Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Ezekiel 18:31

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Ezekiel 18:31. Cast away — With a holy violence, dash away every transgression and incentive to it.

Make you a new heart — Call upon God for it, and he will give it: for as sure as you earnestly call on God through Christ to save you, so surely you shall be saved; and the effect will so speedily follow, that God is pleased to attribute that in some sort to yourselves, which is done by his grace alone; because ye earnestly call upon him for it, come in the right way to receive it, and are determined never to rest till you have it.

For why will ye die — Who should you go to hell while the kingdom of God is open to receive you? Why should you be the devil's slaves, when ye may be Christ's freemen! WHY WILL YE DIE? Every word is emphatic. Why - show God or man one reason. Will - obstinacy alone, - a determination not to be saved, or a voluntary listlessness about salvation, - can prevent you. Ye - children of so many mercies, fed and supported by a kind God all your life; ye, who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ; ye, who have made many promises to give up yourselves to God; ye, who have been dedicated to the ever-blessed Trinity, and promised to renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh; why will YE die? Die! - what is this? A separation from God and the glory of his power for ever! Die! - forfeiting all the purposes for which your immortal souls were made! Die - to know what the worm is that never dieth, and what that fire is which is never quenched! Why will ye die?

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Each person is responsible (18:1-32)

Many of the exiles complained that it was unjust that they should suffer because of the sins of the previous generation. True, the present captivity had resulted from the continuing decay of the nation over several generations, but the exiles could not deny that they too had sinned. There could be no excuses. They are individually responsible for their wrongdoings and they are punished accordingly (18:1-4).
Examples of sins are then given. These include joining in idol feasts at the high places, immorality, exploitation of the weakness of others, and lack of concern for those in need. The person who avoids these sins and does what is right will enjoy the blessing of God (5-9).
If this good person has a son who does evil, the son will be punished for his sin (10-13). If this wicked son produces, in turn, a son who does good, the good man will be rewarded for his goodness, though his wicked father will be punished (14-18). Each is either rewarded or punished according to whether he has done good or evil, regardless of how his father may have acted (19-20).
God wants sinners to repent, so that they can receive forgiveness and enjoy God’s blessings in life. But if they deliberately choose the way of sin, nothing is left for them but judgment (21-24). The exiles had accused God of being unjust, but they, because of their wickedness, are the ones who are unjust (25-29). God in his justice will punish those who sin, though it gives him no pleasure. He prefers that they repent of their sin and be forgiven; and to each person who repents, God will give eternal life (30-32).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

“Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Jehovah. Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Jehovah: wherefore turn yourselves and live.”

“The way of the Lord is not equal” This was an unqualified slander on the part of apostate Israel. We cannot agree with Howie who said, “This kind of an outcry against the Lord is understandable when we remember how great was the suffering of the people.”Carl G. Howie in the Layman’s Bible Commentary, p. 47. The people were well aware of their consummate wickedness, but the national pride and arrogant conceit of ancient Israel knew no restrictions nor boundaries. They thought that God owed them the world with a ribbon on it, no matter how morally corrupt they became. They were not only totally wrong in this slander, God’s response to it was prompt and positive. “Therefore, I will judge you!” (Ezekiel 18:30).

“Make you a new heart and a new spirit” O no, a man cannot create in himself a new heart; but he can so order his behavior that God will indeed create in him a new heart. God commands men to “Save yourselves from this wicked generation” (Acts 2:40); but men cannot “save themselves,” except in the sense that they can comply with the conditions that will enable God to save them! Men cannot “create” a new heart in themselves, but they can repent of their wickedness and turn to God who will then “give them” a new heart. As Leal put it:

“Man cannot indeed create either a new heart or a new spirit; God only can give them to anyone. But a man can and should come to God to receive them; he can repent and turn to God and thus allow both heart and spirit to be renewed by the Spirit of God.”Thomas H. Leal in The Preacher’s Complete Homiletic Commentary (Funk and Wagnalls), p. 208.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

Ezekiel again exhorts the people to leave off complaining, and to acknowledge that there is no remedy for their evils but to be reconciled to God. But that cannot be done unless they repent. For God was not hostile to them in vain; nor did he, after the manner of men, persecute with hatred the innocent, and those who did not deserve it. Hence it was necessary to seek God’s pardon suppliantly. Ezekiel had already touched upon this, but he now confirms it more at length. He says, therefore, that they not only lost their labor, but increased the flame of God’s wrath by striving with him, and complaining that they were unworthily treated by him: cast forth, says he, your iniquities from you. He shows that the cause of all evils is within themselves: so that they have no excuse. But he afterwards expresses more clearly that they were entirely imbued with contempt of God, impiety, and depraved desires. For if he had only spoken of outward wickedness, the reproof would have been partial, and therefore lighter; but after he commanded them to bid farewell to their sins, he adds, make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. He requires, therefore, from them a thorough renewal, so that they should not only conform their life to the rule of the law, but should fear God sincerely, since no one can produce good fruit but from a living root. Outward works, then, are the fruits of repentance, which must spring from some root; and this is the inward affection of the heart. What is added is to refute their impiety, for they wished their destruction to be ascribed to God. Here God takes up the character of a mourner, saying, Why will ye die, O house of Israel? while the next verse confirms this more clearly.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 18

Now there are instructions for those who have been taken to Babylon, and Ezekiel now turns and speaks to them.

