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The Children Must Pay For...
because of what their parents did or did not do. In the eyes of God that is the farthest thing from the truth. A person’s life may not have turned out the way they wanted it to because in- stead of turning from a life of disobedience to God they followed in the same path of disobedience. Again, the choices can have an effect but they do not have the same sinful punishment.
For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die (vs. 4). God makes it abundantly clear to the people then and now that both generations belong to Him but only the indivi- dual who sins will be pun- ished. God will not kill one person for the sins of an- other.
The purpose for their use of this proverb is to shift blame and avoid taking re- sponsibility for their actions. The people think that what is happening to them is be-
cause of their parents. They would rather look back for blame than to look forward with responsibility.
It is easy to blame the faults and failures of your life on what your mother or father did not do. Their ac- tions and behaviors may not have been the best or did not make them candidates for parents of the year but how long can that be the reason when you have been out of their care for ten, fifteen, or twenty years?
God describes the life of the people who will live. He says the person who does not worship idols or who does not commit sexual immoralities (vs. 6), or does not rob or de- ceive people in business (vv. 7, 8), and who fol- lows His laws and de- crees (vs. 9) is a righteous man. God de- clares that this man shall live.
God says the man who will die is the man who lives an opposite life of the right- eous man. “This man’s
blood will be on his own hands” (vs. 13). You are re- sponsible for your own ac- tions and choices. God is holding you accountable.
Here is why! You have the opportunity to make up your own mind and live a better way. The hand that you are dealt from birth, meaning the family in which you were born, may be a difficult hand to play but God allows you to exchange cards. If you look at your life and say this is not working out and it will even- tually lead to death in God’s eyes you can repent and ask God to make your life over again. It does not matter what you have done, how long you have done it, or to whom, God will give you are fresh start!
You have to be honest with yourself and say, “I am not blaming or using anyone else as an excuse; I am tak- ing responsibility for my own actions.” That is the start of repentance and the road to a new life. You are responsible for your sins and your sins only!
When looking at life and then viewing it from one generation to another it oftentimes appears that one generation is either benefit- ting or suffering from the choices or actions of the pre- vious. There is no problem with drawing benefits from the good of others; however, when it comes to having to suffer because of them, there is a big problem.
Ezekiel 18:1-13, 30-32
captures God’s response to proverb used around the Is- raelite nation suggesting that the current generation is paying for the sins of their ancestors. One cannot to- tally deny that a father’s choices can prove to be diffi- cult for his children. When
it comes to God and sinful behavior the children will not have to pay for the sins of the father; they must pay for their own.
God addresses their proverb, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’ (vs. 2)? This was a widely known and well circulated proverb in their day. The people felt that God was punishing them because of the sins of their ancestors and thus the use of this proverb. It sug- gests that the children’s teeth are bad because of what went into the body.
There are some who look at life and will conclude that their life is bad or messed up
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