Ezekiel 33:11, commentary and pictures

God swears by His own life that He finds no delight in the death of the wicked but wills that they turn from their evil ways and live, urgently pleading twice for them to turn rather than die. This reveals Him as a compassionate Father whose heart yearns with longing love for lost souls to come to Christ and have eternal life, grieving even when as Judge He must sentence the rebellious. Punishing persistent wickedness is a strange and reluctant work to Him, yet His long-suffering patience does not make judgment uncertain, for when iniquity is full He will punish the guilty to destroy sin that would ruin the universe. Rather than destroy sinners in justice, He gave Christ to bear their guilt and wrath and open a fountain of pardon, so that every repentant sinner, however sinful, may be accepted, cleansed and given power to walk in righteousness. Turning therefore means repenting now while mercy lingers, confessing and forsaking sin and coming to Christ in humility and faith, and those who have received this life must faithfully warn souls in peril, for to refuse correction is to choose death.

Verse Wording and Context

God answers the house of Israel when they pine away in transgressions and sins and ask how they can then live. He swears by His own life that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but wills that the wicked turn from his way and live. The message to be spoken to them is therefore an urgent doubled call to turn from evil ways and live instead of dying, because God wills their turning and life rather than their death.

The verse belongs to the charge to watchmen in Ezekiel 33 to warn people of their danger and urge them to turn. Those appointed as watchmen must remain alert to dangers threatening spiritual life, health, and prosperity, and faithfully warn against what dishonors God. The Lord seeks through such warnings and appeals to save sinners rather than destroy them, calling those gone astray to stop doing evil, turn to Him, and live. This purpose requires messengers to speak boldly so that hearers may fear and repent. Those watching over souls in this work must give an account.

The instruction of Ezekiel 33 and 34 is the truth of God and not a pleasing fable. It must be read and studied with the utmost power of understanding because it has direct meaning for those living in these last days. It calls them to make straight paths for their feet so the lame are not turned out of the way.

The doubled turn ye, turn ye and the question why will ye die form a personal, urgent appeal to turn from evil ways and live rather than perish. That call is reproof and counsel and advice given in love, to be taken as from God and acted upon, with abundant blessing for those who do so. It warns the wicked to stop following their own counsel and to change direction from their own way to the Lord rather than persist in a course leading to death. It applies especially as an urgent plea to those resisting correction and turning away from truth.

God Desires Life Not Death

God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and does not desire them to die, but calls them to turn from their evil ways and live rather than persist toward death. The call is a personal, urgent, merciful invitation to repent while opportunity remains, a direct appeal to Israel to repent rather than perish in sins, showing that turning from evil is the way to escape death, and it warns those who shut their hearts against the Saviour to turn rather than die.

He is a compassionate, loving Father who has pity on sinners, and His heart toward lost souls is longing desire, yearning and loving entreaty, even as a father yearns toward his children. With willingness, yea yearning longing, He wants all to come to Christ, believe in Him, turn from evil ways and live and have eternal life, longing for them to turn from sin and live rather than wishing to destroy the disobedient. The call is to come to Jesus every day just as you are and live, for no one can afford to lose his soul and trusting in Jesus keeps the soul from being lost, and Christ's sacrifice and pleading for sinners display this same yearning. Those who have received His pity are to give this invitation to all with subdued and broken hearts, abiding in Christ in meekness and lowliness as His agents to rescue other souls, which makes Satan exceedingly angry.

Even when as moral governor and judge He must pass sentence on rebellious and dangerous subjects, their rebellion and destruction grieve His loving heart. His sentence upon rebellious people is not delighted in, but grieves a heart of love that desired them to turn from their evil way and live.

