Ezekiel - Lesson 33

Lesson 33, When Theology Fails, Ezekiel's Final Shofar Blast for His Compatriots in Babylon, Ezekiel 33, 10 to 20. In their present arrangement in the book of Ezekiel, the exile's prophet's message concerning Israel's foreign enemies, that is, the bad good news, ends with two more oracles against Egypt, his sixth and seventh against that land, in chapter 32. The first involves a lament over the demise over the pharaonic monster, the Kraken of the Nile, 32, 1 to 16, and the second, an elaboration of the image of Egypt's ultimate destiny in Sheol that we learned about briefly in chapter 15, that is, 32, 17 to 32.Chapter 33 functions as a sort of buffer between the bad good news of chapters 25 to 32 and the good good news of chapters 34 to 48. Chapter 33 opens with an oracle on Ezekiel's role as a divinely appointed watchman for the exiles in Babylon, 33, 1 to 9. While some interpret this oracle as a renewal of Ezekiel's call that we first learned about in 3, 16 to 21, in preparation for a new role as the proclaimer of the good news, this obscures its character as an oracle to be communicated to the prophet's fellow exiles. In chapter 3, the introduction of the theme of the watchman involved a private communication from Yahweh for the prophet himself. This one is to be communicated to the people. Accordingly, we should interpret this as one more appeal from Yahweh for the audience to receive the oracles Ezekiel has pronounced to this point, including his warnings. If they do not listen to him, they will share the fate of their compatriots back home in Jerusalem in 586 BC. The sentence of death, that will be their fate. We do not know when Ezekiel proclaimed this message. Was it earlier in his ministry or was it after the death of his wife, of which we learned in chapter 24, 15 to 27? Nor do we know if Ezekiel delivered verses 33, 10 to 20 at the same time as verses 1 to 9. The absence of introductory formulas invites us to interpret them together. After Yahweh's public affirmation of Ezekiel as a watchman in the previous passage, that is in 33, 1 to 20, we hear him dutifully blowing his shofar and sounding the alarm one last time. But unlike chapter 7, where we had heard three shrill blasts of the trumpet announcing Jerusalem's end, here Ezekiel's target was not Jerusalem, which may in fact have fallen by now. According to verse 21, it took the fugitive just short of three months from July 14, 586 BC, to January 8, 585 BC, to reach Ezekiel with that news. The city has fallen. Presumably Ezekiel's audience, the exiles from Judah, were still hoping for Nebuchadnezzar to lift the siege of Jerusalem. But this time Ezekiel's shofar sounded a different tone. As the prophetic priest in the midst of his countrymen, his message was unequivocal, but his tone was pastoral. Far from simply sounding the alarm, Ezekiel would show his countrymen how the sentence of death might be avoided. Still, the window of hope and life was still open. Borrowing the form and style of chapter 18, Ezekiel, that is Yahweh, crafted this unit as a complex disputation speech. The oracle actually consists of two disputations, each of which is structured according to the standard disputational patterns. The first one takes us from verses 10 to 16. It begins with the popular saying, verse 10, then the prophet's response, verses 11 to 16, which involves the dispute and a counter-thesis. That's the first one. The second disputation, verses 17 to 20. It’s short, but it also opens with a popular saying, 17a to b, and then the prophet's response, which involves a counter-thesis and the dispute. Let's have a quick look at both of these. The first disputation, 33, 10 to 16. In verse 10, we hear the popular quotation. Now you, human, say to the house of Israel as follows, this is what you have said. Certainly our crimes and our sins are upon us, and because of them we are wasting away. How then shall we survive? This first disputation opens with a command to the prophet to quote a comment that is circulating among the exiles. While this quotation lacks the proverbial quality of parents eat sour grapes and children's teeth are blunted, that we heard in 18.2, Yahweh casts the people's disposition in a form of an impressive three-line syllogism. Our rebellious and sinful acts haunt us. On account of them we are wasting away. How then shall we survive? The tone is depressing. The pattern of rhythm and rhyme is characteristic of laments. The first line announces the problem, the people's sinfulness. Yahweh had introduced the key word of verses 10 to 20 by referring to the people as wicked, rashach, five times at the end of his charge to the watchman in verses 8 to 9. The words wicked and wickedness occur seven times in our text, verse 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b, 14, 15, 16, seven times. The first line of the people's quotation has replaced it with two semantically related expressions, rebellion, peshah, and sin, chataf. We've heard the word for rebellion before in chapter 2, verse 3, and 1411, five times in chapter 18, 22, 28, 30, 31a, and 31b, and in