God’s Mercy

Ezekiel 33:11 “As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?”

Ezekiel is one of the books of the Bible that deals with “Eschatology” (the theological study of final events on earth and the end times), which God has communicated to us. Some people are extremely interested in how and when this world ends, while others avoid it like the plague as the thought is disturbing to them. No matter how much this earthly existence means to us though, it will come to an end and the earth will have its final day. All Holy Scripture is good for us, even “end times” and “afterlife” books, passages and verses. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” If eternity in Heaven is the next destination, then we should be balance in our biblical studies and knowledge, and not ignorant and evasive therein.

I recently read that Ezekiel is known for his vivid descriptions of sin and the unthinkable idea among many ancient Jews that God would abandon the Promised Land and the temple. The fact that God continued speaking to His people in Babylon through the prophet Ezekiel proves that He would not allow His chosen nation to pass away. Historically, the prophet went into exile with the group of leading Israelites who were taken to Babylon with King Jehoiachin of Judah in 597/598 B.C. (2 Kings 24:1b–17). One might think that this exile, which confirmed the Lord’s promise to punish the impenitent nation, would have convinced the people who were exiled alongside Ezekiel to believe the prophet and repent. However, disbelief and a strange kind of fatalism persisted among the exiles.

Ezekiel reiterates his calling as Israel’s watchman. Since a watchman sat at the city’s highest point and warned the people when he saw the enemy approaching, Ezekiel was to warn the people of the consequences of their sin. That way, the people could never claim ignorance of the Lord’s standards in order to excuse themselves. Those who did repent when warned would be forgiven and restored (Ezekiel 33:1–9). Unfortunately, the people responded in disbelief. For some reason, the community thought that since

the exile was God’s punishment, He did not desire their restoration. Essentially, they viewed the Lord as taking sadistic pleasure in punishing people for sin, as if punishing people gave Him so much joy that He would not look on a remorseful, repenting penitent people with kindness. Ezekiel corrected this blasphemy, reminding the exiles that God’s attributes are love and mercy, so takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He is no sadist who gets joy out of a sinner’s pain in itself. Our Father’s rod of discipline for His people is a means to greater ends—our good and His glory. Thus, He eagerly forgives people when they turn from their evil. I think that we lose sight of that fact also.

This announcement should have made the people rejoice. However, they questioned the Lord’s justice when He pledged to show mercy to repentant sinners. So, did that mean that they wanted justice instead of mercy? No, they also objected when the Lord said that He would condemn all those who turned from serving Him to do evil in His sight (verses 12–20). In their rebellion, the exiles showed that they would not be satisfied even if God were to give them exactly what they asked for.

The study stated that Ezekiel could not win with his original audience. They started out as fatalists who believed that the exile meant God had no desire to forgive them. Then, when Ezekiel told them that they were wrong and that the Lord did indeed want to pardon them, the people said it would not be just for God to do so. Clearly, their hearts were hard. How is our society and culture today? If we are not careful, our hearts can get hard as well. Let us remember that the Lord is eager to forgive the repentant and is just when He does so. Jesus said in John 3:14-18, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Bottom-line: Sin condemns; Jesus saves.

Thanks be to God.

In Christ, Brian