Ezekiel 18

Ezekiel 18:1

P. The Repudiation of the Parable of the Sour Grapes (Chap. 18)18:1-4 The people of Judah had a proverb which blamed their sins on the failure of their ancestors: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.“God refutes the proverb, stating that individuals are held responsible for their own sins. 18:5-24 He then gives several examples of His principles of judgment:

1. A man who shuns sin and lives righteously shall surely live (vv. 5-9).
2. A righteous man’s wicked son . . . shall surely die (vv. 10-13). The Jews during the captivity as well as in the Lord Jesus’ time prided themselves on having Abraham as their father (Luk_3:8, Joh_8:39). God points out that it will do no good to have a righteous father, if their own life is wicked. We also have the tendency to rely on the spirituality of others. But the righteous and holy life of our fathers and godly leaders must become a reality in our own lives.
3. An unrighteous man’s righteous son . . . shall surely live (vv. 14-17), but the unrighteous father . . . shall die for his iniquities (v. 18).
4. A wicked man who repents and turns from his sins will live (vv. 21-23).
5. A righteous man who turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity . . . shall die (v. 24). There is no contradiction between verse 20 and Exo_20:5. It is true, as taught in Exodus, that children are generally involved in the consequences of their parents’ misdeeds. It is also true, as taught here, that each one is personally responsible for his or her actions. In verse 20, the punishment is temporal, not eternal. It is physical death because of sin now. The principles stated in verses 5-24 are not dealing with eternal life; otherwise we would be forced to conclude that salvation is by works (vv. 5-9) and that the righteous may eventually be lost, two doctrines clearly refuted by our Lord in the NT (e.g., Eph_2:8-9; Joh_10:28). 18:25-32 The people continued to accuse God of injustice, but He shows that there is no injustice because even a wicked man can be saved by turning from his sins, and that is what the Lord wants them to do. When God forgives, He forgets (v. 22). This does not indicate a poor memory but the perfect satisfaction of His justice through the atoning work of Christ. For the believer the case is closed.