seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Ezekiel 18:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:
“‘The parents eat sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
3 “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. 4 For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
5 “Suppose there is a righteous man
who does what is just and right.
6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines
or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.
7 He does not oppress anyone,
but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked.
8 He does not lend to them at interest
or take a profit from them.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
and judges fairly between two parties.
9 He follows my decrees
and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;
he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
who does what is just and right.
6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines
or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.
7 He does not oppress anyone,
but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked.
8 He does not lend to them at interest
or take a profit from them.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
and judges fairly between two parties.
9 He follows my decrees
and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;
he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
10 “Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things[a] 11 (though the father has done none of them):
“He eats at the mountain shrines.
He defiles his neighbor’s wife.
12 He oppresses the poor and needy.
He commits robbery.
He does not return what he took in pledge.
He looks to the idols.
He does detestable things.
13 He lends at interest and takes a profit.
He defiles his neighbor’s wife.
12 He oppresses the poor and needy.
He commits robbery.
He does not return what he took in pledge.
He looks to the idols.
He does detestable things.
13 He lends at interest and takes a profit.
Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.
14 “But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:
15 “He does not eat at the mountain shrines
or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.
16 He does not oppress anyone
or require a pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked.
17 He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor
and takes no interest or profit from them.
He keeps my laws and follows my decrees.
or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.
16 He does not oppress anyone
or require a pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked.
17 He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor
and takes no interest or profit from them.
He keeps my laws and follows my decrees.
He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. 18 But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.
19 “Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. 20 The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. 22 None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
24 “But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? 26 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. 27 But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. 28 Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die. 29 Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
30 “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!
a. Ezekiel 18:10 Or things to a brother
God has been forgiving humans since they were in the garden. I've heard people say "God forgives us because we live in the New Testament." Well.... this is Old Testament.... and God says.... if I turn from sin.... He'll forgive me.
This is from Bible-studys.org.
One of the foundational principles of Scripture is presented in this chapter. (Also taught in Deut. 24:16; 2 Kings 14:6). Judgment is according to individual faith and conduct. He had foretold national punishment, but the reason was individual sin.
This is from the easy English site.In this chapter, the Lord explains that each person is responsible for his own sin.
This is from Bibletrack.org.
The stage is set for this chapter in the first 3 verses. These exiled Jews insisted that they were being punished solely because of the sins of their forefathers and not their own. They had an old saying (a proverb, but not one of Solomon's), "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? Jeremiah repeats their old proverb as well in Jeremiah 31:29 just before he outlines the New Covenant. It was a saying of conventional wisdom among these sinning Jews, even though it was not true in this situation - at least not to the extent to which they were applying it. Let's be clear about the incorrect nature of their assertion. They had absolved themselves of personal responsibility for God's wrath in the fall of Jerusalem; they claimed it happened because of the sins of their forefathers - not their own. Israel/Judah/Jerusalem had incorrectly applied the message of Exodus 20:4-5 and Deuteronomy 5:9 .
Never mind that they still had their own idols with which they could not seem to part. While it is true that the decisions made by our ancestors have an impact on our own lives, Ezekiel carefully (very carefully) goes through several scenarios in this chapter to hold these contemporary Jews personally responsible for their own sins, and thus the fall of the land into captivity and punishment. He explains that Exodus 20:5 was given as a logical consequence to sin, but was not intended to lock descendants into an impossible-to-do-right situation. These exiled Jews saw their beloved city, Jerusalem, destroyed because they themselves served other gods and idols. Ezekiel is very clear that he intends to put a stop to the use of this proverb when he speaks on behalf of God in verse 3, "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel." Ezekiel then sets the stage for three examples to illustrate the point in verse 4, "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." We're talking individual accountability for sin here when he proclaims, "the soul that sinneth, it shall die."
Incidentally, many people (who fail to rightly divide the word of truth) have taken this chapter out of the context of the fall of Jerusalem and tried to maintain that there is a universal message of spiritual salvation and loss of salvation here for New Testament believers. They take the physical death and punishment spoken of here in chapter 18 and convert the concept from physical to spiritual death. You'll find in nearly all of these misuses of this passage that they have no clue about the specifics of which Ezekiel is really speaking here. Likewise they have done the same with Ezekiel's comments about his responsibility to warn the Jews in Ezekiel 3 and Ezekiel 33. One only needs to read the list of sins identified in verses 5-9 to realize that it is improper to abuse this passage by identifying it with Christians living today. Again to clarify, the exiles are being told that their nation has been terminated because of their own wickedness before God - not the wickedness of their forefathers.
It's confusing... all this Old Testament/New Testament.... Old Covenant/New Covenant..... is hard to understand. I keep telling myself.... the big difference here is God hasn't let Jesus come to earth yet. Death is still going on.... everybody dies. It began at the apple tree in the garden.... and when this was written... it was still going on. This chapter is not about eternal life.... this chapter is about how those stupid humans got in their situation. The people were saying it was someone else's fault. It's as if they are saying.... " hey don't blame it on me... the king lost the scroll with all the laws.... so they didn't teach me the laws of Moses..... so I didn't know any better.... so blame my parents who didn't teach me.... or blame the king who didn't keep his closet straight.... blame Yourself for not telling me.... blame those lying prophets who told me what I did was acceptable.... but don't blame me..... I didn't know...."
To this Ezekiel said.... "You knew God is jealous" That was the first rule of ten.... the basis for all the laws of Moses are built on those first ten rules. God said.... "I am the Lord your God. You will have no other gods before me."
So.... because those stupid humans would not put down those heart hardening shiny baubles..... Jerusalem was toast..... All they had to do was believe in God.... listen to Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.... and do as they were told.... and they would be spared.
The way I read it...... It's not eternal life God is offering here.... it's God's protection.
The way I read it..... it's about stepping up... admitting I was wrong.... and changing my own way to get back on the right path.
Ezekiel should have said.... "Well you know it now!"
