Ezekiel Chapter 18

Sunday, 01/18/26 at 09:41
Solitary Man
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Eze 18:1 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,

Here begins a fresh prophecy, dealing with a completely different subject matter than what has gone before. We have been dealing with God’s perspective towards his own children at the end of a long and virtually continual road of rebellion and apostasy. God tells us how he sees them, and tells them of the severe consequences that they have accumulated for themselves.

From the national level, God now focuses his attention on the level of the individual. In any group, whether a family, a church, a town, or a nation, there are people at all levels of behavior. For example, a nation could have been proclaimed as righteous, and in fellowship with God, such as during the time of David’s reign. But in that nation, there were many wicked people, including the king’s sons, one of whom actually tried to usurp the throne while David yet lived. Conversely, during the low point of Judah’s history, which is during the time that Ezekiel prophesied, the nation was said to be apostate and unsalvageable, but there were righteous men within, such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

The point is that God does not see every individual the same, just because the nation has trended one way or another. In the midst of wickedness, he knows those who are truly his. As in Judah, so it is true in our current situation.

The whole theme of this chapter is that each person is responsible for their own sin. God does not impute a father’s sin to the son, nor the son’s sin to the father. Similarly, the father’s righteousness is not imputed to the son, nor the son’s to the father’s. Each man will be held to account for his own sin.

Do not confuse accountability with consequence. God does say that there are times when some aspect of sin is passed down to one’s offspring:

Exo_20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Exo_34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Num_14:18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

The teaching of this chapter may seem to contradict the above verses. But that is because we’re confusing consequence with accountability. A man can sin in such a way that the consequence continues long after he is dead. For example, a rich man may commit a crime that gets him arrested and has all his wealth confiscated, impoverishing his children. A man may rape his children, scarring them for life. Now these are examples of direct harm. Yehovah implies in the above verses that a curse may befall one’s offspring, as punishment for the father’s sin. Sometimes the children have to suffer in ways that we cannot predict, just because Yehovah has decreed a certain punishment on their ancestor.

There are so many general principles that this chapter will touch upon that I am going to try to hit most of them in this opening verse, so that we can simply concentrate on the text thereafter. The first is this charismatic idea of breaking a generational curse. I suppose a distinction must be made between an attack of the devil sometime in your ancestral history, versus a curse placed on your lineage by Jehovah himself. I think most modern charismatics think that everything radically changed at the cross. That is, verses such as this generational curse are somehow automatically broken when one accepts Jesus as lord and savior.

But is this true? Do you have a specific scripture that teaches this? Or are you assuming it? The danger of embracing such (what I believe) unprovable theories is that it negatively impacts your desire to study the Old Testament. If you come across verses that teach the possibility of generational curses, you quickly skim over them, reasoning that all that was automatically taken care of at the cross.

And why do we think like this? It is because of how the cross has been taught in evangelical circles. The atonement by the blood of Jesus has been elevated to such a degree that men have taken what was the greatest truth in the bible, and they have added things to it that God never intended. Things such as the doctrine of eternal security. Things such as, there is no need to even study any aspect of the Mosaic law since Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. That has been erroneously understood to mean that Christians are under no obligation to keep any of the law. If one teaches otherwise, evangelicals scream that you are teaching a form of works based salvation. And they then cut you off, wanting to hear nothing more that you have to say.

They mix one’s responsibilities before God with the means of salvation. While you are obligated to obey every moral law in the bible, simply keeping the law and believing that is what gets you into heaven is wrong. But as soon as you speak of obeying every commandment that pertains to holiness, the tendency among the Baptists and their like is to internally bristle, jumping in their minds to thinking that this person is teaching how to get saved. And they think this is some foul popish doctrine about how you must work to be saved, and they refuse to listen. At the very least they don’t give it the importance it deserves.

When the bible speaks of the just man, as in this chapter, it is speaking of someone who lives the life. As James reminds us, there is no faith without the evidence of works. If your life lacks the so called works (personal obedience to the moral commands in the bible), then what you claim as faith is no faith at all. You have deceived yourself.

Jas 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

Jas 2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Jas 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Jas 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

Jas 2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

Jas 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Baptists hate this text. In fact, Luther himself wanted to relegate the book of James to the back of the scripture, treating it like the Apocrypha, with less authority, because he was fighting the justification by works doctrine that had taken such a deep hold in the Catholic church in his day. Looking at James alone, it does say Abraham and Rahab were justified by works. But it is also clear that no man can do the works of God without a belief in that God. Who would obey God if they did not have faith in God to begin with?

In essence, faith and works are inseparable. While the Baptists will scream bloody murder, and the Puritans are building the bonfire to burn the heretics, and the Calvinists are sharpening their axes to behead the apostates, the word of God is very clear. We’ve become so fixated on getting every nuance of our doctrines just so, rather than producing genuine disciples of our Lord. While the Calvinists and the Reformed spend most of their time pounding away at the 5 pillars of faith alone, scripture alone, etc, their adherents sit like statutes under that cold, dead diatribe of doctrinal diarrhea. Hearts that are full of Calvin and Know, but devoid of the Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Deader than a doornail. No life of Christ within. Experts in splitting hairs. Idiots in manifesting the life of God. They say they have faith. But their choices to do nothing but consume dead doctrine leave Jesus outside their churches.

The ‘just man’ that Yehovah speaks of in this chapter has nothing to do with defining the role of faith verses works regarding salvation. He is simply splitting all humanity into 2 camps, for the purpose of this teaching. Those that belong to him, and those that do not. And the only criteria is not their outward profession of faith, but their obedience to the statutes and precepts of that faith.

I am going to make the claim that we have erred considerably over the last century by greatly overemphasizing the following verses:

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is as if this is the be all and the end all, as far as the topic of how one gets to heaven goes.

This is a mistake. It is plain wrong. In fact, it is fatal. One verse does not a doctrine make. All the bible wants to tell us regarding grace and faith and man’s works is that no man can get into heaven on his own. There is not a work that he can do, there is not a price that he can pay, there is not a life that he can live that would ‘earn’ him a place in the afterlife with God. That is not possible. Anyone that God chooses to let into heaven is because of grace, or his unmerited favor. Unless you believe that this is so (ie, exercise faith in that grace), you will in no wise enter therein.

But somewhere along the way, the evangelical church made the Christian life all about accepting Christ as your personal lord and savior, and every other truth was a distant second. Things like living the life, crucifying the flesh, pursuing holiness with all your being, total obedience without reservation. They were almost relegated to the position of ‘nice to have’ when it came time to value them as to their relative importance in one’s spiritual arsenal. As long as you accepted Jesus into your heart, your ticket to heaven has been printed, and it is indestructible!

This chapter will directly contradict that nonsense. Why do we think God is an idiot? Do you really believe that right and wrong, good and evil, holiness and uncleanness, are such minor issues that he doesn’t really care about any of that when it comes to picking and choosing who is going to live forever with him? Just as long as a person said the correct prayer once in their life, do you really think that that is all Yehovah cares about?

If you believe this, I’ve got some bridges and oceans to sell you!

God is going to be talking about life and death. A very few commentators try to reconcile their warped evangelical view of salvation by grace alone, by faith alone, by saying that these ones who are living wickedly will only die physically. That is, God is not speaking about who is saved, but only that someone who lives in disobedience may die physically at the hand of God.

That is easily disproven, as during the siege of Jerusalem, some righteous men such as Jeremiah, Baruch (Jer 45:1-5), and Ebed-melech (Jer 39:15-18) were promised that their physical lives were going to be spared. But this promise did not hold for every righteous man. Many would have perished physically, along with the wicked. Similarly, many wicked survived, as shown in the aftermath of the siege when the vast majority of the survivors still chose to rebel against the word of the Lord (Jer 44:15-17). The point is that, all of us know that in this life, many wicked are not punished, and many righteous die prematurely.

So let us agree that God is speaking of eternal life and eternal death in this chapter. Otherwise, the words are nonsensical. While the Old Testament saints had an undeveloped understanding of what happened after the grave, most knew that this life was not the end.

This chapter will teach that our lifestyle determines our eternal destiny. And within that truth, what really counts is how we finish our race, not how we start. Anyone can ‘try God’ for a season. It is the person who completes his life in service to the Lord. A person who cannot endure whatever they have to endure right to the end is a person whose heart was never completely his to begin with. At least that is the way God seems to see it.

The purpose of this chapter is not to make you doubt your salvation, but to clarify what it means to be really saved. Saying one prayer has absolutely nothing to do with it.

For those of you who were with me in my initial bible study of the book of Jeremiah a couple of years ago, you became very familiar with a few key Hebrew words that seemed to pop up everywhere. And in this chapter, you will be deeply reacquainted with them once more!

