THE CALL TO REPENTANCE ORACLES OF SALVATION EZEKIEL 33-37 137 The prophet as sentinel 1The word of YHWH came to me: In chapter 3, as we were being prepared for 2Son of man, speak to your peo- the oracles that threatened punishment in ple and say to them, If I bring the the years leading up to the siege and fall of sword upon a land, and the peo- Jerusalem, the prophet was spoken of as a ple of the land take one of their sentinel (see 3:17-20). We refer the reader to number as their sentinel; 3and if the commentary there especially in regard to the sentinel sees the sword com- the word translated ‘warn’(rhz) in this passage. ing upon the land and blows the We suggested there that ‘enlighten’ would be horn and warns the people; 4then a better translation. What the prophet sees and if any who hear the sound of the then communicates to others involves much horn do not take warning, and more than warnings. the sword comes and takes them As we are being prepared for the oracles of away, their blood shall be upon salvation that belong to the period after 587, their own heads. 5They heard the role of the prophet is once again in focus, the sound of the trumpet and did and we return to the theme of the prophet as not take warning; their blood a sentinel. shall be upon themselves. If they had taken warning, they would There are points of contact between this oracle have saved their lives. 6But if the and that in chapter 18. However, the concern sentinel sees the sword coming here is not with personal or collective responsi- and does not blow the trumpet, bility, but rather with the mission of the prophet so that the people are not warned, (compare Jeremiah 6:17; Habakkuk 2:1; Isaiah and the sword comes and takes 21:6ff). His responsibility is to be attentive to any of them, they are taken away God’s word and to convey it to the people. If in their iniquity, but their blood he fails to do this (to see and to enlighten, as I will require at the sentinel’s the verb rhz states), he fails as a prophet. If, hand. however, he speaks out and people refuse to 7So you, son of man, I have made listen, they must bear the responsibility and a sentinel for the house of Israel; the consequences. whenever you hear a word from This oracle still warns of judgment, but as some- my mouth, you shall give them thing which YHWH is holding back. The focus 8 warning from me. If I say to the here is on enlightening the people as to who wicked, “O wicked ones, you YHWH is and on YHWH’s desire that they live. shall surely die,” and you do not This is a call to ‘turn from their ways’(verses 8 speak to warn the wicked to turn and 9), and so ‘save their lives’(verse 5). from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. 9But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life. 138 Ezekiel 33:10-20 The dreadful experience of 10Now you, son of man, say to the house of the siege of Jerusalem and its Israel, Thus you have said: “Our transgres- devastation at the hands of the sions and our sins weigh upon us, and we Babylonian army, as well as the waste away because of them; how then can experience of being in exile, could we live?” 11Say to them, As I live, says the leave the exiles with a feeling Lord YHWH, I have no pleasure in the death of despair: ‘how can we live?’ of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from YHWH declares on oath and in their ways and live; turn back, turn back unusually passionate language, from your evil ways; for why will you die, O that he takes no pleasure in the house of Israel? death of those who have been 12And you, son of man, say to your people, unfaithful. His only desire is that The righteousness of the righteous shall not they repent and live. save them when they transgress; nor will Verse 12 underlines the truth that the wicked fall because of their wickedness what matters is what people de- when they turn from their wickedness; nor cide to do now. The fact that they will the righteous be able to live because of have been righteous in the past their righteousness when they sin. is not something that guarantees 13Though I say to the righteous that they life. They must continue to choose shall surely live, yet if they trust in their what is right. In the same way the righteousness and commit iniquity, none of fact that they have been unfaith- their righteous deeds shall be remembered; ful in the past does not exclude but in the iniquity that they have commit- them from life. They can live if ted they shall die. 14Again, though I say to they choose now to change their the wicked, “You shall surely die,” yet if ways. No one is excluded from they turn from their sin and do what is law- YHWH’s desire that we live. ful and right — 15if the wicked restore the This is spelled out in verses 13- pledge, give back what they have taken by 16, which repeat what was said robbery, and walk in the statutes of life, com- mitting no iniquity—they shall surely live, in chapter 18 verses 21-24. The 16 accent here lies on the repentance they shall not die. None of the sins that that is possible for the sinner. they have committed shall be remembered against them; they have done what is lawful and right, they shall surely live. 17Yet your people say, “The way of the Lord is not just,” when it is their own way that For verses 17-20 see 18:25-30. 18 Here, too, the focus is on life is not just. When the righteous turn from that is being offered to the sin- their righteousness, and commit iniquity, they shall die for it. 19And when the wicked ner because of YHWH’s desire that we live. turn from their wickedness, and do what is lawful and right, they shall live by it. 20Yet This is summed up in verse 20: you say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” O ‘I will judge all of you according house of Israel, I will judge all of you ac- to your ways.’ cording to your ways! 139 The fall of Jerusalem 21In the eleventh year of our exile, This oracle, dated 587, records the news in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the fall of Jerusalem reaching Ezekiel in of the month, someone who had exile. Note the word ‘our’ in the expression escaped from Jerusalem came to me ‘eleventh year of our exile’(verse 21). The and said, “The city has fallen.” occasion appears to be the arrival of a new 22Now the hand of YHWH had been batch of refugees. upon me the evening before the fu- This news vindicates Ezekiel’s dire warn- gitive came; but he had opened my ings. People are more likely to listen to mouth by the time the fugitive came him now, and the fall of Jerusalem opens to me in the morning; so my mouth up a new phase of his ministry – a phase in was opened, and I was no longer un- which he no longer needs to warn of pun- able to speak. ishment (that has happened), but is inspired to speak of YHWH’s desire to forgive. As we have just seen in the previous verses, YHWH does not want to punish. He wants to forgive. The call, therefore, is to repent and so enjoy the life that YHWH is offering his people. Ezekiel’s mouth is opened to announce salvation, as we will see. 140 Ezekiel 33:23-29 Ezekiel hears what some of those 23The word of YHWH came to me: 24Son of back in Jerusalem are saying. man, the inhabitants of these waste places Having survived the siege and in the land of Israel keep saying, “Abraham the subsequent slaughter and ex- was only one man, yet he got possession of ile, they remember the promises the land; but we are many; the land is surely YHWH made to Abraham, and given us to possess.” they think they have been spared 25Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord to inherit the land (without any YHWH: You eat over blood, and lift up your regard to their behaviour; compare eyes to your idols, and shed blood; shall 11:14-15). you then possess the land? 26You depend on ‘Eat over blood’(verse 25), as your swords, you commit abominations, and in Leviticus 19:26, is a form of each of you defiles his neighbour’s wife; divination. They are ignoring their shall you then possess the land? commitments under the covenant. 27Say this to them, Thus says the Lord Verse 27 describes the state of YHWH: As I live, surely those who are in unrest and violence that prevailed the waste places shall fall by the sword; and after the conflagration of 587.