Ezekiel 33:24

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. THEY THAT INHABIT THOSE WASTES OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL SPEAK. Marking the blindness of the fraction of Jews under Gedaliah, who, though dwelling amidst regions laid waste by the foe, still cherished hopes of deliverance, and this without repentance. SAYING, ABRAHAM WAS ONE, AND HE INHERITED THE LAND: BUT WE ARE MANY - if God gave the land for an inheritance to Abraham, who was but one (), much more it is given to us, who, though reduced, are still many. If he, with 318 servants, was able to defend himself amidst so many foes, much more shall we, so much more numerous, retain our own. The grant of the land was not for his sole use, but for his numerous pos...

21-29 Those are unteachable indeed, who do not learn their dependence upon God, when all creature-comforts fail. Many claim an interest in the peculiar blessings to true believers, while their conduct proves them enemies of God. They call this groundless presumption strong faith, when God's testimony declares them entitled to his threatenings, and nothing else....

Verse Ezekiel 33:24. _ABRAHAM WAS ONE_] If he was called to inherit the land when he was alone, and had the whole to himself, why may we not expect to be established here, who are his posterity, and are _many_? They wished to remain in the land and be happy after the Chaldeans had carried the rest away captives....

The exhortation to repentance. Ezekiel first addresses the remnant that still linger in their ancient home, and warns them against presumptuous hopes resting on false grounds Ezekiel 33:23; then he turns his eyes to those near him, and points out that their apparent attention to his words was illusory. Ezekiel 33:24 THOSE WASTES - The places in the holy land devastated by the conqueror. ABRAHAM - The argument is, Abraham was but one man, and he had the promise of the land, though he did not at once possess it; much more shall we, the descendants of Abraham, being many, retain this promise and possess the land, though for a time we are depressed and subject. Compare...

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

SON OF MAN, THEY THAT INHABIT THOSE WASTES OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL,.... The places which were laid waste by Nebuchadnezzar's army, going and returning, in and about Jerusalem, and in several parts of Judea; these were they that were left in the land after the destruction, to people and plant it; or who, having fled to distant parts, were now returned, and took possession of it, though it was in a wretched condition, a mere waste or desert; and yet they were lifted up with it, and proud and haughty, as their language shows: for thus they speak, SAYING, ABRAHAM WAS ONE, AND HE INHERITED THE LAND; he was but one, and had no child, when the promise of inheriting the land was made unto him; and he was but a single worshipper of God, and yet he had this favour and privilege: BUT WE ARE MANY; THE LAND IS GIVEN US FOR INHERITANCE: so they oppose themselves to Abraham, and argue from the lesser t...

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

WASTES. ruins. THE LAND OF ISRAEL. the soil of Israel. Hebrew. _admath._ Not the same word as in Ezekiel 33:28, which is _'eretz_. See note on Ezekiel 11:17. YE EAT WITH THE BLOOD. eat over (_'al_) the blood: i.e. over or near (as the heathen in their necromancy). Reference to Pentateuch (not to Deuteronomy 12:16 (where it is _lo_. not), but to Leviticus 19:26 (where it is. _al_. over), as here, and where it is connected with the idolatrous practices of the heathen. IDOLS. manufactured gods. SHALL YE. ? Note the Figure of speech Protests (App-6)

The confirmation by the fugitives of all his previous predictions gave the prophet boldness to speak anew, and what he says is but a continuation of that which he had said before, and had been so literally confirmed. He had predicted the city's fall because of its sins, and his prophecy had been verified; those remaining in the land continue in the sins for which the city fell, and its fate shall certainly overtake them. The judgment must be carried out till the offences cease. But the teaching of these verses is the natural supplement also to that in Ezekiel 33:1. Those remaining in the land presume that they shall inherit the land because they are in it, notwithstanding their evil conduct: the inheritance of the land will be given on different conditions (Ezekiel 33:1, cf....