Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Ezekiel 18:1-4
18:1 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’? As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 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. (ESV)
by Jody Mclean
These verses set the tone for the entire chapter. God let the Israelites know that he was working in one very specific way when dealing with them. He wanted to let them know that each person would be judged on their own merit. Judgment would not be based on family ties or family history, each person was responsible for their own salvation. Simply put, if you sin, you will die—even if your father and mother served God with all their hearts. Make sure you are working out your salvation with fear and trembling.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
