Our Old Testament reading this first week of October, from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer, brings us to the Book of Ezekiel. Here the prophet confronts a proverb or saying that was popularly spoken during the days of the Babylonian exile. Because this proverb was being spoken of as truth, yet was not, the Lord wanted His prophet to confront and correct the people. Let’s look at this proverb and why it was not true, though some claimed it was.
The proverb was “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” (vs. 2). The point of this proverb was that children suffer for their parent’s sins. This proverb was being used as a lame excuse for their own sinful condition. They were saying that God couldn’t hold them responsible for their sins and the condition of their lives right now, because their parents had sinned, not them, and thus brought these problems upon them.
However the Lord said that this was not the case. They were taking a proverb which had a measure of truth in it, and distorted it into a falsehood. It is true that sometimes children suffer inadvertently for what their parents did. If a parent drinks or gambles all of the household money away, the children suffer. If a mother drinks alcohol or uses drugs while pregnant, the child may suffer birth defects. God said, though, that He will not punish a good child for something sinful that their parents did, nor will He punish a good parent for something sinful that the child did. God plays no favorites. He holds each individual accountable for their own sins. Judgment is according to individual faith and conduct (vs. 4). The prophet Ezekiel gave them God’s Word. The people were suffering for their own sins, not the sins of their fathers. God judges each person for his own actions, not for the actions of others.
Our Scripture goes on to explain how this proverb was not accurate. If someone loves the Lord and follows His ways, obeying what God has said, he would be blessed by God (vs. 5-9). However, if he has a son who is wicked, the Lord will hold that son in judgment for his own sins (vs. 10-13). It doesn’t matter that his father was a believer and follower of the Lord. The godly father is not responsible for the sins of the son, nor will the wicked son reap the blessings of having a godly father. The righteousness of the father does not atone for the wickedness of the son. However, if the wicked man in turn has a godly, believing child, that one will not be punished for the sins of his father, nor the father reap the blessings of having a godly son (vs. 14-18). (This whole passage is not a promotion of salvation by works, but that if one has genuinely repented and asked Jesus as Savior, they will show that by their lifestyle.)
This proverb was a very popular belief in the later Old Testament days and by the Pharisees of the time of Jesus. They liked to hold the parents of wicked adult children guilty, along with the children of wicked parents. At the same time they felt in their own case, if they fell into sin and wickedness, yet if their parents were righteous, the righteousness of their parents would excuse their own sins. Ezekiel brought them God’s Word, that this teaching was wrong. We cannot claim the merits of someone else’s righteousness. Each person is responsible for his own personal sin. Each person will give account for themselves, irrespective of their father, whether righteous or unrighteous.
It does not matter whether your parents or grandparents were pastors, deacons, founding members of this or that church. You will not merit salvation because your mother or father were godly Christian people. It won’t matter how many times your grandmother read her Bible, or if your son became a priest and missionary. In the same way, it won’t count against you if your parents were the worst criminals of the last hundred years. An ungodly son is not saved as a result of a godly father, nor an ungodly father saved as a result of a godly son. Salvation is entirely an individual, personal matter.
When the people of Ezekiel’s day heard this they were not happy. They claimed that God’s ways were not right. They didn’t like it that He demands the same of all, irrespective of their status or position. They wanted to gain a free ride on the spiritual coattails of their godly ancestors, with no accounting for their own wickedness. They also wanted the right to cast out someone for the sins of their parents.
The prophet proclaimed to them that it was their own ways that were wrong (vs. 29). He called upon the people to repent of their sins. God takes no pleasure in condemning the wicked (vs. 32). He does not want anyone to perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). God desires that everyone should accept Jesus as their Savior and be saved (I Timothy 2:4). Unfortunately not everyone does, and then their eternal fate is sealed. Don’t let that be you! Come to the Lord Jesus today and receive eternal life!
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