Ezekiel 33:1 - Meaning and Application

The prophet had been told by God to stop prophesying to the Jews when news came that Jerusalem was under siege (Ezekiel 24:27). But now Jerusalem has fallen, two years later, and he is once again told to speak to them. His calling is renewed there. If God had given them up completely, he would not have sent prophets to them. If he did not still have mercy in store for them, he would not have shown them these things.

These verses explain the work of a watchman, the trust placed in him, and the rules that bind him and those he serves (Ezekiel 33:2, Ezekiel 33:6). A public danger gives rise to the need for a watchman, when God brings the sword against a land (Ezekiel 33:2). War is always from God’s hand. It is the sword of the Lord, the sword of his justice, even when men use it unjustly. When a country fears invasion, it appoints someone on its borders to watch enemy movements, give early warning, and keep the people from being caught off guard. In this way, the people of the world show great wisdom for their own interests. One person can serve the good of an entire country. Rulers and statesmen are the watchmen of a kingdom. They must keep working for the public good, and if needed, they must even risk themselves for it.

The watchman holds a public trust and must answer to the people for how he carries it out. His job is to see the enemy coming and to warn others at once. He must not be blind or asleep, or he cannot see the sword ahead. He must sound the alarm, like a trumpet call or a gunshot, so the people know there is danger. Those who set him there depend on him to do these two things faithfully, and they trust their lives to his care.

If he does his duty, sees the danger in time, and gives warning, then he has done his work and saved himself from blame. If the people refuse to listen, refuse to believe the danger is real, or refuse to act, then the fault is theirs. Their blood is on their own heads. If someone goes boldly into danger after hearing the warning, and the sword takes him in his foolishness, he has destroyed himself. But if the watchman fails to do his duty, if he could have seen the danger and did not, or if he saw it and kept silent to save himself, then his guilt is great. If people are caught and destroyed in their sin, before they have time to cry for mercy or repent and make peace with God, the watchman’s failure makes the matter even worse. Their blood will be required from his hand. He will be held guilty for their death because he gave no warning. But if the watchman does his part, and the people do theirs, then both are clear. The one who warned and the one who listened will have delivered their souls.

This is then applied to the prophet (Ezekiel 33:7, Ezekiel 33:9). He is a watchman for the house of Israel. He had at times warned the nations around them, but as to Israel, this was his special office. They were the children of the prophets and of the covenant, yet they did not appoint him as their watchman. God appointed him for them. They were not wise enough for their own souls to secure their spiritual good, as people are careful to protect their earthly interests. God therefore set a watchman over them.

His duty as a watchman is to warn sinners of their misery and danger because of sin. This is the message he must hear from God and speak to them. God has said that the wicked will surely die. They will be miserable unless they repent. They will be cut off from God, from all comfort, and from all hope in him. They will fall under God’s wrath forever, and that is the death of the soul, just as God’s favor is its life. The righteous God has said this, and he will not take it back. No one can deny it. The payment for sin is death. When sin is finished, it brings death. God’s wrath is revealed from heaven not only against wicked nations, but also against wicked people as individuals, in their own personal lives and in the things that matter to them forever.

It is also God’s will that the wicked be warned of this: “Warn them from me.” That shows there is still a chance to avoid it, or warning would be pointless. It also shows that God wants it to be avoided. Sinners are warned of the coming wrath so they may flee from it (Matthew 3:7). This is the work of ministers, to tell the wicked that it will go badly for them (Isaiah 3:11). God speaks in general terms: the soul that sins will die. The minister must apply that truth to particular people and say, “You wicked man, you will surely die, whoever you are. If you keep living in your sins, they will destroy you.” He must say this to the adulterer, the robber, the drunkard, the swearer, and the one who breaks the Sabbath. He must speak this way, not in anger to stir up the sinner, but in compassion, to warn him away from his path and lead him to life. This is done through faithful public preaching, and also by personal warning when a person’s sins are known.

If souls are lost because he neglects this duty, he brings guilt on himself.

If the prophet does not warn the wicked about the ruin that lies at the end of his evil path, that wicked man will die in his sin. Even then, the sinner is still responsible. He could have taken warning from the written word, from his own conscience, and from God’s judgments on others. In that way, his own mouth will be silenced, and God will be shown to be right in his destruction.

This will not help stubborn sinners on the great day when they try to say that their watchmen did not warn them, or that they were careless and unfaithful. Even if that were true, it will still be clear that God did not leave himself without witness. The watchman, however, will also be called to account. “His blood I will require at your hand” means the watchman will answer for failing to warn. The blind leader and the blind follower will both fall into the ditch.

See how much God desires the salvation of sinners. He is deeply offended when those who should warn them do not do all they can to stop their ruin. And see how much ministers will have to answer for if they soften sin, flatter sinners in their evil ways, and by their own wicked lives encourage people to stay in sin and expect peace.

If the prophet does his duty, he may take comfort in it, even if he does not see success. If he warns the wicked of his way, tells him plainly what will come of it, and urges him earnestly to turn away, then the man may still refuse and die in his sin. The warning will only make his guilt and ruin greater. But the faithful watchman has delivered his own soul.

It is a comfort to ministers that, by God’s grace, they may save themselves, even if they cannot bring many hearers to faith and repentance.