of their hearts in evil deeds, not for possession, but for rejection. And I will indeed bring them out of the land of their dwelling, so that when they are brought out, they will not enter the land of Israel; but they will perish in various regions. And by the distinction between good and evil, you shall know that I am the Lord, who judges all things. The rest of the discourse hastens, and we briefly go through each point, in order to provide only the meaning to the readers.
(Versed 10ff.) Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them: 'Our transgressions and sins are upon us, and we waste away because of them. How then can we live?' Say 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 turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?' And you, son of man, say to your people: 'The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to stumble when he turns from it. The righteous man cannot live by his righteousness when he sins.' Even if I say to the just, that he shall surely live; and relying on his justice he commits iniquity, all his justices shall be forgotten, and in his iniquity which he has wrought, he shall die. But if I shall say to the wicked: Thou shalt surely die; and he does penance for his sin, and does judgment and justice, and if he restore the pledge, and render what he had robbed, and walk in the commandments of life, and do no unjust thing, he shall surely live, and shall not die. All sins ((Vulg. adds of him)), which he has committed, shall not be imputed to him: for judgment and justice he has done, he shall live: And the children of your people have said: The way of the Lord is not equal, whereas their way is unjust. When the just turns himself away from his justice, and commits iniquity, he shall die therein: in the same manner, when the wicked turns himself away from his wickedness, and does judgment and justice, he shall live therein. And you say: The way of the Lord is not right. Each one I will judge according to his ways, o house of Israel. If we read negligentl, the same prophecy seems to us which is said above, in which it is said: Do I desire the death of the wicked, saith the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways, and live? (Ezek. XVIII, 23). And in the end of the same prophecy: Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your impieties, and there shall not be iniquity that may be your ruin (Ibid., 8). For there, indeed, a conversation is had with those who desire to do penance and to expiate their sins with justice, so that they may convert with confidence and perform penance with a full heart. But here, He speaks to those who, due to the magnitude of their sins, or rather their impieties, despair of salvation and say: Our iniquities and sins are upon us, and we waste away in them. How then can we live? And the meaning is: Since death has once been proposed to us and no medicine can restore health to our wounds, why must we labor and be consumed in vain, and not transact this present life in despair, so that at least we may enjoy it, since we have lost the future life? To whom God responds, that he does not want the death of the wicked, but that they should turn back and live. And he addresses a apostrophe to the despairing wicked: Turn away from your wicked ways. And so that we may know who the wicked are to whom he speaks, the following discourse demonstrates: Why should you die, O house of Israel? However, life and death in this context do not signify the common life or death shared with animals according to the natural law, but rather that which is written, I will please the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 114:9); and, The soul that sins shall die. And with a special warning, because he was speaking to the house of Israel, he proceeds to a general discussion: that even if the just do not save their past righteousness, if they are engaged in new sins, and even if sinners or wicked people do not lose their old sins, if they correct their previous mistakes with righteous actions, God does not judge in both cases based on the past, but on the present. If I say, he says, to the righteous, you shall live, and I promise him the rewards of righteousness, and he, relying on that, sins, all his previous righteousness will be forgotten, and he will die in his present unrighteousness. My opinion has not changed, for I cannot give to the same sinner what I promised to the righteous. And if I, being a sinner and wicked, pronounce and say: Yet three days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown; and he shall repent of his sins, and amend his old error with good works, so that he may do justice and righteousness, restore the pledge, and give back the plunder, and walk in the commandments of life, and not do anything unjust: should not the life, which is Christ, live and never die, since the punishment of the sinner should not punish the righteous? This is what the divine word speaks to Jeremiah when he goes down to the potter's house and hears either the promises or the threats of God, in order to either provoke people to salvation or deter them from sin (Jer. XVIII). Hence those who say that the way of the Lord is not just are argued against because their opinion is unjust, possessed of a very evil eye, and not at all new, but of those who have passed judgment in the past. To all of whom it is shown that the sinner should not despair of salvation if he repents; nor should the righteous person place confidence in his righteousness if he negligently loses what he had earnestly sought after. We pass over those things which are clearly stated, so that we may dwell on those which are more obscure, in which the present prophecy differs from the past, and in which it speaks similar things, the comparison of both can indicate. Moreover, what it means to pass judgment and to be just, to restore a pledge, to repay robbery, to walk in the commandments of life, and other things, we have spoken of in this same prophet above.
