13 August 2022
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live..
From Ezekiel 18:1-10,13,30-32, NRSV
The prophet Ezekiel was speaking to Jews who were exiled in Babylon. Over and again through their history, the “Chosen People” had rebelled and disobeyed God. For the generation in exile, it would have been natural to lay all the blame for their current plight on their ancestors, since the morality of the time taught that punishment for sin belonged to a whole tribe or family and across generations (the sins of the fathers…). However, Ezekiel makes it very clear that the people of this generation must take individual responsibility for their own sin. He also makes it clear that God’s desire is for each person to repent and live a new and better life.
- How easy do you think it was for the people of Ezekiel’s time to adapt their ideas on sin and judgement?
- What difference does it make when we see and judge as God does?
Pray for those who feel that they do not deserve forgiveness.
