How can Ezekiel 22:12 guide us in practicing justice and righteousness? Setting the Stage Ezekiel 22 paints Jerusalem as a city steeped in sin. Verse 12 pinpoints specific wrongs: • “In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest for profit and extort your neighbors for gain. You have forgotten Me, declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 22:12) God’s indictment revolves around injustice toward people and forgetfulness toward Him. Both violations travel together—when God is sidelined, people get exploited. Key Observation: God Condemns Injustice • Bribery perverts legal outcomes; blood is shed because truth is sold. • Predatory lending (“interest for profit”) targets the vulnerable, turning necessity into opportunity for gain. • Extortion uses power or fear to strip neighbors of what is rightfully theirs. • Forgetting God is the root; injustice is the fruit. To remember Him is to treat others as image-bearers (Genesis 1:27) and neighbors (Leviticus 19:18). What Justice and Righteousness Look Like Today • Impartiality: refuse partiality in business, courts, and personal decisions (Proverbs 17:15; James 2:1-4). • Fair finances: lend or do business without predatory terms; pay workers promptly and justly (Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Colossians 4:1). • Protection of life: defend the innocent, speak for the voiceless, oppose violence (Proverbs 24:11-12). • God-centered living: daily worship keeps hearts aligned with His character and soft toward people (Psalm 119:9-11). Practical Steps to Apply Ezekiel 22:12 1. Examine motives before every financial or legal decision. 2. Refuse or return any gain that compromises another person’s dignity or safety. 3. Give generously to those who have been hurt by unjust systems (Isaiah 58:6-10). 4. Speak up when you see bribery, graft, or intimidation—silence can enable bloodshed. 5. Keep God “remembered” through Scripture intake, fellowship, and obedience; this guards against drifting into the sins Ezekiel names. Encouragement from the Rest of Scripture • “He has shown you, O man, what is good… to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) • “Learn to do right; seek justice. Correct the oppressor.” (Isaiah 1:17) • “Religion that is pure and undefiled… to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:27) Living out Ezekiel 22:12 means refusing every form of exploitation while actively remembering the Lord. Justice and righteousness flow naturally when hearts stay tethered to Him. |
    |