You will learn that God is intensely interested in a man’s deh-rek, or path or course of life that he chooses to walk in. The first sign of someone who is on the right side is that he is able to shama. This means that he hears the word of God intelligently, always with the intention of immediate obedience. When he learns of something that needs changing, he will shoob. The idea is one of turning, such as turning back to the starting point, or going back, or turning around, or turning away, depending on the context. It is the Hebrew word most often behind the English word repent.

What God wants is for man to shama his word. Shoob when they must, so that they end up on the correct deh-rek.

Do not blame your father. Do not blame your children. Each soul is responsible for their own choices.

So when we look closely at this chapter, quit allowing your Calvinistic, evangelical theology to not see what is clearly in the text. Quit brushing off the dire warnings that we will encounter. God is looking at our behavior at all times. He is looking at specific sins. All sins are not equal. While Jesus may have paid for all sins at the cross, nowhere did anyone ever claim that all sins are the same.

For the man (or woman) who thinks that they can live in sin and make heaven, this chapter says no. For the person who practices righteousness, this is the number one proof of whom he belongs to. God calls that law-abiding man a just man. He will live. Now don’t get all bent out shape, saying that your old, cold, dead church is full of law abiders. Really? Are you sure? Like the Pharisees, who appeared righteous on the outside, God saw the heart. God is not dealing with the really clever hypocrite in this chapter. That is a topic for another day. He is assuming that the man who lives a very consistently righteous life, is simply showing what is in his heart. Let us leave aside the clever hypocrite for another day.

We will see the Lord put his wordsmithing skills on display in this chapter. He will often pair similar sounding words, as if he is using puns. Certainly these would assist as memory aids. Some examples that we will encounter in the same verse are:

1. khobe – debtor and khab-ole – pledge

2. gaw-zal – spolied and ghez-ay-law – violence

3. aw-shak – oppressed and o-shek – cruelly

4. tsed-aw-kaw – righteousness and tsad-deek – righteous

5. rish-aw – wickedness and raw-shaw – wicked

6. mah-al – trespass and maw-al – trespassed

7. khat-taw-aw – sin and khaw-taw – sinned

8. peh-shah – transgressions and paw-shah – transgressed

9. maw-veth – death and mooth – dieth

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, let us (finally) take the plunge into the text!

Eze 18:2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb (maw-shawl – pithy maxim, simile, allegory, parable) concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s (bane – sons) teeth are set on edge?

Yahweh starts off by angrily accusing these Jews of using what was a common proverb inappropriately. These Jews were jaded. They were cynical. They were slow to accept responsibility for their current predicament. What this proverb was meant to convey was that their troubles were due to their wicked ancestors. It had little to do with them. They could not see their own wickedness. Since tribulation had come, it must be that their fathers’ sins were now having to be paid for by them.

Eze 18:3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb (maw-shawl) in Israel.

God is not impressed. These blind, ignorant people refused all instruction. They refused to take responsibility for their own sins. They concluded that God was unfairly punishing them for something that some ancestor did to them. They were accusing God of unfairness. They were not just thinking that they were experiencing adverse consequences. They were thinking that the actual punishments for their fathers’ sins were being placed on their backs. That is why things have gotten so bad. In effect, they were blaming God for not punishing the proper people!

Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls (nephesh) are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

First off, God wants to make it perfectly clear that all souls belong to him. Within that statement is an implication that God treats all souls equally. He clearly states that the soul that sins is the soul that will pay the eternal price. Here, again, it is starkly clear that God is speaking about eternal death. Many souls who have sinned do not instantly die physically. But they will all die eternally.

Eze 18:5 But if a man be just (tsad-deek – righteous, lawful), and do that which is lawful (mishpat – chooses a verdict or action that is just, right, lawful, a sentence, a formal decree) and right (tsed-aw-kaw – morally virtuous, just),

Now God begins a lengthy discourse where he offers up several examples of how he treats the righteous, and how he treats the wicked.

First, he will speak of the righteous father. Second, he speaks of the wicked son. Third, he speaks of a righteous son who has a wicked father. He then concludes by speaking of what happens when the wicked turns from his sin, and when the righteous turns from his righteousness.

So in this first verse, God uses several words to describe a righteous man. He is just. He is lawful, that is, he is law abiding. Not necessarily the laws of man, but definitely the laws of God. He is always making judgments. He does not choose the coward’s way of putting off making decisions of an ethical nature. And in every decision, he decides to do the right thing, as far as he understands what the right thing is. And he gets his idea of right and wrong from God, not from anywhere else. He will never choose the immoral course of action. Thus his decisions are not based on his needs, wants, lusts, or temptations. It is based on doing the right thing, as he understands it. But the right thing comes from knowing God’s word. There are many godless people who try to do the right thing, to no avail, as their sense of right or wrong comes from what seems good in their own eyes. That never makes a just man. While some may want to argue about what God does with those who have never heard the word of God, let us leave that issue aside, as it is not being dealt with in this chapter. The clear context is how God sees and judges his people, or at least those who should know him, having exposure and knowledge of his commands.

Eze 18:6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols (ghil-lool – round log used as an idol) of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled (taw-may – contaminated, polluted) his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,

This is where so many believers trip up. These next 4 verses list various sins, many seemingly unrelated. Some baffling. And at the end of it, God says the man who obeys these particular laws is just. Since we tend to look to others, such as our pastor or priest, to tell us exactly what to do in order to be a good Christian, we might write out this list and think that if I just keep these specific laws, then God will call me just also! But let us see what James says about that:

Jas_2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

This James guy is a real downer, isn’t he? I would guess that he didn’t receive many party invitations!

Just as keeping only the 10 commandments does not make you a perfect believer, so the keeping of this set of laws does not make you perfect either. For whatever reason, at this time and in this place, God chose these laws as a representative sample of what a just man’s lifestyle would look like. If God was speaking to us today, he might say something like:

‘If a man turns off his cell phone, forsakes all internet porn, does not let AI do his thinking for him, refuses to listen to fake news, runs from all compromised and woke churches, shuns all versions and forms of the prosperity gospel, disciplines his children according to the biblical model, loves his wife as Christ loves the church, prays without ceasing, leaves vengeance to me, and faithfully witnesses whenever I tell him to, that man is just, and he will live.’

So while we examine each sin mentioned, I think we should not get overly hung up on the selection. Do you really believe God is saying that at this moment, only these specific laws needed to be obeyed, and all the others in the Torah did not count anymore? That a man was free to break all other laws and still be called just? Of course not. Knowing what the entire bible teaches, that thinking is dumb.

Mat_5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Mat_19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

2Co_13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Eph_4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Col_1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

2Ti_3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

1Pe_5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Rev_3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Isn’t it absolutely jarring how many times we are exhorted towards perfection in the New Testament? If this is so, then why are so many believers scared to study the Old? Seems to me the standards of conduct are far more demanding for the Christian than it was for the Jew. So let us boldly examine the Old, and see what treasures lay there.

The first 2 sins cover idolatry. Mountains were where the high places were, and the high places were where idols were worshipped. The idols of Israel are also specifically singled out. Isn’t this a sad testimony for a nation that once served the one true God, but now is famous for its own unique idols? I am certain that this primarily refers to the 2 golden calves set up at Bethel and Dan. Note that these 2 idols were initially supposed to represent Yahweh. It was done for political purposes more than for spiritual ones. Jeroboam did not want his subjects to go back to Jerusalem and Yahweh’s temple anymore because that may have caused then to want to rejoin Judah. But he simply couldn’t get rid of Yahweh either, as the people would not accept that. So he created his own version of Yahweh! In this version, idols were okay. Alternate feast dates and holy days were acceptable. Anyone could join the priesthood. Certain laws were relaxed. All in all, this was a much less demanding version of God. It quickly caught on.

Something like the megachurches of today.

The lifting up the eyes speaks of one who is drawn away by what he sees.

1Jn_2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

If we allow our eyes to linger on things that it should not linger on, that is a clear indication that our hearts yearn for the forbidden thing. That something still has a hold on us. So the Judeans who lifted up their eyes to their northern cousins found something appealing in Ephraim’s version of Yahweh. I am sure that some of the practices in their festivals and celebrations seemed a lot more appealing than the mundane and tedious laws of their own temple. This is the danger all of us face. If we do not take great pains to stay in intimate fellowship with our Messiah, our routines and rituals can quickly grow tiresome and make us irritable and ungrateful, setting us up for our eyes to wander.

The next 2 sins turn to immorality. Adultery and the uncleanness associated with having intercourse with a woman during her period. Having the blood flow, and taking pleasure in it, is detestable in the eyes of God. We should all be made aware of how seriously God takes the shedding of blood. Even this natural shedding was treated as something unclean in the Torah. Probably because every menstrual period represented a lost opportunity to be fruitful and multiply. It also served as a reminder of the original sin in the garden, with the consequence of painful childbirth.

Lev 15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.

Lev 18:19 Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.

Lev 18:20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her.