The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, What mean ye, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? ( Ezekiel 18:1-2 )

Now, it is interesting that Ezekiel was in Babylon, and this proverb was at that time being spoken in Babylon. They're going around saying, "Well, our fathers ate sour grapes, and our teeth are set on edge." In other words, "We are bearing the results of our fathers' sins. We're suffering because of what our fathers did."

Now Jeremiah makes mention of the fact that this same proverb was being spoken back in Jerusalem. Those people in the siege were saying, "Our fathers have eaten sour grapes, and our teeth are set on edge." It's interesting how that we just don't like to take the blame for what we have done. We always like to blame someone else. So, if you're some kind of a neurotic nut, you go to a psychologist and they'll tell you, "Well, it's not you, it's your father, you see. That's your problem, your father ate the sour grapes. Now you're a neurotic mess, you know." Hey, you are what you are, and you might as well take responsibility for yourself. Quit trying to blame someone else for all of your ills or all of your problems.

That whole business of trying to blame someone else goes back to the beginning. God said, "Adam, what have you done?" "Oh, the woman that You gave me to be my wife, she did tempt me and I did eat." Rather than accept the responsibility for what a person has done, we always like to throw it over onto someone else. We're quite irresponsible in this manner.

But God is saying, "What is this proverb that these people are saying? 'Our fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge.'"

As I live, saith the Lord GOD ( Ezekiel 18:3 ),

God's going to explode this proverb now.

ye shall not have an occasion to use this proverb any more in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: and the soul that sinneth, it shall die ( Ezekiel 18:3-4 ).

Every man is gonna be responsible to God for himself. When I stand before God, I'm gonna have to answer for only one person--me. I'm not gonna have to answer for my children or my wife, as close as we are. The only one I answer to God for is me. The only one God is gonna talk to me about is me. When you stand before God, you're only gonna be responsible for you. But you will be responsible for you. You're gonna have to answer to God for yourself. And you can't say, "Well, my dad was... " or, "My mom was... " You can't throw it off. You're gonna... the soul that sinneth, it shall die. And God isn't gonna punish your parents for what you are, nor is He going to punish you for what your parents were. Nor is He gonna reward you for what your parents were, or reward your parents for what you are, as the case may be. Each man stands before God as an individual and answers for himself. And it's time that you face up to that reality and you begin to be responsible before God, knowing that we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the things that we have done while we've been living in these bodies. Whether they be good or evil. Might as well prepare yourself.

But if a man is just, and does that which is lawful and right, And has not eaten upon the mountains [that is, these abominable feasts to these pagan gods], or lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor's wife, neither has come near a menstruous woman, And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge ( Ezekiel 18:5-7 ),

When someone would give you a pledge for a debt, a lot of times they would just keep the pledge.

and has spoiled none by violence, and has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment; He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, and hath executed true judgment between man and man, Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; his is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD ( Ezekiel 18:7-9 ).

Now those are the things, if you want to live by the law, that you'll have to do. Now God has a better way of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.

If he beget a son that is a robber, or a shedder of blood, and that does the like to any of these things, And that does not any of those duties, but has eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbor's wife, oppressed the poor and needy, has spoiled by violence, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to idols, and committed abomination, and has given forth upon usury [loaned with usurious interest rates], and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. Now, lo, if he beget a son, that sees all of his father's sins which he has done, and considers, and does not such like, That he has not eaten upon the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols to the house of Israel, nor defiled his neighbor's wife, Neither has oppressed any, nor withheld the pledge, [and so forth]. That he hath taken of his hand for the poor, and he hath not received usury nor increase, and has executed my judgments, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live ( Ezekiel 18:10-17 ).

Every man answers for himself.

As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, and lo, he shall die in his iniquity. Yet you say, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all of his sins that he has committed ( Ezekiel 18:18-21 ),

God's grace, God's mercy, if the wicked will turn.

and keep my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he will not die. And all his transgressions that he has committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his way, and live? ( Ezekiel 18:21-23 )

God is so maligned in the minds of people. As people look upon God as some kind of a vengeful character who is just waiting to cast people into hell. Not so. God is so patient, so long-suffering. He'll do anything to keep a person out of hell. He has done everything to keep a person out. He even sent His only begotten Son to bear all of our sins to make it so easy to get into heaven. And to get into hell, you have to go against the grace of God, the love of God. You have to despise His Son Jesus Christ, turn your back upon the provisions of God and really, you have to in a sense, cross over the body of Jesus Christ to get into hell. Because He stands in your way to block you. And you've got to shove Him aside. It's not easy to get to hell. You've got to fight God every step, conviction of God's Holy Spirit. But if you're stubborn enough and hang in there, you can make it.

