Articles
Resigned to Punishment
Resigned to Punishment
Ezekiel 33:10 is puzzling. “Say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you have spoken, saying, ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?’” It seems like repentance, but then God says, “As I live! I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?” (33:11). If 33:10 is a statement of repentance, why would God tell them to repent in 33:11? Clearly it’s not, so what should we make of this?
It seems their attitude has swung to the opposite extreme. Earlier, in chapter 18 (of which chapter 33 is a parallel), they said, “The fathers eat the sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” (18:2). They denied their guilt altogether! In their pride, they blamed their forefathers for the judgment they faced! For the rest of chapter 18, Ezekiel assured them it was their fault and there was hope to change if they would just repent! “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked, rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?” (18:23 - do you see the parallel with 33:11?).
In 33:10, instead of blaming the mess on their forefathers, they’ve accepted responsibility. “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us…” Unfortunately, instead of repenting, they just wallow in their misery. “We are rotting away; how then can we survive?” They’ve gone from pride in ch. 18 to despair and hopelessness in ch. 33! Neither leads to repentance! What’s worse, they’re still judging God as unfair. “Your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’…” (33:17). In chapter 18, they made the same charge! (18:25). There, they thought God was unfair for punishing them for their fathers’ sins. Here in chapter 33, they think He’s unfair for being too harsh and not reversing His punishment. “How can we survive?” In other words, “There’s no hope left for us but to die!” God responds by assuring them it’s not too late to change! All they have to do is repent! “Why then will you die, O house of Israel?” (33:11)
We see the same two ends of the spectrum today, don’t we? On one hand, there are prideful people who don’t think they need to repent. On the other, there are people who admit their sinfulness, but who don’t think there’s any hope. They admit they deserve punishment and seem resigned to be punished. I have a family member who says if he ever went to church, the building would fall down because he’s so evil. I’ve met people who say, “I’m definitely going to hell,” and they speak like it’s a done deal! They’ve already resigned themselves to eternal punishment by a God who (they think) is a harsh judge! How tragic! God says, “Why will you die? Turn from your ways and live!”
