It took a year to read the Bible, then almost 9 months to read the Apocrypha. Now, I'm going to try to offer reflections on the Narrative Lectionary. But, I won't be posting daily--at least, for a while.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

No Excuses, Reflection on Ezekiel 18:1-4

Some things feel good while you're doing them but the aftereffects do not. The old saying was that one generation enjoyed themselves, and the later generations had to clean up their mess. Ezekiel is talking to exiles who have certainly been reflecting on how their forerunners had lived in ways that God had not intended for them. These exiles are paying the price.

William Goldingay, Old Testament Theology, Volume Two, sums it up in this way: "It is then easy for people to ricochet from irresponsibility when they are doing all right to despair when calamity falls on them."

You can probably come up with some contemporary illustrations of this habit of ours.

Ezekiel tells them that the Lord God is canceling out this warning that they have been using as an excuse. "Don't blame your parents for their sins. Stop your own sinning."

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