all right where we at besides Ezekiel Okay, 18-1, is that a good starting point? Ashton? First one. concerning the land of Israel. The fathers that eat the sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge. Verse three, and surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel, for every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son, both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die. Verse five, if a man is righteous and does what is just and right, Six, and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman. Seven, if he hath not oppressed anyone, but hath restored his pledge, hath robbed no one by violence, but hath given his pledge, He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man. 9. If he walks in my statutes and my ordinances, so as to deal faithfully, he is righteous, and will surely live, because the Lord God Verse 10, and if he thought it was so in his mind, a shadow of blame, who does any of these things? 11, though he himself did none of these things, he even beats upon the mountains to buy us a new wife. 12, if he has oppressed the poor in need, robbed by vows, not restored the pledge, lifted up his eyes to the idol, or committed abomination. 13, and then money and excessive interest. Should such a simple person live? No. He must die and must take full blame. His blood shall be upon himself. Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done. He sees and does not do likewise. Verdi. that hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbor's wife. 16. Does not oppress anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives bread to the hungry, and covers the naked with a garment. 17. He keeps his hand from harming the poor, not taking interest or profit on a loan. He practices my ordinances and follows my statutes. Such a person will not die for his father's iniquity. He will certainly live. 18, as for his father, because he practiced abortion, brought his brother, and did what is not good among his people. But, you know, he shall die in person before him. 19, yes, say ye, why doth the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that, which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. Verse 20. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not burn, the iniquity of the father, neither shall be the father until the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Verse 21. But if the wicked return from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him. Because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should return from his ways and live? 24. But when the righteous turn away from his righteousness and commit iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned. In his trespass that he hath trespassed, in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. 25. Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not just. Here is the house of Israel. Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26. When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. For the injustice that he has done, he shall die. 27. But if a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life. 28. He will certainly live because he thought it over and turned from all the transgressions he has committed. He will not die. 29. But the house of Israel says the Lord's way isn't fair. Is it my ways that are unfair, House of Israel? Instead, isn't it your ways that are unfair? 30. Therefore, House of Israel, I will judge each one of you according to his ways. This is the declaration of the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions so that there will not be a stumbling block that causes your punishment. Throw off all transgressions you have committed and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in anyone's death. This is the declaration of the Lord. So repent and live. Wow, what a strong chapter, huh? Why don't we take a minute and I'll get the dry erase board going and let's see if we can just outline, because it repeats itself. The sins, I think it's three times is what it looked like. Let's see if we can outline all the things that he is addressing. So what was the first one? Let's look at the text and see what the first one was. What's the first accusation? The soul who sins shall die. Yes, the first sin, what's the first thing series of sins yeah this seems to be idolatry and how do we know it's idolatry what what is the language in the text yeah the idols are yep and is it in the high places mountains yep okay so he definitely deals with idolatry and then what's next okay neighbor's wife All right, number three? Oppressing the poor. Oppressing the poor, right. Did the ESB mention the menstrual cycle? Yes. Is that after this or before it? Before it. Between the neighbor's life and the oppressing the poor. Yeah. Which I thought that was pretty unique. M-E-N-S-T-R. Is that correct? All right. Number three was oppressing the poor. And then what is the language of the oppression? What are they doing? Spoiled done by violence. Spoiled done by violence. What else do we have? What other translations do we have? Commits no robbery. Commits no robbery. So is oppressing the poor different from that? Yeah, and the, yeah, the Holman used the word collateral, which I thought was really kind of interesting to see. But returns his collateral to the debtor. He doesn't oppress anyone, but returns his collateral to the debtor. What can we imagine is going on in that scenario? Or they put up collateral. He's saying that to not return the collateral is a sin. Isn't that what it says? He doesn't oppress anyone. He doesn't oppress anyone, but returns his collateral to the debtor. So I give you my pick something, very valuable whatever, watch, in exchange for a $100 