Tyndale Open Study NotesEzekiel 33

After the judgment messages in Ezekiel 1–24 and the messages against the nations in Ezekiel 25–32, Ezekiel describes the future renewal of the land, the covenant, the people, and the unity of Israel and Judah under new leadership.

watchman: See study note on Ezekiel 3:16219. The message about the watchman is part of Ezekiel’s public announcement, not a private task. It emphasizes that the listeners are responsible for acting on the watchman’s message.

Before Jerusalem's destruction, people ignored the warning. After the exile, they struggled to believe the message of hope. In both situations, Ezekiel faced rejection and was tempted to stay silent. God warned him again that he could not.

Ezekiel's message urged the people of Israel to repent so they could live. The Lord had warned of an army coming against their country, and this was happening. Ezekiel had been faithful as a watchman. No one who heard his prophecy could say he did not warn them of the coming judgment. But the people did not listen to the warning. If they did not turn away from their sin and return to God, they would die in their sins.

our sins are heavy upon us … How can we live?: At last, the people of Israel began to take the prophet’s warnings seriously. However, there was now a new danger. Instead of turning to God in repentance and faith, they might fall into despair.

God’s judgment is not like an unchangeable fate. It still allows room for forgiveness. The Sovereign Lord does not take pleasure in the death of wicked people.

Even those who have done great evil can live. If they repent (turn away from their sin) and change their ways, they will live.

The principle in Ezekiel 33:10–11 is explained through two examples.

The first example concerns righteous people. Some trust in their past good behavior to save them. But later they turn to sin. God says he will judge them for their present sin, even if they once lived righteously. Their past obedience will not protect them if they now reject what is right.

The second example concerns wicked people who repent. If they turn away from their evil actions and begin to do what is just and right, God will forgive them completely. No matter what they did in the past, they will live if they truly change.

This teaching repeats an earlier message. In Ezekiel 18, the people said they were suffering because of their parents’ sins. Here, they seem to say something different. They think their parents’ sins have placed the nation under a permanent curse. Because of this, they believe repentance is useless.

• The way of the Lord is not just: People thought it was wrong for God to use Babylon to destroy Jerusalem. The Lord quickly corrected this idea (Ezekiel 33:18).

• their way that is not just: The people's mistake was refusing to repent and accusing God of being unjust.

• I will judge each of you according to his ways: The Lord's judgment is never random but matches their sins. If they repent, trust the Lord for salvation, and act justly and rightly, they have hope for the future (compare Ephesians 2:8–10).

A survivor came from Jerusalem, bringing an eyewitness account of the city's fall. It took over five months for this news to reach the exiles.

The news that Jerusalem had fallen marked a turning point for Ezekiel.

His ability to speak returned (see Ezekiel 3:26; 24:25–27). He was now free to speak openly to the people.

This change also brought new hope for God’s people.

Those who stayed in the ruined cities of Judah saw the Exile as a chance for personal gain, not repentance. They claimed to be the only heirs of Abraham's promise and sought to own all the land. Their actions showed they were not truly Abraham's children. They ignored laws against eating meat with blood (see Deuteronomy 12:23), worshiped idols, and killed innocent people. Their lives denied Abraham's faith, and they would not inherit his promise.

People in Judah (Ezekiel 33:23–29) and those in exile (33:30–33) continued to act as they had before Jerusalem fell.

The rebels in Jerusalem would continue to face the curses of the Mosaic covenant (violence, wild animals, and disease; see Leviticus 26:22–25). This would happen until the mountains of Israel were empty and these sinners were completely destroyed.

The situation was not much better among the exiles in Babylon.

Many of them talked about Ezekiel’s messages. They discussed what he said, but they did not change their attitudes or behavior. They were no different from the people still living in Judah.

They would sit in front of Ezekiel and appear sincere. However, they did not plan to obey what the Lord told them. They treated his messages as something pleasant to hear.

But the Lord warned them that, in time, the truth would be clear. Events would show that the words of a true prophet carry God’s power.