The Recommissioning Of Ezekiel.

THE RECOMMISSIONING OF EZEKIEL.

Ezekiel 33:7-11.

EZEKIEL 33:7. The prophet Ezekiel had first been commissioned by the LORD to be a “a watchman” for “the house of Israel” back in Ezekiel 3:17. This is now a renewal of that commission. Again the warning comes from the LORD.

EZEKIEL 33:8. As a watchman, it was Ezekiel’s responsibility to warn those who would otherwise perish, and if he did not do so the wicked would die in his iniquity; “but his blood will I require at thine hand.”

EZEKIEL 33:9. On the other hand, if the watchman does send out the warning, and the wicked heed it not, then he shall still die in his iniquity, of course; but Ezekiel would have “delivered his own soul.”

Back in Ezekiel 18:2, the children of Israel had blamed their fathers for the ‘sour grapes’ of their present predicament; to which the LORD had answered, ‘all souls are mine – the soul that sinneth, it shall die’ (cf. Ezekiel 18:4).

EZEKIEL 33:10. Now they spoke in a less self-righteous way, complaining of the very guilt which they had earlier denied. Now they spoke of “our” transgressions, and “our” sins, rather than the sins of their fathers. The weight of their sin bore down upon them: how could they go on living like this? They accepted God’s judgment against them, and knew that they were worthy of death.

EZEKIEL 33:11. The response of the LORD was to repeat that He had ‘no pleasure in the death of him that dieth’ (cf. Ezekiel 18:31-32), even “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 is still the yearning of the LORD. ‘The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance’ (cf. 2 Peter 3:9).