loan. I pay back the $100 loan. And then you don't give me the collateral back. You continue to hold on to the, you're oppressing me. I gave you collateral. Then I paid it back. At which point, what should I get back? oppressing poor is dealing with a financial injustice all right what's number four what's next in our list what you say robbery robbery right right we're five yes what is usually what yeah this is obviously a high Interest. What do we call these guys? Right, this is loan sharks. Going all the way back to the days of Ezekiel. All right, what's next? He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry. and covers the naked with clothing. So, in opposite of robbery, yeah, meeting physical needs. Okay. And then we have, he does not lend at interest or for profit, but keeps his hand from wrongdoing and carries out what? The Holman standard says true justice. What other translations do we have? Judgment and justice. So he executes, so in contrast to high interest loans is, in contrast is what? He's just. He's just. Okay, what else? 9 says he follows my statutes and keep my ordinances acting faithfully such a person is righteous he will certainly live so let's now we got a decent list on the wall we'll go forward in just a minute let's go all the way back to the Proverbs what's going on with the Proverbs 2 anybody have a good study note on the Proverbs 2 The Ahoman says, the father eats sour grapes. The children's teeth are set on edge. So what's the proverb? What's going on right here? Sort of the idea that something doesn't pay its due effect on children. Right, yeah. That's the general idea. Anybody have a good study note? Provoking children to wrath? That's what the study note says? No, no. I was just questioning my mind. OK. Mine says, the point is that children suffer for their parents' sins. OK, good. Yep. However, this proverb was not true in the case of Israel, and the Lord tells them that they may not use this proverb anymore. Right. The Holman Christian Standard Bible says the Hebrew word for set on edge describes the effect on the teeth that results from eating grapes. The word appears elsewhere only in Ecclesiastes 10.10, where it is used in the blunted or worn iron. It may indicate the sensation of eating something bitter or sour. In the Ten Commandments, God said he would visit sin on the third and fourth generations and those who rebel against him, Exodus 25. This was intended to warn adults that their sins would have ominous influence on their children's lifestyle choices and thus on their relations to God. Following the model of their parents, they would choose sin and thus earn God's punishment. The people in Ezekiel say he misconstrued this reality as reflected in this proverb accusing God of unfairness. So the primary accusation against God in our chapter is that God is unjust. And what is this entire chapter? God is just. It's a retort to this, isn't it? The whole thing is just a series. You're saying that when fathers eat candy, don't brush their teeth, the son gets the what? The cavity. The son gets the cavity. And God's saying, that's not the case. That's not the case at all. Do not accuse me of that. Don't accuse me of having an unfair system of right and wrong. Don't accuse me of punishing the generation unjustly. They say, the fathers eat sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge. And then this incredible language is so declarative. Verse three, as I live, and then we have this additional This is the declaration of the Lord God. You will no longer use this proverb in Israel. Now, what a strong statement. I don't want anyone else saying that. In Israel, no one else says that. Don't say that again. I don't want to hear anyone else quoting dad's eat candy, children eat calories. My Bible sent me off to Lamentations 5, second from verse 2. And then that one says, Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquity. Right. Yep. Right. Same concept. Jeremiah 31, 29 and 30 says, In those days they shall say no more. The fathers have eaten a sour grape and the children's teeth are set on edge. But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Every man that eateth the cider grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. And that is, that's really interesting. Hold on to that thought because if you continue on that, Chris, he's going to introduce the new covenant. Keep reading. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they break, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this covenant, this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts. and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them until the greatest of them, saith the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Yep. Now look at the last verse in our chapter, or second to last verse. What does he introduce in verse 31? Now look at that. Same thing. What is the reference to new heart, new spirit? It's the new covenant. It is new covenant language. And it's only Ezekiel and Jeremiah are the only two books in the 39 Old Testament books that talk about the new covenant. Yep. You look at the verse right after, for I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who says the word. So in turn, it's also representing Jesus. Yeah, absolutely. So repent and live. Yeah, absolutely. It's interesting that in 31, it says, I will give you a new heart. It does not say that. It says, you make yourself a new heart. It says, get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Get yourselves a new heart. and a new spirit. Obviously, it is a forewarning or a prophecy or a foretelling of the need for what? Yeah, a new heart. Yeah, you need a new heart. Get yourself one, because your old heart is coming up with