God’s Justice
Ezekiel 18
When I started the Daily Bible Guide emails, I had many purposes in mind.
My primary reason was to help people read through their Bibles and understand what they were reading.
Another reason was that it would force me to study through every book of the Bible in a way I had not done before.
You might say that it was a personal challenge.
I knew there were books that I never had the opportunity to study as much as I would like.
Take Isaiah.
I have wanted to teach through Isaiah for literally YEARS.
I have studied portions of it in depth, but not the whole.
There is a HUGE difference between simply reading Scripture to read it and digging into it to understand it and apply it.
Now, had you asked me a few weeks ago which ago which of the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel) I was most excited to dig into, I would have said Isaiah.
Isaiah turned out to be one of the toughest studies I have done.
I enjoyed it, but I was ready to move on.
Then I hit Jeremiah.
I am going to be honest, that book gave me the most trouble.
The main reason is because it is arranged thematically and not chronologically.
That is a very Jewish thing to do, but our modern, western minds struggle with it.
If you had asked me which major prophet I was least looking forward to studying, I would have said Ezekiel.
Ezekiel has a reputation for being strange – and he does certainly do some strange things!
Many of his prophecies are acted out, I call them object lessons.
The reason for this is because he was trying to reach a difficult crowd.
He was among the earliest captives taken to Babylon.
Jerusalem had not fallen yet, and that judgment is one of his primary messages.
The book opens with a vision of the cherubim that surround God’s throne – and they are strange!
In chapter 3 he eats a scroll – a strange thing to do – representing the message God had given him to proclaim.
Also, in that chapter he is tied up and confined to his house and only allowed to speak his prophecies – a strange thing to do.
In chapter 4 he makes a model of Jerusalem being besieged and lays next to it for over a year – a strange thing to do.
Also, in that chapter 4 he eats starvation rations – a strange thing to do – to show the starvation of the besieged people in Jerusalem.
In chapter 5, he shaves his head – a strange thing to do – and uses it to illustrate the fate of the people of Judah in judgment.
In chapter 12, he knocks a hole in the wall of his home, packs everything up, blindfolds himself, and moves to a new house – a strange thing to do – to illustrate the fate of king Zedekiah.
Odd behavior? Certainly.
Memorable? Well, we are still talking about it today!
Effective? Sadly, the hearts of the people were too far gone and only the coming judgment would work as Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took the Jews captive.
That coming judgment upon the children of Israel in the kingdom of Judah is the primary theme of the first 24 chapters of the book.
Lying prophets said all would be well, but the faithful witnesses like Ezekiel and Jeremiah bravely proclaim the sobering truth – terrible judgment was coming
We have in chapter 18 a remarkable explanation of God’s actions in judgment.
I want to work through the flow of these verses because I believe they are extremely important.
We not only see why God acted the way He did with ancient Israel, but also how He interacts with every man, woman, and child.
I. The Presumption of Innocence – vs. 1-2
The Jews had a little saying – “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”
The meaning is that the innocent children were being judged for the actions of their parents and forefathers.
In essence, it was denying their guilt before God.
If you read the history of Judah at this time and the messages of the prophets God sent to her, it is abundantly clear that they were guilty!
There would be no hung jury or mistrial here!
This is the biggest hurdle we have in evangelism – people must be convinced they are guilty sinners before God.
I’ll take that a step further – it is one of the biggest problems we have in Christianity – convincing believers that they are faultless just because they are saved.
Friends, step one in seeing God move to our rescue is to admit we need help and that we cannot save ourselves.
II. The Pronouncement of God – vs. 3-4
God declares three things here.
First, that we are all responsible to our great Creator – “Behold, all souls are mine”
I think this is why atheists are so scared to be wrong.
If there is an omnipotent Creator then we must be accountable to Him.
Second, that all are guilty before God – “as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine”
God has the same rules for father and son – If one deserved judgment for their sin, so did the other.
Third, that there is a price for our guilt – “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Paul put it this way: “The wages of sin is death.”
Also, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
It has been so since before the foundation of the universe.
From Adam and Eve to the ancient Israelites to you and me – we all stand guilty before God and the price of our guilt must be paid.
III. The Paths of Men – vs. 5-13
I know I keep doing this, but this point is yet another reiteration of Psalm 1.
There are two ways before us that we may choose.
There is the path of righteous wherein we are blessed by God.
There is the path of wickedness wherein we are cursed by God.
Now these sections are not about our works saving us or gaining merit with God.
The actions displayed are the evidence of who is on the path.
Just because an animal barks and wags its tail does not mean that it is dog.
Seals do, too!
But if it is a dog, it will bark and wag its tail.
If a man is righteous, he will behave in a manner that pleases God.
If a man is wicked, he will behave in a manner that displeases God.
It is because those actions are born of two types of hearts.
One that is transformed and born again through God’s grace.
The other that is dead in sins and trespasses.
IV. The Personalization of Justice – vs. 14-20
This section is a refutation of the claim in vs. 2 that the children are being punished for the sins of their fathers.
The case is laid out of a wicked father having a righteous son – exactly what they were claiming was happening.
God declares individual responsibility is in effect – we are judged on our own case, not that of another.
In vs. 17 – the righteous son is exempted from judgment and death.
In vs. 18 – the wicked father is doomed to judgment.
It says that a son doesn’t have to be like their father.
This is summed up in vs. 20 –
Ezk 18:20 The soul that sinneth, 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.
V. The Possibility of Salvation – vs. 21-32
Here is the good part.
We may be guilty sinners and doomed to judgment and an eternity in hell, but there is a way out!
Ezk 18:21 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.
Ezk 18:22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
The message to the Jews in Ezekiel’s day was to repent from their idolatry and sin and turn to God for forgiveness.
The message for us today is that we need to repent of our sin and turn to God for forgiveness.
We are not bound to follow the path of the wicked into judgment.
There is exit off the path of wickedness that is bound for judgment.
There is an entrance onto the path or righteousness that is bound for glory.
The exit sign simply says “REPENT”.
We turn our backs on self-righteousness and vain faith in things that cannot deliver or transform us.
We turn to God, embracing His grace in faith, and we find newness of life.
Friends, that is what God desires from all men:
Ezk 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
Peter said it this way:
2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
I want to press this on you this morning.
If you are listening to me in this church today, or on the radio or online sometime in the future, you have a choice to make.
Will you continue down a path doomed for hell?
Right now there is an exit sign – EXIT NOW!
I am like that annoying GPS voice on your phone – EXIT NOW!
Turn to God, confess your guilt and your sins, embrace the grace He offers.
Christ died in your place, He bought your salvation, all you need do is take hold of it.
Do not delay!
Do not miss this exit!
You are not guaranteed there will be another.
CONCLUSION
• I have spoken primarily to the lost this morning, but I don’t want to let believers off the hook.
• What can you take from an old fashioned, simple Gospel message?
• It ought to stir joy in your heart and put in a song on your lips.
o “I am redeemed, by loved divine, glory, glory, Christ is mine!”
o “He’s a wonderful Savior to me, I was lost in sin, but Jesus took me in, He’s a wonderful Savior to me!”
• Worship and praise the mighty God who loved us enough to save us.
• If not, better get a checkup and see what sins are clouding your heart.