chapter 21, 24. And we will hear it again in 37, 23, and 39, 24. The word derives from suzerainty, covenantal context, and denotes primarily rebellion, that is, revolt against one's overlord. The word for sin, chataf, signifies missing the ethical mark that Yahweh had established in the covenantal stipulations. Ezekiel had been aware of Israel's guilt for a long time. We saw this in chapters 16, 20, and 23. But now, finally, it had become critical that his people in exile feel the burden. The second and third lines highlight the painful effect of the people's revolt. They feel they are wasting away and fear for their survival. We’ve seen that the verb makak, we've seen that verb before in 4.17 and 24.3, and elsewhere. It's in Psalm 38.5 and Zechariah 14.12. It's used of putrefying, gangrenous flesh. The present usage originated in the covenant curse found in Leviticus 26.39, which describes this very circumstance. Those who survive in the lands of your enemies will waste away, makak, because of their sin. They will also waste away because of their father's sins along with theirs. ESV here reads, wrought away. It appears that Ezekiel's countrymen had finally recognized that their fate signifies the fulfillment of this covenant curse. The tone of the people's question in the third line is even more pathetic than Isaiah's, how shall we escape in Isaiah 20, verse 6. Here they say, how shall we survive? It highlights their despair. Yes, in exile, they have escaped the sword, but that death in battle might have been preferable to this slow death in exile. The quotation reflected the demoralized state of Ezekiel's compatriots in exile. For them, all hope was gone. Their faith had been crushed. The darkness was overwhelming. For the first time in the book, they admitted their own guilt as the cause of their suffering. But was this confession? Was this repentance? The prophet's response suggests it was little more than a cry of pain. As in Judges 10, 10, and 15, this was an appeal for relief, a plea for the release of pressure. But this was an empty cry. It was a cry for songs in the night. There was still no desire for the one who gives the songs. Job 35, 9 to 13 shows us the contrast. But the last line is the key to the entire text. The question is rhetorical, but it probably assumed a negative answer. How then shall we survive? The answer is survival is impossible. In any case, Yahweh sees the opportunity for a response. The people have raised the issue of life. Perhaps a teachable moment had finally arrived. In verses 11 to 16, we see the prophet's response. Now you, human, say to your compatriots, fellow exiles, the righteousness of the righteous person will not save him at the time he commits a crime, nor will the wickedness of the wicked trip him up at the time he turns away from his wickedness. As for the righteous person, he will not survive on account of it at the time he sins. Suppose I say of the righteous, he shall surely live, and he, trusting on his righteousness, commits evil. Then none of his righteous actions will be credited to him. As for the evil he has perpetrated, for it he will die. But suppose I say to the wicked, you shall surely die, and he then turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness. The wicked person returns a pledge. He makes restitution for his robbery. He pursues the statutes of life. He refuses to practice evil. He shall surely live. He shall not die. None of the sins that he has perpetrated will be charged against him. Since he has practiced justice and righteousness, he shall surely live. Now, Ezekiel's divinely dictated answer consists of two parts. First, verse 11, he disputed their language. Say to them, As I live, the declaration of the LORD YHWH, I find no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but in the wicked person's turning from his way, so he may live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, so why should you die, O house of Israel? Appropriately, YHWH strengthened the force of the response to the question of life with an oath that affirmed his own with, As I live, or by my life. YHWH staked his own life on the certainty of what he was about to say. And then he followed up this oath with an unequivocal affirmation that he was not a sadistic ogre who found pleasure in watching the wicked die. In verse 11, YHWH turned the earlier rhetorical question, Do I really find pleasure in the death of the wicked? We heard that in 1823, and we can compare that also with verse 32. He turned that rhetorical question into an emphatic disavowal. I find no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but in their turning that they may live. YHWH delights in life, even for the wicked. His impassioned two-fold appeal. I've emphasized that all they needed to do was repent, shuv, that is, turn around from an evil course of life, turn around to a course of life that yields life. He ended the dispute with a question of his own. Quoting 1831 verbatim, he highlighted how needless their death is. So why should you die? YHWH's plea for repentance was a call to life. Death was not inevitable. Second, in verse 12, Ezekiel announced YHWH's counter-thesis. Now you humans say to your compatriots, the righteousness of the righteous person will not save him at the time he commits a crime, nor will the wickedness of the wicked trip him up at the time he turns from his wickedness. As for the righteous person, he will not survive on account of it at the time he sins. Now although he continued to speak with YHWH's voice, without warning the prophet shifted from his appeal for repentance, which should have consoled despairing sinners, to the respective fates and fortunes of the apostatized righteous person and the repentant wicked. In so doing, he established the principle upon which the appeal in verse 11 could be made in the first place. YHWH's delight in life drove him to acknowledge the repentance of the wicked and to replace the death sentence with the sentence of life. Live! Verse 12, for which a counterpart is missing in chapter 18, served as a statement of principle explaining the modus operandi of divine justice. Through his watchman, YHWH affirmed that people's destiny was not fixed by how they began a race, but how they ended it. People's past does not determine their future. This meant that the righteous may not bank on past merits and presume upon the favor of YHWH if they turn from their righteousness. However, it also meant that the wicked need not fear him if they abandon their wicked ways and adopted a righteous manner of life. Third, in verses 13 to 16, the prophet expounded on this thesis. Having announced an alternative thesis, his exposition followed the pattern he had set in chapter 18 by presenting several hypothetical cases. We can put these texts side by side and you will see that he is repeating much of what he had done in chapter 18 and repeating it almost verbatim, some of it in Ezekiel 33, 14 to 16. The most obvious difference here in these two passages, the one from chapter 18 and the present one, is the reversal of the order. Whereas in 18, 21 to 24, Ezekiel had begun with the repentant wicked, verses 21 to 23, and then moved to the apostatized righteous person in verse 24. Here Ezekiel began with the apostatized righteous person, 33, 13, and ended with the repentant wicked person, 33, 14 to 16. This arrangement harmonizes us with 33, 7 to 9, our present chapter, which had dealt only with the wicked. Compare that with chapter 3, verses 20 to 21, and affirm the correctness of the people's admission of guilt in verses 10 to 11. With this move, Ezekiel expressed Yahweh's willingness to treat his audience not as apostatized righteous persons, but as wicked persons for whom repentance could change the disposition of Yahweh. The point in verse 13 was that Yahweh's past declaration of life for a person whom he recognized as righteous was no irreversible decree. Borrowing vocabulary that we had heard in 320, Ezekiel presented the hypothetical case of one who earlier in life had been a righteous person, but who subsequently repented, shoved, turned around, and changed course. Suppose I say of the righteous, he shall surely live, and he, trusting in his righteousness, commits evil. Then none of his righteous actions will be credited to him. As for the evil he has perpetrated, for it he will die. Rarely, if ever, do we hear anyone cite this verse in theological debates, because it challenges all sorts of spiritual assumptions. So we must be very clear about what it says. First, it says, a righteous person, tzaddik, is by definition one whose behavior and conduct conforms to an established standard. In this case, it is the covenant that Yahweh had made with Israel and his expectations of them as outlined in the stipulations. This is what the word righteousness, tzedakah, means in the first testament, and it's also what it means when it is said of Yahweh. Yahweh is righteous, which means he always acts according to the established standard of the covenant, too. Second, whereas by definition, a righteous person's security derives from trust in Yahweh, this person has switched the object of trust away from Yahweh to himself, narcissistically perceiving himself as the epitome of righteousness. This is idolatry. Third, the shift in the object of trust is reflected in the divine ledger. Instead of crediting the person with righteousness, Yahweh writes down evil, wicked. Here, avel represents the opposite of justice, mishpat. Hence, it's injustice. In 1824, Ezekiel had used the words ma'al, treachery, and sin. Fourth, when this happens, God will disregard the person's earlier righteousness and consider only his latter-day wickedness. Again, here, Hebrew zakar does not mean remember. That is the opposite of forget in our vocabulary. Zakar means to take into account. God judges persons by how they cross the finish line, and he discounts whatever happened before. Five, when this happens, when this human repentance, turning from good to bad conduct, happens, Yahweh's response indicates a repentance turning in his disposition. The sentence of life is commuted to a sentence of death. With this statement, the proper challenged his audience