Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Ezekiel 18:1

Clarke's Commentary

CHAPTER XVIII

The Jews, in Ezekiel's time, complained of God's dealing hardly

with them in punishing them for the sins of their forefathers,

1, 2;

their temporal calamities having been long threatened as the

consequence of the national guilt, (Jeremiah 15:4, c.)

and, from the general complexion of this chapter, it appears

that the Jews so interpreted the second commandment of the

Decalogue and other passages of like import, as if the sins of

the forefathers were visited upon the children, independently

of the moral conduct of the latter, not only in this world, but

in that which is to come. To remove every foundation for such

an unworthy idea of the Divine gorcrnment, God assures them,

with an oath, that he had no respect of persons, 3, 4;

strongly intimating that the great mysteries in Providence,

(mysterious only on account of the limited capacity of man,)

are results of the most impartial administration of justice;

and that this would be particularly manifested in the rewards

and punishments of another life; when every ligament that at

present connects societies and nations together shall be

dissolved, and each person receive according to his work, and

bear his own burden. This is illustrated by a variety of

examples: such as that of a just or righteous man, 5-9;

his wicked son, 10-13;

and again the just son of this wicked person, 14-20.

Then a wicked man repenting, and finding mercy, whose former

wickedness shall be no impediment to his salvation, 21-23;

and a righteous man revolting, and dying in his sins, whose

former righteousness shall be of no avail, 24.

The conduct of the Divine Providence is then vindicated, 25-29;

and all persons, without any exception, most earnestly exhorted

to repentance, 30, 31;

because the Lord hath no pleasure in the death of the sinner,

32.

As the whole of this chapter is taken up with the illustration

of a doctrine nearly connected with the comfort of man, and the

honour of the Divine government, the prophet, with great

propriety, lays aside his usual mode of figure and allegory,

and treats his subject with the utmost plainness and

perspicuity.

NOTES ON CHAP. XVIII

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Each person is responsible (18:1-32)

Many of the exiles complained that it was unjust that they should suffer because of the sins of the previous generation. True, the present captivity had resulted from the continuing decay of the nation over several generations, but the exiles could not deny that they too had sinned. There could be no excuses. They are individually responsible for their wrongdoings and they are punished accordingly (18:1-4).
Examples of sins are then given. These include joining in idol feasts at the high places, immorality, exploitation of the weakness of others, and lack of concern for those in need. The person who avoids these sins and does what is right will enjoy the blessing of God (5-9).
If this good person has a son who does evil, the son will be punished for his sin (10-13). If this wicked son produces, in turn, a son who does good, the good man will be rewarded for his goodness, though his wicked father will be punished (14-18). Each is either rewarded or punished according to whether he has done good or evil, regardless of how his father may have acted (19-20).
God wants sinners to repent, so that they can receive forgiveness and enjoy God’s blessings in life. But if they deliberately choose the way of sin, nothing is left for them but judgment (21-24). The exiles had accused God of being unjust, but they, because of their wickedness, are the ones who are unjust (25-29). God in his justice will punish those who sin, though it gives him no pleasure. He prefers that they repent of their sin and be forgiven; and to each person who repents, God will give eternal life (30-32).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"The word of Jehovah came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father; so also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die."

"This false proverb, untrue on the face of it, was singularly inapplicable by Israel in their situation, because they were by no means innocent of wrong doing, being, in fact, actually worse than their fathers."Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Moody Press), p. 99.

In response to Israel's use of this evil proverb, God swore with a mighty oath, that he would stop their use of it at once, because it reflected against the justice of God Himself.

"Evidently, the people thought that they were paying for sins of Manasseh, because nearly everyone in that generation believed that the sins of the fathers could actually be visited upon their children. There was a note of self-acquittal here, also, fatalism, despair, and a what's the use? attitude, what avails the moral struggle? Deeper still, there was a question of God's justice."International Critical Commentary, p. 194.

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die" A number of scholars like to emphasize their allegation that, "eternal death" is not mentioned here, only physical death; but we believe more is intended. As Leath put it, "What is meant here is the separation of the soul from its life-source, the Spirit of God (Deut. 30:25; Jeremiah 21:8; and Proverbs 11:19)."Thomas H. Leal in The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary (Funk and Wagnalls), p. 192. Pearson also agreed in this, saying, "The word `die' is used in both a literal and an eschatological sense. 'To live' is to enter into the perfect kingdom of the Lord (which was at that time in the future); and `to die,' is to have no share in it."Anton T. Pearson in Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 731.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The last verse of Ezekiel 17:0 gives occasion for a declaration of the principle upon which God’s providential dispensations proceed, namely, that every individual shall be equitably dealt with - a principle that precludes the children from either presuming on the father’s merits or despairing on account of the father’s guilt. This chapter is an enlargement of Jeremiah 31:29, and sets forth fully the doctrine of individual responsibility.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