Lev 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Lev 20:18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

Look how seriously God took this injunction. Having sex with a bloody woman meant excommunication. And excommunication meant no hope of heaven. God did not say that you had sinned, and that now you had to sacrifice some animal to make atonement. There were many sins that had no atonement, only exile or death. This was an intentional sin. That is, it did not happen in a fit of rage, or done in ignorance. If you chose to do this, God says you were cut off. There was no forgiveness. There was no ‘eternal security’.

This is why the cross of Christ is so wonderful. He not only was the perfect and last sacrifice for all atoneable sins, but he also paid the price for sins that could not be forgiven under the Mosaic law. Not all sins could be atoned for in the old covenant. I suppose that is where Catholicism developed the idea of venial (minor) and mortal (major) sins. Venial sins were the everyday sins, that everyone committed, which almost guaranteed a stint in Purgatory. Mortal sins had to be forgiven by a priest before you died, or you went straight to hell.

We thank God that in Christ, we need no human mediator. All sin is sin, but not all sins are equal. We still do have unforgivable sins in the New Testament, but they are few are far between. If only we realize how much better off we have it than did the Israelites of old, we would be far more grateful.

Basically defiling someone else’s life mate was an unforgivable offence. It merited the death penalty. Allowing your carnal lust to overcome your common sense by having sex with a woman who is issuing blood is not only disgusting, but it carried the penalty of exile from the people of God. Two serious sins. Two representative sins that the just man would never even dream of doing. One sin and its consequence that everyone knew about, another that far fewer would know. How many Christians knew that the second one was even a sin? Note that it said with any woman – that would include your wife! There is something about tampering with the blood in any unlawful manner that is a definite no- no with the Father.

And who would have thought that the penalty would be so severe? But there it is. Learning about the laws and the punishments meted out help us to better understand the mind of the Father. We need to take things as seriously as he does. But if we don’t even know what the word says, how would we be able to do that?

Eze 18:7 And hath not oppressed (yaw-naw – maltreat, destroy, vex, to rage toward) any, but hath restored (shoob – to turn back to the starting point, turn away) to the debtor (khobe, only time in OT) his pledge (khab-ole – his security for debt), hath spoiled (gaw-zal – pluck off, strip, rob) none by violence (ghez-ay-law – robbery), hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

Idolatry and immorality are first and foremost in the Father’s eyes as things that must be avoided. God now turns his attention to how you treat your fellow man. Not only what you do to someone, but what you fail to do. Not hurting someone is not enough to be considered a just man. You also simply cannot ignore those in true need.

First, do not oppress someone. The word contains the idea of doing violence to another person. There are countless ways one can be guilty of this. Since God speaks here and in many other places of the poor, usually one finds the richer and stronger oppressing the weaker and the poorer. The weaker may be someone that you can ‘pull a fast one on’, by perhaps cheating them in a business transaction. The poor are often desperate, and are willing to accept any deal, no matter how unjust, due to their great and immediate needs. Men who become rich by taking advantage of the vulnerable prove that they are no friend of God. The prophets warn of thinking that God has blessed you, just because you are skilful in robbing the poor with your shady business practices:

Hos 12:7 He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.

Hos 12:8 And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.

Zec 11:5 Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.

I am sure all those prosperity preachers, who rob the poor with lying promises of 100-fold returns, all bless the Lord as the millions roll in. These are not just men, to say the least.

God tolerates no one taking advantage of the extremely poor by taking all that they have to live on.

Exo 22:26 If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:

Exo 22:27 For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

Deu 24:6 No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man’s life to pledge.

If anyone is able to take someone’s very last coin as payment for some sort of debt, how can the love of God abide in him? And don’t think you can claim that it’s just business. Your business is God’s business. Anyone who tries to separate their business dealings from their spiritual life is simply deluding themselves. I cannot imagine how the Italian mafia can lie, steal, murder and oppress, and then go to mass on Sunday and actually expect that God will forgive them, because they make large donations to the church! While all of us agree that is insane, I know of many extreme capitalists, especially Americans, who think it perfectly righteous to extract free labor from their workers, and expect only obedience, devotion, and gratefulness in return. They think nothing of making their employees work extra hours for no extra pay, and fire them if they complain or demand their rightful remuneration. Wicked pastors, relying on the offerings of their rich businessmen in the pews, preach this sort of garbage where they try to tell you that Jesus expects you to work for nothing for these greedy reprobates. The patriarch of the Rockefeller clan was a devout Baptist, rarely missing a service. Yet he oppressed his workers beyond measure. Do you believe such a one has any hope of heaven?

It matters not what your profession of faith is, or how faithful you are to the local assembly. A just man does not oppress the poor.

The third sin is violent robbery. Obviously no thief is just. I see our governments as exceedingly guilty of this crime. Making up new laws in order to confiscate people’s private property. Coming up with environmental laws, fake sickness tests, false accusations. All are used to imprison, confiscate, and eliminate the population. I wonder if the greedy preacher, twisting the words of Malachi in order to make people think God will curse them if they don’t give him all of the tithe, is another form of violent robbery. These greedy fraudsters actually turn the scripture on its head, when they claim that the verse that speaks about robbing God is all about the congregation not paying tithes, when in actuality, it is all about the greedy priests not distributing the tithes to the Levites! See my commentary on Malachi for a fuller explanation.

The fourth and fifth sins are sins of omission. Refusing to feed and clothe the poor was sin. I suppose things have gotten more complicated as to our culpability in our culture. In those days, there was no welfare. There was no real church or temple program for feeding the poor. It really was up to the individual to decide exactly how much to give to the poor. Remember that Jesus passed by many beggars each day he was ministering in public. He did not stop and give money, nor healing, to every one. He picked and chose certain ones, led by the Spirit. Remember the lame man at the gate beautiful that Peter and John healed, who had been that way for many years? Why didn’t Jesus heal him during the several times he went into the temple? Because God saved a miracle for him at a certain time and place in the future. Many were never healed, even though they lived in the generation of the greatest healing miracles in all of human history.

Before we get too far off track, during the middle ages the church served as the place where the poor could find some relief. That sort of thing ebbed and flowed, based on the people in charge at the time, and the location of the church. Our modern western culture gradually decided to move more and more of the caring for the poor to the state. Now we have welfare, social services, and all sorts of programs. Many churches still offer localized help. Since many believers have been brow beaten into tithing to their local churches, and also to give offerings at every turn, most feel that personal responsibility for charity has been fully met through taxation, tithing, and offerings.

Is this true? If we decide to tithe, does that take care of our duty, especially since so much of our taxes supposedly go toward social services? In the Old Testament, they were commanded to tithe to maintain the temple services, but still had the responsibility to not turn a blind eye to the poor. Of course, who was considered poor and who was not? These are all issues that every person must wrestle with.

There is no right and wrong answer here. We have the advantage of the Holy Spirit to lead us. Give as God leads you to give. Giving under compulsion or guilt does you no personal good, though the recipient is blessed, I suppose! My personal understanding is that all Christians are now free from the ceremonial aspects of the law, not the moral. I believe tithing was part of the ceremonial aspect, as it was all tied in with the running of the temple. We are now free to choose exactly how much, or how little, we are to give. Generosity is what we are to cultivate, not adherence to some fixed percentage. Some people are generous by nature, some are not. But sometimes those same generous people are very weak in regards to compromising God’s standards, while others find it easy to stand strong in the faith. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

The bottom line is that we should never close our heart to those in need. Finances are but one small part. How about your time? There are many weak believers that need constant care and reassurance. Some are very sick, and need continual help. How about sick parents? Christians should be world renowned for their selflessness.

Eze 18:8 He that hath not given forth upon usury (neh-skek – interest), neither hath taken any increase (tar-beeth – a percentage or bonus in addition to principal, unjust gain), that hath withdrawn (shoob) his hand from iniquity (eh-val – moral evil, perverseness, wickedness), hath executed true (eh-meth – trustworthy, faithful) judgment (mishpat) between man and man,

I think it is a great thing to have this discussion about individual sins. Not only are people generally becoming more and more bible illiterate, not even knowing what sin is anymore, but we are not being challenged to think about and do something about all those sins that seem to be a regular part of our life. It is time we focus on understanding those things that God hates, and spend our efforts getting rid of everything that displeases the Lord, rather than constantly focusing on the blessings and the positive promises, which produces no change in character, except maybe an increase in ignorance.

Usury was interest on a loan, plain and simple. It was not excessive interest, it was any interest, period. You were not allowed to charge interest to a fellow believer, as the house of Israel was considered God’s family. You could charge foreigners whatever you wanted to.