to reflect on the appropriate fate of this individual. Given the person's turning from righteousness to evil, to wickedness, the file containing the record of the person's righteous conduct shall be closed. His or her latter-day evil injustice alone determined the destiny. Ezekiel has hereby repudiated once more the notion of a treasury of merit or demerit. An individual cannot build up such a treasury in one phase of life and count on this to balance off a deficit later. The fates of the righteous and the wicked are determined by their conduct in the present, the moment of the judgment. There is always hope and security for the person who lives righteously, present tense. In verses 14 to 16, the prophet's attention turned to the condition of his present audience, the exact issue to which Yahweh had referred earlier in verse 8. But suppose I say to the wicked, you shall surely die, and he then turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness. The wicked person returns a pledge, he makes restitution for his robbery, he pursues the statutes of life, he refuses to practice evil, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the sins that he has perpetrated will be charged against him. Since he has practiced justice and righteousness, he shall surely live. Well, having summarized the fate of the repentant righteous person, the prophet contemplated the fate of the repentant wicked person. As he had done in 1821 to 1822, Ezekiel challenged his present hearers to find life by means of a series of conditional clauses which, when taken together, summarize for us the biblical doctrine of saving repentance. First, people turn from all their sins. This repentance, shuvs, involves a fundamental change of direction, turning away from sin, as we saw in 3.19-20. Second, their conduct is characterized by actions that are just and righteous, asah, mishpat, utzedekah. Third, they demonstrate this righteousness through a series of identifiable, representative behaviors. They restore debt pledges. To clarify his intended meaning, Ezekiel lifted an illustration from Deuteronomy 24.10-13. When you loan your neighbor a loan of any kind, you must not enter his house to demand his pledge. You must stand outside while a man to whom you have made a loan brings the pledge to you outside. If he is a poor man, you may not sleep in his pledge. You must restore to him the pledge when the sun sets, so that he may sleep in his cloak. Then he will bless you, and you will be considered righteous before Yahweh your God. That's one act. They pay restitution for burglaries. They walk in or pursue the ordinances of life by rejecting evil. The expression ordinances of life occurs nowhere else, but the significance is evident in statements like, My statutes and judgments by which a man shall live, if he does them. We had that in chapter 20, verses 11, 13, and 23. Pursuing the statutes that yield life involves that course of conduct that yields for the individual the divine declaration, he is righteous, he shall live, he shall not die, Deuteronomy 6.25. But notice what Ezekiel did not say the person does. He never mentioned, he mentioned no verbal declarations like, I trust in Yahweh, or I love Jesus, or I prayed the sinner's prayer when I was 12 years old. God's verdict is based on demonstrated righteousness at the time of judgment, not a glib and hypocritical verbal confession. This is a firm rule by which Yahweh operates. Indeed, we can sense the prophet's excitement as he announced the verdict for those who meet these conditions, they shall surely live, they shall not die. The past rebellious acts will not be forgotten. As if God ever suffers from amnesia, they will simply not enter the equation. God doesn't forget. He doesn't take them into account. They will not be considered or taken into account in the assessment. The person's present righteousness will be all that matters. Compare that again with 3.20. The changes in diction from chapter 18 reflect the new situation. In chapter 33, the prophet faced a real audience in a real crisis. The people were despairing over their hopeless condition, and rightfully so. Verses 12 to 16 offer a consoling pastoral response, announcing freedom, that Yahweh opens to the repentant evildoer. The death sentence of the exiles could yet be altered. Their destiny would change if they would turn from their current rebellion against Yahweh to a life of righteousness and justice. Yahweh's commitment to life, declared many years earlier, still stood. So much the first disputation, which really builds on chapter 18 of Ezekiel. The second disputation, verses 17 to 20. Apparently the people refused to receive the word of grace the prophet had just offered. Instead of accepting the gift that would relieve them of the stress expressed in verse 10, they reacted with a cynical retort, to which the prophet must respond with another counter-thesis. Yahweh cast his rejoinder and reply to the offer of life in the form of a second disputation speech, which borrows heavily in its vocabulary from the second part of chapter 18, verses 25 to 30. And we can