During probationary time His Spirit patiently and mercifully entreats people to accept the gift of life, and His repeated call to turn shows His compassion and long-suffering. By infinite power He keeps the sinner alive day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute, supplying the air and breath that keeps life in the body, sparing life to give opportunity to surrender to Him. While life is spared He sets before man the peril of closing the door of the heart against the Saviour and urges turning from evil ways instead of dying, having paid for them with Christ's blood and wanting them to break free from Satan. Though Satan leads people into sin and then leaves them hopeless and afraid to seek pardon, God invites them to take hold of His strength and make peace with Him, and in Christ provision and encouragement are given, with Christ as the great Medical Missionary pleading with the sinner to turn and live. God preserves life through warnings and corrective judgments, which are appeals to turn to Him and live rather than attempts to destroy life, to give another opportunity to recognize His correction, repent and be converted. Only those who reject that plea perish, for sin must be destroyed because it ruins the universe, so those who cling to sin perish when sin is destroyed; those who refuse grace and persist in their chosen course bring destruction upon themselves, as God permits them to follow that course and withdraws His protection.

His desire is for all to be saved and to know the truth and not to live and die in sin, and His patient, merciful urging of the wicked blinded by sin to turn and live is applied as a reason Christians should work to reach and save more people. His affliction of Israel was intended to free them from delusion, remind them of their accountability to Him, and help them recover their lost faith.

One who humbles the heart in repentance and confesses wrong is accepted by God and given another test and trial, for God accepts confession when it is accompanied by repentance for the evil done. Every repentant sinner is welcomed with rejoicing and the angels rejoice, and no sinner need be lost because saving grace is freely offered and Jesus abundantly gives salvation to those who bring His love into their work and life.

Reluctant Yet Certain Judgment

Punishment of persistent wickedness is a strange and reluctant work for a merciful and long-suffering God who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires that the wicked turn from evil and live. His forbearance does not make punishment uncertain, for when the measure of iniquity is full He will punish the guilty. The severity of that punishment is shown by how reluctant He is to execute it. Destruction and the denunciation of judgment are foreign to His desire, and in mercy He reveals the future consequences of sin so people can see where their course leads.

The repeated call to turn shows mercy and compassion, not delight in suffering. It contradicts the claim that God delights in endless suffering and eternally torments the wicked. During probationary time His Spirit entreats people to accept the gift of life, and only those who reject that plea perish. Sin must be destroyed because it ruins the universe, so those who cling to sin perish when sin is destroyed.

His patience and reluctance do not make judgment uncertain, for He will judge those hardened in sin because judgment is necessary to protect the earth from ruin and to save others. He bears patiently with stubborn hearts, sends warnings, invites and urges them to turn to Him and live, having paid for them with Christ's blood and wanting them to break free from Satan. Persistent refusal to heed Him brings destruction, for those who refuse grace and persist in their chosen course bring destruction upon themselves as He permits them to follow that course and withdraws His protection.

His desire for the wicked to turn and live stands alongside His command to destroy the Amalekites. The call to turn from evil ways and live expresses His desire for repentance and life, in contrast with the judgment that follows persistent disobedience.

Christ Provides Salvation

Though justice could have swept disobedient transgressors from the earth, instead Christ was given to take the sinner's guilt upon Himself, bear divine wrath for the transgressor, and suffer sin's penalty to ransom the sinner, thereby granting another trial and making return to loyalty possible. Christ's sacrifice displays great love and proves love for the sinner, for at Calvary He bore the curse, patiently bearing even with those who reject mercy, so that to refuse His loving interest and offered salvation is a grave insult. A fountain stands opened to cleanse guilty souls, the merits of Jesus plead for the repentant, and everyone who believes the word and receives the Saviour is given power to walk in righteousness and peace, take His yoke and find rest, follow the directory to heaven, and reach the eternal city and incorruptible inheritance.

Though Satan leads people into sin and then abandons them hopeless and afraid to seek pardon, God invites them to take hold of His strength and make peace with Him, and in Christ full provision and encouragement are supplied. Christ pleads as the great Medical Missionary and Advocate, speaking turn and live directly to the sinner while also pleading for sinners before the Father's throne to spare them, urging them to come now rather than continue in folly, corruption and sin. He lives as risen Saviour ever to make intercession, His atonement followed by the Holy Spirit's work upon every heart, and the bow of mercy still arching the throne testifies that every soul believing in Christ as personal Saviour will have everlasting life, where mercy and justice blend. Looking to Jesus long enough to see and understand His love ends slavery to sin, forms new habits, holds powerful evil propensities in check, and guides to certain victory under a conquering Leader, for God has done everything possible through Christ by giving Himself and becoming poor that people through His poverty might be made rich.

