I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Ezekiel quotes a proverb that was apparently common among the people of Israel at the time.
The parents eat sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge?
The essence of the proverb is that children are punished for their parents’ sins. It was a way of saying that children were not responsible for what happened to themselves, if bad things happened to them, it was their parents’ fault. This sounds to me like much of what we hear after someone commits a heinous act today. “Oh, s/he was abused as a child.” “S/he came from a bad neighborhood. What do you expect?” and many other excuses.
Ezekiel then says that this proverb will no longer be used in Israel. God has declared that all belong to Him, both parent and child. Each shall be judged by their own actions, the child shall not be judged by his parents’ actions. God will hold the one who sins accountable for their sins, He will not pass judgment on the child for the actions of their parents. God will hold us each responsible for our own actions.
The writer describes the inner rooms of the Tabernacle as established by the law of Moses. He tells us that only the high priest ever entered the room that was the Most Holy Place, and that but once a year. Each year when he did so, he had to enter with a fresh sacrifice of blood to cover both his and the people’s sins. The writer tells us that this indicates that the gifts and offerings available under the old covenant were insufficient to clear the way for the worshiper to enter into the presence of God. The way the law of Moses set up the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle acted as a pointer towards the covenant that was to come.
Again and again the people of Israel failed to keep the commands and instructions which God had given them. Rather than stay separate from the evil acts of the people in the land which God gave them, they mixed with them and took part in their evil acts. They sacrificed their children to idols and adopted evil customs. The result of this was that they fell prey to pagan nations and were ruled by those who hated them. As I read this I could not help but think about how readily the people of this nation sacrifice their children on the altar of convenience. But there is reason for hope. The psalmist tells us that when the people cried out to God, He took pity on them and gathered them back to Himself.
I will pray to the Lord that He send His Spirit upon the people and cause them to repent of their sins and turn back to Him. If they do so, God will take pity on them and gather them to Himself once more.
Keep up friendships, both those which you form yourself and those which were formed by your parents (and perhaps their parents before them). When your family has moved far away, those friends may be able to provide aid and support in time of need.