We may collect from this rebuke that the Jews were perverse interpreters of the best teaching; yea, they purposely reviled the Prophet’s expression, and drew it to a contrary meaning. For it, is far commoner than it ought to be among unbelievers, always to take occasion of turning backwards, twisting, distorting, and tearing the teaching of heaven. And at this time we see this impudence increasing greatly in the world. For the world is full of buffoons and other deceivers, who wickedly sport with God, and seek material for joking from the law and the gospel: and so also it appears to have been in the Prophet’s time; for although they listened to the wrath of God hanging over them, they did not cease to provoke him, and that too for many years. And not only were their own iniquities set forth against them, but also those of their fathers: hence the occasion for cavil when they heard — For so many ages you do not cease your warfare against God: he has borne with you patiently unto this day. Do you think that you can carry on your audacity with impunity? God wished hitherto to tame you by his forbearance; but your obstinacy is not to be subdued. Since, therefore, not only for one or two generations, but for four and five, your obstinacy has wrestled with God’s goodness, he cannot any longer pardon you. Since the prophets thus gathered up the iniquities of their fathers, impious men scattered abroad their witticisms — then we are to pay the penalty of our fathers’ sins: they provoked God, but we suffer the punishment which they deserved. The Prophet now convinces them of this unfairness, and shows that they had no reason for transferring their faults to others, or to thrust them away from themselves, since God was just in taking vengeance on them. We know that men willingly shuffle so as to free themselves from blame, and then afterwards accuse God of cruel injustice. It is true, indeed, that they are held in such constraint by their own consciences that they are compelled, whether they will or not, to feel that they are suffering punishment justly; but afterwards they become refractory, and suffocate their conscience, and strive pettishly with God. Hence these words —

Though guiltless of your fathers’ crimes,
Roman, ‘tis thine to latest times
The vengeance of the gods to bear,
Till you their awful domes repair.
Horace, lib. 3, Od. 6, as translated by Francis.

Since so many crimes were rife at Rome, why does that trifler say that the men of his own age were undeservedly paying the penalty due by their ancestors? But, as I have said, this is the testimony of a corrupt nature, because we desire to throw off the blame as far from ourselves as we possibly can. Hence we begin to strive with God, and to rebel against his judgments. And hence this destruction is the more useful to us, since it is proposed as a remedy for a disease by far too common. Whatever the meaning is, this sentiment came into common use like a proverb — that the children’s teeth were set on edge, because their fathers had eaten sour grapes. By these allegorical words they wished to free themselves from blame, as if God was unjustly charging the wickedness of their fathers against them. For to eat the sour grape or wild grape has the same meaning as to set the teeth on edge; for we know this to be the effect of acidity. If any one eats a sour grape, his teeth will suffer from its unripeness. To eat then is to cause this effect on the teeth — referring to sin: for they said that their own teeth suffered, not through their own eating the sour grapes, but through its flowing down from their fathers. On the whole, they wished to contend with God, as if he were afflicting the innocent, and that, too, under the fallacious pretext which I have mentioned, as God announced that he would avenge the wickedness which had been perpetrated in former ages.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 18

Now there are instructions for those who have been taken to Babylon, and Ezekiel now turns and speaks to them.

The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, What mean ye, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? ( Ezekiel 18:1-2 )

Now, it is interesting that Ezekiel was in Babylon, and this proverb was at that time being spoken in Babylon. They're going around saying, "Well, our fathers ate sour grapes, and our teeth are set on edge." In other words, "We are bearing the results of our fathers' sins. We're suffering because of what our fathers did."

Now Jeremiah makes mention of the fact that this same proverb was being spoken back in Jerusalem. Those people in the siege were saying, "Our fathers have eaten sour grapes, and our teeth are set on edge." It's interesting how that we just don't like to take the blame for what we have done. We always like to blame someone else. So, if you're some kind of a neurotic nut, you go to a psychologist and they'll tell you, "Well, it's not you, it's your father, you see. That's your problem, your father ate the sour grapes. Now you're a neurotic mess, you know." Hey, you are what you are, and you might as well take responsibility for yourself. Quit trying to blame someone else for all of your ills or all of your problems.

That whole business of trying to blame someone else goes back to the beginning. God said, "Adam, what have you done?" "Oh, the woman that You gave me to be my wife, she did tempt me and I did eat." Rather than accept the responsibility for what a person has done, we always like to throw it over onto someone else. We're quite irresponsible in this manner.

But God is saying, "What is this proverb that these people are saying? 'Our fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge.'"

As I live, saith the Lord GOD ( Ezekiel 18:3 ),

God's going to explode this proverb now.

ye shall not have an occasion to use this proverb any more in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: and the soul that sinneth, it shall die ( Ezekiel 18:3-4 ).

Every man is gonna be responsible to God for himself. When I stand before God, I'm gonna have to answer for only one person--me. I'm not gonna have to answer for my children or my wife, as close as we are. The only one I answer to God for is me. The only one God is gonna talk to me about is me. When you stand before God, you're only gonna be responsible for you. But you will be responsible for you. You're gonna have to answer to God for yourself. And you can't say, "Well, my dad was... " or, "My mom was... " You can't throw it off. You're gonna... the soul that sinneth, it shall die. And God isn't gonna punish your parents for what you are, nor is He going to punish you for what your parents were. Nor is He gonna reward you for what your parents were, or reward your parents for what you are, as the case may be. Each man stands before God as an individual and answers for himself. And it's time that you face up to that reality and you begin to be responsible before God, knowing that we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the things that we have done while we've been living in these bodies. Whether they be good or evil. Might as well prepare yourself.