see these similarities and make a comparison when we juxtapose those texts and look at them as synoptically. We’ll begin with the people's rejoinder. This is part of a continuing conversation, apparently. But your compatriots say the Lord's action is unscrupulous. Like the previous disputation, this segment opens on a bitter note. But instead of continuing their lament over their inevitable doom, the Israelites complain about being at the mercy of a God whose ways are arbitrary, nonsensical, and without principle. As in 18, 25 to 30, here the word is yitakein, which I translate as unscrupulous. The basic form of the root means to measure, to assess, to determine. Every way of a man is pure in his own eyes, but Yahweh weighs takkein the spirit, Proverbs 16, 2. Or every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but Yahweh weighs takkein the heart, Proverbs 21, 2. If you say, look, we did not know this, does not he who weighs takkein the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it? And will he not repay according to his work, Proverbs 24, 12. We see a slightly modified sense in the pieal form of the verb, when he gave the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by its measure, takkein, same root but slightly different emphasis. Who has measured, my dad, the waters in that hollow of his hand and marked off, takkein, the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed, shakal, the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Or what man knows, no, who has measured takkein the spirit, or what man shows him his counsel, Isaiah 40, 12 to 13. The word takkein, takkein, speaks of order, precision, operating according to rules built into the universe. To say that persons are not scrupulous is to say their actions are arbitrary, unpredictable, capricious, inscrutable, lacking in principle, even nonsensical and illogical. In this context, the exiles were convinced that Jeremiah's vision of a God who delights in unfailing love, chesed, justice, mishpat, and righteousness, tzedakah, that's Jeremiah 9, 24, that's an illusion. Yahweh did whatever he wanted in any given situation, which meant people never knew why he did what he did. In the exile's present experience, it looked like he had betrayed the principles of the covenant itself. Why then should the people hope in him? They perceived themselves to be at the mercy of a capricious God whose actions were unpredictable and arbitrary. Ironically, that was precisely the problem with pagan gods. People could never predict with confidence how they would behave because they had not revealed the fundamental rules by which they operated, but not so the God of Israel. The prophet countered the people's protest with a thesis of his own in verse 17c. It was not Yahweh's ways that lacked a standard or sense, it was their own. Ezekiel had just reminded them that if a person abandoned a righteous lifestyle in favor of wickedness, this was the ground for the death sentence. That’s a principle. But the verse was equally true. If a wicked person repented and adopted a righteous manner of life, the latter ensured his or her life. These are rules by which Yahweh always administers justice. The illogic and absence of principle rested with the audience if they failed to repent in the face of God's invitation to life. In verse 20, Ezekiel disputed rather than countered his compatriot's thesis by reiterating the divine operational principle, the logic of which is apparent. All persons will be judged according to their conduct. We can hear the prophet's pastoral passion in the concluding exclamation, O house of Israel! And then the text closes abruptly without a concluding formula and with no hint of the people's reaction. This passage reiterates the lessons of chapter 18. But by placing it here, Ezekiel has heightened the urgency. The parable of the watchman in verses 1 to 9 had highlighted the imminence of the impending crisis. Though some view the quotation in verse 10 as a symptom of the exile's despair after the judgment had taken place, it is preferable to date this oracle near the conclusion of Ezekiel's first phase of prophetic service, immediately prior to the fall of Jerusalem. The prophecy affirms that the recalcitrance and the stubbornness of Ezekiel's audience predicted at the time of his commission, chapter 2, 1 to 3, 15, that stubbornness persisted to the very end. But Ezekiel had faithfully performed his duties as a watchman, sounding the alarm, but no one had listened. They had heard, but they hadn't listened. The hearts of his hearers remained fossilized. But there are many lessons we can learn here for ourselves. First, this text reaffirms that hardened human hearts are unable to comprehend the things of God. For at least six years, the exiles had heard Ezekiel defending and explaining his and Yahweh's actions. Still, they could not grasp the simple logic of divine justice. They admitted they were sinners, and they realized their sin was the cause of their present despair. However, when the prophet reminded them that their death was not inevitable, that it could still