Main Idea: While people bear personal responsibility for their sins, God desires for them to turn from their wickedness and live.
A Look at the Text:
Today’s text opens with a confusing riddle about two eagles (Ezek. 17:2).
One eagle takes a shoot of a tree far away, and it is well planted. Yet that shoot leans towards another eagle and is uprooted as a result (Ezek. 17:5-10). This is a metaphor regarding the people of Jerusalem that were taken to Babylon (the one great eagle) and how those who remained leaned upon Egypt for help (the other great eagle).[1]
Considering this metaphor, we see again how the people of God relying upon Egypt was foolish and how Zedekiah, the final king of Judah, paid for his misplaced trust (Ezek. 17:11-21).
Yet, once more, there was hope for a remnant. For God can cause the high tree to be brought low and the low tree to be made high (Ezek. 17:24). He can likewise dry up the green tree and cause a dry tree to flourish (Ezek. 17:24).
With this background in mind, in chapter 18, the guilt of Judah is made abundantly clear.
There was a common proverb in Judah that claimed the people were merely bearing the consequences of their fathers’ sins (Ezek. 18:2). To this, God pointed out that both the soul of the father and the son belong to Him (Ezek. 18:4), and every person is personally accountable to God.
Although they accused Him of injustice, God was and is a just God (Ezek. 18:25-29). They would be judged according to their ways. If they turned from righteousness, they would die. But if they would turn from their wickedness, they could live.
Bringing it Home:
God is a God of perfect justice. While the people of Judah complained about God’s injustice, it wasn’t their ancestors’ sins that were at issue, but the sins of the people in their mirror. It was their fault they were sent to Babylon.
Yet, while God is just, He is also merciful. Truly, He doesn’t delight in the death of the wicked. He would rather that they turn from their wickedness and live (Ezek. 18:23).
If this were true under the Old Testament, certainly it is the case in the New Testament as well, where it is revealed that Jesus Christ came to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Jesus Christ, God incarnate, didn’t come for the cleaned-up, righteous, spiritually healthy crowd. He came to display the love of God for those who were ungodly, hopeless sinners (Rom. 5:6-8).
He came to bear the perfect justice of God upon the cross so that we might be able to stand in the day of judgment. He became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).
If we think that the Almighty delights in the destruction of sinners, we need only take another look at the destruction that took place upon Golgotha’s hill. He desires that we come to Him. That we repent of our transgressions, mend our ways, and return home. Truly, He will welcome us with open arms (Luke 15:20).
Challenge:
Do I separate God’s love from His justice?
[1] Andrew Knowles, The Bible Guide, 1st Augsburg books ed. (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2001), 328.
Before Ezekiel 18 (and Ezekiel 33), there is Ezekiel 9. It is a difficult chapter. It is like Luke 13:5 or Matthew 7:13-14 or John 5:29-30 of the NT, except it was justice in action, having already happened. Balancing justice and mercy (grace) is not easy. Only God can do it perfectly.