But if a man is just, and does that which is lawful and right, And has not eaten upon the mountains [that is, these abominable feasts to these pagan gods], or lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor's wife, neither has come near a menstruous woman, And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge ( Ezekiel 18:5-7 ),

When someone would give you a pledge for a debt, a lot of times they would just keep the pledge.

and has spoiled none by violence, and has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment; He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, and hath executed true judgment between man and man, Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; his is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD ( Ezekiel 18:7-9 ).

Now those are the things, if you want to live by the law, that you'll have to do. Now God has a better way of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.

If he beget a son that is a robber, or a shedder of blood, and that does the like to any of these things, And that does not any of those duties, but has eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbor's wife, oppressed the poor and needy, has spoiled by violence, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to idols, and committed abomination, and has given forth upon usury [loaned with usurious interest rates], and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. Now, lo, if he beget a son, that sees all of his father's sins which he has done, and considers, and does not such like, That he has not eaten upon the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols to the house of Israel, nor defiled his neighbor's wife, Neither has oppressed any, nor withheld the pledge, [and so forth]. That he hath taken of his hand for the poor, and he hath not received usury nor increase, and has executed my judgments, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live ( Ezekiel 18:10-17 ).

Every man answers for himself.

As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, and lo, he shall die in his iniquity. Yet you say, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all of his sins that he has committed ( Ezekiel 18:18-21 ),

God's grace, God's mercy, if the wicked will turn.

and keep my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he will not die. And all his transgressions that he has committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his way, and live? ( Ezekiel 18:21-23 )

God is so maligned in the minds of people. As people look upon God as some kind of a vengeful character who is just waiting to cast people into hell. Not so. God is so patient, so long-suffering. He'll do anything to keep a person out of hell. He has done everything to keep a person out. He even sent His only begotten Son to bear all of our sins to make it so easy to get into heaven. And to get into hell, you have to go against the grace of God, the love of God. You have to despise His Son Jesus Christ, turn your back upon the provisions of God and really, you have to in a sense, cross over the body of Jesus Christ to get into hell. Because He stands in your way to block you. And you've got to shove Him aside. It's not easy to get to hell. You've got to fight God every step, conviction of God's Holy Spirit. But if you're stubborn enough and hang in there, you can make it.

But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, [and listen carefully] and does according to all of the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All of his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in the trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord isn't equal. [That isn't fair. God said,] Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he is considered and turned away from all of his transgressions that he hath committed, and he shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ( Ezekiel 18:24-32 ).

So God's cry unto Israel. "Look, turn from your transgressions. Turn to Me and live. I don't have any pleasure in the death of the wicked. Turn and live." God's pleading with them. You say, "But what does that mean if the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity and dies in his iniquity his righteousness will not be remembered?" Well, that's for you to figure out. I think it means what it says. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The Lord told Ezekiel to ask the people what they meant when they used a proverb that implied that the present generation of Israelites was suffering because of the sins of their forefathers (cf. Jeremiah 31:29). They were claiming to be the innocent victims of the actions of others, blaming others for their condition. In this they sounded just like many in our own day who refuse to take personal responsibility for their actions.

"The problem that the proverb poses for Ezekiel is not with punishment that children are bearing for the sins of the fathers, or even the issue of theodicy [i.e., the justice of God]. On the contrary, it reflects a materialistic fatalism, a resignation to immutable cosmic rules of cause and effect, an embittered paralysis of the soul, that has left the exiles without hope and without God. To the extent that the charge concerns God at all, it accuses him of disinterest or impotence in the face of the exiles’ current crisis. All these years they have put their trust in their divine patron, only to discover that they are victims of an immutable law of the universe: the fate of one generation is inexorably determined by the actions of the previous. Their theology and their God have betrayed them.

"Ezekiel will have none of this. In fact, the proverb becomes the point of departure for an extended lecture on a universe with unlimited room for movement, and for divine grace open to all who will listen." [Note: Block, The Book . . .,. p. 561.]

Earlier the Lord had told this same audience that other people would quote the proverb, "Like mother, like daughter" (Ezekiel 16:44). This proverb expressed the fact that the Israelites were behaving as the Canaanites did. Ezekiel himself had said that the sufferings of the Exile were traceable to the persistent rebellion, idolatry, and unfaithfulness of former generations of Israelites (ch. 16). Now Ezekiel’s hearers concluded that God was being unfair in punishing them for their ancestors’ sins. They may have cited what they thought was biblical support for this conclusion because even earlier the Lord had said that He would visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hated Him (Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 5:9).

It is true that the sins of parents result in consequences for their children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren that we might call the "fallout" of the parents’ sins. But it is not correct to say that God "punishes" children because their parents have sinned. This is the conclusion that the Israelites in exile had drawn and that this chapter refutes (cf. Jeremiah 31:27-30; Lamentations 5:7). True, some of what Ezekiel’s hearers were experiencing were the consequences of the sins of former generations. But God was judging them personally because they were personally responsible for their actions that were sinful (cf. Ezekiel 3:16-21; Ezekiel 14:12-20; Ezekiel 33:1-20). God had revealed this principle of individual responsibility long ago (cf. Genesis 2:17; Genesis 4:7; Deuteronomy 24:16; 2 Kings 14:6). [Note: See further, Robert B. Chisholm Jr., "How a Hermeneutical Virus Can Corrupt Theological Systems," Bibliotheca Sacra 166:663 (July-September 2009):263-64.]

