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Day 19 Ezekiel 18 Ezekiel 18:1 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, 2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? 3 As I live, says the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins, it shall die. 5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, 6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, 7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; 8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, 9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, says the Lord GOD. 10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that does the like to any one of these things, 11 And that does not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbor’s wife, 12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, 13 Hath given forth upon usury, 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. 14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that sees all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considers, and does not such like, 15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbor’s wife, 16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withheld the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, 17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. 18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. 19 Yet say ye, 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. 20 The soul that sins, 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. 21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 24 But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. 25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? Are not your ways unequal? 26 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. 27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29 Yet says 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? 30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, says 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 dies, says the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. Compromise, tolerance, doing whatever you want, just do it, is the mantra for today’s society. You can see it in the media, by what you see and hear. People aren’t astonished by anything, because everything goes. Yet God told Ezekiel not to compromise, not to give in to the ways of the nations around them. He was to talk to Israel and cause them to turn from their wicked ways. He, God, would not tolerate the sin of his people, but would bring judgment on them. The soul that sinned would die, but those who turned from their wickedness would live. As Christians, if you’ve read your Bible, you know what God will do to those who sin against him. You also know what he won’t do if you obey him. I’ve heard many people say life is not black and white, but many shades of gray. I’ve also been criticized for my black and white look at life. With God, life is black and white. He laid down his law and standards on Mount Sinai. It is the law, and God’s Word that condemns you when you’ve done something wrong. You can also argue we are no longer under the law, but under grace. So, everything goes, as long as you confess your sin. Right? Wrong! God said, the soul that sins will die. There is no tolerance with God. Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (KJV) Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. (KJV) As Christians, you need to consider your actions. Are you following the world, and tolerating what God said was a sin? Or are you true and faithful to God’s Word in every instance? We are all sinners, and I praise God for his grace, so that when I do sin, I can confess my sin, and God will forgive me. That does not give me the right to keep sinning. God looks for true repentance. He will not consider lip service. What do you tolerate that God said is an abomination to you? Let’s pray: Father, I confess my toleration of this world’s pleasures and ideals. Thank you for showing me your Word, so I will know what is truly right and wrong. Help me to turn away from worldly pleasures and seek you daily, so I might do your will. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 8 January 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay