SUMMARY
EzekielEzekiel was a priest and prophet who was raised in Jerusalem and exiled to Babylon in 597 BCE. responds to the people’s complaint that God is punishing them for their ancestors’ sins.
ANALYSIS
God promises that judgment will come to the individual for their sins alone, and those who repentRepentance is a central biblical teaching. All people are sinful and God desires that all people repent of their sins. The Hebrew word for repent means to "turn away" from sin. The Greek word for repentance means to "change on'e mind," more specifically, it means... will be forgiven. The passage begins with the complaint of the Israelites that they are being punished for their ancestor’s sins (18:1-3). The Lord responds, “all lives are mine” (18:4a), and that the righteousness of the righteousA righteous person is one who is ethical and faithful to God's covenant. Righteousness in the Old Testament is an attitude of God; in the New Testament it is a gift of God through grace. In the New Testament righteousness is a relationship with God... is theirs, just as the sins of the wicked are theirs and not another’s (18:20). This sets up a call for repentance and a promise of forgiveness to those individuals who repent (18:27-28).
