God's Way Is Just

10 And thou, son of man, say unto the house of Israel: Rightly ye have spoken, saying: Surely our transgressions and our sins 'are' on us, And in them we are wasting away, How, then, do we live? 11 Say unto them, I live—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, I delight not in the death of the wicked, But—in the turning of the wicked from his way, And he hath lived, Turn back, turn back, from your evil ways, Yea, why do ye die, O house of Israel? 12 And thou, son of man, say unto the sons of thy people: The righteousness of the righteous doth not deliver him in the day of his transgression, And the wickedness of the wicked, He doth not stumble for it in the day of his turning from his wickedness, And the righteous is not able to live in it in the day of his sinning. 13 In My saying of the righteous: He surely liveth, And—he hath trusted on his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, All his righteous acts are not remembered, And for his perversity that he hath done, For it he doth die. 14 And in My saying to the wicked: Thou surely diest, And—he hath turned back from his sin, And hath done judgment and righteousness, 15 (The pledge the wicked restoreth, plunder he repayeth,) In the statutes of life he hath walked, So as not to do perversity, He surely liveth—he doth not die. 16 None of his sin that he hath sinned is remembered to him, Judgment and righteousness he hath done, He doth surely live. 17 And the sons of thy people have said: The way of the Lord is not pondered, As to them—their way is not pondered. 18 In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity—he dieth for it. 19 And in the turning back of the wicked from his wickedness, And he hath done judgment and righteousness, by them he liveth. 20 And ye have said: The way of the Lord is not pondered, Each according to his ways do I judge you, O house of Israel.'

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezekiel 33:10-20

Commentary on Ezekiel 33:10-20

(Read Ezekiel 33:10-20)

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.