“Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4
November 23, 2022
For generations Israel had refused to listen to the prophets (“But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing.” Zech. 7:11). God had given Israel fair warning that there would be cycles of discipline (Deut. 28) because of their national failure to keep God’s law. As a resul, Israel was suffering due to the continuing effects of ancestral sins. There is a message here for us. We must never forget that we are effected by our ancestral/parents’ sins. A succession of generations in a family where alcohol has been a life dominating sin can create serial poverty, divorces, and shortened lives. We can suffer the consequences of the sins of others. “The soul that sins will die” is referring not to eternal death but physical death. Such was the result of stiff-arming God. His covenant with Israel meant special obligations. We reap what we sow. Are we aware of the damage of emotional and spiritual abuse? The failure to handle problems God’s way can bring incalculable sorrows to our children and their children. If you read on in Ezekiel 18:3-28, you will see that the chain of generational sinning and misery can be broken by humbling oneself before God and repentance. H
“Lord, we cry out for mercy as our nation persists in violating your moral law. We are seeing the price being paid for defying you in a thousand ways. How soon will even greater tragedies descend upon us?”