EZEKIEL - CHAPTERS 33-34 - THE WATCHMAN AND THE PASTORS
THE WATCHMAN AND THE PASTORS
EZEKIEL- CHAPTERS 33-34
April 20, 2008; April 7, 2026, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Chapter 33 reveals the Prophet as a watchman similar to chapters 3 and 18. In chapter 1, Ezekiel received 20 commissions as a prophet. In this chapter he is re-commissioned for his prophetic task with five commissions.
The Watchmen are God’s prophets and ministers whom God chose to not hold their peace or give Him rest day or night until prophecy was completely fulfilled in the full restoration of Jerusalem and Israel in their land.
33:21 dates these prophecies a year after the fall of Jerusalem. The news of the fall of Jerusalem marked a turning point in Ezekiel’s ministry. The prophet had anticipated and had waited for the fulfillment of his prophecies some seven years; now they were realized to his sorrow.
Before the destruction of Jerusalem, the prophet Ezekiel, as did the prophet Jeremiah, dwelt on messages of judgment; once the judgment came to pass, the prophecies center about promises of blessing. It is my persuasion that the WORD OF GOD is timeless and what it meant at the time it was spoken has the same power for today and for the future.
It is certainly timely for the present kairos timing of the Lord because of the prophetic shaking and shifting in the world system. It is timely for the church because as the timing of the LORD shifts, our ministries also shift.
I have loosely been following prophet Demetrius Sinegal who has been teaching on the five-fold offices of Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Evangelist and Teacher.
One of the points he made is the prophet has the blueprint of God and prophecies into it. Thus, one of the prophets commissions is not only see the future, but to create the future by speaking and decreeing what God is creating. I can align this with the LORD speaking to me to release divine healing through divine love. We must keep speaking it until it comes into being. Like Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel, we must not give God rest until we see the manifestation of His divine healing.
It was customary to place a watchman on the city wall in the time of a threatened attack from the enemy. Care must be taken in choosing such a man. Once the watchman performed his assigned duty, then it was the responsibility of all who heard to act accordingly.
33:3-6: If when he sees the sword come upon the land, he blows the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever hears the sound of the trumpet and takes not warning; if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning, his blood shall be upon him, but he that takes warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman sees the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. So, thou, O son of man, I have set you a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore, you shall hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
The figure of the Blood on the head was taken from the sacrificial animals, where the offer-er placed his hands on the victim so that the guilt in question might be transferred to the sacrifice (verse 4).
The responsibility is then on the hearer.
33:7-20 is a re-commission for his prophetic task. The general message is the prophet’s responsibility to God. His basic activity is that he must hear from God, then declare what he has heard.
1. 33:7-11: O son of man, I have set you a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore, you shall hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, if you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, if he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. Therefore, O you son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, saying if our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? Say unto them as I live, says the LORD GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
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There is a question here: If our transgressions and our sins be upon us and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
The prophet is given 14 answers to the question.
1. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked---either a wicked man who has not repented or one who has repented, lived for Him for a time, and then gone back into sin (V. 11-19).
2. The wicked must turn from his wickedness to live (vs. 11).
3. The wicked man is invited and commanded to turn from his wickedness or he will die in his sins and be lost.
4. The righteousness of the righteous shall not even deliver such a man if he returns to sin (vs. 12).
5. In the day that a righteous man goes back into sin he will incur the penalty of the broken law, and be separated from God as all other sinners are (12-13).
6. Past righteousness will not save a righteous man when he transgresses and becomes a sinner again (12-19).
7. The wickedness of the wicked will not damn his soul if and when he repents and turns from his wickedness to serve God and live in righteousness.
8. God is no respecter of persons. He will not save the wicked until he repents and turns from sin to live right; and He will not continue to save the righteous man if he turns from his righteousness and lives in sin (12-19).
9. All the righteousness of the righteous will not be remembered to cause God to excuse him in the day that he sins; for his iniquity that he commits he will die (v 13).
10. When God says to the righteous that he will surely live if he continues in righteousness or die if he goes back into sin, that is what is meant.
11. When God says to the wicked that he will die, and if he turns from his sins to do that which is lawful and right, then he will live (vs. 14-15).
12. All the sins of the wicked will not be remembered and mentioned to him to damn his soul when he turns from them to do that which is lawful and right. He will surely live (vs. 16).
13. When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will even die thereby (vs. 18).
14. When the wicked turns from his wickedness to do that which is lawful and right, he will live thereby (vs. 19).
What could be unequal about God being just to both the wicked and the righteous? The wicked being permitted to live the day he turns from sin to serve God, and the righteous man dying spiritually if he turns from God to serve sin again. For either, it is a matter of choice. Both can be saved if they wish to be or lost if they choose to be.
Verses 21-22 contain the record of the fulfillment of the promise made to Ezekiel in 24:25-27. Now the prophet was free to carry on a mission and in work of reconstruction and hope. It came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month in the fifth day of the month that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me saying, The city is smitten. Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening, before he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.”
The expression, “The hand of the LORD was upon me” is found seven times and means that the prophet received strength and power from God. He had been dumb until the fall of Jerusalem, speaking only when God opened his mouth.
The first message after the fall of Jerusalem was one of rebuke given to the remnant in Judah for their carnal confidence.
33:24-26: 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. Wherefore say unto them, Thus says the Lord God; You eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall you possess the land?
