Ezekiel 18

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INTRO/REVIEW
WHY SHOULD WE READ THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL?
It focuses on God’s presence which is essential for us.
From the beginning to the end of Ezekiel and the Bible, we see that God wants to dwell his people. But when His people are rebellious and not walking in his ways, he is holy and can’t dwell with them. And so while Ezekiel has some strong languge to call the people of God back, it is out of love and desire to dwell. This is why we are here. This is how we will be not just a church that prays but a praying church, by focusing on God’s presence. This is how we will be a missional church and an equipping church, by focusing on God’s presence.
It points us to Jesus
In Luke 24 Jesus walks up on two sad and disappointed disciples. Jesus was just raised from the dead but they didn’t recognize him. He then rebukes them for being foolish and slow of heart” and then tells them from Moses all the way through the prophets, even crazy Ezekiel, how they pointed to him. This is important because if Jesus was able to see himself in Ezekiel, we should be able to see him in Ezekiel too.
It is God’s word
This goes with the other ones, but as 2 Timothy 3 tells us that all Scripture is God breathed and pofitable for teaching, encouraging, and equipping the people of God for the work of the ministry. I know that this is a core value for many of you, but we have to have this mindset when coming into Ezekiel because I get that it can be strange and confusing. But it is His word.
EZEKIEL WAS A PRIEST
This is important to know because priests in the community of Israel were to be set apart for the work of the temple. As you can see in chapter 3 that he was the son of Buzi, who was also must have been a priest too because that is the only way you can become a priest. If you were born in the tribe of Levi you were going to be working in the temple. No other choices. The reason this makes Ezekiel different was
CHEBAR RIVER AND BABYLON
So here we have a map and on the left you can see Jerusalem and way over there on the right is the Chebar Canal. So, couple quick questions for you, where is the temple for the Jews? In Jerusalem. And if Ezekiel is a priest, shouldn’t he be by the temple? Why is he almost 900 miles away from his homeland? The one word in chapter one verse 1 that says he was with the exiles.
Here in Babylon
-He has a vision of God (ch 1)
-Called to be a prophet/Watchmen (Ch 2-3)
-Called to not just speak but act out God’s message to His people (Ch 4-5)
-Transported to the temple back in Jerusalem to see the abominations there Ch 8-11)
-Rebukes false prophets and Idolatrous elders (ch 13-14)
-Calls out God’s people as an adulterous wife (ch 16)
And today we are going to see Ezekiel confront Israel again with their victim mindset. Anyone familiar with a victim mindset?
A victim mindset is someone who believes that you are suffering from other people’s actions, even thought there is evidence of the contrary. They believe they are powerless, always feel mistreated, take things personally, and have trouble taking responsibility for their actions.
So, how is Israel acting like a victim? And How is Ezekiel going to help them out of this mindset? Let’s read Ezekiel 18 to find out!
SCRIPTURE
18 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3 As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.
A. The people of Israel were clinging to this proverb, or this saying, that the reason that they were in exile was because of their father’s actions, not theirs. Even though, we know that what they were doing in the temple was not okay, and the people that Ezekiel was ministering to were also a stiff necked and rebellion people. But their theology, which was not rooted in scripture, was believing that the main reason why they were in exile was because of their parent’s actions, not their own. So the saying is almost like us today saying the term, “Such is life. You get what you get.” Or if they were using this proverb spiritually, “This is just my cross to bear brother. I’m just waiting on the Lord.” These are not “wrong” sayings, but when we use them to stay in a sin that we need to confess, repent, and step out of, we are in a victim mindset.
So how do you combat this? Ezekiel has a way that is eerily close to how things are laid out in Leviticus, but that should not surprise us because we know that Ezekiel was a priest. He gives us a hypothetical situation.
5 “If a man is righteous and does what is just and right— 6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, 7 does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 8 does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man, 9 walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord GOD.
10 “If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things 11 (though he himself did none of these things), who even eats upon the mountains, defiles his neighbor’s wife, 12 oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, 13 lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.
14 “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: 15 he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, 16 does not oppress anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 17 withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live. 18 As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity.
19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
So Ezekiel give this picture of a Father, a son, and the grandson. The father is good, he does what is right in the eyes of God, does not commit adultery, does not treat others wrongly, does not bow down to other idols. Good guy! And God says that he is righteous, he will not die.
That guys has a son. And the son is not like the father. He does everything wrong, not because the father taught him, not because the father made him, but from his own choices, he choses to be wicked. God says, that son will surely die for those sins.
But that wicked son, has a son. And that grandson of the first father, sees that his dad was not a good guy and so he makes the decision to be like grandpa and live righteously. But Ezekiel knows that these people will retort back with the saying in verse 19, why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?” The only reason they are saying that is because they are believing they are the innocent grandson, when they are really the sinful second son. Ezekiel makes it very clear that the righteousness of the righteous will be on himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be on himself.
EZEKIEL’S REMEDY FOR A VICTIM MINDSET
OWN YOUR OWN SIN.
The Israelites were blaming their parents for the exile. They were not willing to own their own sin and sinful behavior that actually put them in this place. Were their parents sinful, yup, some of them were. But that doesn not mean that they can continue to blame them for the actions that they were doing.
Jesus talks about this in the sermon on the mount when he says before you take the speck out of your brothers eye, you need to take the log out of your own eye! Understand what garbage you are bringing to the relationship before you start blaming the other person for their garbage.
Now, if this is offensive, there is probably a chance you have not heard the gospel. The first message Jesus gives is “Repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand.” What does repent mean? It means you have sin in your life that needs forgiveness and you need to turn away from so that you can live in the kingdom of God. It is not blaming others for all your problems and actually owning your actions and how they are affecting your life.
Dad’s story?
Why do I share this story? Because this can sound fairytale like or over-spiritual. Yet, it is the Gospel. Transformation is the Gospel. It is not you inviting Jesus into your life and you get to pick and choose what parts you want to keep. It is you stepping into his life, death and resurrection so you can live in a different way.
These Israelites were missing the first step of their recovery out of Exile: Admitting they have a problem.
Ezekiel is trying to help them see that but also he continues on to give them hope for their wicked ways.
21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 24 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.
Oh man, this is a good, sobering message. I want to quote from a commentary of Daniel Block who has been so helpful for me in this study on Ezekiel. He says about this chapter 18,
“To those who presume on the grace of God, it send a stern warning; to those who despair of life, it offers hope.”
EZEKIEL’S REMEDY FOR A VICTIM MINDSET
2. TURN FROM YOUR SIN
To those who presume of the grace of God: Well, you know I was a worship leader 10 years ago. I was an elder 15 years ago. I was a pastor, I was really passionate about God 20 years ago, I was baptized 30 years ago, yet you are a jerk now, have no desire for godliness in your life and you are living in sin, wake up. You didn’t deposit enough righteousness in God’s bank so you can coast in wickedness. If you think a righteous life, even yesterday, gives you grace to live in sin today, you do not understand the Gospel. This is why Paul wrote the way he wrote in many of his letters, it’s why Peter wrote the way he did in his letters, it’s why the book of Jude was written, because people were presuming on the grace of God as a way to live sinfully and still think they were not the issue.
To those who despair of life: To those of you who feel trapped by sin, and see that sin and are disgusted with it, you have hope. There is a way out. It is called grace, it empowers you to live righteously. It empowers you to say no to sin and yes to God. It is a chance to change and be transformed from glory to glory. Does it mean it is easy? NO. Does it mean it is good, yes. Repentance is freedom, because you see what you are doing is wrong and want something different. Repentance and forgiveness are the invitation into a new way of life.
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. 27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”
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