#DailyDevotion The only coat tails you can ride into heaven on is Jesus’
January 11th
Read Ezek 33:1–20
Eze 33:7-9 “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. (8) If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. (9) But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul… 33:11 Say to them, 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? …17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. (18) When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. (19) And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. (20) Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”
Forget the temple in Ezekiel. The authors of the daily lectionary have it right when they skip all those readings. This is the meat of Ezekiel. We see this theme picked up again in Chapter 33 which we left in chapter 18. Those whom the Lord sends to speak his word are to do so. They are to warn the wicked of their impending doom. If they do so, they save not only those they are sent to but themselves as well.
The Lord has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. And well, we’re all wicked, there is no one who does good, not even one. Ezekiel reminds us who are righteous not to depend on our righteousness if we return to sinful ways. Our good deeds of the past will not help us when God comes for us and ask of us about our current sinful state. Our current sins is what we have to face up to today.
Those who have no righteousness, they too are called not to look to their own righteousness but to the Lord. All of us are called to correct our past and current misdeeds. The Lord desires that our lives get turned around when he comes to us offering free forgiveness. But we rebel. One says it’s unfair for God to punish us because we are made like this. The other says God is unfair because he holds us to account for our current sin not letting our past righteousness stand in the way of punishment. But the Lord condemns both and calls both to repent and believe in the mercy found in Jesus Christ. You are forgiven your past and current sins because Jesus has won righteousness for you. His righteousness will stand before the righteous Judge on the day of judgment.
Lord God, Heavenly Father, grant us faith to repent of our sins, trust in your Son’s righteousness, correct our past misdeeds and do the good you want us to do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.