Pardon is freely offered to every repentant sinner, and no one is too sinful to receive strength, purity and righteousness through Christ, for every repentant sinner is welcomed with rejoicing among angels and none need be lost since saving grace is freely offered. God is ready to accept and pardon all transgressions when confession is joined with repentance, even for one who has lived as a prodigal long separated from Him, and the Majesty of Heaven meets such a one even now inviting him to come and have life. Christ waits to cleanse from sin, remove its stains and clothe the sinner in righteousness when he lays hold upon Christ, and any sinner who will come to Jesus will be received. Christ came to restore God's moral image in humanity and taught how to escape sin's degradation, and God draws those who shut their hearts to return and will pardon those who seek Him.

Turning Means Repentance Now

To turn is to leave sinful ways and works, to repent and confess and forsake sin, and to come to Christ in humility and faith for deliverance from sin rather than continuance in it. A changed life of active righteousness and living faith demonstrates that repentance and conversion are genuine, and such a life points others to enduring hope.

The call is heard when one held under strong delusion comes to understand moral truth and turns from falsehood to truth and from sin to righteousness. That turning is a miracle of God's transforming work, in which the Holy Spirit remakes the person and makes him a dwelling place for the Spirit.

God's government holds each person individually responsible, so no one can obey for another and another's neglect never excuses one's own neglect of duty. Turning therefore requires deep, earnest repentance and a sound, straightforward experience in truth rather than empty profession, because God will not be mocked and the destiny of every soul will soon be fixed forever. It is a thorough work for eternity that each must do for himself without further trifling, neglect, or delay, pressing forward now while it is called Today and the voice of mercy is still heard, with determined and sincere effort unto eternal life, while the enemy exerts masterly power to hold souls and their families in darkness to their loss.

Now while mercy still lingers and Jesus still pleads, it is not too late while life remains for one who has turned away to abandon self-will and wrongdoing and turn back and live. The appeal is urgent before probation closes and the record is fixed, calling for personal effort to do what is right while there is time in order to have a clean record in heaven. Abused mercy cannot be taken up at any time, for dark and trying days will come when circumstances are less favorable, and continued resistance grieves the Spirit until He ceases to strive. God Himself pleads for an immediate halt in evildoing, with humble contrition and confession and forsaking of sins however aggravated, coming to Jesus just as one is; to those who turn He shows mercy and abundantly pardons even crimson sin, draws near to them, and causes the Sun of Righteousness to shine upon them. To delay and trifle with eternal responsibility and refuse correction while reason remains is to waste precious time and opportunity to do good, to cast soul and body into the devil's hands and choose Satan as master, to make Christ's death of no effect, and to die in rebellion and suffer eternal loss and the pangs of the second death. With Christ the whole life can be converted, all powers surrendered to Him for transformation of character, and the time redeemed.

Turning requires resisting temptation, denying self, and overcoming sin rather than following natural desires away from everlasting life. It means breaking the fetters of pride, folly, love of the world and worldly pleasure, making any sacrifice for heaven even when the way seems too strait, cutting loose from worldly friends and relatives when Satan uses them to lead away from truth and strew the path to hell with tempting flowers, refusing carelessness and hardness of heart, and yielding the heart's best affections to Jesus who waits to adopt, purify, refine, and fit for immortality, with a rich and glorious reward repaying sacrifice a thousandfold; to harden the heart and stiffen the neck brings sudden destruction without remedy. Those walking perilous paths toward ruin must stop at once where they are for the sake of the soul and of Christ and repent before it is forever too late, for heaven and eternal life in the world made new are set before the sinner instead of eternal loss and no further step can be afforded on the course long turned toward death. The wicked are infatuated, deluded, ensnared and bound by satanic agencies, yet in God's strength the chain can be broken; to keep going is to separate from God, to step from under Christ to the side of darkness and the great adversary, and to meet disloyalty and rebellion with eternal loss, while Christ died to give eternal life to those who turn and live. Repentance must therefore be active and decisive, resisting Satan's snares, leaving harmful associations, and surrendering fully to God instead of resting in a mere form of religion.