An illustration of this important distinction may help. Suppose a child grew up in a home in which the parents had no respect for God and, therefore, set a very bad example for their child. The child would naturally follow their lead and learn some sinful attitudes and actions. His parents’ influence would adversely taint the child’s life. However, God would not take out His wrath on that child because of his parents’ sins. He would rather deal with that child on the basis of his or her own attitudes and actions.

Parental influence extends beyond their actions to their characters and even perhaps to their genes. Children of an addicted parent, for example, often have a predisposition to the same or a similar addiction. Parents who have indulged their temptations to sexual promiscuity not infrequently see their own children grow up unusually vulnerable to this temptation. Parents with certain character flaws often note the same weaknesses in their children. Yet the child’s will to follow God, enabled by His grace and Spirit, can overcome "hereditary sin."

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The principle 18:1-4

Gann's Commentary on the Bible

Ezekiel 18:1

GOD’S FAIR JUDGMENT

TEXT: EZEKIEL 18

1.    What is the greatest truth I could preach to you? What sermon could make an eternal difference?

    1.    John 3:16 But that has already happened? Jesus has come to save us!

    2.    Judgment is Coming: Romans 2:6; Romans 14:12

    3.    Hebrews 9:27

    4.    Acts 17:30-31 - A Righteous Judge

        God is not partial! Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25

2.    Ezekiel served as a prophet to God’s people during the Babylonian Captivity. He was among those already in exile. In Ezekiel 18:31 b we find this question: "For why will you die, O house of Israel?"

    a.     Ezekiel’s message to the people of Israel was that they were going to die-that is, the nation of Judah was about to be destroyed. However, as Ezekiel saw it, their death, or destruction, was unnecessary. They did not have to die.

3.    In much the same way, mankind in general finds itself condemned today. Even more significant, you may find yourself on the road that leads to destruction. Ezekiel’s question is relevant to you too: "Why will you die ... ?" There is no need for you to perish.

4.    We want to think about that question and ask, "Why, in fact, was Judah about to be destroyed?" In the process, we will consider some reasons why people today will be condemned, or why they will not be. We also want you to apply the question to yourself: Why will you die?

I.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS,

NOT SOMEONE ELSE’S (Ezekiel 18:1-20)

A.    Ezekiel preached to people who wanted to blame their condemnation on others. Shortly before the destruction of Judah, about 600-586 B.C., the prophets, especially Jeremiah and Ezekiel, were predicting the fall of Jerusalem.

    1.    The first reaction of the people may have been disbelief.

    2.    The second reaction was to try to find someone else on whom to blame their fall.

B.    It was this second reaction that Ezekiel dealt with in chapter 18. Notice the proverb that these Jews were repeating: "The fathers eat the sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge" (v. 2). Maybe the "sour grapes" in the parable would be like green persimmons. Green persimmons were legendary for causing one’s lips to purse together; their taste was so sharp that they would cause one to shake his head and snort.

    1.    The idea of the parable was that the fathers had eaten the sour grapes, but their teeth were not set on edge. Their children’s teeth were. It would be like my eating a green persimmon, but instead of suffering from it myself, my child does.

    2.    The parable was a way of asserting that the present generation of Jews was suffering for something their fathers had done. The Jews of Ezekiel’s day were saying, "We are about to be destroyed for the wickedness of our fathers, a previous generation."

C.    Ezekiel answered this objection by stating (in verse 4 Ezekiel 18:4) a general principle and then restating it (in verse 20 Ezekiel 18:20): The soul that sins shall die. This general truth means that sin is not passed on from one generation to the next.

He illustrated that fact by describing three individuals (vv. 5-20).

1.    First, he told about a righteous father (vv. 5-9) who had done much good. What would be the result of his righteous life? The prophet said, "If he walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully-he is righteous and will surely live" (v. 9 Ezekiel 18:9).

    2.    Second, he pictured this righteous father as having an unrighteous son (vv. Ezekiel 18:10-13). The son is exactly the opposite of his father-he does the evil things his father refused to do and fails to do the good things his father did. What will be his end? The prophet said, "Will he live? He will not live! He has committed all these abominations, he will surely be put to death; his blood will be on his own head" (v. Ezekiel 18:13).

3.    Third, Ezekiel spoke of a righteous grandson (vv. Ezekiel 18:14-17). He takes after his grandfather rather than his father. He does good and avoids doing evil. What will happen to him? The prophet said, "He will not die for his father’s iniquity, he will surely live" (v. 17b).1

’Notice that it is possible for a righteous man to have an unrighteous son (and for the father still to be counted as righteous) and for an unrighteous man to have a righteous son. This understanding should figure into our interpretation of Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." It should help us see that this verse states a general truth, not an absolute truth, and should keep us from accepting a deterministic theory of child-rearing that fails to take into account the free will of the child.

D.    Thus each person is rewarded or punished according to his own goodness or evil doing, not according to what his father has done. Ezekiel insisted that this is the only fair way for people to be treated (vv. Ezekiel 18:19-20).

    1.    The implication for Ezekiel’s audience was that they were to be destroyed– not for their fathers’ sins, but for their own sins.

E.    The passage teaches that if you are spiritually dead now, or if you die eternally, your death will not be a result of Adam’s sin (as some teach). Neither will it be punishment for your parents’ sin; rather, it will be the consequence of your own sin.

