Exegesis of Ezekiel chapter 18

Exegesis of Chapter 18 of the Book Of Ezekiel

Chapter 18 of the Book of Ezekiel contains the fullest explanation of the theme of individual responsibility, the best known element in Ezekiel's teaching. As if to debate with his people, the prophet takes up a number of their sayings as he argues that God has acted toward them precisely as they have deserved. He concludes that the repentance of any individual will ensure that that person will nonetheless "live." The idea of men's individual responsibility before God should not be thought as Ezekiel's own invention, or even as having arisen in Ezekiel's period. The very early laws in the Book of the Covenant (NASB, Exodus. 20:22-23-23:33) take for granted the principle of individual responsibility for wrong behavior. But a saying that must have been current in the time of Jeremiah and Ezekiel is quoted by both prophets:" the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge (NASB, Jer.321:29; Ezek. 18:2) it suggest that people had taken to heart the threat familiar to Israelites from the Ten Commandments, that God would punish the children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generations

(NASB, Exodus.20:5; Deut. 5:9). This may partly have been a means of shifting the blame for the tragedy of exile on previous generations. There was also a feeling that the whole community was caught up in a web of guilt which was deadly and inescapable

( vs. 33:10). In the face of resigned acceptance of inevitable punishment both Jeremiah and Ezekiel struck new notes of hopes. Ezekiel stressed that it was still possible for each individual to fulfill the conditions of his own righteousness. This, Ezekiel did in terms already familiar to the people. For all who went to worship at the temple, or at other sanctuaries, had heard at some stage the conditions such as found in Psalms 15; 24:3-6 and elsewhere. If the worshippers had observed the conditions then he priest would declare them righteous. From that point on, they where included in the community whose "life" was from God. "Life" in this sense was not merely continued physical existence, nor some kind of future existence. Life for the Israelite meant good health and material prosperity, which were only to be found in obedience to and fellowship with God. For the exiles, far from the temple and familiar patterns of worship the possibility of such life in a renewed relationship with God must have seemed beyond imagining.

The example of behavior within a single family continues. The wicked son of a righteous man is condemned (verses 10-13), while his son in turn by obeying the law, finds life (verses 14-17). The last point is strongly reinforced in verses 18-20.only eight on the laws mentions in verses 6-9 are to have been broken. They occur in a different order and the prohibition against idolatry now includes participation in abominable rites (verse 12). Characterized as "violent" and a "Shedder of blood" the son is excluded form the community of the faithful. The formula he shall die (verse 13) corresponds precisely to the phrase "he shall live" in verse 9.All in all, there is no advantage gained from the father's righteousness. The son is therefore responsible for himself. "His Blood will be on his own head." The point about freedom of the will is further emphasized in the middle section (vs. 21-24), which defines the situation of the individual as a moral agent, whatever his genealogical antecedents, and affirms the possibility of change. The English word "repent" is perhaps a less than adequate rendering of the original since it connotes overmuch a psychological process and looks at the past. The corresponding Hebrew word shub meaning return or turn, on the contrary, draws attention to the importance of action and orientation to a possible different future. The term conversion would be etymologically closer (Blenkinsopp 84)

By the charge of acting without principle (verses 25 and 29), the Israelites accused God of punishing the innocent along with the guilty. Implicit in his rejection of the charge is Ezekiel's belief that all deserved the punishment that had come upon the nation. The opportunity for each generation to live or die according to its own behavior is now extended to each individual within his life time. The possibility of the righteous dying because they turn to sin may seem harsh; but the opportunity for the wicked to leave past guilt behind is all the more significant for Ezekiel's sweeping condemnation of Israel elsewhere. The oracle of verses 30-32 is the climax of the chapter, commanding response to the possibility of attaining life that had just been declared.

In contract to the earlier promise of the people's spontaneous renewal by God, they are now told: get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit." A contract between exhortations to repentance and the belief in the necessity of divine action to make repentance possible can be seen in words of other prophets as well (NASB, Hosea. 14: 1-3; Jer. 3:19) the command here emphasizes the need for men to accept the new God-given possibility of renewal.

What lead Israel astray is its misunderstanding of God's judgment. They have misunderstood the basic fundamentals. As so much the prophet's moral teaching seeks to restore the balance in the minds of those who have taken a simple truth and warped it beyond recognition. To recognize responsibility may necessitate the recognition of fault, and that in turn may require courage followed by repentance. Yet we can never fully be free unless we are willing to shoulder the responsibility for our actions. And in growing into acceptance of responsibility, we may know that the One to whom we are responsible acts fully in accord with justice. Yet still, responsibility for all our action may become too heavy a burden to bear; it remains possible throughout life only with the knowledge of the divine forgiveness which lies at the heart of the gospel (Craigie 134).