To turn to God is to accept the self-giving Christ in complete surrender so as to have everlasting life, a plea pressed especially upon those who have received great light and responsibility yet have committed serious sins. It is repentance and conversion to a life of obedience to God, with warning that refusal risks loss of the soul. Such turning is shown in being of use to others in this world, exerting a saving influence as God's workmen to save oneself and shed holy influence around, united to serve and glorify God, taking an exalted and elevated position, and becoming fit for immortality.

Watchmen Must Warn Faithfully

Ezekiel 33:11 shows that the Lord seeks to save sinners rather than destroy them, taking no pleasure in the death of the wicked but calling those gone astray through warnings and appeals to stop doing evil, turn to Him and live. His warnings are gracious calls to correct an evil way and to protect a soul in danger of losing eternal life. A person may do many things that are right yet still cling to a wrong practice and refuse God's warnings, and stifling conviction and resisting the message begins a path of growing resistance and a dulled conscience. This purpose calls for messengers to speak boldly so that hearers may fear and repent.

The call is made with Christ, and those who have the Holy Spirit are to join Him in giving it as living missionaries and faithful sentinels to arouse, enlighten and warn souls ready to perish. They are to present holy characters that represent the power of sacred truth upon human hearts, abiding in Christ in meekness and lowliness as His agents to rescue other souls, which makes Satan exceedingly angry. His heart toward lost souls is longing desire and loving entreaty, even as a father yearns toward his children, with pity for sinners and desire that the wicked turn and live. It is a call to come to Jesus every day just as you are and live, for no one can afford to lose his soul and trusting in Jesus keeps the soul from being lost, and those who have received His pity are to give this invitation to all with subdued and broken hearts. This truth that God takes no pleasure in the wicked person's death and does not desire people to live and die in sin, but calls for turning from evil and living, is a reason Christians should work to reach and save more people.

God addresses people individually through human agents, calling them away from sin and toward salvation, and His call to repentance has come through tender appeals from friends, family and Christ. Christ repeatedly and tenderly calls people to repentance, urging them to turn from evil and live, and Jesus speaks the call directly while pleading before the throne. His repeated appeals are invitations of grace tenderly calling the wicked to turn from evil ways so they may live rather than die. When they are rejected, the voice that pleaded for repentance becomes a witness against those who refused it, bringing back memories of despised warnings and refused invitations.

Those who take the work of preaching must search the Scriptures prayerfully and help the church obey the Word of the Lord and a plain Thus saith the Lord, since Christ gave His life to save sinners, giving them another trial and making return to loyalty possible. Those who entertain error, preach false doctrine contrary to that Word, hinder obedience, and take Satan's side to justify sin bring ruin on themselves, with condemnation proportionate to the influence of their words and example in leading others into transgression, and the blood of souls perishing through their unfaithfulness will be upon their heads. Those who let themselves be deceived are not excused for neglecting to search God's Word for themselves and trusting the minister instead, and no minister can pay the ransom for their souls, while those who take Satan's side to justify sin must bear the penalty of sin.

Warning and reproof are given in love because souls are in peril, and despising that warning makes the truth ineffective to those who reject it. The warnings of the last message are given as a merciful final appeal, urging people to turn from transgressions of God's law and receive eternal life. Those who refuse and choose evil must bear their iniquity, with their blood upon their own heads.

Appeals to Particular Hearers

Churches that have lost their first love are called to turn from evil and live rather than persist toward death, for God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires repentance and life. Their only hope is to repent and return to their first work and first works, replacing formal, mechanical religion without love and tenderness with deep love and tenderness for one another. They must submit to Jesus to be reshaped for honorable service, and must heed the appeal before their spiritual light is removed and lost.