    1.    That may be bad news: It means that you cannot go to heaven for your mother’s or your wife’s righteousness. You will be judged on the good you have done or failed to do; the good someone else has done will not get you to heaven.

    2.    Furthermore, it means that you cannot blame someone else-the preacher, the elders, the hypocrites-if you are lost. They will be judged for any wrong they have done, but you will not be found innocent just because they are judged guilty.

    3.    Regardless of where they spend eternity, you will be judged according to your own works (see Romans 14:12).

F.    On the other hand, Ezekiel 18:20 contains some good news. Maybe your parents were not Christians ... maybe others around you revile God ... maybe society is wicked ... but even if these things are true, these facts will not determine your eternal destiny!

    1.    You will give an account only for yourself. Everyone else may be destroyed, but you do not have to be. You will be judged by what you have done, not by the evil that others do!

    2.    If you are lost– if you die– it will not be because of the sin of others.

II.

YOU WILL BE JUDGED IN YOUR PRESENT CONDITION,

NOT ON WHAT YOU WERE IN THE PAST (Ezekiel 18:21-24)

A.    The illustration in Ezekiel goes on: Not only is it impossible for sin or righteousness to be transmitted from one generation to the next, but we also see that sin or righteousness cannot be automatically transmitted from one period of one’s life to the next (vv. 21-24).

Neither sinning nor living righteously necessarily characterizes the same person all of his life. Ezekiel gave two examples.

    1.    First, if a wicked man repents, he will be saved.

    2.    Second, if a righteous man "repents" (or changes), he will be lost.

B.    This statement told the first readers two things:

    (1) If they were lost, it was not simply because they had sinned. They had also refused to repent! Sin condemns, but that is not the whole story. Sin condemns only if sinners refuse to repent!

(2) Even if they had once been righteous, that was not enough to guarantee their safety now! If people turn from righteousness to wickedness, they will be lost! The Jews who were objecting to the death sentence God had passed on them were asserting that they had been righteous.

C.    Ezekiel replied that what they had been was irrelevant; the issue was what they were at that time! Even if they had once been righteous, they had become wicked and deserved to die!

    1.    In a similar way, we will not be judged by what we once were, but by what we are at the time of judgment. I have talked with people who were once faithful members of the church but have become unfaithful. Now they only want to talk about how faithful they once were. I always want to tell them that past faithfulness will not get someone to heaven if he or she has since become unfaithful.

    2.    However, the other side of the coin contains good news for you: If God will not pardon your recent sins on the basis of your past righteousness, neither will He condemn you for your past sins if you have recently become (by His grace) righteous.

    3.    In other words, no matter how great a sinner you used to be, God can forgive you and wipe away every sin, if you will repent and turn to Him.

D.    Why will you die? If you die, your death will not be the result of what you used to be; it will be the consequence of what you are now!

III.

YOU WILL BE JUDGED BY A FAIR AND JUST GOD (Ezekiel 18:25-29)

A.    The Jews of Ezekiel’s day wanted to excuse themselves by laying the blame for their destruction on God. They claimed that God was not just or fair (vv. 25-29).

    1.    Their accusation seemed to stem from their belief that they were being treated unfairly. After all, if they were being condemned for their parents’ sins, or if God was overlooking how righteous they had been earlier in their history, that was, in their opinion, surely unfair.

    2.    Perhaps they were also claiming for their generation a measure of righteousness. "Since we are righteous," they may have been saying, "it is unjust for God to condemn us."

B.    Ezekiel answered by saying that God is just and treats every man as he deserves. If a righteous man turns to sin, he will be condemned (v. Ezekiel 18:26). If a wicked man repents and does what is right, he will live (vv. Ezekiel 27:1-28).

    1.    Then Ezekiel turned the charge around. The people had said that God was not being fair. God now said that they were not being fair. How? Perhaps Ezekiel meant that they were charging God unjustly:

    2.    If God was just, then they were unjust in calling Him unjust. Perhaps they were also treating other people unfairly.

C.    Do you think that God is unjust in the way He has treated you? Maybe you should ask yourself if you have been unjust. The main point, how ever, is that if we die, we cannot accuse God of being unjust or unfair. He treats each person fairly, saving those whom He has declared righteous and condemning unrepentant sinners.

D.    Again, this fact contains both good and bad news. The good news is that on the Day of Judgment, there will be no mistakes. God will know exactly what you have done and judge you perfectly, according to your individual record (see 2 Corinthians 5:10).

    1.    Your repentance and acceptance of Christ will not go unnoticed. The bad news is that on the Day of Judgment, there will be no mistakes. God will know exactly what you have done and judge you perfectly, according to your individual record.

    2.    Your sin, your refusal to accept Christ, will not go unnoticed! If you die, therefore, it will not be because God is unfair or unjust.

IV.

YOU ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO A GOD

WHO WANTS TO SAVE YOU (Ezekiel 18:30-32)

A.    It may be that the Jews were saying that God was going to condemn them so He could watch them suffer-that God would take pleasure in destroying them (vv. 30-32).

1.    Ezekiel’s reply to this idea was that God does not want you to die! (See v. Ezekiel 18:23.) No more plain, forceful, and beautiful statement of God’s will for man could be found than this: "I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies" (v. Ezekiel 18:32).

