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The Word of the Lord came once again to Ezekiel. Mind you, this is the Word of the Lord and not the word of man. Most likely we get our saying; ìthat is sour grapes,î from this portion of scripture. The Lord said to Ezekiel that the proverb said: the fathers ate the sour grapes, (sinned), and the childrenís teeth were set on edge or felt the consequences of the sour grapes. Which translated into the idea that as the descendent of the sinner, the child was to bear the responsibility and punishment for the sin of the father. Note also that the Lord stated that this would not be the case in the dealings of Israel with Him. All souls belong to the Lord. He is their creator and their eternal destiny is determined by Him and none other. Eze. 18:1-4
Each and every person shall give an account for themselves, personally, before the Lord. Rom. 14:12 All, rich or poor, small or great, world leaders or common citizens, all will stand before the judgment seat of the Lord and give an answer for their life here on earth. 2 Cor. 5:10 However, it is not necessary that we wait with bated breath and worry, as to the outcome of that appearance before the judge of the whole earth. The wise have already put in their appearance and have eternally settled the matter. The sinís of some have already been confessed to the Lord, therefore they have already stood before the great and true judge. Their sinís are like an open book before the Lord. 1 Tim. 5:24 They have expressed their sorrow for having sinned and violated His Word. They are already judged. They have gained their pardon from the judge who sits on the throne of eternal life. Rom. 8:1 There can be no judgment when there is no condemnation. Judgment begins the moment we are born of the Spirit and become a member of the great and wonderful family of the Lord. 1 Peter 4:17 The blessing of the Lord in the life of those who seek Him changes them from being the most wicked to the purest. Isa. 55:7
There is no doubt but what the theme of this chapter is the souls of mankind.
We are given ample instructions as to how we should live out lives before the Lord. The will of the Lord is made known for the development of a society living in peace with one another and more importantly, with the Lord. The doí and don’ts as required by the Lord with a warning that the souls that sin shall die. The standard of holiness established by the words of this chapter are of the very highest. They are a challenge to all and every Christian. The beauty of the matter is that we are incapable of fulfilling all of these Divine requirements but as we allow the Lord Jesus to live His life in us, we can achieve the very highest life of purity before Him. It is Christ in you which is the hope of His eternal glory being manifest in His people. Col. 1:27.