Month: November 2020

Is God fair?  A really interesting chapter for me this time around.  The basic premise is that while in the past we used to punish the children for the sins of their parents, as well as the parents being punished, now things are different.  If the children grow up and are righteous and do not commit the same sins as the parents then the children should not be punished.  They should not have their teeth set on edge when their parents eat a lemon, or sour grapes.  

We have transitioned from oracles to laws which have changed and which are different during this time period.  No longer will you hold the sins of the parents over the heads of the children, unless the children commit the same sins as the parents.  While there is a listing of the sins that we are talking about, I think it is wiser to not focus on the list, but rather to be able to see this transition from punishment to the future generations to: “The person who sins shall die.”  Another great quote that we find is: “The righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own.” 

This chapter also provides room for rehabilitation.  It states very clearly what our criminal justice policy should be: “Have I pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live?”  That should be all of our goals and all of our desires that people would turn from their evil ways so that they can live.

Ezekiel is given an image that he is to share with the people.  God calls it a “riddle” and then again calls it an “allegory”.  He portrays an eagle that comes and plucks off the top of a cedar that is called Lebanon.  We know that back in that day the great trees of Lebanon were well known.  Have you ever considered why we have a city called Lebanon near us and from where did it get its name?  Lebanon, the Google tells us, means white mountain.

But this eagle, Ezekiel tells us, plants that branch of a cedar tree in another region and it begins to grow and prosper.  We have to think that the eagle is Babylon who takes up the branch called the Israelites and plants them down away from where they were plucked up and from there they begin to grow.  This is why Jeremiah tells them to grow and prosper wherever they find themselves.  

But there was a king who was chosen by God who was supposed to hang out in Jerusalem and not make any allegiances and just wait there under Babylonian rule.  But that didn’t happen.  The king tried to make allies and as a result was crushed and would not then fulfill the plans that God had for him, which was to prosper once the Babylonian conquest was over.  

Just a reminder that we are to heed God’s commands even if at the time they just might seem oppressive.  That is a hard pill to swallow.