Churches and their members are to heed this direct call to repentance by examining conduct, correcting wrongs, repenting and being converted, so that sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing come. Backsliders who have turned from first love, left rectitude and purity, and lived as prodigals separated from God are pitied and urgently called to turn back and live rather than choose death, perdition and utter shipwreck of faith. Continued life is reason to rejoice as opportunity to turn, while serving sin and the flesh and the devil brings no profit but poor wages. Turning means confessing and forsaking backslidings to find mercy rather than covering sins and braving them out in wicked pride and shutting the kingdom of heaven against oneself, rending the heart and not the garments and making thorough work for eternity because the soul is precious and worth saving. God has let light shine on the pathway, He will be merciful and be entreated and will not despise a broken and contrite spirit, and He is ready to accept and pardon all transgressions even of one long absent, with the Majesty of Heaven meeting such a one even now to invite him to come and have life and Christ ready to cleanse him when he lays hold upon Christ, warning against longer neglecting this work and flattering the soul with false hopes while remaining without certain hope of eternal life.

Philip is warned by name that the passions ruling him lead to death, while the Lord looks on him with pity and tenderness calling him to turn and return to God. A young man whose disobedience and chosen path threaten loss of eternal life is urged to turn and serve the Lord and return to the Lord, recognizing sin and responsibility before God, since ignorance of sinfulness prevents that recognition and one who does not recognize sin cannot understand responsibility to God. God's word brings truth and righteousness for acceptance, and the appeal is urgent and personal to break with Satan's influence, repent and return.

One whose footsteps are in the downward path is urgently pleaded with to turn from pleasing self, spending in frivolity time belonging to family and to teaching children the ways and works of God, wasting hours in harmful company instead of prayer and study of God's word, failing in responsibility as head of the family to bring up children in nurture and admonition, exerting harmful influence over those without the fear of God, and to rise to the high standard attainable by doing good and using influence on the right side, so that he will live and not die. That turning must begin at once in his own heart and then in the family by erecting the family altar and teaching children to make God their trust, to come to God, to love Him, to pray to Him, to conform their lives to the Pattern, and leading them with a heart baptized with the Spirit of Christ to the Lamb of God. A man is responsible and accountable to God for the influence he exerts in his family and for cultivating that sorely neglected missionary field just before his own door, and he cannot neglect it and be guiltless, for delay brings a reaping of bitterness and anguish.

Believers who indulge criticism, censure and judging of others are called to turn from evil ways or they will die eternally. Each one has a soul to save or to lose and must decide eternal destiny in this life, with souls in imminent peril of finally separating from Him who paid the price of His own blood to save the perishing. To turn is to be converted and have the spirit of a believing, trusting child, fighting the hard battle to overcome years of training in criticism and passing judgment, for without that conversion no one will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Those cherishing bitterness against Elder A. T. Jones and Elder Waggoner must turn from that hatred, from refusing God's instruction as Cain did, from rejecting the precious light and message God gave through those men that fed God's people, from rejecting Christ the Giver of the message, from encouraging the attributes of Satan, and from despising God's delegated ministers while seeking to justify themselves, because their work stands revealed in the sight of God. People entrusted with sacred responsibilities are urgently appealed to repent of cruelty and lack of Christlike love, whose harshness wounds and drives astray people needing help so they may perish, and must change rather than contribute to others' destruction. One who has refused the Lord's words, chosen his own way, and is in darkness through linking with an unspiritual counselor whose life has not known the Spirit of God on the heart is given repeated warning to sense the peril of remaining and to turn from that evil way and live instead of dying. Turning for such a one means refusing to sanction the enemy, refusing to prove an unfaithful sentinel who lets the enemy into the camp, and proving true as a man of God fully on the Lord's side.

Afflicted believers should put away unbelief and gloom, show by cheerfulness and perfect confidence that they have a risen Saviour who ever lives to make intercession, and encourage hope and living active faith in themselves and in grieving friends to lead them to come to Christ, since He has no pleasure in the death of a sinner but wants him to turn from sins and live, so any sinner who will come to Jesus will be received.