these unjust accusations against God. Yes. So what I'm saying is, First thing I tell you is you need a new heart, and then I tell you, and I'm gonna give you one. What you need is this, but get yourself one, to which you should be saying, how? Can a man enter his mother's womb a second time? Where am I quoting from? Yeah, John chapter three, can a man enter? And he's like, no, no, no, that's not what I'm talking about. You're talking about physical stuff. with this? You must be born again. I wish you would say from above. Most of the time there'll be a note in the footnotes that say or from above. A birth from above. A spiritual birth. Yes. And you gotta love the introduction in verse number five. Now suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right. And then it just becomes a whole list. He does not eat at the mountain shrines or raise his eyes to the idol's noose. He does not defile his neighborhood. He doesn't oppress. He doesn't, he doesn't, he doesn't. Instead, verse 9, he follows my statutes, keeps my ordinances, acting faithfully. Such a person is righteous. He will certainly live. This is the declaration of the Lord. Yet what does Romans 3 tell us? Romans 3, 10. Yeah, there's none righteous. None. None righteous. There's not one. That's the essence of chapter 3. There's none. So, but here he's saying if they were righteous, what would they do? They'd live. Yeah, they'd live. They'd live. Now let's read verse 10 and unpack what's going on there. Somebody else read 10 and 11 together. We beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, and that doeth not any of those duties, but even have eaten upon the mountains and defiled his neighbor's wife. So now we've introduced another Sid. What is number six? This is a violent man. Shatter of blood. Yeah, he's violent, right? This is a violent man. He's a shatter of blood. And then he goes back to what? Idolatry. Goes back to defiling a wife. Goes back to oppressing the poor and needy. committing robbery, does not return collateral, goes back to idolatry and end at 12, commits detestable acts, 13, lends at interest or for profit, will he live? And then what's the Lord's declaration? Yeah, he shall not live. Why is that, Lord? Since he has committed all these detestable acts, is Obama what the King James says? What's the King James? Abominations? Right. He will certainly not. His blood will be on him. What is that language? It's saying that it's not on the father, it's on him. Right. Because it starts out saying that if he fathers a son who is everything he's not. So it's saying it's not going to be on the father, it's going to be on his head because he chose to do these things. Right. Exactly. So clearly, we're supposed to walk away from this chapter based on individual what? Accountability. Yeah, individual accountability. Right. And this is always the struggle when we try to reconcile the foreknowledge, the sovereignty, the providence of God, it seems to suggest that we're absolving people of their individual responsibilities. But scripture does not let us do that. Scripture does not let us, that's why I'm always using the word I'm bringing, attention, attention, because there is this inexplainable, because nothing about God's sovereignty is being mentioned here, nothing about God's providence is being mentioned here. It's all what? Yeah, it's all personal responsibility, right? Even amongst the generations. Verse 14, let's unpack 14. Someone else, please? If, however, he would get his son, who sees all the sins which his father has done, and considers, but does not do likewise, who has not eaten on the mountains, hath not lifted his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiled the neighbor's wife, hath not oppressed anyone, nor withheld a plague, nor robbed the robber, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and covered the naked with clothing, who hath withdrawn his hand from the poor, Okay, so let's just make sure that we're unpacking this. So the first scenario was a man, right? And there was no mentions of sons in this one. Then the second one was what? A sinful son, is that correct? A sinful son. And the father is not sinful. His son is the sinful one. And who gets judged? His son. All right, what's the third one that we just unpacked? Righteous father. No, I'm sorry, it's the sinful father. Yeah, this is the sinful father and the righteous what? Son. And what's the conclusion here? For the father to be judged for what he did with his son. Right. So again, we need to make sure we understand this is an entire destruction of the proverb. Once we get the proverb down, the whole chapter just rolls right out, one right after another. And that's why we're getting these recursive listings of these sins. This is this is something that Israel is struggling with all the way through Jesus's death because in Nehemiah, they they clearly go back to say, if we don't keep doing Jesus said, we're doing something wrong and put it on our son's son. So, not necessarily that verdict but this idea of our sins going to future generations of Israel struggled with for a long time. His blood be upon us and our children's children. And when you wrap your brain around the idea 33 AD those are the two dates that are argued depending on whether it's BC or whether it's for BC and then you have the destruction of Israel in 70 AD and you have 20 years for a generation then you have us our children and our children's children see it because this is a This is the total destruction of Jerusalem. This is the temple exploding. That's the level of destruction. This is unparalleled destruction that occurred in 70 AD. This is what Jesus is talking about in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, when he says, when you see this, and he's looking at them and going, when you see this, run for the hills. Don't even go inside and pack a bag. Run. And that's why this has this short-term fulfillment and future fulfillment, has this immediate context to them. Because the disciples say, when shall these things be? Remember, Jesus says, this temple. Yeah, and he's pointing at this temple, and he's talking about his body, and he's pointing at this temple. Right, right, exactly. So, are we on 18? All right, someone else grab that little paragraph. 