Today we would claim that this was unfair, as inflation eats up the value of money, so getting the same amount a year from now means we are not even getting back our principal, due to the loss of purchasing power. But just because man has invented a monetary system based on Babel instead of heaven, that does not abrogate sacred text. This is certainly a grey area. Is this a moral command, or a civil one? That is, the law really consists of 3 parts. The moral laws, such as thou shalt not murder, is binding on all believers today. The ceremonial or ritual law, that has to do with the temple, has been fulfilled in Christ, as he was the final sacrifice. Tithing is part of this law also, as it had solely to do with temple maintenance. Civil law was the various judiciary mandates, such as punishments for sin. They were based on the form of government in place, which was a theocracy. America has a constitutional republic, other western states have democracies. We debate on which portions of the civil law to embrace. Since interest was legal in some cases, so we make allowance for it in our fiat, debt based economy. But that doesn’t mean that we are to take advantage of another. The principle is to not become wealthy at the expense of others. One could really theorize that getting rich by letting money make you rich (collecting interest) is not the primary way anyone should acquire wealth. We should be productive people, working to create things of value.

Taking increase would cover any sort of loophole the shrewd rich man would try and use to get around the no interest rule. He may demand no interest, but claim that the original thing he lent has now increased in value, so more has to be repaid. Maybe he demands a certain favor as a condition of the loan. There could be countless ways a rich man could take advantage of the man who needs his money. Maybe he has him do some immoral deed in order to procure the money. God sees all, and don’t think that somehow you are able to come up with some idea that results in the same extra benefit to you, and extra hardship to another, and think you’re off the hook because you never broke the letter of the law. Why do we treat God as if he is some sort of idiot? Do we realize how much we must anger him, when we come up with all sorts of sordid schemes to keep the letter of the law, but break its spirit?

Are we hurting someone in any way, or benefiting from someone’s need? If our charity, or lack thereof, results in one or both of these things, then it is sin. Either we love without guile, or we should not pretend to love at all.

The third injunction could be taken as turning away from all evil. But in the context of the text, it is no stretch to think that God is saying to the lender to quit trying to come up with some evil scheme that allows you to profit from someone else’s misfortune. You are to lend and give to the poor, without any thought of benefit to yourself. And this does not just refer to money. Jesus taught the full meaning of this verse when he spoke of the hypocrites of his day:

Mat 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Mat 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Mat 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Mat 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

If you give and do charitable deeds just to enhance your reputation, you get no credit for it from God. Enjoy your praise, as that is all that you will ever receive.

If we continue along this line of reasoning, then the last injunction is for the lender and the giver to make trustworthy judgments concerning their charitable deeds. If you have a pure heart, you will give to those who truly need help, and discern when you are being scammed. God does not want us to be scammed. In the age of the internet, and increasingly more so as AI takes center stage, opportunities to be defrauded by phony pleas for help will multiply without number. It makes no sense to take what God has given you and turn around and give it to the wicked. Pray before you ever give anything. God hates it when we help the wicked.

Eze 18:9 Hath walked in my statutes (khook-kaw – ordinance, commandment, decree), and hath kept my judgments (mishpat), to deal truly (eh-meth); he is just (tsad-deek), he shall surely live (khaw-yaw khaw-yaw – saved alive saved alive), saith the Lord GOD.

As I was praying, I was struck by something that I had to write down. Have you noticed what, in all of these prophetic works, God is concerned about? Can you find anywhere where God says that I am bringing judgment on you because of your lack of faith? Or your imperfections in doctrine? Or not making enough temple sacrifices? No, it is always about your works. Your behavior. Your lifestyle. What you choose to do, not what you believe.

Why is this so hard to grasp? What we do is everything. Yes, in the New Testament we find that our faith is what will steer our lifestyle, but this ridiculous emphasis on belief is what is killing us. If a lack of faith was really the Israelite’s problem, wouldn’t God have had the prophets say so? No, it always comes back to their actions. What they choose to do.

Many in the church will say they believe in God and Jesus. But that is a lie if their moment by moment life does not reflect it. I was listening to a sermon last night. I loved the fact that it brought up one of the greatest heresies of our day – the doctrine of eternal security. This dangerous heresy gives too many believers a false sense of security. It’s as if we are covering them with a spiritual security blanket. No matter how repetitiously they sin, their pastor has assured them that nothing can take away their ticket to heaven.

While I roundly shouted ‘amen’ to this fundamental, but mostly lost truth, I did take issue with another thing that was said. It criticized the overemphasis on the prosperity gospel without an equal preaching of our obligation to walk in holiness and obedience. Why equal? The criticism did not go far enough. Why does anyone think it is okay to preach any form of the prosperity gospel, as long as we preach holiness as well? What is it about money that has gotten us so hooked on the love of it? Just because God blessed certain men such as Abraham, Job and Solomon with great riches, why do we think that it is God’s desire to lavish an overabundance of material goods on the Christian?

Exactly where in the New Testament do we read of anyone telling the Christian to make sure that you really believe in the idea that God wants you rich. Or where does it say that there is coming a day of great wealth transfer from the pagan to the believer? Where does it say that being rich is a good thing, and a sign of great favor from the Father?

Do you really want to see what the New Testament teaches about riches? How come nobody preaches on the verses that directly address this issue?

Jas 5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

Jas 5:2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

Jas 5:3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

Jas 5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

Jas 5:5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

Jas 5:6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

James say the rich should weep and howl for the miseries that await them. He says that, as a general rule, where there is excessive wealth, there is usually fraud, corruption, and even violence. Nowhere did James say that this is something to be desired. While some would argue that James is speaking against the pagan rich, the text does not say that. You are reading something into it that is not there. If you are rich, you must carefully consider if you have accumulated any of your wealth by taking unjust advantage of others.

Mat 19:23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Mat 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

Mat 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Mar 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

Mar 10:24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

Mar 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Mar 10:26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

Mar 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

Luk 18:24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

Luk 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Luk 18:26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?

Luk 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

We all know of this story. The theological knots that preachers tie themselves into trying to explain away this clear teaching can be quite entertaining, but sad. Of course, they will always go to the version in Mark, which says that this applies only to those who trust in riches. But the implication is that the rich man will almost always put some measure of trust that his wealth will shield him from most calamities. Thus he looks to his gold and silver to save him, and not to God.

But isn’t it telling that this story is found in 3 of the 4 gospels? Must be a pretty important truth. We ignore it at our peril.

Luk_6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

Luk 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

Luk 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

1Ti 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

1Ti_6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

1Ti_6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

Jas 1:9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:

Jas 1:10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

Jas 1:11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

Rev_3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Rev_18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

I wanted to include all of these verses just to show you how overwhelming the evidence is on the dangers of wealth. If something is spoken of again and again as so extremely dangerous spiritually, why are our pulpits filled with men who want to tell us how much of a blessing of God that a lot of money really is? Why are they lying to us?

There is a miserable sickness in the land. The western church has been taken captive by a spirit of greed and covetousness. How many millions of sermons have been given on the legal obligation to tithe (but only to your pastor), but with the carrot of a great monetary return on your ‘investment’. I cannot stand to hear even one sentence of the heretical ‘seedtime and harvest’ sermon from hell, when it revolves around getting back more money than you gave.

Do you want to know what the truth is about sowing and reaping? First of all, you must grasp the truth that the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly one. Babylon and Egypt are earthly kingdoms. We are to have no part in those. Thus, all blessings are first and foremost spiritual blessings. Do you know what is supposed to happen when you help someone financially? You are to sow generosity, and the bible promises that you will reap a character change. That is, you will actually grow in love and compassion towards those in need. If you choose to be generous, those choices will cause your heart to transform into a true love for your fellow man. That is what God says you will reap. Not a guarantee of more money. That is carnal, sensual, and demonic, as James tells us:

Jas_3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

Quit listening to all those charlatans who know nothing of the kingdom of heaven. You have been lied to, with all those promises of earthly delights. If all your pastor talks about is how to get more money, more healing, more physical blessing, then run. Run like you’ve never run before. He is training your spirit in covetousness. You will end up knowing nothing about God. Jesus has nothing to do with such emphasis. If God chooses to grant you some temporal boon, be grateful and rejoice. But never set your heart on such things. Always, always, always, make it your goal to embrace the command that Paul gives:

Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Col 3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Our hearts should be solely fixed on heaven. If they are fixed in covetousness, then expect wrath.

I think this side trip will serve us well, if I can convince you that any talk that focuses on self is a dangerous path to take. It will lead you away from being considered a just man in the eyes of the Father. God has chosen a specific set of sin that is representative of the kinds of things that a just man would never do. He would never engage in idolatry, nor adultery nor any sexual uncleanness. He would never be found cheating anyone, nor acting in a violent fashion toward his fellow man. He would not be self centered, but would be quick to help those in real need. In other words, this was a man who did not put his own needs before others. He would never for one moment listen to any form of the prosperity gospel, because all that does is foster greed and keep the focus on self. If you give to get, it is sin. Plain and simple. A just man gives because it is the right thing to do. He never expects anything in return.

