SCRIPTURE: Ezek. 17-19; Rev. 7
Ezekiel 18:14-18
“Now look: Suppose that this child has a child who sees all the sins done by his parent. The child sees them, but doesn’t follow in the parent’s footsteps—
doesn’t eat at the pagan shrines,
doesn’t worship the popular idols of Israel,
doesn’t seduce his neighbor’s spouse,
doesn’t bully anyone,
doesn’t refuse to loan money,
doesn’t steal,
doesn’t refuse food to the hungry,
doesn’t refuse to give clothes to the ill-clad,
doesn’t live by impulse and greed,
doesn’t exploit the poor.
He does what I say;
he performs my laws and lives by my statutes.“This person will not die for the sins of the parent; he will live truly and well. But the parent will die for what the parent did, for the sins of—
oppressing the weak,
robbing brothers and sisters,
doing what is dead wrong in the community.
OBSERVATIONS: Usually this text is pointed out when there is a question about someone’s integrity based on the sins of their forebears. But it says something that resonated with conversations I’ve been having lately. This shows that the best part of living right in God’s eyes comes from knowing the right things to do more than avoiding the wrong things to do.
APPLICATION: The right things to do must be sought out. The mind must be trained to seek out those things. The spirit must be opened up to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. The body must be disciplined against the selfish desires of the flesh. But most importantly, the eyes must be locked in on the path that God is setting before each of us.
PRAYER: Make me yours, O God, unconcerned with the ‘rules and regulations’ because I am running right down the middle of the path that you have chosen for me. Remind me that the path is not decreed, but offered. My choices determine how well the path is walked and how far from the path I may ever stray. Thank you for the cross that relieves the burden of my journey, and strengthens me for the tasks that lie ahead. In and through Christ I pray. Amen.
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