Listen here.
Welcome to Devotions for Worship where we meditate on the
appointed Scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday. Thank you for being with
me today.
I am Pastor Eric Tritten from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in
Hudson, OH.
This coming Sunday is the 17 Sunday after Pentecost. Yesterday
we read about Jesus’ confrontation with the elders and chief priests regarding
his authority. Today we will see that Israel had struggled with obedience to
God and submission to his authority long before Jesus was born. Through the
prophet Ezekiel God confronts his people’s attitude – an attitude that felt
that God was not just. God, however, makes it clear that their transgressions
are the problem, and that his desire is for them to turn to him so he can have
mercy on them.
The Reading: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32
The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "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'? 3
As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in
Israel. 4 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. (Ezek. 18:1-4 ESV)
"Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear
now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not
just? 26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness
and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he
shall die. 27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the
wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his
life. 28 Because he considered and turned away from all the
transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29
Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' O house of
Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
30
"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his
ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest
iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions
that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why
will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the
death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live." (Ezek.
18:25-32 ESV)
Comments
That phrase, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the
children’s teeth are set on edge,” implies that someone else has done something
wrong, but others experience the consequence. In this case the people were
complaining that their forefathers in Judah had disobeyed God and now they were
suffering the consequences in captivity.
Have you ever felt like the troubles of your life are
because of someone else’s actions? While it can be true that we will suffer
because of another person’s sin – like when a person is hurt by a drunk driver
or a child’s misbehavior at school requires a trip to school and a conversation
with the principal – we find that we have plenty of our own sin to cause
problems in our lives. We are not innocent victims.
There is another saying, “Recognizing that there is a
problem is the first step toward solving the problem.” It’s not biblical, but
there’s some wisdom there! Thanks be to God that he recognized the problem and
acted to bring about a solution. He gave Jesus to pay for our sins on the
cross. However, we are so entrapped by sin that we sometimes don’t even see
that the problem begins with us. As yet another old saying goes, “Confession is
good for the soul.”
God calls that repentance. Here in Ezekiel he is being very
clear with us. We are individually accountable for our sins. He wants us to
repent and turn away from our sinful ways. His desire is that we live, and he
is ready to forgive us, restore us, and heal us.
Repentance is a difficult thing. Sin can be a powerful lure
in our lives. Like a recovering drug addict, the sinner always wants one more
hit, one more high, even though she knows that hit could kill her. Even here we
must rely on God’s power to rescue us and trust in his incredible patience,
mercy, and grace.
What sin is God calling you to repent of? What sin plagues
your life that God wants you to turn away from? Confess it to him, live in the
forgiveness Jesus won for you, and fight the good fight to turn from your
wicked ways and turn to the God who redeems you.
Prayers
O God, we often look to blame our problems on others, even
on you. “The fathers ate sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
Forgive us, Lord! Help us to look to the cross of Christ and see that he bore
our sins there. Help us to know your mercy and forgiveness all the more keenly
in our lives. And in response to your mercy and forgiveness help us to repent –
to turn away from our sin and to live your way as your holy people. In Jesus’
name we pray. Amen.
Thank you so much for using Devotions for Worship, I pray
that our time together has blessed you and given you something to meditate on –
some reminder of God’s grace to rattle around in your brain – for the rest of
the day. I hope you’ll come back tomorrow when we take time to meditate on Psalm
32:1-7.
One of the things we can do to help us meditate on God’s
word is to memorize it. Psalm 119:11.
Memory Verse: Memory Verse: Psalm 25:5 - Lead me in your
truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the
day long. (Ps. 25:5 ESV)
Would you do me a favor? If you got something out of this
devotional time, would you like and/or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or
wherever you do social media? That would help me get the word out, and
hopefully help these devotions be a blessing to others.
God bless you!
Comments