Focus
Let yourself become open to God and the knowledge that comes from the Word. Ask God for peace at this time.
Read
Ezekiel 18:5-18
5 If a man is righteous and does what is lawful and right— 6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period, 7 does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 8 does not take advance or accrued interest, withholds his hand from iniquity, executes true justice between contending parties, 9 follows my statutes, and is careful to observe my ordinances, acting faithfully—such a one is righteous; he shall surely live, says the Lord God.
10 If he has a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, 11 who does any of these things (though his father does none of them), who eats upon the mountains, defiles his neighbor’s wife, 12 oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, 13 takes advance or accrued interest; shall he then live? He shall not. He has done all these abominable things; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.
14 But if this man has a son who sees all the sins that his father has done, considers, and does not do likewise, 15 who does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, 16 does not wrong anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 17 withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no advance or accrued interest, observes my ordinances, and follows my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live. 18 As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, he dies for his iniquity.
Reflect
This is a passage that may be difficult for us as 21st century Christians to relate to because it deals with the Mosaic Law and ancient customs. We should not allow these specifics to cause us to miss an important theme in this passage. We all have our own relationship with God. It is a matter of personal responsibility when it comes to our faith and actions. We all will stand alone before God at the final judgment with only Christ as our mediator. A parent cannot save a child or a child save a parent. We will not have to answer for anyone else, but we will all be held accountable for our actions. We each have our own souls that we are responsible and we must be sure our souls are at peace with our Creator.
This passage should also remind us of the importance of sharing our faith with others especially our children and grandchildren. Sadly, I have known far too many parents that seek to give their children every advantage. They have life insurance and college funds. They have their children in the best athletic and academic programs. However, they neglect to care for their children’s souls and spiritual needs. They either don’t introduce them to Christ or our Lord is a low priority in their life. This is sad for both the parent and child in this broken age and in eternity. We must be sure that take every opportunity to share our faith with everyone we are around and especially young people.
Pray
Gracious God, help us to care for even the littlest among us. We can be witnesses not only to strangers but with our families too. Amen
Go with God!
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