23 February 2024
Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is unfair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die.
From Ezekiel 18:21-28 , 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 points out the difference between God’s way of seeing and judging people and the ways in which people see and judge. Ezekiel explains that God yearns for sinners to be reconciled and that God will forget the sins of those who repent. On the other hand, it is not acceptable for a person who knows how to live a righteous life to depart from that and choose to be sinful.
- 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.