be averted by a simple act of repentance, instead of hearing the message of hope, they continued to get hung up on the incomprehensibility of divine justice. But herein lies a lesson for us. The call of the gospel is simple. It offers life to all who will turn from sin, cast themselves on God's mercy, and commit themselves to the divine way of righteousness. However, instead of acting on the good news of this invitation, the hardened heart stumbles on theological issues, so that ultimately people blame God for their fate. In their minds, he had not communicated clearly. But the problem was in their minds, not in the communication. They had not listened intently and responsibly, with softened hearts and minds, to his revelation of his character and his standards of operation. Second, Ezekiel presented an important dimension of God's character. He does not relish death, not even for the wicked. Indeed, he appealed for all to repent and all to find life in his grace. For this reason, Yahweh had sent him as their watchman. And for this reason, the prophet had appealed for, repent, repent, even at this late date. This message offers hope to modern readers as well. 2 Peter 3, 9 will express the truth in another way. The Lord is patient, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should repent and find life in his grace. This gospel is clearest in God's promises of hope and his declarations that he stands on the side of life, not death. But the gospel is also present in his warnings of judgment. After all, to be forewarned is to be reminded not only of the peril of one's course, but also to be directed to the way of escape. God's mercy and grace move him to plead with men and women to accept that way, to repent of their sin and to find life in him. Here we see Yahweh's offer of life as gracious in the extreme. But his offer is principled, and its application is contingent. Among the laws that govern God's administrative justice is the law of human freedom. Yahweh will not impose his grace on a rebellious people. They must accept responsibility for both the course of their lives and their destiny. Without repentance, God will not forgive, and the death sentence remains inevitable. But where the repentance occurs, grace triumphs, and sinners are granted life, full and abundant. Third, Ezekiel repudiated any doctrine of eternal security and or eternal damnation that would hold a person captive to the decisions of the past. Both sequences—rebellion and death for the wicked and righteousness and life for the pious—may be arrested at any time. People may not bank on a treasury of past good deeds to ensure their future well-being, nor need they despair of a treasury of evil that prevents them from enjoying life. The appeal to repent and live assumes real personal freedom to determine at any time not only one's own conduct, but also the destiny that God decrees for a person. The Bible offers examples of both scenarios. 2 Kings 21 1-9 paints a very dark picture of King Manasseh, Hezekiah's son and Josiah's grandfather. But from 2 Chronicles 33 10-20, we learn that in the end, his story actually took an unexpected turn. Verse 10, Yahweh spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. So Yahweh sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought Yahweh his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, Yahweh listened to him and was moved by his request. So Yahweh brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that Yahweh alone is God. It's not how we begin the race that counts with God, but how we end. God in his mercy still calls out to those who have revolted against him. Why should you die, O house of Israel? I find no pleasure in anyone, not even your death. So turn around and live. And for those of us with parents or siblings or children who do not know the Lord, there is still hope. But what about the righteous persons who repent of their righteousness, that is, turnaround from it and rebel later in life against the Lord? Of course, here Solomon represents a classic illustration. He began humbly with David's charge in 1 Kings 2, 1 to 5, ringing in his ears. With Yahweh's full blessing, 1 Kings 3, and with a challenge and privilege of building the temple that Yahweh had denied David, so that all the world might know that Yahweh is God. We heard earlier the queen of Sheba's blessing in 1 Kings 10, 8 to 12, how privileged your people are, how privileged are your officials who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom. Blessed be Yahweh, your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of Yahweh's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness. But what a disaster Solomon's life turned out to be. After the queen of Sheba's visit, everything in Solomon's heart went south. He married foreign women, they led his heart astray. He multiplied Israel's armaments, horses, and on the backs of slaves and his own countrymen, Tsar Solomon tyrannized the people, so that when he died, the entire empire was lost to the Davidic house except for the tribe of Judah. What a tragedy, what a disaster. A formerly