The commission to Ezekiel as watchman corresponds to the same commission as found in the first section of this book. (See chapters iii:16-21.) The watchman is to warn of impending danger by the blowing of the trumpet. If the warning is unheeded, the consequences rest upon the person who rejected the warning. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. And if the watchman is not faithful in sounding the alarm and disaster overtakes some on account of it, their blood will be required at the watchman's hand. Ezekiel was set as a watchman unto the house of Israel. He received the message from the Lord and was to warn them. The divine message was that the wicked should surely die, and if the watchman neglected to deliver that message and warn the wicked he would die, while his blood would be required from the hands of the watchman. But if the wicked was warned and did not act upon the warning, he would die; the faithful watchman had delivered his own soul. Ezekiel was the faithful watchman while the false prophets did not deliver the message and perished with the ungodly. How great then the responsibility of those who are called as watchmen! And how few the faithful ones who deliver the divine warning to the unsaved!
II. Principles of Divine Justice Announced.
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? 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? 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. 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. 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; 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. 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. Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal. When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby. 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 (verses 10-20).
The exiles knew that the just wrath of God rested upon them as a nation and that their sins were unforgiven. Therefore they asked "If our transgressions and sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?" They also accused the Lord of inconsistency by saying "the way of the Lord is not equal" (verse 20; see also xviii:25, 29). The answer Jehovah sends them makes known the principles on which He will deal with them individually as a just God. "O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways." Judgment rested upon them as a nation but the individual still could turn to the Lord in repentance. What a wonderful declaration it is which is recorded in verse eleven! "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?" What compassion and mercy! As it was a day of judgment which had come upon them, true repentance was the needed thing. A past righteousness could not shield them from the judgment if sin had been committed. "As for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness." The wicked confessing and forsaking his sin would find mercy and forgiveness, while those who were impenitent would surely die and not live. "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." And this gracious promise was given in anticipation of the work of the cross, the redemption by the blood of Christ, by which God's righteousness is declared in passing thus over sins of Old Testament believers who turned to God (Rom. iii:25). The principles of Divine justice are summed up in verses 18 and 19: "When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby." Needless to say all this must be viewed as under the law-covenant. But their complaint that the way of the Lord is not equal was wrong; it was their way which was not equal. They were to be judged each according to what they had done.
III. The News of Jerusalem's Fall. The Prophet's Mouth Opened.
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. 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. Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 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. 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? Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land? 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. 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. 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 (verses 21-29).
At last the long threatened and predicted fall of Jerusalem through Nebuchadnezzar, which had happened months before is announced to the exiles by one who had escaped. The hand of the Lord was then upon the Prophet in the evening, before the messenger had arrived, and had opened his mouth. In chapter xxiv:27 the promise had been given that when he that escaped came, the Prophet should be no more dumb. "In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and then thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb, and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the Lord." This dumbness does not mean that his mouth was silent and did not utter a word, for he prophesied in chapters xxv-xxxii. He was to be dumb as regards Israel and his testimony to his people; the intervening chapters, before the messenger came concerns other nations. And now the messenger had arrived, his mouth is opened again to prophesy concerning Israel. It seems the hand of the Lord was upon Ezekiel from the evening to the morning when the messenger announced "the city is smitten." The words recorded in the first part of this chapter are undoubtedly the prophet's evening discourse, and form an introduction to this section. He is told to rebuke those that inhabit the waste places in the land of Israel. This is the remnant left in the land by Nebuchadnezzar, to whom the king of Babylon gave Geddaliah as ruler (2 Kings xxv:22). In spite of the great judgment which had come upon Jerusalem and upon the land, this remnant, which remained in the land, was unbroken and exhibited a strange self-confidence. They reasoned in this wise: "Abraham was one and he inherited the land; but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance." But they lacked the faith and righteousness of Abraham, and the Lord uncovers now their false claims and pretensions by showing their moral character. Their hearts were hardened; they lived on in their wicked, vile and idolatrous ways. "And shall ye possess the land?" asks Jehovah. And He answers, "As I live, surely they that are in the waste places 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 strongholds and in the caves shall die of the pestilence."
IV. Hearers of the Words of the Prophet, and Not Doers.
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. 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. 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. And when this cometh to pass (lo, it will come), then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them (verses 30-33).
How deplorable was their condition, listening to the Prophet's words, saying one to the other, "Come, I pray you, what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord." They took before the Prophet the position as God's people, professing it with their mouths, listening to all the Prophet said and yet refused obedience. With their mouth they showed much love, they spoke nice and pleasant words, but their hearts continued in the evil ways. As the Septuagint version paraphrases it, "because a lie is in their mouth." They were hearers of the words, but not doers. And such is to-day the sad condition of Christendom. What the Prophet had announced was coming to pass and when it came they would find out that a Prophet had been among them.