    2.    God wanted His people to live. He did not want Judah to be destroyed; He wanted His people to live, not to die! If they died, it would not be because that was what God wanted to happen; it would be instead because they refused to listen to the prophet and turn from their sins that they might be saved, that they might live!

B.    Even so today: If you die– if you are lost now and are lost eternally– it will not be because that is what God wants. God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9); rather, He wants everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Jesus died for all (Hebrews 2:9); the grace of God that brings salvation is available to all (Titus 2:11).

C.    If you ultimately are lost, then, why will it happen? The answer is sin. Sin condemns (Romans 6:23). Even that answer is incomplete. We are lost because of our sins, certainly; but if that were the complete answer, everyone would be lost eternally, for all have sinned (Romans 3:23).

D.    Why, then, will you be lost? The answer is unrepented-of sins! That was Judah’s problem: It was not merely that Judah had sinned, but that Judah had, in spite of the warnings of the prophets, refused to repent.

    1.    Ezekiel came with a final appeal: "Repent and live"! (Ezekiel 18:32 b). In the end, Judah was destroyed as a result of the people’s failure to heed Ezekiel’s appeal.

    2.    Likewise, if you perish, the reason will not be that God wanted it to happen. Rather, destruction will come because you have failed to heed the warnings found repeatedly in His Word because you have, in effect, also failed to heed Ezekiel’s appeal: "Repent and live"!

CONCLUSION

1.    Consider Ezekiel’s question: Why will you die? Why indeed? God will not hold you accountable for your parents’ sins.

    a.    God will not even hold you accountable for your own past sins, if you will repent of them.

    b.     Furthermore, God is fair and just. He will not condemn you if you do not deserve it.

2.    Finally, God does not want you to be lost! He wants you to be saved. He has done much for you in order to make it possible for you to be saved.

    a.    He gave His only Son, that through Him you might be saved (John 3:16) if you will only accept the terms of pardon found in His plan– if you will believe in Christ (John 8:24), repent of your sins (Luke 13:3), confess your faith in Jesus as God’s Son (Romans 10:10), and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16).

    b.    God even now waits to save you.

3.    God wanted His people to be saved, so He cried out to them with a broken heart, "Why will you die?" They were His people; He did not want them to be destroyed. Likewise, God loves you and wants you to be saved, so today He cries out with the same broken heart, "Why will you die?"

    a.    He is as reluctant to give up on you as He was to give up on Judah.

    b.    Will you continue to break God’s heart with your refusal to repent and come to Him?

4.    Why, then, will you die? There is no reason for you to continue your life of sinfulness and be lost! Give up your excuses, quit blaming your lost condition on others, and turn to God today.

"’Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!

For why will you die ... ? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,’ declares the Lord GOD. ’Therefore, repent and live"’ (vv. Ezekiel 18:31-32).

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And the word of the Lord came unto me again, saying. The word of prophecy from the Lord, as the Targum; and its being mentioned is coming from the Lord is to give it weight and authority. This is a distinct sermon or prophecy from the former, and was sent and delivered out at another time.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,   2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?   3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.   4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.   5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,   6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,   7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;   8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,   9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.

      Evil manners, we say, beget good laws; and in like manner sometimes unjust reflections occasion just vindications; evil proverbs beget good prophecies. Here is,

      I. An evil proverb commonly used by the Jews in their captivity. We had one before (Ezekiel 12:22; Ezekiel 12:22) and a reply to it; here we have another. That sets God's justice at defiance: "The days are prolonged and every vision fails; the threatenings are a jest." This charges him with injustice, as if the judgments executed were a wrong: "You use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, now that it is laid waste by the judgments of God, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge; we are punished for the sins of our ancestors, which is as great an absurdity in the divine regimen as if the children should have their teeth set on edge, or stupefied, by the fathers' eating sour grapes, whereas, in the order of natural causes, if men eat or drink any thing amiss, they only themselves shall suffer by it." Now, 1. It must be owned that there was some occasion given for this proverb. God had often said that he would visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, especially the sin of idolatry, intending thereby to express the evil of sin, of that sin, his detestation of it, and just indignation against it, and the heavy punishments he would bring upon idolaters, that parents might be restrained from sin by their affection to their children and that children might not be drawn to sin by their reverence for their parents. He had likewise often declared by his prophets that in bringing the present ruin upon Judah and Jerusalem he had an eye to the sins of Manasseh and other preceding kings; for, looking upon the nation as a body politic, and punishing them with national judgments for national sins, and admitting the maxim in our law that a corporation never dies, reckoning with them now for the iniquities of former ages was but like making a man, when he is old, to possess the iniquities of his youth,Job 13:26. And there is no unrighteousness with God in doing so. But, 2. They intended it as a reflection upon God, and an impeachment of his equity in his proceedings against them. Thus far that is right which is implied in this proverbial saying, That those who are guilty of wilful sin eat sour grapes; they do that which they will feel from, sooner or later. The grapes may look well enough in the temptation, but they will be bitter as bitterness itself in the reflection. They will set the sinner's teeth on edge. When conscience is awake, and sets the sin in order before them, it will spoil the relish of their comforts as when the teeth are set on edge. But they suggest it as unreasonable that the children should smart for the fathers' folly and feel the pain of that which they never tasted the pleasure of, and that God was unrighteous in thus taking vengeance and could not justify it. See how wicked the reflection is, how daring the impudence; yet see how witty it is, and how sly the comparison. Many that are impious in their jeers are ingenious in their jests; and thus the malice of hell against God and religion is insinuated and propagated. It is here put into a proverb, and that proverb used, commonly used; they had it up ever and anon. And, though it had plainly a blasphemous meaning, yet they sheltered themselves under the similitude from the imputation of downright blasphemy. Now by this it appears that they were unhumbled under the rod, for, instead of condemning themselves and justifying God, they condemned him and justified themselves; but woe to him that thus strives with his Maker.