But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, [and listen carefully] and does according to all of the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All of his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in the trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord isn't equal. [That isn't fair. God said,] Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he is considered and turned away from all of his transgressions that he hath committed, and he shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ( Ezekiel 18:24-32 ).

So God's cry unto Israel. "Look, turn from your transgressions. Turn to Me and live. I don't have any pleasure in the death of the wicked. Turn and live." God's pleading with them. You say, "But what does that mean if the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity and dies in his iniquity his righteousness will not be remembered?" Well, that's for you to figure out. I think it means what it says. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The appeal 18:30-32

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

They needed to adopt a new heart attitude, a new spirit, a spirit of compliance to God’s will. It was unnecessary that they die prematurely for their sins when they could turn from them and continue to live (cf. Romans 13:14).

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed,.... As unprofitable and pernicious, to be abhorred and abstained from, and to be cast off, as loads and burdens upon them. Kimchi interprets it of the punishment of their sins, which might be cast off, or escaped, by repentance; perhaps it is best to interpret it of the casting away of their idols, by which they transgressed; see

Ezekiel 20:7;

and make you a new heart and a new spirit; which the Lord elsewhere promises to give, and he does give to his own elect;

Ezekiel 20:7- :; and if here to be understood of a regenerated heart and spirit, in which are new principles of light, life, and love, grace and holiness, it will not prove that it is in the power of man to make himself such a heart and spirit; since from God's command, to man's power, is no argument; and the design of the exhortation is to convince men of their want of such a heart; of the importance of it: and which, through the efficacious grace of God, may be a means of his people having it, seeing he has in covenant promised it to them. The Targum renders it,

"a fearing heart, and a spirit of fear;''

that is, a heart and spirit to fear, serve, and worship the Lord, and not idols; and so the amount of the exhortation is, yield a hearty reverential obedience to the living God, and not to dumb idols; or that they would be hearty and sincere in their national repentance and reformation they are here pressed unto:

for why will ye die, O house of Israel? which is to be understood, not of an eternal death; since the deaths here spoken of was now upon them, what they were complaining of, and from which they might be recovered,

Ezekiel 18:2; but temporal calamity and affliction, as in 2 Corinthians 1:10; and so in the following words.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.   31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?   32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

      We have here the conclusion and application of this whole matter. After a fair trial at the bar of right reason the verdict is brought in on God's side; it appears that his ways are equal. Judgment therefore is next to be given; and one would think it should be a judgment of condemnation, nothing short of Go, you cursed, into everlasting fire. But, behold, a miracle of mercy; the day of grace and divine patience is yet lengthened out; and therefore, though God will at last judge every one according to his ways, yet he waits to be gracious, and closes all with a call to repentance and a promise of pardon upon repentance.

      I. Here are four necessary duties that we are called to, all amounting to the same:-- 1. We must repent; we must change our mind and change our ways; we must be sorry for what we have done amiss and ashamed of it, and go as far as we can towards the undoing of it again. 2. We must turn ourselves from all our transgressions,Ezekiel 18:30; Ezekiel 18:32. Turn yourselves, face about; turn from sin, nay, turn against it as the enemy you loathe, turn to God as the friend you love. 3. We must cast away from us all our transgressions; we must abandon and forsake them with a resolution never to return to them again, give sin a bill of divorce, break all the leagues we have made with it, throw it overboard, as the mariners did Jonah (for it has raised the storm), cast it out of the soul, and crucify it as a malefactor. 4. We must make us a new heart and a new spirit. This was the matter of a promise, Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 11:19. Here it is the matter of a precept. We must do our endeavour, and then God will not be wanting to us to give us his grace. St. Austin well explains this precept. Deus non jubet impossibilia, sed jubendo monet et facere quod possis et petere quod non possis--God does not enjoin impossibilities, but by his commands admonishes us to do what is in our power and to pray for what is not.

      II. Here are four good arguments used to enforce these calls to repentance:-- 1. It is the only way, and it is a sure way, to prevent the ruin which our sins have a direct tendency to: So iniquity shall not be your ruin, which implies that, if we do not repent, iniquity will be our ruin, here and for ever, but that, if we do, we are safe, we are snatched as brands out of the burning. 2. If we repent not, we certainly perish, and our blood will be upon our own heads. Why will you die, O house of Israel? What an absurd thing it is for you to choose death and damnation rather than life and salvation. Note, The reason why sinners die is because they will die; they will go down the way that leads to death, and not come up to the terms on which life is offered. Herein sinners, especially sinners of the house of Israel, are most unreasonable and act most unaccountably. 3. The God of heaven has no delight in our ruin, but desires our welfare (Ezekiel 18:32; Ezekiel 18:32): I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, which implies that he has pleasure in the recovery of those that repent; and this is both an engagement and an encouragement to us to repent. 4. We are made for ever if we repent: Turn yourselves, and live. He that says to us, Repent, thereby says to us, Live, yea, he says to us, Live; so that life and death are here set before us.