He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life.
A man hears the trumpet and does nothing — and the sword takes him. This verse puts the blame for that death on the hearer, then adds a short line about what he could have had instead.
Trumpet before sword
God does not strike a land without first sounding a warning. One writer traces that habit from Noah's day to our own:
W. W. FeredayIt is God's way to sound the trumpet before drawing His sword… So before God destroyed the earth by water, He sounded the warning trumpet through Noah. And in our own time, before the last blow falls, His trumpet rings out in the gospel call. Will you not listen to it, and seek salvation while you still may? "Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid?" (Amos 3:6). Will you not be afraid, and flee from the wrath to come?
God's watchman, not the people's
Men would normally appoint their own lookout. Here God appointed one for them, and that makes the guilt of refusing heavier:
Numerical Bible NotesNote this first. Men might naturally appoint a watchman for themselves, and normally they would. But the people did not appoint this prophet. God appointed him on their behalf. If there were no word from Him, the people's accountability would still remain. But God had provided a watchman for those too careless and indifferent to look after their own interests, even the most serious ones. How much this would increase the guilt of those who still refused the Voice that spoke to them!
His blood on his own head
The phrase settles who answers when the sword falls. It cuts both ways:
William KellyUnder the figure of a watchman, God sets Ezekiel to warn the house of Israel. If anyone ignored the sound of the trumpet, their blood would be on their own head. If the watchman did not blow it, his blood would pay the penalty.
The same writer names the principle that now governs, and adds what it does not cancel:
William KellyIt is individual responsibility that now becomes the ruling principle. This does not stop the call and duty of one person to warn many. That was the prophet's place.
Heard, and still unwarned
Hearing is not heeding. One writer applies that gap to people who keep hearing the gospel:
C. H. MackintoshWe fear that relatively few realise the awful responsibility of hearing the gospel message again and again and rejecting it.
The trumpet a person hears today carries both notes at once — the offer and the alarm:
A. J. PollockWhat is the blast the blessed Saviour blows on the gospel trumpet? "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Mark this, my friend. The jubilee trumpet sounds out its sweet, gracious note. Yet at the same time there is an undertone of warning, of coming judgment — "whoever does not believe will be condemned." Take heed to the warning note.
The life he could have kept
The verse does not end with blood. It ends with a rescue that was within reach:
C. H. MackintoshBut does God send His gospel to people merely to place them under responsibility and increase their guilt? Far be the monstrous thought! He sends His gospel to the lost sinner so that he may be saved, for God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. All, therefore, who perish will have no one but themselves to blame.
God held nothing back:
Other AuthorsGod never forces His blessings on men, or treats them as machines… The gospel offer of salvation is made to all, and all are commanded to repent. But suppose a man shuts his ears to the call of grace on purpose, and turns his back on God's mercy. Then he has no one to blame but himself if he perishes wretchedly in his sins. All that divine love could give has been freely given for him. All that divine righteousness claimed has been freely offered. Everything that needed doing is fully done. What more can a man expect?
Summary
- Trumpet. God's way is to sound a warning before He draws the sword — Noah before the flood, the gospel call before the last blow falls.
- Watchman. God appointed the watchman; the people did not hire him. He gave a lookout even to those too careless to look out for themselves.
- Heard. The man in the verse is not ignorant. He caught the sound and left it there — and that gap between hearing and heeding is where the guilt sits.
- Blood. Responsibility here is personal. No one carries it for you: the hearer's blood is on his own head, and the silent watchman's blood on his.
- Saved. God warns to rescue, not to deepen guilt. The man could have kept his life, so everyone who perishes has no one but himself to blame.