18, his father will die for his own sin, because he has practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was wrong among his people. Keep going, Dave? Yeah, you were asking. Why does the son not share the guilt of his father? Since the son has done what is just and right, has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him. Well, how? I mean, he's just personal accountability beyond measure. All right, someone else pick it up on 21? But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does what is just and right, he shall surely live, and shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against He shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked if there is the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his ways and live? For when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remitted, for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed shall again a very interesting parallel. So if I start out as a very sinful person, and then what do I do? I repent, yep. I get to live. But, what's the reverse he says? If I start out righteous, and I go the other direction and sin, I die. He goes into righteousness into righteousness Right This is like the first chapter that we've had where there's some modern day application and it hasn't been so difficult. So then how do we reconcile all this with the new covenant? Okay. So this chapter is all about God's character. Is that fair? Yep. I mean, because what are we learning about God in this description right there? What are we learning about God in this description right there? That I can live a sinful life and turn to righteousness and get to live. Which is really awesome. That's really pretty amazing. What? Yeah, that's all grace, that's exactly right, that's all grace. And then what's... Go ahead. Actually, that's an action on our part. If we're in sin and we repent, in turn, we will live. That's not the grace that Jesus wants. No, no, I'm saying that this reflects God's graciousness and that he no longer holds this sin against us because of the repentance. I would see it as justice. I would see this as justice. Both of those are just. You don't think that there's a manifestation of grace here in letting a... With that, it's what we do that allows us to live in this context. In this context, sure. Anyone else have any thoughts on this? I think it's an eye opener even more that God is merciful and the people that we know are sinful right now, there's a chance for them to turn because God Like you said, he doesn't take pleasure in going down. He goes on down. Yeah, I mean, I've heard this preached once, and he laid it down to the point where he used that verse, that second portion there, to poem the lawful salvation. To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin that goes through the second part. I don't know how anyone would turn that into losing salvation. I don't either, but I heard it. Sure. Do you want to say it one time? I grew up as a Catholic, and I've heard of, like, if you're a Catholic and you're always studying the same way before you die, you stick around. I've heard of it. The part we have to just remember is there is no one who starts out right. So he's saying, if you were righteous and you sinned, but it doesn't make sense. Right. Right. Righteousness of man is like sinful rights. Yep. So the best that you can do, if you abandon that, there's nothing left for you. When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the detestable acts that the wicked do, none of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. He will die because of the treachery he is engaged in and the sin he has committed. I do find verse 23 really encouraging. I take no pleasure. Take no pleasure. I believe he'll say twice that he takes no pleasure in the death of the living King. Because He wants everybody to come to Him. It seems like in verse 25 and 29, He is in rebuttal to this idea that He's not just. He's saying, it's not me that's not just, it's you that's not just. Right. It goes back to saying you need a new heart, right? Sure. That's what it goes back to saying. 25, but you say the Lord's way isn't fair. Now listen, House of Israel, is it my way that is unfair? Instead, isn't it your ways that are unfair? When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he's practiced. But if a wicked person turns from the wickedness he's committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life. He will certainly live because he thought it over and turn from all the transgressions he has committed. He will not die. But the house of Israel says the Lord's way isn't fair. Is it my ways that are unfair, house of Israel? Instead, isn't it your ways that are unfair? I wrote down, you know, it's like society trying to create its own moral standards, not using the Bible to take our moral compass. Well, at this point, they had no offers. They had no way to cleanse them of their sins in general. So all they had was words. Right. Sure. The thing I don't understand is, why do they want to share in the sin of their fathers? Why do they want to take on more sin? I don't know that they wanted to. I think that they thought that's what was