      II. A just reproof of, and reply to, this proverb: What mean you by using it? That is the reproof. "Do you intend hereby to try it out with God? Or can you think any other than that you will hereby provoke him to be angry with you will he has consumed you? Is this the way to reconcile yourselves to him and make your peace with him?" The reply follows, in which God tells them,

      1. That the use of the proverb should be taken away. This is said, it is sworn (Ezekiel 18:3; Ezekiel 18:3): You shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb; or (as it may be read), You shall not have the use of this parable. The taking away of this parable is made the matter of a promise, Jeremiah 31:29. Here it is made the matter of a threatening. There it intimates that God will return to them in ways of mercy; here it intimates that God would proceed against them in ways of judgment. He will so punish them for this impudent saying that they shall not dare to use it any more; as in another case, Jeremiah 23:34; Jeremiah 23:36. God will find out effectual ways to silence those cavillers. Or God will so manifest both to themselves and others that they have wickedness of their own enough to bring all these desolating judgments upon them that they shall no longer for shame lay it upon the sins of their fathers that they were thus dealt with: "Your own consciences shall tell you, and all your neighbours shall confirm it, that you yourselves have eaten the same sour grapes that your fathers ate before you, or else your teeth would not have been set on edge."

      2. That really the saying itself was unjust and a causeless reflection upon God's government. For,

      (1.) God does not punish the children for the fathers' sins unless they tread in their fathers' steps and fill up the measure of their iniquity (Matthew 23:32), and then they have no reason to complain, for, whatever they suffer, it is less than their own sin has deserved. And, when God speaks of visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, that is so far from putting any hardship upon the children, to whom he only renders according to their works, that it accounts for God's patience with the parents, whom he therefore does not punish immediately, because he lays up their iniquity for their children,Job 21:19.

      (2.) It is only in temporal calamities that children (and sometimes innocent ones) fare the worse for their parents' wickedness, and God can alter the property of those calamities, and make them work for good to those that are visited with them; but as to spiritual and eternal misery (and that is the death here spoken of) the children shall by no means smart for the parents' sins. This is here shown at large; and it is a wonderful piece of condescension that the great God is pleased to reason the case with such wicked and unreasonable men, that he did not immediately strike them dumb or dead, but vouchsafed to state the matter before them, that he may be clear when he is judged. Now, in his reply,

      [1.] He asserts and maintains his own absolute and incontestable sovereignty: Behold, all souls are mine,Ezekiel 18:4; Ezekiel 18:4. God here claims a property in all the souls of the children of men, one as well as another. First, Souls are his. He that is the Maker of all things is in a particular manner the Father of spirits, for his image is stamped on the souls of men; it was so in their creation; it is so in their renovation. He forms the spirit of man within him, and is therefore called the God of the spirits of all flesh, of embodied spirits. Secondly, All souls are his, all created by him and for him, and accountable to him. As the soul of the father, so the soul of the son, is mine. Our earthly parents are only the fathers of our flesh; our souls are not theirs; God challenges them. Now hence it follows, for the clearing of this matter, 1. That God may certainly do what he pleases both with fathers and children, and none may say unto him, What doest thou? He that gave us our being does us no wrong if he takes it away again, much less when he only takes away some of the supports and comforts of it; it is as absurd to quarrel with him as for the thing formed to say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 2. That God as certainly bears a good-will both to father and son, and will put no hardship upon either. We are sure that God hates nothing that he has made, and therefore (speaking of the adult, who are capable of acting for themselves) he has such a kindness for all souls that none die but through their own default. All souls are his, and therefore he is not partial in his judgment of them. Let us subscribe to his interest in us and dominion over us. He says, All souls are mine; let us answer, "Lord, my soul is thine; I devote it to thee to be employed for thee and made happy in thee." It is with good reason that God says, "My son, give me thy heart, for it is my own," to which we must yield, "Father, take my heart, it is thy own."