Luk 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

Luk 6:34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

Luk 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Luk 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

So after this clear teaching that your giving should never be for any hope of getting something back, preachers choose to focus only of verse 38:

Luk 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Luk 6:39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

But in the context of the teaching, it is to put aside pride, selfishness, and greed. It all has to do with your works. Not what you say you believe. How you live. If you choose to live selflessly consistently, eventually other men will notice and you will reap a harvest of grace and generosity from others. Not from everyone, but just from certain men. Men of good will. The wicked will still hate you. The evil ones will still persecute you. But at least you will be beloved and blessed by those who appreciate the deeds of a righteous man. The passage does not teach that if you give one dollar, 100 dollars are guaranteed to come your way! The very idea of exerting your prayers and thought life into acquiring more money would have never crossed Jesus’ mind, nor the apostles.

Are you someone whom God would say is walking in his statutes? Are you making decisions in every circumstance of your life that is in accord with God’s commandments? Are you dealing in truth with everyone in your life? If so, God calls you just, and you will be preserved unto life eternal. He did not call the person who prayed a sinner’s prayer as just. Now we all know that I am speaking in a way that attempts to relate the truths in these verses to our modern day situation. My point is that, God did not call the man who said that he believed God as just. Belief does come first, as the apostle Paul taught us concerning Abraham. Paul had to emphasize the primacy of faith in some of his letters, in order to counter the specific heresy of the Judaizers and the legalists of his day. Of course, keeping the outward requirements of the law and trusting in your own self righteousness was a grave error. But in this passage, God is not speaking of the hypocrite. He is assuming that the man who chooses to obey all of God’s commandments, as represented by these specific laws God chooses to mention, has the appropriately proper belief within that serves to motivate him.

We need to remember that there were no Pharisees at this time in Israel’s history. There was the Torah and the temple and the teaching priests and Levites. A man’s faith in God was proved by how he lived. Obeying all commandments to the best of one’s ability was considered to be the proof of one’s love of God. If you loved God, you obeyed him. Jesus taught the same thing:

Joh_14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

I believe that since the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in our hearts, the truth of spiritual realities are able to be understood at a far deeper level than what the saints in the Old Testament were capable of grasping. Thus, God gave the apostle Paul great revelation concerning the place of grace and faith in the believer’s life. But these great truths were never meant to replace the writings of the prophets. They were meant to complete the teaching found herein. That is, the importance of living a God fearing, obedient life should go without saying. Once we embrace that, there are other treasures of heaven that God is now willing to share with his people, such as grace, faith, the gifts of the Spirit, etc.

Having said all that, let us return to the text!

Eze 18:10 If he beget a son that is a robber (per-eets – tyrant, destroyer), a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,

To return to the main doctrine Yahweh wants us to know, he has just described the lifestyle of a just man, one who is in right relationship with him. Essentially, he is an obedient man. Obedient to the word. To the word that the man knows at that time in history. In contrast, if he has a son who is not obedient, we will learn that the son cannot hope to find mercy from God, just because his father was a just man.

The last phrase may be translated as: ‘doeth to his brother any of these things’, namely, the things which follow in the subsequent verses. Or, because several words are in italics, perhaps it could be stated as: ‘or is a brother to any one of these evil things’.

This unjust man does not help the needy, nor is honest in his dealings with his fellow man. Rather, he uses any and all means necessary to further his selfish goals. He will steal, and use violence if needed. He will even murder to get what he wants. It matters not to him. The verse ends by saying that this is not a comprehensive list. Any other act that is similar in wickedness he will not hesitate to do, in order to get what he wants.

Eze 18:11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled (taw-may) his neighbour’s wife,

Although the word ‘duties’ is in italics, it is as good as any in order to try and complete the thought. I believe that God is saying (in an obscure way) that this man refuses to do those positive things, such as feed the poor and help the needy. Duties is a good word to use to describe this. While there is no specific command that says that you must give exactly this much every day to help the poor, yet the word is full of commands to help the poor, but when and how is left up to the individual.

So, too, it is with us. Especially for the Christian, we have much more freedom in the choices that we make. While the Jews were commanded to tithe, and even give a 2nd and 3rd tithe every 3rd year (see my commentary on the book of Malachi), Christians are free to give whatever they want. Our only requirement is that everything that we give must be done not under compulsion, but willingly:

2Co_9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Telling people that they must tithe is making them give out of necessity. It is wrong, and directly contradicts the word of God.

This man is the opposite of his father. Not only does he refuse to do his duty toward the poor, but he chooses to commit adultery.

Eze 18:12 Hath oppressed (yaw-naw) the poor (aw-nee – afflicted, humble, needy) and needy (eb-yone – destitute, beggar), hath spoiled (gaw-zal) by violence (ghez-ay-law), hath not restored (shoob) the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols (ghil-lool), hath committed abomination (to-ay-baw – morally disgusting, abhorrence),

This list of opposite behavior continues. He oppresses the poor and needy rather than aiding them. He makes their life worse. Sort of like most governments, especially in the corrupt season that we are in today. He has no problem harming them. He steals everything that he can from them. And to top it all off, he is an idolater, and his heart always motivates him to look towards anything that promises him freedom from the oppressive rules of Yahweh. His lifestyle consists of one morally disgusting act after another. In other words, he is your typical Canadian Liberal politician, judge, or police officer, or your typical American Democrat or Antifa member of today.

Eze 18:13 Hath given forth upon usury (interest), and hath taken increase (tar-beeth): shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations (to-ay-baw); he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

This man is greedy. He can never have enough money. We will use money as the primary means of making even more money, rather than any honest labor. He will take bribes, and demand special favors, in return for lending anyone anything. Everything he does has ulterior motives. Like all the fake NGO’s (non governmental organizations) today. Fake charities set up by the evil rich, to money launder, to finance the overthrow of freedom in the west, and to implement the plans of the antichrist.

God asks if you think this man has any chance of making heaven? While he may live a long life physically, the implication is that he cannot escape eventual eternal judgment. Whatever his father’s character, it makes zero difference as to his fate. We will all be accountable for our own sin.

It does not matter that your father was a world renowned evangelist. It does not matter how long a line of preachers you come from. You will stand alone at the judgment. While the wicked man may seemingly escape punishment in this life, what awaits him in eternity is so much worse that we should never become bitter at the lack of justice in this life. In the next, retribution will far exceed any thoughts that we may entertain as to what would be a just recompense. In other words, we may love to see mass murderers like Gates thrown in jail, or executed. But such a punishment is as nothing in comparison as to what awaits him when he takes his last breath.

Eze 18:14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins (khat-taw-aw – offering for sin, offence) which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,

God continues to pound home the doctrine of personal responsibility. It’s interesting that he needs to devote an entire chapter to this. You would think everyone would understand this idea. If this wicked son has a son that sees and learns from his father’s mistakes, and chooses not to engage in the same behavior, he will not experience the same fate.

Eze 18:15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife,

If this righteous son has not turned his heart toward idolatry, nor any form of immorality.

Eze 18:16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,

If he has not intentionally hurt anyone by force or by fraud, and has chosen to help those in need, just like his grandfather did,

Eze 18:17 That hath taken off (shoob) his hand from the poor (aw-nee), that hath not received usury nor increase (tar-beeth), hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity (aw-vone – moral evil, perversity) of his father, he shall surely live.

He has chosen to not oppress the poor in any way. He will not profit by taking more from them than what he had lent them (Jesus takes this command further, in that we are supposed to lend to those he sends our way and not even expect the principal to be repaid!).

To summarize, he consistently chooses to judge each life situation as God judges. That is, he helps the poor and opposes the wicked. This is a crucial concept of judging, and one that we have been taught not to do anymore. When the preacher tells us not to judge, we think we are not supposed to oppose the public evil that the wicked push in our faces. That is a lie. We are to judge everyone’s actions, but not their heart. That is why all vengeance is to be left to the Lord. Only he knows the proper retribution to mete out. But that does not absolve us from denouncing the wicked deeds that we see, especially in the church.

This man walks in all of Yahweh’s statutes. If you obey God, then no matter how wicked your parents were, God will save you. While it may be a very difficult thing if the rest of your family are wicked, it is still up to you to choose the righteous path.

Eze 18:18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed (aw-shak o-shek – cruelly, fraudulently, deceitfully, violently defraud), spoiled (gaw-zal) his brother by violence (ghe-zel – plundering), and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity (aw-vone).

God loves repetition, it seems. We are often dull of hearing, and repetition is the best way of ensuring that we internalize truth. That is why you cannot read the bible once and think you have it down pat. Even if you have a photographic memory, the key is not simple memorization, it is receiving continual revelation. You must feed on the word daily if you desire the Holy Spirit to keep revealing God’s will to you regularly.

God refers back to the wicked father, to reemphasize the original theme of disproving this contemporary proverb of the son having to suffer the punishment for this father’s sin. Sometimes a consequence may be experienced, but not the actual punishment for that original sin. Each man’s sin will be required at their own hand. Don’t let current unpleasant circumstances deceive you into believing something that is not true.