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 33:10 captures the profound despair of the exiled house of Israel, who, burdened by the crushing weight of their accumulated transgressions and sins, question how they can possibly survive or truly live under such a pervasive spiritual and national decay. This verse articulates their raw recognition of divine judgment and their perceived hopelessness, serving as a critical pivot point that sets the stage for God's subsequent declaration of His merciful desire for their repentance and life rather than their continued demise.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 33:10 employs several powerful literary devices to convey the profound depth of Israel's despair and the crushing weight of their sin. Most prominently, the verse utilizes a Rhetorical Question ("how should we then live?"), which is not intended to elicit an answer but rather to express the speaker's overwhelming sense of hopelessness and the perceived impossibility of their situation. The phrase "If our transgressions and our sins [be] upon us" employs both Personification and a powerful Metaphor, portraying abstract concepts (sins) as a tangible, oppressive weight, a burden that physically and spiritually crushes the people. This vivid Imagery creates a powerful mental picture of a people literally weighed down and consumed by their past actions. Furthermore, the stark contrast between "pine away" and "live" highlights a profound Antithesis, emphasizing the life-draining, debilitating nature of sin versus the desired state of flourishing, vitality, and restoration that seems utterly out of reach.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 33:10 articulates a universal human experience: the crushing burden of guilt and the profound despair that arises from recognizing one's own sinfulness and its devastating consequences. Theologically, it underscores the reality of sin as a destructive force that leads to spiritual, national, and existential decay. However, this lament is not the final word; it serves as the crucial setup for God's merciful response in the subsequent verse, where He declares His desire for the wicked to turn from their ways and live. This highlights a core biblical truth: while sin brings death and separation from God, God's character is defined by a profound desire for life, restoration, and reconciliation for those who repent. It points to the divine initiative in offering a path to renewal even when humanity feels utterly consumed by its failures and perceives no way out.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The desperate cry of the exiles in Ezekiel 33:10 resonates deeply with the human condition across all ages. We often find ourselves burdened by past mistakes, the cumulative weight of our failures, and the seemingly insurmountable consequences of our choices. Like Israel, we can feel as though our "transgressions and sins" are "upon us," leading to a spiritual "pining away" where hope dwindles, vitality fades, and the possibility of true, flourishing life seems remote. This verse invites us to honestly confront the destructive power of unaddressed sin in our own lives, whether personal, familial, or communal. Yet, its strategic placement in the narrative reminds us that such despair is never the end of God's story. It is precisely at this point of profound hopelessness that God's boundless grace intervenes, offering a clear way out, a path to genuine life and restoration through repentance and His unfathomable mercy. It challenges us to move beyond mere acknowledgment of sin to a posture of active turning towards the God who desires life for us, who is always ready to forgive and restore.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Ezekiel 33:10 suggest that God's people were beyond hope or redemption?
Answer: No, Ezekiel 33:10 does not suggest that God's people were beyond hope or redemption. Instead, it powerfully captures their perception of being beyond hope. The verse articulates the depth of their despair and the crushing weight of their guilt, leading them to question their very ability to "live." However, this lament serves as a critical setup for God's immediate and powerful response in Ezekiel 33:11, where He explicitly declares, "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?" This clearly demonstrates that God's desire was for their repentance and life, not their destruction, and that a path to redemption was indeed available despite their profound sense of hopelessness. The verse highlights the human experience of despair, but it is quickly met with divine mercy and an urgent invitation to restoration.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 33:10, with its depiction of Israel "pining away" under the crushing burden of sin and despairing of life, finds its ultimate fulfillment and redemptive answer in Jesus Christ. The desperate question "how should we then live?" is the universal cry of humanity trapped in its fallen state, a condition that no amount of human effort, law-keeping, or religious observance could truly remedy, as powerfully highlighted in Romans 3:23. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, perfectly bore the "transgressions and sins" of humanity "upon" Himself on the cross, taking the full weight of divine judgment that would otherwise lead to eternal "pining away" and spiritual death (2 Corinthians 5:21). Through His atoning death and glorious resurrection, Christ offers not just a temporary reprieve but true, abundant, and eternal life (John 10:10), enabling those who were "dead in trespasses and sins" to be "made alive together with Christ" (Ephesians 2:1-5). He is the definitive answer to "how should we then live?", for in Him, we find complete forgiveness, profound reconciliation with God, and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4), transforming our deepest despair into a living, unshakeable hope.