Becoming Tolerant of Sin

Becoming Tolerant of Sin

Ezekiel 21-25

“They have treated father and mother lightly within you.  The alien they have oppressed in your midst; the fatherless and the widow they have wronged in you.”

                  Reading through Ezekiel 21-25 is like walking through a thunderstorm without an umbrella.  The storm hits, and there is nothing one can do but continue to trudge along until one arrives at a shelter.  Such is the sense the reader gets as we read through the book of Ezekiel.  Chapter after chapter proclaims the judgment of God, leaving the reader with a desire for something positive, something good, some cry of grace and mercy.  So it is easy to skip ahead, to bypass the pronouncements of judgment in search of the promise of grace and restoration that brings hope towards the end of the book.  Yet we bypass these warnings at our own peril, for they prompt us to pause and examine our own life, actions, and motives to ensure that we are not sliding into the same descent into sin that Israel experienced.  When we start to look closely, the same sins that God condemns in Israel are the same attitude and actions that we find prevalent in our own society.

                  In Ezekiel 21-25 we read of a series of pronouncements of judgment that leave a dark cloud over the passage.  But before we pass by, we need to stop and reflect upon why Israel was facing such a foreboding future so that we might learn and evaluate our own life to see if these sins are present.  Throughout the judgment narratives and specifically interwoven in chapter 22, we find the continual drumbeat of judgment upon sin that the righteous avoid but the wicked embrace and promote.  In chapter 22, we find a list of sins that the people have committed that have aroused God’s anger and judgment.  I have put in parentheses some of the parallels in our own society; others are more apparent.

                  Social injustice:

1.        Shedding innocent blood (vs. 6). (Abortion).

2.        Undermining the family structure (vs 7). (destroying the family structure through divorce and the redefinition of the family).

3.        Oppressed travelers and immigrants (vs 7). (Attitudes towards immigrants).

4.        Mistreated those who are vulnerable in society (vs 7). (lack of compassion for the poor).

5.        Distorted justice in the courts (12). (politicization of the judicial system).

6.        Exploited the poor by lending money at excessive rates (12). 

7.        Sought to obtain profits through unjust means and robbery (12).

Spiritual corruption.

1.        Showed a disregard and contempt for the worship of God (9). (We distort and treat God lightly by denying his justice and holiness).

2.        Ignored worshiping God on a regular basis (8). (Church has become a convenience rather than a priority).

3.        Slandered to destroy people (9). 

4.        Participated in and accepted pagan worship (9) (we can become complacent by affirming all religions).

Sexual immorality.

1.        Tolerated and promoted sexual immorality (9). (just watch TV and Movies)

2.        Promoted deviant sexual behavior (10). (promotion and acceptance of sexual sin)

3.        Promoted adultery (11).

This should cause us to stop and reflect upon our own life and our own culture.  In our distorted world, are we becoming complacent and tolerant of these same sins in our actions and attitudes and in what we watch and what we affirm?  The pronouncement of judgment in Ezekiel is a warning to us to examine our own life and behavior.  Are we upholding righteousness or, like Israel, becoming tolerant of sin?  Are we pursuing holiness or pursuing self-indulgence?