That is what the life of faith really comes down to, does it not? Circumstances regularly tempt us to doubt some truth of the bible. But the more you know of all the bible and not just bits and pieces of it, the more you will be able to make sense of what you see.

This father was an oppressor. He is also now said to not only oppress the poor, but his brother as well. In other words, everyone was fair game when it came to getting what he wanted. The verse ends by saying that whatever thing you can think of that is not good, chances are this wicked man would have done it. His reward shall be death. Eternal death.

Eze 18:19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity (aw-vone) of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful (mishpat) and right (tsed-aw-kaw), and hath kept (shaw-mar – to hedge about) all my statutes (khook-kaw), and hath done them, he shall surely live.

On the surface, this seems absurd to any rational thinking person. But perhaps the idea of the duty of a son to a father was carried to such an extreme that the son should not only bear the duty of obeying his father in all things, but that it even extended to bearing the punishment for his sin! If this was the impetus behind their belief system, then this serves as a perfect example of how any truth, carried to an extreme, can be flipped on its head and become evil.

For example, to honor and respect your pastor is biblical. To obey him is commanded. But carried to an extreme, would you obey him even if he is telling you to do something against the word of God?. Then your obedience becomes disobedience. The same goes with honoring your father and your mother. You obey them, even if it’s inconvenient and costly. But, for example, if they ask you to forsake Jesus, you cannot obey. This is why you need all of the word of God in order to make sound mishpat (judgments).

I like the idea of hedging about that the word shaw-mar indicates. We need to keep ourselves away from things that lead to sin. For example, if you were an alcoholic, you would not go into a bar, even to have a cup of coffee. You are now one step away from slipping. Stay far away from the things that could cause you to stumble. Don’t try to be hero, or a tough guy. That behavior is an indication of pride and presumption.

Eze 18:20 The soul (nephesh) that sinneth (khaw-taw – miss the mark, to trespass), it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity (aw-vone) of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity (aw-vone) of the son: the righteousness (tsed-aw-kaw) of the righteous (tsad-deek) shall be upon him, and the wickedness (rish-aw – fault, moral wrongness) of the wicked (raw-shaw – bad person, guilty one) shall be upon him.

Seems pretty straightforward, does it not? Why would this be so controversial in Ezekiel’s day? God is saying that the soul who is living in unrepentant sin at the time of his death, shall die. And we have already covered the fact that this refers to the second death, not the physical one, as that happens to all, regardless of their spiritual condition.

But the opposite also holds true. The soul found living in righteousness at the time of death shall live. Regardless of the spiritual state of one’s father or one’s son, your personal spiritual condition at the time of your death is all that matters.

So the principle is that each soul needs to endure to the end. The sins of any other family member are completely irrelevant. God is not going to cast you into heaven or hell based on how good or evil your father or your son was.

While I was writing this, I was reminded of a modern day heresy that bears some similarities to, but is distinct from, the error that is being preached against here. In this verse, the error God is addressing is the false doctrine that said you may be liable to suffer the (eternal) punishment for someone else’s sin, not just the consequence only. Similarly, the Jews believed that one could reap the (eternal) reward if one was born into a righteous family, regardless of that offspring’s behavior.

So let us speak of the eternal security heresy. Doesn’t that doctrine also improperly divorce behavior from eternal consequence? That is, the idea that once you have accepted Christ, regardless of your lifestyle from then on, you are still guaranteed to go to heaven?

Now I know that those who hold to such a view will all claim that if someone prays the sinner’s prayer, and if, at some time later time, they fall back into a sinful lifestyle, then they will claim that this person was not really saved in the first place. Since no one can prove nor disprove that conjecture, their doctrine remains unassailable and intact.

I believe one of reasons that these Christians have arrived at such a doctrine is the manner of how they treat the true doctrine that Jesus died for all sins, once and for all. Their logic has led them to the erroneous conclusion that all future sins of the repentant man have also been forgiven. And in one sense, that is true. All sins of everyone have been potentially forgiven at the cross. But we know that few take advantage of this gift, so for most people, the cross is of no benefit whatsoever. Unless we accept this free gift, all those (potentially) forgiven sins of ours will not be imputed, or put under our account. For those who have rejected this payment of their penalty, they are left to pay it themselves.

For those relatively few souls who have accepted Christ, their future sins were also paid for at the cross, but this is also effectual only if and when these sins, too, are sincerely repented of. And one cannot repent of future sins until they have actually been committed. Your sinner’s prayer recited 20 years ago does not cover your future sins. But when you confess those sins you have just committed, he is faithful and just to forgive you those new sins as well.

But at any time after you have accepted Christ, should you freely choose to stop repenting of your new sins, then this verse teaches that the souls that sinneth shall die. Therefore I believe that this verse, among several others, voids the doctrine of eternal security.

Now, we don’t have to take this truth to the extreme, as the Catholics did when they created one of their seven sacraments, the one called extreme unction, or last rites. Because they believe only the priest can guarantee an absolution of your sin, it is imperative that the priest anoints you with oil and absolves you just before you die, so that you are sort of ‘up to date’, as far as your forgiveness is concerned. That is absurd. There are countless situations where someone experiences a sudden death, and does not have the opportunity to go and confess to a priest. You may have committed some sin, and then died suddenly. Does that mean that you are going straight to hell? Of course not. What God is speaking of here is a consistent lifestyle. Someone who is generally wicked cannot expect his father’s righteousness to save him, and vice versa. This is why another doctrine of the Catholics is unbiblical, the idea that the accumulated merits of the saints can be drawn upon to somehow help pay for your sin! The whole idea of all of these man made ideas was to increase the power and control of the church over the individual. They all also diminished the finished work of the cross, as if Jesus did not do enough to provide total redemption. As if he needed the church to complete the task of payment of sin, via the merits of the saints, and the loosing on earth of heavenly blessings by the pope, via special indulgences and such.

This chapter also teaches us not to assume anything about anyone, based on their family history. Just because a man’s ancestors were evil for many generations, it is possible for any person to decide to choose life. While the odds are against them, we should never assume that anyone must be like their parents. And that goes both ways.

Eze 18:21 But if the wicked (raw-shaw) will turn (shoob) from all his sins (khat-taw-aw) that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes (khook-kaw), and do that which is lawful (mishpat) and right (tsed-aw-kaw), he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Now Yahweh embarks on teaching another fundamental truth. We will now become intimately acquainted with our good friend Mr. Shoob. Shoob is what the spiritual life is all about. Yahweh knows that we will all sin. Of that there is no debate. It is what we choose to do the moment our conscience alerts us. Do we shoob, or not shoob? Do we turn, or not turn?

Listening to various podcasters and decent preachers, I still do not hear what must be spoken. We have become experts at discerning the various conspiracies and plots of the wicked, as they attempt to herd mankind into a one world order. And many propose various strategies in order to counter this global threat. But all of it revolves around a man made solution. All of it is human effort. They tell us to band together, to educate ourselves, to protest, to write letters, to not comply, to prep, to bug out, to get off the grid, to buy silver and gold, to become self sufficient, to run for office, to get involved, etc, etc. But almost no one speaks of the only action that can save us.

And that action is shoob. Turn. Turn away from all sin. Turn full toward God and his commandments. This whole chapter’s real purpose is to teach God’s people about the only remedy in the universe that can fix a broken nation. And that is repentance.

No matter how wicked, if that wicked one sincerely turns (shoobs) from his wickedness, that is step one. But he can’t stop there. He can’t just stop sinning. He must now obey all of God’s commandments. He must choose to make only righteous decisions (mishpat) and live in a right way (tsed-aw-kaw). If he does this, he will live. He will make heaven, and not be tossed into hell.

This is such an important truth about repentance. This is why a wonderful organization like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) cannot get anyone into heaven. They teach only half of shoobing. They teach one how to stop sinning. But they do not teach one how to shoob, or turn back to God. When the organization was first created, the two men involved both firmly believed in the bible. But in order to appeal to a broader range of people trapped in alcoholism who may have been prejudiced towards the church, they spoke of God as a ‘higher power’, rather than name him as Jesus Christ. And amazingly, it worked! Millions have been set free from alcohol addiction. But while many of those did continue on into the true faith, many did not. They may have been able to live the rest of their life free from alcohol, but that was not enough to get them into heaven. And the reason is found in this verse. True repentance involves turning away from sin, and also turning fully toward God. And the proof of this turning is not just a stoppage of sin, but of an obedience to all of God’s word.

Eze 18:22 All his transgressions (peh-shah – rebellion, trespass) that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness (tsed-aw-kaw) that he hath done he shall live.

Yahweh is not dealing with that relatively small class of people who have gone so far into sin that he has turned them over to it, and thus they never even feel the need for repentance for the rest of their life. No, he is speaking of the vast majority of sinners out there, who can yet choose to turn away from a life of self gratification, and turn toward a life of serving God. Even if 99.9% of the days of their life was spent serving self, it is how you end your journey that determines your fate.

