Ezekiel 18:21-28
This is a very hard and frightening proclamation by Ezekiel from the Lord. The Lord says that if bad people abandon their evil ways and begin to do good, they shall not die but shall live and all their past will be forgotten. On the other hand, he continues that if good people abandon their good ways and begin to do evil, they shall die and all their past will be forgotten. Is God unfair by this pronouncement?
To understand this is to ask the question, “what kills or destroys? God or our sins and evil ways? If we abandon a path that leads to death, then we shall live. If on the other hand, we embark on a path that leads to death then we shall die. What we do in the past does not matter here. There is always a possibility of death for the one that walks along the path of evil no matter their past. On the other hand, there is also always a possibility of life for the one that walks along the path of righteousness no matter their past. The most important question to ask is, “on which path are you?”. When a drunkard and a promiscuous man or woman stops living waywardly and begins to live a good life, she or he will begin to experience better health. When a virtuous man or woman becomes a drunkard and promiscuous, she or he will begin to experience a disease ridden life or may even die. Whether she used to be virtuous will not count.
Whenever we expose ourselves to sin and are engaged in it, the result of death. Whenever we turn away from sin, the result is life. The choice is always ours to make.
May God give us the grace to turn away from sin and embrace the life of goodness and holiness. On which path are you?
