The prophet Ezekiel lived amongst the treachery and idolatry of Jewish society held captive by the Babylonian empire. In Ezekiel’s time and place, people’s attitude towards God was basically the same as that which exists globally throughout all ages. An attitude that normalizes cheap words and accepts faithlessness. As in almost all periods of history, Ezekiel’s world could not have cared less about God. Selfishness, greed, and man-centered thinking was reflected through disrespect for eternal matters, with divine judgement considered irrelevant when compared to the pursuit of present pleasure.
You see, fatalistic thinking assumes, within the struggles of life, there exists no hope of anything better. Therefore, pessimism justifies almost anything in pursuit of comfort and pleasure at the exclusion of God. Into this sinfully hedonistic and politically tumultuous setting, God spoke through Ezekiel with an uncommon message of hope that clearly expressed His gracious heart. When a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die (Ezekiel 18:27-28).
In today’s language, we call this repentance. It occurs when someone is awakened to the seriousness of life’s choices and begins considering life from God’s perspective. Behaviour that had, up to this time in their life, been considered normal and acceptable, is examined within the Lord’s guidelines of holiness. Now they realise that which was previously acceptable, is sinful, and violates God’s law. This is a huge shift in thinking and perspective. To recategorise our life in this way requires massive consideration and is momentous.
Here, we see another layer of God’s grace, as He responds to the sinner with compassion. Ezekiel announced the Lord’s premeditated grace towards spiritually rebellious people, so they may know in advance, as an invitation, that when turning to God, forgiveness and acceptance exists. The Lord spoke the same message in essence through the prophet Isaiah. God stated that He was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am…” (Isaiah 65:1).
Consideration is the starting point, and its purpose is to lead the sinner to a specific set of actions which turns away from wickedness and heads to the Lord. Consideration acknowledges wickedness before a gloriously good God, starting with acknowledging there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins (Ecclesiastes 7:20. Cf. Romans 3:23). But consideration does not stay there long, as it moves towards the assurance that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).
Turning away from the old life comes with the promise of salvation and eternal life. No longer are the previous offensive sins focused on, but God’s life giving goodness becomes the central attention grabber. Paul puts it this way; you were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault (Colossians 1:21-22 NLT). God’s grace remains the most transformative infusion of heavenly love and truth into our lives through faith in Jesus Christ. May we rejoice today as we consider His grace.