Do you see why the idea of eternal security is so unbiblical? If it were true, we would have to tear out this entire chapter, for starters, and call God a liar, or that Ezekiel was preaching his own ideas, and lying about the fact that God was speaking through him. Since anyone who chooses that route is an outright apostate, the Calvinist is faced with the choice to either believe what the bible says, or not. And he can try to weasel his way out of it by claiming that this is Old Testament teaching, and not applicable today. That amounts to the same sin in the end, that of unbelief, even apostasy. God never changes. All that changed in the New Testament was the manner of sacrifice for sin that God now considered as acceptable payment for man’ sin. Nothing of what is right or what is wrong has changed. Even things where the Christian has more liberty than the Jew, such as kosher eating, or Sabbath keeping, is not because God has changed his mind on such things. It is simply that certain laws were always meant for the Jew only, as a sign to all nations of God’s righteousness. They were more symbolic than practical, teaching things such as the importance of proper separation from the things of this world, or as a regular reminder of God as creator of all things. Anyone who tries to tell you that any part of the Old Testament and its truths have been done away with on the cross is most likely an ignorant fool, if we are charitable. If we are not, they are heretics, who will usually also teach some form of replacement theology as a cover for their satanic Jew hatred that the devil seems to place in almost all of his children.

Eze 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all (khaw-fates khaw-fates – desire desire, or delight delight) that the wicked (raw-shaw) should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return (shoob) from his ways (deh-rek – path or course of life, lifestyle), and live?

And here, in the midst of all this threat, terror and condemnation, Yehovah allows us a quick peek at what truly motivates him. So far, it seems that anger and hatred is what is driving him. He sees all this sin in the land, and it is stirring him up to wrath beyond measure. We might get the idea that he actually lives to destroy the backslidden child of God!

But we would be utterly incorrect. Just because Yehovah has become extremely emotional over his people’s rebellion, he gets zero enjoyment in having to act in a manner that satisfies divine justice. It is the last thing in the world that he wants to do. He hates it whenever another soul chooses to go to hell. It breaks his heart. In fact, I don’t think there is a verse anywhere in the bible that comes near to describing to us the depth of sorrow the Father feels when one of his eternal souls chooses to reject his love and invitation to follow him. I think that God is far too much of a gentleman to burden us with his grief. He suffers alone. There is no khaw-fates khaw-fates, or delight delight in throwing anyone into hell. And I imagine that if we stopped to think about the reality of hell for a minute, I don’t believe any true Christian would rejoice in that idea, even for those whom we despise the most.

Yahweh has laid out a deh-rek for all of us. It is the one true path, or course of life that we should follow. And that deh-rek’s name is Jesus. He was sent, not only to die for us, but to show us how to live. Was he waiting for the wealth of the sinner to fall into the hands of the just? So why are we preaching such garbage? Did he throw gold coins into the offering plate at the temple every chance that he got, in expectation of receiving 100 more gold pieces than he had given? Such nonsense. Or in the sermon on the mount, was one of his main teachings to tell us that we could have what we said? That if you truly wanted to be healed, you had to say ‘by his stripes we are healed’ hundreds, even thousands of times, until the healing manifested? But ye,t so many believers sit under these demonic doctrines.

Where is our deh-rek? Jesus shows us where it lays:

Mat_7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Mat_7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Luk 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

If you are on the narrow deh-rek, or path, you are on the right one. If your deh-rek is wide and accommodating to all, then you are headed down the wrong road.

Eze 18:24 But when the righteous (tsad-deek) turneth away (shoob) from his righteousness (tsed-aw-kaw), and committeth iniquity (eh-val), and doeth according to all the abominations (to-ay-baw) that the wicked (raw-shaw) man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness (tsed-aw-kaw) that he hath done shall not be mentioned (zaw-kar – mentioned, marked): in his trespass (mah-al – treachery, falsehood) that he hath trespassed (maw-al – covered up, done covertly), and in his sin (khat-taw-aw – that he hath sinned (khaw-taw – miss the mark, cause harm), in them shall he die.

So far most would have no problem with the previous verse (18:23). Of course the sinner can repent at any time and be saved. But yet many cannot accept this verse (18:24). Why not? If a sinner can repent, why can’t a righteous man? To repent means to turn around and go the other direction. Shoob can be positive or negative, depending on which direction you were heading in the first place. Yahweh clearly states that a righteous man can also shoob, just like a sinner does. Only he is shoobing in the wrong direction. Why can’t a saved person repent? Maybe you are sorry you ever chose to follow Jesus. You are finding that deh-rek, or path of life, is just too narrow for you. All those prohibitions, all those friends you have lost, all those job opportunities gone, all the ridicule and persecution, it is all just too much. You find that you cannot take it anymore. You miss your freedoms. Your freedoms to be the captain of your own life. To be able to chart your own course, to choose what you want to do, rather than what God wants you to do. You are tired of not having your prayers answered. Maybe you felt God misled you, or even betrayed you. Maybe your pastor or your church mistreated you. Someone may have hurt you beyond what you think you can handle. So you choose to repent. You choose to shoob away from the things of God, and shoob toward the comfortable, familiar things of the world.

Even if you spent 99.9% of your life serving Jesus, it is how you choose to end your race that counts. I think this is where we become extremely hypocritical about things. Why is it that we have no problem believing that God will forgive a man for a lifetime of sin, as long as he sincerely repents, even on the last day of his life, such as the thief on the cross, but think it would be a travesty of justice if someone lived all their life for Jesus, but on the last day of their life chose to reject him? We would think that it would be unfair to judge him just for that one slip.

But in reality, God treats everyone the same. It is not how you begin the race, it is how you end:

Mat 21:28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

Mat 21:29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

Mat 21:30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

Mat 21:31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

While one may argue the second son never entered the vineyard, the principle is there. It is how each one ended their life that counted.

Of course, we all know the parable of the sower. That clearly teaches that one must finish his race in order to be saved. 3 of the 4 groups never make it. The first never even begins. The next 2 began, but never finished. Only the fourth group persevered.

Mat_10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Eze 18:25 Yet ye say, The way (deh-rek) of the Lord is not equal (taw-kan – balanced, measured out, level). Hear (shama – to hear intelligently with the idea of obeying) now (naw – I pray, I beseech thee), O house of Israel; Is not my way (deh-rek) equal (taw-kan)? are not your ways (deh-rek) unequal (lo taw-kan – not balanced)?

Here is where natural human reasoning keeps men from the revelations of God. They think that if someone spent more days being good than bad, then it is only fair to let them into heaven. But if a bad man spent most of his days being bad, then it is not fair to let him into heaven, just because he said he is sorry at the end.

If we are being honest, I think we can all relate to that attitude. Would you be totally ecstatic if you found out that Bill Gates or George Soros repented with their dying breath? And that somehow you knew God forgave them, and that they were now in heaven? Wouldn’t you feel that justice would not have been served? That somehow they cheated? Wouldn’t you feel that if anyone deserved hell, it would be them? Or how about if you heard a story that Hitler repented just before he died? Would that sit well with you? It’s most likely that these Jews may have thought of similar incidents. They would have come up with examples of hated tyrants that they felt deserved no forgiveness. A good example would have been Manasseh. There was no more wicked king in all of the history of Judah. And yet at the end of his life, he seems to have repented. There is even an apocryphal book that contains a supposed prayer of repentance that he had prayed.

2Ch 33:10 And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.

2Ch 33:11 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

2Ch 33:12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,

2Ch 33:13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.

2Ch 33:14 Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.

2Ch 33:15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.

2Ch 33:16 And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.

2Ch 33:17 Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only.

2Ch 33:18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel.

2Ch 33:19 His prayer also, and how God was intreated of him, and all his sin, and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers.

2Ch 33:20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

He not only shoobed away from sin, but he shoobed toward God, in that he undertook concrete actions to show that he was not disobeying God. A man who wreaked havoc for 55 terrible years in Judah, is most likely in heaven today.

On the other hand, Uzziah is an example of the other kind of shoobing, one where a righteous man turns aside from following God and shoobs in the wrong direction:

2Ch 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

2Ch 26:17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men:

2Ch 26:18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God.

2Ch 26:19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar.

2Ch 26:20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him.

2Ch 26:21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

2Ch 26:22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.

2Ch 26:23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

God destroyed him. By placing leprosy upon him unto the day of his death, that was a common sign of God’s curse on someone. That is why lepers were so harshly treated in those days, even up to Jesus’ day.

Do you wish that man’s standards of judgment would be in effect instead of God’s? When I was growing up, I was raised in a traditional Catholic church. My understanding was that at the judgment, your good deeds would be weighed against your bad, and whichever was heavier would decide your fate. So there was always this idea of doing some good deeds, to help outweigh the bad. You may have gone out drinking the night before. But if you went to mass the next day, and went to confession and said penance for your sins, that made up for it. I remember as a child how I somehow felt lighter inside after I had gone to confession. This man made doctrine was sincerely believed, which caused me to feel better about myself when I believed that the priest had absolved me of my sin. This is why feelings are absolutely irrelevant when it comes to anything spiritual. If you are taught wrong, your feelings will follow your beliefs. This is why homosexuals who go to homosexual ‘churches’ feel good about their perversions, because they truly believe the lies their ‘pastor’ tells them about how okay their demonic lifestyle is.

