Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Ezekiel
Book: Ezekiel
Chapter: 18
Overview:
God has
No respect of persons.
(1-20) The Divine
Providence is
vindicated.
(21-29) A gracious invitation to
Repentance.
(30-32)
1-20 The soul that sinneth it shall die. As to eternity, every
Man was, is, and will be dealt with, as his conduct shows him to
have been under the old
Covenant of
Works, or the new
Covenant
of
Grace. Whatever outward sufferings come upon men through the
sins of others, they deserve for their own sins all they suffer;
and the
Lord overrules every event for the eternal good of
believers. All souls are in the
Hand of the great Creator: he
will
Deal with them in
Justice or
Mercy; nor will any perish for
the sins of another, who is not in some sense worthy of
Death
for his own. We all have sinned, and our souls must be lost, if
God Deal with us according to his holy
Law; but we are invited
to come to
Christ. If a
Man who had shown his
Faith By his
Works, had a wicked son, whose character and conduct were the
reverse of his parent's, could it be expected he should escape
the Divine vengeance
On account of his
Father's
Piety? Surely
not. And should a wicked
Man have a son who walked before
God as
righteous, this
Man would not perish for his
Father's sins. If
the son was not free from evils in this
Life, still he should be
partaker of
Salvation. The question here is not about the
meritorious ground of
Justification, but about the
Lord's
dealings with the righteous and the wicked.
21-29 The wicked
Man would be saved, if he turned from his evil
ways. The true penitent is a true believer. None of his former
transgressions shall be mentioned unto him, but in the
Righteousness which he has done, as the
Fruit of
Faith and the
effect of
Conversion, he shall surely live. The question is not
whether the truly righteous ever become apostates. It is certain
that many who for a time were thought to be righteous, do
So,
while ver. 26,27 speaks the
Fulness of pardoning
Mercy: when
Sin is forgiven, it is blotted out, it is remembered
No more. In
their
Righteousness they shall live; not for their
Righteousness, as if that were an
Atonement for their sins, but
in their
Righteousness, which is one of the blessings purchased
By the
Mediator. What encouragement a repenting, returning
sinner has to
Hope for
Pardon and
Life according to this
promise! In verse 28 is the beginning and progress of
Repentance. True believers watch and pray, and continue to the
End, and they are saved. In all our disputes with
God, he is in
the right, and we are in the wrong.
30-32 The
Lord will
Judge each of the Israelites according to
his ways.
On this is grounded an exhortation to repent, and to
make them a new
Heart and a new
Spirit.
God does not command
what cannot be done, but admonishes us to do what is in our
power, and to pray for what is not. Ordinances and means are
appointed, directions and promises are given, that those who
desire this change may seek it from
God.