happening. I think they thought that that's what was happening. That they were being punished for the sins of the father. And is it Exodus 34? Is that where it says that? Alright, so let's go ahead and let's go back to that passage. So this is, I'm sure, what they're addressing. I'm sure this is what they're addressing. Someone read verse five forward. The Lord descended and was piled and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord, our God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clearly be guilty of visiting the iniquity of the fathers and the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation. Right. So that's clearly what's driving what you're talking about, Ashton, with regard to this idea The father eats grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge. There's a parallel structure in this verse that the Christian standard Bible brings out. I'm not sure about the ESV. Those of you that have an ESV, after the thousand, is the word generations there? Just says thousands? There's a super text or whatever that says, or to the thousandth generation. Yes, right. And I think that that's kind of the best way of understanding what's going on here is because what are the two things that we're comparing and contrasting concerning God's character in this passage? What are the two general aspects of God's character that we're comparing and contrasting in this little pericope right here, this short little section of scripture? It's introduced with compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love. So that grouping, that grouping right there, is contrasted with what? Exactly right those are that's the parallel structure here that if that's this is Often the language in the Hebrew Bible Right is that we're comparing two things here This circle right here is love and covenant-keeping, and faithful, and merciful, and gracious. And this is who our God is. And then the other thing that makes who our God is, is what? He's just. Just. And He does punish sin. He does punish sin. Right, the Christian Standard Bible says he brings the consequences of the father's wrongdoing on the children and the grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. So that's where I see the parallel structure here. And the parallel structure here, and I think it's assumed in the text, is to this It's three or four what? Generations. Right. And so if we see the Hebrew parallelism, then what is the parallel structure here? A thousand generations. So what does God want you to remember about him if he emphasizes love, covenant, merciful, gracious to a thousand Right. But what were they focusing on? Passing the blame. I mean, I'm dealing with all of this because of what my dad did, rather than taking personal responsibility. Sure. Right. But they're passing the blame, not to dad, but to who? Because of this verse right here, where God said, I am going to bring the consequences upon the third and the fourth generations. So if we think about the 1960s, and there's only a handful of us in this room that were old enough to remember that a little bit more than, you know, I was, right. Yeah. But it was characterized by free love. Right, exactly. In response to all the struggles and all that. okay well now we're what four or five generations removed from that and we don't even know what gender is in this nation anymore see where I'm going with that right you know because we've seen a glide path that all of us in this room none of us could have conceived of Hugh Jarrett brought in a clip into me that I won't share, other than the fact that it reflected the current moral decadence of today's society, broadcast in the Fayetteville Observer Times with pictures of the moral decadence, where we don't even know what gender is anymore in our society. Marriage is defined any possible way you want it to be. Well, that was the free love of the 1960s. Then the 70s. into a acceptance of homosexuality, as long as it's in the closet. I can remember don't ask, don't tell. Dave, you remember don't ask, don't tell. And now it went from there to a tolerance, right? Now it's no longer tolerated. It celebrates. It celebrates. It's legal violation. Right. But, you know, first it was, you know, we're seeing this progression. I mean, I just walked the dog with you. Don't ask, don't tell. So we're going to accept it. Now we have entire weeks and months in the DOD dedicated to doing what? Celebrating it. Celebrating it. Celebrating it. And all we're showing you is this third or fourth generations. And God is saying here that when this moral decadence occurs, the consequences of this moral decadence are going to be passed on to the third and the fourth generations. But don't characterize me by that single attribute. This is God saying that. Don't characterize me by that single attribute. Don't make me a monster in the sky that visits with lightning bolts upon generations. Because before I told you about this, I described myself with how many, is it three or is it four words there that describe his love? Someone read something different than the Holy Christian standard. Read each. The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. He is steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Right, so how many characteristics did we just see there? Either six or seven listings of God's character, all of which is what? Characterized by merciful, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, forgiving, iniquity, all that, in response to one. And that's why I think that this parallelism that I'm showing you, with this word a thousand, is generations. Because the structure mirrors perfectly here. This is a giant description of who God is, six or seven words describing his love, in