"Son of man, if a country sins against me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out my hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves," declares the Lord God. What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, "The fathers eat sour grapes, but the children's teeth are on edge?" "As I live, declares the Lord God, "you are surely not going to use this proverb anymore. Behold all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son are mine. The soul who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."
This is a shift in what we have seen previously. In prior times, God may choose to punish men generationally. Now Ezekiel is learning a new revelation from God. Now people are accountable to God for themselves, but not for their relatives. God starts by say that if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in your midst, they could only save themselves. These men were all declared to be blameless in the Bible text, yet their righteousness could only spare themself. In the New Covenant, Jesus is introduced as having the righteousness of God such that by his sacrifice, he can deliver many.
Daily Prayer: Lord, I am indeed fortunate to be counted as one of the many you have saved. By your grace I am washed from my sins by the blood of the Son who loved me and gave his life for me. Amen.
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