seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Ezekiel 33:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’
7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of[b] them. How then can we live?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’
12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. 16 None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.
17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 18 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. 19 And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. 20 Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”
21 In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!” 22 Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the Lord was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.
23 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 24 “Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’ 25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? 26 You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’
27 “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague. 28 I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them. 29 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable things they have done.’
30 “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
a. Ezekiel 33:8 Or in; also in verse 9
b. Ezekiel 33:10 Or away in
I almost titled this "How much does sin weigh?". I figured it's the third day of a new year and people are all dieting and drinking shakes.... counting every calorie and ounce...... but that would not be right.... because these verses are not about dieting.... they are about taking responsibility for personal conduct once they had been told. God told Ezekiel to tell them exactly what they didn't want to hear. They were responsible for following up with repentance.... but just like the pew warmers of today.... they weren't listening.
This is from the easy English site.
The Lord gave Ezekiel this story to tell to the exiles.
During a war, a city had to be ready to defend itself. It was the custom to appoint a person to watch. This guard would stand on the wall of the city and he would carry a trumpet. When he saw the enemy, he would blow his trumpet. Then the people would prepare to fight.
If the people did not get ready, they would die. It would be their fault. And they would be to blame. The guard who had warned them would not be guilty.
If the guard had not warned them, they would not be ready. They would die because they were not ready. But the guard would be to blame. He would be guilty because he had not warned them.
In this story, the Lord punishes the people because of their sin. They could have repented and God would have saved them. But the Lord will punish the guard if he had not warned them.
The good person must not depend on his goodness. If a good person changes to be a wicked person, he will die because of his sins. His good deeds of the past will not save him. He must take care to do what is right. He must depend on the Lord for his life.
A wicked person may repent of his sins. And then he may do what is right. If so, the Lord will forgive his sins. That person will not die because of past sins. When possible, that person must undo the wrong things that he has done. And he must not continue to sin. He must do what is right. Then, as he depends on the Lord, he will live.
At last, Ezekiel received the terrible news that the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem. But even after that event, the Israelites were still not ready to turn to God. Whether they were in Israel or in exile, the people only really cared about themselves.
In January 585 BC, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to Ezekiel. He brought the news that the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem. It had taken this man about 6 months to bring the news. It was a long way to travel on foot. And he had to come into the country of the enemy. It would have been a particularly difficult journey.
God had promised to Abraham the country that became Israel (Genesis 13:14-15). The people who were still in the country were from the family of Abraham. Therefore, they said that the country belonged to them. But they did not understand God’s promise to Abraham. To have the country they must obey the agreement with Moses. Ezekiel then shows some of the evil things that they did. The law of Moses forbids each of these things. Therefore, the people could not claim the country.
· They ate meat with the blood still in it (see Leviticus 17:10-14).
· They worshipped foreign gods (see Exodus 20:1-6)
· They killed people (see Exodus 20:13).
· They had sex with other men’s wives (see Exodus 20:14).
The people who remained in the country would not live. They would die by the sword, by wild animals or by disease. Their proud attitudes would end. God would empty the country. It would become like a desert.
Then people will know that God is the Lord.
OK.... I am going to remind myself that this is the Old Testament..... there is no eternal life yet. This is before Jesus was allowed to come to earth with the antidote to eternal death. There were only a couple of humans who survived the Old Testament. They were taken up by God. IMHO....The story here is about the exiles and how they accepted their own personal fate. Ezekiel had been telling the exiles that Jerusalem was going to fall and they were going to have to accept it. There were fakes who were preaching to the paychecks and free housing who were telling the people that they were safe, Jerusalem would never fall, and when this was over.... they would go home. But now.... six months after the fall of Jerusalem..... the word came.... they were all homeless.
To that those stupid humans replied "well that's not fair.... God gave us that land..... how could He take it away". Those stupid humans stomped their feet at God..... and God explained it through Ezekiel...... "God gave Abraham the land because Abraham agreed to follow the rules...... "
Two scenarios are going through my brain this morning. The first is how lost the exiles must have felt when they learned that their homes were completely obliterated and there was no return. I know what it feels like to be homeless. The descendants of Jacob [Israel - Abraham's grandson] were not free in Babylon..... they had been raped, castrated, and enslaved. They were dependent on Babylonian masters [humans]. They thought this was a temporary thing.... and God would come rescue them..... but Ezekiel had to tell them.... there is no rescue......
The other scenario is kids with a toy...... It's just three days into the New Year [2020] as I write this. Christmas has just passed..... the toys have all been opened and spread all over the houses of so many parents all over the world. Among those toys were, no doubt, Legos....... the children were told to put their toys away.... they were warned not to leave their toys laying on the floor..... and then Dad stepped on a Lego block..... and it went right into the trash. Of course the little child said "that's not fair!"....... to which Dad said "I told you to pick them up.".
I almost titled this post "How much does sin weigh?" but I didn't.....
One last little scene comes to mind..... footprints on the beach..... when God says.... "that's when I was carrying you"..... I think God is saying "Put down the sins so I can carry you".