righteous man went off the rails, apparently totally. We all know people like this, but Ezekiel's present prophecy to the exiles raises all sorts of deeper theological questions. In 3, 16 to 21 and chapter 18, the prophet had been silent on Yahweh's effectual keeping power of believers, and he did not address that issue here. But we should not argue this text away as if the man only appears righteous, but deep down he never really was so. Talk to Ezekiel about that. Ironically, the most Calvinist of all the prophets leaves open the question of eternal security and whatever other theological labels we want to give this. He assumed that people's spiritual state is reflected in the way they live, in the way they are today. In Jesus' words, by their fruits, you know them, Matthew 7, 16 and 20, or if you love me, you will keep my commands. Fourth, Ezekiel repudiated any doctrine that would accuse God of unscrupulosity and capriciousness. His moral universe runs according to fixed rules. Among these rules, this text affirms the following. One, the person who sins dies for his or her own sin. Two, righteousness is expressed primarily by right action rather than creedal or verbal assent. Three, a person's past behavior does not deterministically dictate future well-being. And four, God is on the side of life rather than death for any. All of that is gospel. Fifth, Ezekiel repudiates the common modern notion that God judges people on the basis of their hearts rather than their actions. We hear it so often, God doesn't look at what I do, he sees my heart. Really? Talk to Ezekiel about that. And what will we do with Jesus' own words? What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. People are what they do. Our actions prove what our heart is like. Sixth, Ezekiel repudiates any doctrine of ministry that encourages a prophet to proclaim only what people want to hear. People in despair need a message of hope, and those wrapped up in their own miseries need a vision of God's mercy. If a doctrine of cheap grace is to be rejected by the rank and file in God's kingdom, the minister must certainly lead the way. To his compatriots, Ezekiel was as pastoral as he could be. But in the end, as the commissioned watchman, he had to sound the alarm of Yahweh's threatened judgment. He couldn't legislate change. That's people's response. But one's appreciation for grace will be directly proportional to one's consciousness of sin. A prophet does no one a favor by promoting a sense of well-being when one is slave to the law of sin and death. I'm okay, you're okay. No, we're not. We’re a mess. For those under the sentence, there is no substitute for a pointed call for repentance and divine deliverance. Seventh, in his faithful performance of his watchman duties, Ezekiel is an inspiration to us all. The principle doesn't apply only to professional and full-time ministers of the gospel. The need for professional watchmen and watchwomen to warn the community of the imminent outpouring of God's fury is a symptom of an unhealthy community. The need is a sign of a lack of health. At the same time, we also recognize that as believers in Jesus collectively and individually, we are here to serve as priests, embodying and ministering God's grace to those in need and warning those who are going off the rails. Yes, through the ultimate revelation of God's grace in the person of Jesus Christ, his sacrificial substitutionary and atoning death, his resurrection and his exaltation in glory, deliverance from the bondage of sin is accessible to all who will repent of their sin and claim this grace. In an increasingly hostile world, contemporary men and women are called to be sentries long before they pick up the horn or the siren to sound the alarm. Peter’s words here are so apropos. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be the emperor or supreme or governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. In the meantime, we need to be on the lookout for the day of the Lord with anticipation and excitement, knowing that he is coming to take home those who are his and to commit the wicked to everlasting punishment. Our hope is in his grace and his mercy alone. Our hope is expressed magnificently in lyrics written by W. O. Cushing and music composed by Ira D. Sankey in 1894.All watchmen on the mountain height proclaim the coming day. Behold, the spires of golden fires point upward far away. And then the refrain, coming, yes, he's coming, the day spring from on high. Coming, yes, he's coming, the promised hour is nigh. Coming, yes, he's coming, let all the ransoms sing. The hills are bright and shining light. All hail the coming king. All watchmen bid the sleeping church awake, arise and pray. The heavenly bridegroom soon will come and now is on the way. All hail to Zion's glorious king by prophets long foretold. Praise him in song. Ye angel throng, strike all your harps of gold. And then we could have the refrain, coming, yes, he's coming, the day spring from on high. Coming, yes, he's coming, the promised hour is nigh. May God help us to anticipate that day with great hope.