the most general sense, to a thousand, versus a single description, he's not going to let sin go unpunished. He's a just God. The drunk driver who murders somebody through their drunkenness doesn't get over on God. He gets punished. But only three or four generations, only three or four, not this is what the Israelites are focusing on this right here and they are as you said Heather suggesting that the reason we're in the mess we are is because God punishes the generations and this is saying not so not so that's not who I am don't accuse me of that number 14 14, 18. Chapter 14, verse 18, verse 20. The Lord is long suffering in our bondage and mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression. For we by no means we are guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray you, according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have forgiven the people of Egypt until now. Over and over the character of God is repudiated the character of God is Defended or articulated Hey anyone else have a thought This is a chapter I could have preached on Sunday morning, this is the chapter I could have reached on Sunday morning We haven't got to any up to this point that Ezekiel could be preached. When we're done, you can just give the Sunday morning audience like a snippet, like, you know, let's talk about this chapter this week, let's skip over to that one, you know, just pick and choose. A sermonette for some Christianettes who smoke cigarettes, right? You got it. Right, okay, I knew we were going with that. Look, I grew up in a church like that. Sunday morning, all the deacons pile right out, around the side of the church where the outhouses were, they have their cigarettes yeah you know could make it through in one hour service yep right out the doors around the corner have their cigarettes there's a defect Sure. Yeah. Jesus talked about that. Yeah. They talked about it in the gospel of John. Yeah. Is it his sin or his father's sin? To which Jesus says, neither. Actually, this was in the providence of God so that on this day I could say, be healed, which is really, yeah. Wrap your brain around that. You're gonna spend 30 years of your life whining so that Jesus can heal you. That's it, that's God's sovereignty. Does the clay say to the potter, why did you make me such? The answer to that question is no. The clay doesn't say to the potter, why did you make me such? The clay accepts the fact that they were made a male or a female, that they're good looking or not, that they're athletic or not, that they're musically inclined or not. And you can just go on and on with how God made you. Or they're born leukemia or whatever. Sure, or Down syndrome or any number of deficiencies that God uses to sanctify them or his people or situations that we can't wrap our brain around. But there again, our society takes that and twists it. And the guy said, well, he made me this way. That's why I feel like I should be a woman. I'm a woman inside, so I can't be a woman outside. Well, God made me this way. All right. Anyone else have anything in here? This chapter had several things for us. There's hope for the rest of the book. There's hope for us, too, which we won't hear about for a while. I think how the chapter ends with 31 and 32 is exactly what De Sica wanted us to remember about the new bar. know you can always have faith in Christ. Yeah, and it is interesting that the final clip of this pericope is repent. This is the declaration of the Lord God. Period. Full stop. So repent and live. We should probably take a wall and paint that on it. So repent and live. Boy, it got warm in here, didn't it? Sure. The opening of Jesus's ministry is characterized by the instruction to repent. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. It's not belief. Now, initially, there's clearly a transition that occurs. Yeah. I did notice, comparing the list, like the Ten Commandments, a number of those are like the high ones, like don't kill, don't steal, and so forth. And they knew the Ten Commandments. Yeah. I was teaching my ninth graders that if you want to boil down the mission of a prophet in the simplest terms in the Old Testament, is to confront idolatry and injustice. Those two I words, idolatry and injustice. And you will see pretty much throughout the entire Old Testament that what they're doing is they're going after idolatry or injustice. If you think about God's, Nathan's confrontation of David, okay, the injustice is that he took one man's wife. The entire parable that he uses when he unpacks it, you'll remember, he says there's this man and he only had a single sheep and there was another one that had a whole hillside and he took away the one man's sheep to take, remember that? That's injustice. And David recognized the injustice in his response. David was so incredulous that the poor man had to lose and then thou art the man. And then what's really bizarre is that God says to David through the prophet, you had all these wives. And if that wasn't enough, I would have given you more. but you took your eyes you know that the complete the issue wasn't the sexual immorality that's not what he attacked it was the injustice of taking a one man's wife and then sending that man to his death but what was David's response to that well David repented yeah yeah praise the Lord David Yeah, yeah, all I was trying to show you is that God is bothered by injustice. Substantially bothered. Because look at all the difference. Robbery, not returning collateral, high interest rates. Idolatry is typically in Israel's situation. Sure. Yeah, it is an idol. Yeah, where we make ourselves God and we worship ourselves. The creature more than the creator. All right, it's 745. 44, we're dismissed.