Ezekiel 33:11

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die? … Some people think that God is a bully up in heaven just waiting for people to do something wrong so that He can punish them. But that isn’t the picture of God that we get in our verse for today. God hates sin, but God still loves the sinner and doesn’t take pleasure in punishing them. In fact, God has already paid the price for the sinner’s salvation. God wants to forgive and God wants to save! God must punish sin because He is holy, but God wants to forgive and God wants to save. Have you accepted God’s free gift of salvation? If you have, praise the Lord! If you haven’t, you should do it right now!

Ezekiel 18:19

Ezekiel 18:19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. As we learned yesterday, God will not punish the son for the sins of the father. But the son can learn bad habits from a poor example set by his father. So when worldly wisdom says that the son is responsible for his father’s sin, what does God say? In our verse for today God says, “Not true!” If the son obeys God he will be blessed, even though he came from a wicked family. God tells us that there is hope for a young man to make a change. Even though a boy comes from a wicked family, he can begin a new Godly family. He is the first Christian and can teach his children to be God-followers too! What a wonderful new family!

Ezekiel 18:4

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Sometimes in the Old Testament God says that He will punish sin to the third and fourth generation. But this verse contradicts that. So which is right? Well actually, both are right. In our verse for today, God reminds us of personal responsibility. We must pay for our own sins. But often we learn bad habits from our parents. And our children learn bad habits from us. Often many generations are affected because of the bad examples that are passed down for many generations. This is how sin can affect several generations. But through God’s grace, these chains of sin can be broken! We can train and teach our children new habits and we can take advantage of God’s wonderful forgiveness through salvation! God can make a difference in our lives and the lives of our children! Praise the Lord!