Ezekiel 33:15

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. IF THE WICKED RESTORE THE PLEDGE, GIVE AGAIN THAT HE HAD ROBBED - (). WALK IN THE STATUTES OF LIFE - in the obeying of which life is promised (). If the law has failed to give life to man, it has not been the fault of the law, but of man's sinful inability to keep it (; ; ). It becomes life-giving through Christ's righteous obedience to it ...

10-20 Those who despaired of finding mercy with God, are answered with a solemn declaration of God's readiness to show mercy. The ruin of the city and state was determined, but that did not relate to the final state of persons. God says to the righteous, that he shall surely live. But many who have made profession, have been ruined by proud confidence in themselves. Man trusts to his own righteousness, and presuming on his own sufficiency, he is brought to commit iniquity. If those who have lived a wicked life repent and forsake their wicked ways, they shall be saved. Many such amazing and blessed changes have been wrought by the power of Divine grace. When there is a settled separation between a man and sin, there shall no longer be a separation between him and God....

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 33:1 If we may think of Ezekiel as compiling and arranging his own prophecies, we may think of him as returning, with something like a sense of relief, to his own special work as the watchman of the house of Israel. For upwards of two years the messages which it had been given him to write (how far they were in any sense published we have no means of knowing) in Ezekiel 25-32; had dealt exclusively with foreign nations. Now his own people are again the object of his care. He resumes his pastoral office at once for warning and consolation. From this point onwards, with the exception of the strange Meshech-Tubal episode in Ezekiel 38:1; Ezekiel 39:1; all is leading

IF THE WICKED RESTORE THE PLEDGE,.... His neighbour's raiment, which he has taken as a pledge for money lent him; and which, according to the law, was to be restored before sunset, Exodus 22:26 which wicked men did not attend unto; but when such a man is brought to a sense of his wickedness, and repentance for it, as an evidence of it he would restore the pledge: AND GIVE AGAIN THAT HE HAD ROBBED; to him whom he had robbed; as a thief was obliged to do, four or five fold, according to the law, Exodus 22:1, and which, when a man did voluntarily, from the convictions of his own mind, and not by force of the civil magistrate, it was a sign of true repentance; see Luke 19:8: and walk in the statutes of

Ezekiel 33:1. _Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head._ In that case the watchman is quite clear; he has done his duty, he has sounded an alarm, and a fitting alarm, upon the trumpet; he has sounded it immediately, without loitering or delaying. He has not been afraid of giving uneasiness to men; he has done his duty, fearless of remark, and he is clear. Happy also is he in knowing that, by heeding the trumpet's warning blast, many have escaped the th

II. PREDICTIONS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM (33-48) Chapter S 33-34 A. The Watchman, the False Shepherds, and the True Shepherd _ 1. The renewed call of Ezekiel as watchman (Ezekiel 33:1) _ 2. Ezekiel's mouth opened after Jerusalem's fall is announced (Ezekiel 33:21) 3. Message against the shepherds of Israel (Ezekiel 34:1) 4. The True Shepherd and restoration promised (Ezekiel 34:20) Ezekiel 33:1. The commission of Ezekiel as watchman corresponds to the same call in...

NEED OF A DEEPENED SENSE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY (EZEKIEL 33), and this alike for himself and his hearers. EZEKIEL 33:1. He feels that he is responsible for them, and that they are responsible for themselves. He compares himself, as once before (Ezekiel 3:16), to a watchman whose duty is to raise the alarm in case of impending danger; so it is his, in view of the crisis, to care for and warn individual souls. EZEKIEL 33:10. But the people are despondent, stupefied by the news of the fall of the city (Ezekiel 33:21), sullenly at last admitting their guilt, but believing themselves to lie under the i

RESTORE THE PLEDGE, he. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 22:26; Leviticus 6:2; Leviticus 6:4; Leviticus 6:5.Deuteronomy 24:6; Deuteronomy 24:10; Deuteronomy 24:17). GIVE AGAIN. Note the Figure of speech _Asyndeton_ (App-6), hurrying on to the climax at end of verse. HE SHALL SURELY LIVE. Reference to Pentateuch ...

Despondency of the people, making the prophet's appeals to them of none effect. Removal of the despair by two gracious words from the Lord....

IF THE WICKED RESTORE, &C.— Robbery and violence would be too gainful a trade, if a man might quit all scores by repentance, and detain all he has gotten; or if the father's repentance might serve the turn, and the benefit of the transgression be transmitted as an inheritance to the son. If the pledge remained, it must be restored; the retaining of it is committing a new iniquity, and forfeits any benefit of the promise. If he have it not, nor be able to procure it, his hearty repentance will be accepted through the blood of the covenant, without reparation: but to enjoy and to look every day upon the spoil, and yet to profess repentance is an affront to God Almighty, and a greater sin than the first act of violence, when he did not pretend to think of him, and so did not think of displeasing him. Whereas now he pretends to reconcile himself to God, and mocks him with repentance, while h...