How can Ezekiel 28:23 encourage us to pursue holiness in our communities? Setting the Scene • Ezekiel 28:23: “I will send a plague upon her and bloodshed in her streets; the slain will fall within her, while the sword is against her on every side. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” • Spoken against the city-state of Sidon, this warning reveals God’s zeal for His own honor and His intolerance of sin that festers in a community. Foundational Truths Drawn from the Verse • God personally confronts communal sin. His words “I will send” underscore divine initiative; judgment is not random but purposeful. • The consequences are public (“in her streets”)—sin that affects many draws a response that affects many. • The outcome—“Then they will know that I am the LORD”—shows God’s ultimate aim: that people recognize His holiness and authority (cf. Isaiah 45:22-23; Philippians 2:10-11). Why This Spurs Us Toward Communal Holiness 1. God’s character is holy and unchanging. If He judged Sidon’s corruption, He will not ignore ours (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). 2. Public sins invite public consequences; therefore, pursuing holiness is an act of love for neighbors, sparing them from avoidable pain. 3. The verse ties revelation of God (“they will know”) to judgment. Conversely, when a community chooses holiness, it can display God’s glory without needing such discipline (Matthew 5:16). Practical Ways to Pursue Holiness Together • Guard the gates: examine what enters your homes, churches, schools, and screens (Psalm 101:3). • Cultivate corporate repentance: schedule times for united confession and cleansing (Nehemiah 9:1-3; 1 John 1:9). • Promote righteous influence: elect leaders, support businesses, and celebrate art that reflect God’s standards (Proverbs 14:34). • Protect the vulnerable: Sidon’s “bloodshed” hints at violence and exploitation; a holy community defends life from womb to tomb (Psalm 82:3-4; James 1:27). • Encourage mutual accountability: small groups and friendships that lovingly confront sin keep minor compromises from becoming public crises (Galatians 6:1-2). • Saturate the streets with the gospel: replace potential “bloodshed in her streets” with good news proclaimed in those same streets (Romans 1:16). Encouragement from Related Passages • 2 Chronicles 7:14—repentance and prayer bring healing, the opposite of plague. • Ezekiel 22:30—God seeks intercessors who will “stand in the gap”; our holiness can stay His hand. • 1 Peter 1:15-16—“Be holy in all you do,” echoing the same call for New-Covenant believers. • Titus 2:11-14—grace not only saves but “trains us to renounce ungodliness,” making us “eager to do what is good.” Hope-Filled Motivation • Judgment scenes sober us, yet they also prove God’s willingness to act; He has not abandoned the streets of our cities. • Every step toward communal holiness invites His favor rather than His discipline (Jeremiah 18:7-8). • When our neighborhoods “know that I am the LORD” through transformed lives instead of calamity, God’s purpose is still achieved—but with joy instead of sorrow. Let Ezekiel 28:23 move us beyond private piety to collective purity, so that our communities experience God’s presence, not His plague, and His name is honored without reserve. |
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