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In a review of God’s messages to Ezekiel in 3:16-21 and in 18:1-32, Ezekiel was reminded of his terrible responsibility to be a watchman to warn the people. At the same time the people had a personal responsibility to heed his warnings. Against their despair under their burden of sin and guilt, Ezekiel held out God’s word of grace: “‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’” (v.11). Life was possible only as they took action, as they repented of their evil ways. No one else could do it for them.
The news of the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians freed Ezekiel from the limitations placed upon him in 3:24-27. He must have chafed under the complacency and lack of response to his message by his own people both in Babylon and back in Judah. Since he had not pronounced any specific judgment against Babylon as he had all the other nations, perhaps now he was free even to do that. As God’s watchman he had the task of reproving those Jews who had escaped the conquest of Babylon but lived as fugitives in Judah. They were still unrepentant and claimed wrongly that now the land belonged to them (vv.23-29). Also, he needed to reprove the exiles among whom he lived for their greed and their stubbornness in regarding his words of warning as little more than entertainment (vv.30-33).