      [2.] Though God might justify himself by insisting upon his sovereignty, yet he waives that, and lays down the equitable and unexceptionable rule of judgment by which he will proceed as to particular persons; and it is this:--First, The sinner that persists in sin shall certainly die, his iniquity shall be his ruin: The soul that sins shall die, shall die as a soul can die, shall be excluded from the favour of God, which is the life and bliss of the soul, and shall lie for ever under his wrath, which is its death and misery. Sin is the act of the soul, the body being only the instrument of unrighteousness; it is called the sin of the soul,Micah 6:7. And therefore the punishment of sin is the tribulation and the anguish of the soul,Romans 2:9. Secondly, The righteous man that perseveres in his righteousness shall certainly live. If a man be just, have a good principle, a good spirit and disposition, and, as an evidence of that, do judgment and justice (Ezekiel 18:5; Ezekiel 18:5), he shall surely live, saith the Lord God,Ezekiel 18:9; Ezekiel 18:9. He that makes conscience of conforming in every thing to the will of God, that makes it his business to serve God and his aim to glorify God, shall without fail be happy here and for ever in the love and favour of God; and, wherein he comes short of his duty, it shall be forgiven him, through a Mediator. Now here is part of the character of this just man. 1. He is careful to keep himself clean from the pollutions of sin, and at a distance from all the appearances of evil. (1.) From sins against the second commandment. In the matters of God's worship he is jealous, for he knows God is so. He has not only not sacrificed in the high places to the images there set up, but he has not so much as eaten upon the mountains, that is, not had any communion with idolaters by eating things sacrificed to idols,1 Corinthians 10:20. He would not only not kneel with them at their altars, but not sit with them at their tables in their high places. He detests not only the idols of the heathen but the idols of the house of Israel, which were not only allowed of, but generally applauded and adored, by those that were accounted the professing people of God. He has not only not worshipped those idols, but he has not so much as lifted up his eyes to them; he has not given them a favourable look, has had no regard at all to them, neither desired their favour nor dreaded their frowns. He has observed so many bewitched by them that he has not dared so much as to look at them, lest he should be taken in the snare. The eyes of idolaters are said to go a whoring,Ezekiel 6:9. See Deuteronomy 4:19. (2.) From sins against the seventh commandment. He is careful to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour, and not in the lusts of uncleanness; and therefore he has not dared to defile his neighbour's wife, nor said or done any thing which had the least tendency to corrupt or debauch her, no, nor will he make any undue approaches to his own wife when she is put apart for her uncleanness, for it was forbidden by the law, Leviticus 18:19; Leviticus 20:18. Note, It is an essential branch of wisdom and justice to keep the appetites of the body always in subjection to reason and virtue. (3.) From sins against the eighth commandment. He is a just man, who has not, by fraud and under colour of law and right, oppressed any, and who has not with force and arms spoiled any by violence, not spoiled them of their goods or estates, much less of their liberties and lives, Ezekiel 18:7; Ezekiel 18:7. Oppression and violence were the sins of the old world, that brought the deluge, and are sins of which still God is and will be the avenger. Nay, he is one that has not lent his money upon usury, nor taken increase (Ezekiel 18:8; Ezekiel 18:8), though, being done by contract, it may seem free from injustice (Volenti non fit injuria--What is done to a person with his own consent is no injury to him), yet, as far as it is forbidden by the law, he dares not do it. A moderate usury they were allowed to receive from strangers, but not from their brethren. A just man will not take advantage of his neighbour's necessity to make a prey of him, nor indulge himself in ease and idleness to live upon the sweat and toil of others, and therefore will not take increase from those who cannot make increase of what he lends them, nor be rigorous in exacting what was agreed for from those who by the act of God are disabled to pay it; but he is willing to share in loss as well as profit. Qui sentit commodum, sentire debet et onus--He who enjoys the benefit should bear the burden. 2. He makes conscience of doing the duties of his place. He has restored the pledge to the poor debtor, according to the law. Exodus 22:26. "If thou take thy neighbour's raiment for a pledge, the raiment that is for necessary use, thou shalt deliver it to him again, that he may sleep in his own bedclothes." Nay, he has not only restored to the poor that which was their own, but has given his bread to the hungry. Observe, It is called his bread, because it is honestly come by; that which is given to some is not unjustly taken from others; for God has said, I hate robbery for burnt-offerings. Worldly men insist upon it that their bread is their own, as Nabal, who therefore would not give of it to David (1 Samuel 25:11); yet let them know that it is not so their own but that they are bound to do good to others with it. Clothes are necessary as well as food, and therefore this just man is so charitable as to cover the naked also with a garment,Ezekiel 18:7; Ezekiel 18:7. The coats which Dorcas had made for the poor were produced as witnesses of her charity, Acts 9:39. This just man has withdrawn his hands from iniquity,Ezekiel 18:8; Ezekiel 18:8. If at any time he has been drawn in through inadvertency to that which afterwards has appeared to him to be a wrong thing, he does not persist in it because he has begun it, but withdraws his hand from that which he now perceives to be iniquity; for he executes true judgment between man and man, according as his opportunity is of doing it (as a judge, as a witness, as a juryman, as a referee), and in all commerce is concerned that justice be done, that no man be wronged, that he who is wronged be righted, and that every man have his own, and is ready to interpose himself, and do any good office, in order hereunto. This is his character towards his neighbours; yet it will not suffice that he be just and true to his brother, to complete his character he must be so to his God likewise (Ezekiel 18:9; Ezekiel 18:9): He has walked in my statutes, those which relate to the duties of his immediate worship; he has kept those and all his other judgments, has had respect to them all, has made it his constant care and endeavour to conform and come up to them all, to deal truly, that so he may approve himself faithful to his covenant with God, and, having joined himself to God, he does not treacherously depart from him, nor dissemble with him. This is a just man, and living he shall live; he shall certainly live, shall have life and shall have it more abundantly, shall live truly, live comfortably, live eternally. Keep the commandments, and thou shalt enter into life,Matthew 19:17.