01/09/2023
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There is a funny proverb that we have in our world today: excuses are like belly buttons; everyone has one. Making excuses is a common default way of thinking. When something happens, we make an excuse how it is not our fault. When we forget something, we make an excuse to show how it is not our fault. Typically, we like to show how the person who has shown us our failure is the reason why for our failure when we make our excuse. Excuses are not new. The very first account of humanity in the scriptures reveal everyoneโs excuse for their sin. Adam blames Eve for his sin. Eve blames the serpent for her sin. Everyone has an excuse.
This is also true as we come to Ezekiel 18. Ezekiel is prophesying to the people who have been carried into captivity by the Babylonian Empire. He is preaching to them about two key ideas. First, Ezekiel is preaching to them about what is going to happen in Judah and Jerusalem. He is seeing visions of how God has left the temple and his people and how the city and temple will be destroyed. Second, Ezekiel is preaching to the people to change their hearts so that they are repentant and ready for when God calls for his people to return to the land. One of the problems God must address through Ezekiel are the excuses they are making about their condition.
The Excuse (18:1-4)
The Lord begins by quoting what the people in captivity are saying about their circumstances. Look at verse 2. โThe fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the childrenโs teeth are set on edgeโ (ESV). The point of the proverb concerning the people is that they think they are being punished for their parentsโ sins. Our parents ate the sour grapes. But we are the ones reaping their punishment. They are acting like they did not do anything wrong. The people back in the land who had not be exiled were also saying this proverb, which is recorded in Jeremiah 31:29. They believe that all of their troubles are because of the prior generations. Their excuses may come from what God said about his character throughout the scriptures.
God Is Just (18:25-32)
Now the people have been saying that God is not fair. But God rejects this in verse 25. God is fair. The people are the ones who are unfair. God is just. Do not say otherwise. God is not the problem. We are the problem. Punishment is because of what we have done. No one else is to blame. We are not bearing the punishment of what other people have done. God is just and you will be judged by what you do. God is as fair as it gets. You will be judged by what you do. You have the ability to change what you are doing and save your life (18:27-28). Listen to how God ends his message.
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. (Ezekiel 18:30โ32 NRSV)
You will be judged for your actions. Therefore, repent! Now why did God have to go through this whole paragraph illustrating that the person who sins will die? Why is this so important? Because we will not repent until we get rid of our excuses and see Godโs justice. So long as we blame everyone else for our sins, we will never repent. If we blame our parents, then we will not repent. If we blame our friends, then we will not repent. If we blame our culture, then we will not repent. If we see ourselves as completely innocent, excusing our sins because of what others did, then we will never turn and have life.
So God must underscore this important truth. Our excuses are useless. Everyone will be judged according to their ways. So repent and turn so that your sins will not be ruin (18:30). What does this repentance look like? First, cast away from you all the sins you have committed (18:31). God has made it possible to save your life. God wants us to thoughtfully turn to him. Throw away these sins that are going to bring about your eternal death. You do not have to follow through on your desires. You do not have to follow through on your temptations. Say no to sin and throw them away. Peter said it like this in his sermon:
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, โSave yourselves from this corrupt generation.โ (Acts 2:40 NIV)
This is what God proclaimed through Godโs word. Save yourselves from your evil ways. Cast away all of these sins from your life. Second, God instructs his people to get a new heart and a new spirit. Godโs heart for you is that he does not want you to die (18:31-32). God does not want your destruction. So turn from your sins and make a new heart and spirit for yourselves. God is begging us to turn before it is too late. But we must want a new heart and a new spirit.
Our new way of thinking includes some key truths. First, every life belongs to the Lord. We are accountable to him because he made. Second, we do not bear the punishment of our parents or anyone else. Third, we are not destined to sin and punishment. We are able to change the direction of our lives. Fourth, God is just. We are the problem. God is not the problem. Everyone else is not the problem. Stop making excuses for our sinning. Finally, God does not desire the wicked to perish. So he gives opportunities for us to turn before judgment comes. He will not judge you for your past if you will turn to him today.
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