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One-sentence summary: The Lord vows through Ezekiel to repay each man according to his own ways and not his father's; He promises to gather Israel from the nations where He scattered them, and they will know He is the Lord.
The word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel, and the Lord asks about a certain proverb in Israel that says, "The fathers have eaten the sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." The Lord swears that they will no longer use this proverb in Israel. He says all souls belong to Him, and the one who sins will die. The one who has been faithful to Him and kept himself clean, not oppressing anyone but paying his debts, giving bread to the hungry and clothing the naked, who has "withdrawn his hand from iniquity and executed true judgment between man and man," who has kept the Lord's judgments faithfully, that man is a just man, and he will surely live. However, if a man has been an idol-worshiper and has not acted justly, that man will die; his blood will be upon him. However, if he has a son who sees his father's sins and considers it and does not follow in his ways, but walks in the Lord's ways, that man will not die for the iniquity of his father but will live. As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity. Yet the people ask why the son should not bear the guilt of the father,; the Lord says it is because he has done what is right. "The soul who sins will die... the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself." Likewise, if a wicked man repents and starts doing right, he will live, and none of his transgressions will be remembered. The Lord asks if He has any pleasure in the death of the wicked. Also, if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die, and his righteousness will not be remembered. Yet, they still say the way of the Lord is not fair. The Lord says His way is fair, and theirs is not. He says when a righteous man turns to wickedness and dies, it is his own fault, and when a wicked man repents and does right, "he preserves himself alive." The Lord says He will judge everyone in Israel according to his own ways. He tells them to repent so that iniquity will not be their ruin and to cast off their transgressions and get a new heart and a new spirit. The Lord does not have pleasure in the death of any man; therefore, He tells them, "Turn, and live."
The Lord tells Ezekiel to take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel. He says their mother is a lioness who brought up a cub who grew strong and learned to devour men. The nations heard of him, and he was trapped in their pit. They brought him to Egypt. When the lioness saw "her hope was lost," she raised up another young cub who also grew strong and devoured men. "The land was desolated with the noise of his roar." However, the nations trapped him with a net and pit as well. They put him in a cage with chains and took him to Babylon, and his voice was no longer heard on the mountains of Israel. Their mother was also like a fruitful vine planted by the waters, full of strong branches (rulers.) She was plucked up in fury and cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried her fruit. Now, she is planted in the wilderness in a dry and thirsty land. Fire has devoured her fruit so that she has no strong branch (scepter for ruling.) This is Ezekiel's lamentation.
It comes to pass that some elders of Israel come to inquire of the Lord and sit before Ezekiel. The word of the Lord comes to him and tells him to say that the Lord will not be inquired of by them. He tells him to judge them and let them know the abominations of their fathers, so Ezekiel recounts them. The Lord says on the day He made a covenant with Israel, He said He was the Lord their God and made an oath to bring them out of Egypt to a land He had searched out for them, a land "flowing with milk and honey, a glory of all lands." He told them to throw away their abominations and not defile themselves with the idols of Egypt because He was the Lord their God. But they did not obey Him or forsake the idols of Egypt, so the Lord vowed to pour out His fury on them. He did this for His name's sake, so that it would not be profaned among the Gentiles, before whom He did all these things. Ezekiel tells them how the Lord brought them out of Egypt and gave them His commandments and Sabbaths as a sign, so they would know He is "the Lord who sanctifies [them.]" But they rebelled in the wilderness and despised His commands. They also defiled His Sabbaths, so He said He would pour out His fury in the wilderness and consume them, again for His name's sake. He promised not to bring them into the land He promised. Nevertheless, He did not totally destroy them, but commanded their children to obey His commands and to keep His Sabbaths. But they also rebelled against His judgments, "which, if a man does, he shall live by them." They also profaned the Sabbaths. So the Lord again said He would pour His fury on them, yet again, He withdrew His hand for His name's sake. He promised then to scatter them among the Gentiles because they did not follow His commands and profaned His Sabbaths and worshiped their father's idols. He purposed to make them desolate so they would know He is the Lord. He tells Ezekiel to tell the elders all this and to ask them if they are defiling themselves like their fathers. The Lord says they are defiling themselves to this day by sacrificing their own children to their gods, and He asks why now they are inquiring of Him. He says they will never be like the Gentiles, "serving wood and stone." "With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with fury poured out, I will rule over you," says the Lord. He promises to gather them from the nations they have been scattered, bring them into the wilderness, and plead His case with them face to face, just as He did with their fathers. He says He will bring them into a covenant and purge the rebels from among them. However, they will not enter Israel. Then, they will know He is the Lord. He tells them to go serve their idols if they are not going to obey Him but not to profane His holy mountain with them anymore, because they will serve Him there. The Lord says He will be hallowed in them before the Gentiles, and they will know He is the Lord, when He brings them into the land of Israel. Then, they will remember their ways and all their evildoings, how they have defiled themselves, and they will hate themselves and remember the Lord. He will deal with them for His name's sake and not their evil ways. The Lord tells Ezekiel to preach against the South, saying He will kindle a fire that will devour every tree. All faces will be scorched by it, and all flesh will see that the Lord has kindled it, and it will not be quenched. In the end, Ezekiel remarks that the people say he is speaking in parables.
Thoughts/discussion questions:
If we can start from the vantage point that the Lord is righteous, and we are not, it will solve 99.9% of our problems.
It is easy to cry "sour grapes," to lament that our situation is not our fault. It is true that the choices of our ancestors profoundly affect us, but it is also true that the Lord will bless us if we choose to seek after Him. (See 1 Corinthians 2:9.)