Yahweh is comparing roads. His road is taw-kan – balanced, measured out, level. Man’s road is not. What God is saying is that, the way man reasons in comparison to God’s way is just plain wrong. There are two reasons for this. As Job found out, there are certain things that God knows that you do not when it comes time for God making decisions about your path. Second, we think we know how to reason properly, in a measured, balanced fashion. God says that we do not. Our reasoning is faulty, in comparison to God’s. We think we are using sound judgment, but if our thinking is not based on the truths in the bible, we will not find that correct narrow path, or deh-rek.

Verses such as these serve to greatly humble us, and to remind us just how far short we fall in God’s eyes. We think we’re so wise, but in reality, there is no reason for us to ever think that way.

Eze 18:26 When a righteous (tsad-deek) man turneth away (shoob) from his righteousness (tsed-aw-kaw), and committeth iniquity (eh-val), and dieth in them; for his iniquity (eh-val) that he hath done shall he die.

Case closed. However you choose to end your race, that is how it will end. If you are found living in sin at the time of your death, that is the state that you will take into eternity.

If you stop and think about it, this is what makes the entirety of our life meaningful. Stop and consider for one moment if my childish, Catholic soaked belief of one’s good deeds outweighing the bad were true. Well, all you would need to do is live the first 51% of your life as a just man, then you could choose to whoop it up for the rest of your life, knowing that the majority of your days were spent living for God. What sort of meaningful back half of life would that be? Do we not truly believe that we are in a cosmic war, and that every soul hangs in the balance? Why would satan continue to fight for your soul if there was no chance that he could win it back? Would it not make more sense to allocate his finite resources to those souls who had not yet given their hearts to Jesus? If ‘once saved, always saved’ were true, why would he bother with us, except as a matter of principle, I suppose? No, he knows that there is always a chance that a just man can ‘repent’ back to him. Now why someone who really knows the way of salvation would want to do so, is beyond me. But it does happen.

God clearly states that a just man who turns his back on God as a lifestyle choice, ie, that he now chooses the broad path, will go to hell. Just remember that we are speaking about someone who wants to not serve God anymore, not someone who occasionally falls into sin.

Eze 18:27 Again, when the wicked (raw-shaw) man turneth away (shoob) from his wickedness (rish-aw) that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful (mishpat) and right (tsed-aw-kaw), he shall save his soul alive.

The same truth applies for the sinner. No matter how long he has wallowed in sin, as long as he draws breath, he can come back to his creator.

Eze 18:28 Because he considereth (raw-aw – to see, discern, took heed, perceived), and turneth away (shoob) from all his transgressions (peh-shah) that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

This is where the lost soul is separated from the truly wicked one. The wicked, those who have been permanently turned over to their sin, will never again perceive or care that they are cut off from God. In fact, they are glad to be so. However for the lost soul, as long as the lost still can perceive that evil is evil, and is able to shoob, there is hope for that soul.

Eze 18:29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way (deh-rek) of the Lord is not equal (taw-kan lo). O house of Israel, are not my ways (deh-rek) equal (taw-kan)? are not your ways (deh-rek) unequal (lo taw-kan)?

God finishes this repetitious discourse by once again informing his people that they are wrong in what they believe about the ways of God. God’s ways are equal, that is, measured, balanced, and level. The idea is that they are well thought out, while man’s ways are often impulsive, arbitrary, and the product of hasty, ill informed decision making. God has all the time in the world to decide the best way to act. Man has not. To think that our conclusions about anything are superior to God’s is asinine.

This is why, whenever we as an individual, a church, or a nation, decide that something in the bible is not moral or too harsh, we are exhibiting our stupidity. If God says homosexuals should always be put to death, there is a measured, weighed out, proper reason why God decided that that is the proper punishment. We could not see it when we decriminalized this perversion. But we see it now, when the alphabet crowd has literally turned into a terrorist organization. Not only are they violent and lawless, but they will not rest until they have groomed and raped every child in the land, turning them all into the walking abominations that they are themselves. We thought our morality was of a higher order than Yehovah’s. We saw God’s punishments as cruel and inhumane. But when you think that every homosexual is going to burn forever in hell, don’t you think that the most humane thing to do would be to make the punishment so extreme in this life that millions in the future will choose not to give in to this temptation of filthy perverted sex, and thus escape the sure sentence of hellfire that awaits all who do such things?

Eze 18:30 Therefore I will judge (shaw-fat – pronounce sentence upon, execute judgment upon) you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways (deh-rek), saith the Lord GOD. Repent (shoob), and turn (shoob) yourselves from all your transgressions (peh-shah); so iniquity (aw-vone) shall not be your ruin (mik-shole – stumblingblock, what causes you to fall).

The conclusion of the matter is this: regardless of what the church decides to do or not to do, what they choose to believe or not to believe, God will judge us according to his standard and not ours. We will truly be judged according to our works. While our faith will always be said to energize our works, never does God say that we will be judged according to what we believe. And yet, all of the emphasis is placed on faith, not works. That is not the bible way. We need to recover the emphasis on speaking about our deeds in this life.

Knowing this, the command to Judah is the same command that he speaks to all – repent. Repent and stop sinning. Otherwise your sin will destroy you. If you continue to choose to wink at your sin, it is what will ruin you. And God does not mean that you will go bankrupt, or lose your health, or your reputation, or that you will lose all your youtube subscribers. No, you will be spiritually ruined. And that means eternally ruined. You will end up in hell. Away from God, away from life.

Eze 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions (peh-shah), whereby ye have transgressed (paw-shah); and make you a new heart and a new spirit (ruach): for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

It is as if Yahweh is pleading one last time with this rebellious bunch. These gross idolaters, these immoral souls, these cretins who think nothing of robbing and murdering their fellow man, yet God pleads with them one last time to repent! Would we blame God if he decided that he didn’t want them to repent anymore? Why would God want to forgive ungrateful, rebellious creatures such as these? Can we think of certain people in our lives whom we want nothing more to do with? How that even if we encounter them by chance, we become anxious and extremely uncomfortable? Yet God is willing to forgive almost all of his creation, if they would only turn. If they would only consider what lifestyle they have chosen, and repent of it.

I think there are a couple of ways to look at this verse. The first is that these sinners should be driven to the knowledge that they cannot change on their own. Many a sinner knows that what he is doing is wrong, but seems powerless to stop. This should drive the sinner to his knees, begging God to change him. It should drive them to hope in the promise already given by God through his prophet:

Eze 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

This promise of future regeneration should become much more dear, when they realize how hopelessly sin has ensnared their souls.

The word ‘make’ also carries the connotation of bringing forth. In effect, God is saying bring forth a new heart and a new spirit, as evidenced by you choosing to shoob. While you may not yet have a regenerated heart such as my future promise holds, you do have the ability to choose to stop giving yourselves wilfully over to your sin, and to choose to obey me in all my commandments. While you may not have the power to free yourself completely from sin, you do have the power to choose to want to follow me. If you did not have this free will, then how could I ask you to shoob?

Notice that whether they live or die is up to them, not to God. While God may choose to unleash whatever temporal punishment upon them that he desires at any time, and cause an untold number of them to die prematurely, yet each sinner can choose to escape eternal damnation by repenting. Sometimes repenting may not save you in this life, as in the thief on the cross, but it will always save you from eternal death, and isn’t that ultimately what it’s all about?

Eze 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death (maw-veth – dead, ruin, their place in Hades) of him that dieth (mooth – destroyed), saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn (shoob) yourselves, and live ye.

I will briefly bring attention to Yehovah’s use of puns, that can be found throughout this chapter. God has no pleasure in maw-veth, of him that mooth. Hopefully using a play on words aids in assisting these listeners to take heed and remember these warnings.

And in the spirit of repetition, which Yehovah seems so fond of, he tells us once again that he takes no pleasure in having to condemn anyone. The only solution is to repent. He wants us to live. But he simply cannot allow us to live unless we repent.

So too we find ourselves in late 2025 with only one option. Repent. Not protest, repent. Not fight, but repent. Not to depend on the arm of the flesh, but to repent. Repent, repent, repent. There is no other way. There is no other deh-rek. Shama, and shoob.

Will you allow this word to penetrate your heart and your soul to such an extent, that every unbiblical doctrine that you have ever been taught shall be permanently evicted, never to return? Or shall you follow the path of these Judeans, and let these words go in one ear and out the other? Your eternal destination may depend on the choice that you make.

Solitary Man

https://solitaryman.substack.com/