Eight prophecies fulfilled:
1. They that are in the wastes, shall fall by the sword (27).
2. They that are in the open field will I give to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
3. They that are in the forts and caves shall die of the pestilence.
4. I will lay the land desolate.
5. The pomp of their strength will cease.
6. He mountains of Israel will be desolate.
7. None will pass through the land.
8. Then shall they know that I am the LORD.
Verses 30-33: This is a word of rebuke for the exiles. They are still whispering and talking against Ezekiel. (31) they come unto you as the people comes, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their covetousness. And lo, you are unto them as a very lovely song of one that has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do them not. And when this comes to pass, (lo it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet has been among them.”
Ezekiel was a minstrel.
Six common sins of man:
1. Talk against the prophet or preacher of righteousness.
2. Make light of the Word of God.
3. Go to hear preaching through curiosity only and sit before the preacher with no intention of obeying (vs. 31).
4. Refuse to obey the words of God.
5. Make the prophet or preacher and his words the subject of songs and music without being obedient (v. 32).
6. Show love to God with the mouth when their heart is far from Him and go after covetousness. (v.31).
Ezekiel’s ministry changes from one of judgment to one of Comfort. It not only reveals the Old covenant and the New Covenant, but also shows that the watchman of God proclaims both the Day (the positive) and NIGHT the negative), as revealed in Isa. 21:12: The watchman said, The morning comes, and also the night.
We see the unswerving equity of the Divine government. Note the effects of willful unbelief in this chapter. It blinds the soul to the significance of events (33: 21-24). It prevents repentance and abandonment of sin (25-26). It assures God’s judgment even though that judgment could have been averted (27-29). And it leads to mockery of the prophet of God in sheer self-justification (30-33). The covetousness of verse 31b -- Their talking of the lips was inconsiderate speech. Thus, ours is not the only age that treats God’s servants and spokesmen as if they are public entertainment (1 Cor. 4: 9-16; Matt. 5:10-12).
Chapter 34 list sixteen sins of Pastors:
Ezekiel 34: 2: Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, thus says the Lord God unto the shepherds; woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?”
This chapter deals with the wicked shepherds and God’s shepherd. From this chapter on Ezekiel’s prophecies are mainly consolatory to Israel, telling of God’s grace toward His people and His faithfulness to His Covenant promises. Before the destruction of Jerusalem, the prophet Ezekiel, as did the prophet Jeremiah, dwelt on messages of judgment; once the judgment came to pass, the prophecies center about promises of blessing. This is another undated prophecy which makes it timeless. This elaborates on Jeremiah 23: 1-8. “The true shepherd will gather and tend God’s sheep (Jn. 10) in contrast to the false shepherds who scatter them by their neglect. The calamities of the people (23: 9-20) are attributed to the false prophets who led the people astray by their bad example and false messages of hope when judgment was pending. These false prophets ran without being sent (Jer. 23:21); spoke without having heard (23:21); and prophesied words that were of no profit at all (23; 32).
These false prophets could have spoken in the Name of the Lord if they had given themselves unto God (23:22). God is Omnipresent and heard whatever these prophets spoke in His Name without His authorization; therefore, they were unable to escape personal responsibility and divine retribution (23:24). In 23:28-29, God gives the word that comes from false prophets:
(1) the Word of God is wheat that has substance and nourishes, not worthless chaff like the word of the false prophets.
(2) The Word of God is like fire that kindles an awareness of God instead of leaving the hearer untouched and unaffected; and
(3) The Word of God is like a powerful, effective hammer.
God will punish His people for saying the burden of the Lord; because the phrase implied claim to speak with Divine authentication which they did not have.
Ezekiel 34:3: You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. – The Fat and wool represent the best/finances.
34:4: The diseased have you not strengthened neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken; neither have you brought again that which was driven away (by wicked pastors); neither have you sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have you ruled them.
And they were scattered (to every denomination and every imagination!) because there is no shepherd, and they became meat (food, spoil) to all the beasts (demonic power) of the field…My sheep wandered through all the mountains (kingdoms of men) and none did search or seek after them …Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock…for I will deliver my flock from their mouth (pulpit), that they may not be meat for them.
Here we see the condemnation of the false shepherds. Specifically, the tyrannical rulers are denounced for ministering to their self-indulgence rather than to the people; for neglecting their duty as shepherds to tend the flock of God; and for ruling God’s sheep with force and cruelty.
Then Ezekiel speaks of the Good Shepherd (11-16). God will care for His sheep and will intervene for them. He will gather the scattered sheep and tend the oppressed sheep.
11-16: Behold, I even I will both search My sheep, and seek them out, As a shepherd…that is among his sheep…and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them to their own land and feed them…by the rivers…I will feed them in a good pasture and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold (the Church) be; there (in Zion) shall they lie in a fat pasture and I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down…I will seek what was lost and bring them back again. bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong and feed them in judgment.
Verses 17-22 is God’s judgment of the sheep. Behold I will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats… I will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad.
Verses 20-31 are Messianic, referring to Jesus Christ, the son of David. He is the plant of renown of Verse 29 and the true (genuine) vine of Jn. 15. Men of all nations are the branches of that Planting. This is the contrast that the prophet uses as he places the responsibility for the captivity of Israel at the door of the greedy and cruel kings and priests who had exploited and led astray the people. Under the True Shepherd, there shall be showers of blessing and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. He will give them a True shepherd and deliver them from the oppressing shepherds who care more for themselves than for the sheep.
23-31: I will establish one Shepherd over them, and He shall feed them--- My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken. I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease form the land, and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing, and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them, but they shall dwell safely, and no on shall make the afraid. I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. Thus, they shall know that I, the LORD THEIR GOD, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the LORD GOD. You are my flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am you God, says the LORD GOD.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church, 10115 West Hidden Lakes Lane, Richmond, TX.
I entered into the labors of Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible; Principles of Present Truth by Kelly Varner; comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those who I entered into their labors