Go Get Your Blessing
In her latest NY Times bestseller book Caste, Isabel Wilkerson lays out many of the systemic structures that were implemented even before the founding of this country that still create inequalities and undergird oppression of people of color in America today. We would be foolish not to acknowledge the negative effects that these things are still having on our society. The truth is, this is a fallen world and oppression and sin are a part of it. But unlike this world, God doesn't hold what we've been through or where we've come from, or even who our parents were against us. That was the message that God had for the exiles in Babylon. Even though their foreparents had sinned for generations, God still called them His own and wanted to bless them. In Ezekiel 18:1-9, 30-32, God let His people know that the sins of those that came before them wouldn't determine His relationship with them. I pray that God blesses you this week by strengthening you to deepen your own personal relationship with Him.
The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “‘The parents eat sour2 grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die. (Ezekiel 18:1-4) Ezekiel makes it clear that as God's prophet, he is speaking what God has given him to tell the people. Through Ezekiel, God took the time to clear up a misconception that Israel had been operating under. Keep in mind, Ezekiel is speaking to people who were in exile and probably blaming their plight on the history of sinful actions by other people (ancestors, etc). The proverb supported their attitude that it wasn't their fault they were torn from the promised land and were suffering oppression in captivity. But God wanted them to stop using the sins of their foreparents as an excuse for their predicament. You are not suffering under the curse of your family history. You belong to God, and He wants a deeper relationship with you so He can bless you!
“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! (Ezekiel 18:30-32) God shares various scenarios through the prophet Ezekiel in vv 5-29, to illustrate His intent to hold each individual accountable for their own sins regardless of their parents righteousness or unrighteousness. He concludes here in vv 30-32 verses, admonishing everyone to repent for themselves. Your mother's relationship with God can't save you. Your father's salvation can't save you. You alone must come to God for yourself and get a new heart and a new spirit. Doing so, you will live. Failing to do so means death. No matter how saved and sanctified your mama and daddy might be, Your salvation is dependent on Your relationship with God!
If you have ever heard the words "you are just like your (fill in the blank)!", then you know how you can be condemned because of your relationship to someone else. We are blessed that God sees us as His own uniquely made creation. He doesn't condemn us because of others, but welcomes us to a fully formed and blessed relationship with Him. When you turn from sin and turn to God, you don't have to worry that anyone else is hindering you from receiving all the blessings that God has for you. So in the words of Mary Mary....go get your blessing!
Blessings,
Rev. Glenn
