Ezekiel 33:10

Ezekiel 33:10 says, Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?  This was stated before in Ezekiel 18:20 but is expounded on more here.  God’s word for Ezekiel to speak to the house of Israel was to ask how they thought they could live in sin and yet live.  They still hadn’t changed their ways.  God has been warning people since the fall of Adam and Eve that they must repent and come to Him for salvation, but too many still don’t listen.   

Verse eleven adds, Say unto them, As I live, saith 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 ye die, O house of Israel?  God said that He had no pleasure in the death of wicked men but only had pleasure in their turning to Him by faith for forgiveness so that they might live spiritually with Him forever.  He then called on the house of Isreal to turn from their evil ways and put their faith in Him.  People sometimes ask how God can send people to hell, and He doesn’t.  Their refusal to accept His gift of salvation is what sends them there, so they are responsible.   

Verse twelve continues, Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.  I believe that basically God was saying that our righteous will not save us and our sins will not condemn us if we repent of them and put our faith in God, beginning with accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  The people of Isreal had begun to think that they were special because of who they were and not because of Who God is.  There are still people today who think that they are special to God because of who they are or where they were born, but unless they have put their faith in Jesus Christ and live by faith, they will one day find out how wrong they were.   

Verse thirteen concludes, When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.  God said that He would say to the righteous, those who had put their faith in Him, that they would live, but that to the self-righteous who had put their faith in themselves or the world that they would die. I believe this means spiritually more than just physically, and it is still true today.