What role does personal righteousness play in God's judgment, according to Ezekiel 14? The Setting: A Nation Under Judgment • Ezekiel 14 describes elders of Israel who come to inquire of the LORD while secretly cherishing idols. • In response, God outlines four severe judgments—famine, wild beasts, sword, and plague—declaring that even the most exemplary saints could not spare the land as a whole. Key Verse: Ezekiel 14:19 “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out My wrath upon it with bloodshed, to cut off man and beast from it,” Personal Righteousness—What It Can and Cannot Do • Ezekiel 14:14, 20 lists “Noah, Daniel, and Job” as the brightest examples of righteousness; yet their godliness would “deliver only themselves by their righteousness.” • The principle: – Individual righteousness is acknowledged and honored by God. – It cannot transfer to others when God’s corporate judgment falls. • God judges nations collectively, but He judges people individually inside that collective event. • Each person’s standing before God remains personal; borrowed righteousness is impossible. Supporting Passages • Genesis 18:23-32 – Abraham pleads for Sodom; God will spare the city for ten righteous people, underscoring the weight of personal righteousness but also its numerical limits in national judgment. • Jeremiah 15:1 – “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people.” Same principle as Ezekiel 14. • Deuteronomy 24:16 – “Each is to die for his own sin.” Personal accountability. • 2 Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…” confirming individual assessment in both covenants. What Personal Righteousness Does • Secures God’s recognition and deliverance of the individual (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). • Bears witness to God’s justice; He never sweeps away the righteous with the wicked without distinction. • Provides an unshakable testimony amid widespread judgment, highlighting God’s faithfulness to the obedient. What Personal Righteousness Does Not Do • It cannot shield an unrighteous society from God’s corporate discipline (Ezekiel 14:13-21). • It cannot be imputed horizontally to family or friends; each person must stand on his own (Ezekiel 14:16, 18). • It does not nullify God’s covenantal warnings; divine holiness remains paramount. Practical Implications for Believers Today • Cultivate authentic, personal obedience; no family heritage, church affiliation, or national identity substitutes for a righteous life before God. • Intercede for the community, yet recognize that only personal repentance and faith secure individual deliverance. • Stay hopeful: even in severe judgment, God knows how to “rescue the godly” (2 Peter 2:9) while maintaining justice. |
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