Year 9, Day 159: Ezekiel 33

Theological Commentary: Click Here

This chapter is loaded with great content.  It starts with a section about the watchman.  God tells Ezekiel that as a watchman, he is to be about warning people of the sin in their life.  Ezekiel isn’t being held accountable for their sin; he is being held accountable with respect to the awareness of their sin.  God tells them that if they sin and are aware of it, it’s on them.  If they sin and aren’t aware of the sin, then it is on Ezekiel.

I think this policy makes sense.  Ezekiel is a priest and a prophet.  He’s supposed to be an example.  He’s supposed to be a leader.  He is supposed to be teaching the next generation.  He can’t control what they do with his teaching, but he can control their awareness to his teaching.  This is a calling that every good teaching should embrace and set as their standard.

The next section is about righteousness.  Here we have a comfortable teaching.  We will all be judged by our efforts in life.  If we live righteously, God will approve.  If we live righteously but slid into sin, then our earlier righteousness won’t save us.  If we live wickedly, we will be judged.  If we live wickedly but repent and turn to God’s righteousness, our wickedness will be forgiven.  This section really makes sense to the Christian mindset.

In the third section, the idea of entitlement truly comes to roost.  The people are asking Ezekiel if they don’t deserve the land. God looks to Ezekiel and asks them what about their choices makes them think they deserve it?  They are eating blood.  They are depending on their own strength and intelligence.  They have no respect for marriage.  They worship their own idols.  In other words, they do what is right in their own mind.

This is a stark reminder for everyone who is entitled.  We like to think that we are where we are because of our own genius and our own creativity.  But what are we in the sight of God?  Am I a genius without God?  Am I creative without God?  God’s point isn’t that they aren’t strong or capable.  God’s point is that they’ve forgotten that they are nothing without God.

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