What is the meaning of Ezekiel 18:6? He does not eat at the mountain The “high places” scattered across Israel’s hills were centers for sacrifices offered to pagan gods. Sharing in those meals signaled fellowship with false deities and a rejection of the LORD’s exclusive claim (Deuteronomy 12:2-4; 2 Kings 17:10-12). The righteous man refuses that invitation. Rather than blending in with a culture that treats every spirituality as equal, he keeps his appetite—literal and spiritual—for the table the LORD alone provides (Psalm 106:28; 1 Corinthians 10:20-21). or look to the idols of the house of Israel Idolatry begins with the eyes before it holds the heart. Turning a longing gaze toward carved images was the first step toward trusting them for protection or prosperity (Exodus 20:4-5; Ezekiel 20:7). The godly person breaks the magnetic pull early: • He guards what he watches (Psalm 119:37). • He fills his sight with the LORD’s glory instead (Isaiah 45:22). • He keeps his hope in the living God, not in works of human hands (Psalm 115:4-8; 1 John 5:21). He does not defile his neighbor’s wife Faithfulness to God shows up in faithfulness to marriage vows. Adultery ravages families and mocks the covenant picture of God’s own loyalty (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:20). The righteous man: • Honors his neighbor’s marriage as sacred (Hebrews 13:4). • Treats women as sisters, in all purity (1 Timothy 5:2). • Guards his own heart from lust, knowing Jesus equates it with adultery (Matthew 5:27-28; Proverbs 6:32). or approach a woman during her period Leviticus 18:19 and 20:18 set this boundary to teach Israel reverence for life and bodily holiness. The righteous man accepts God-given limits on his desires, even in marriage. While the ceremonial aspect of this law pointed forward to Christ’s cleansing work (Acts 15:19-20), the underlying call to self-control, respect, and sensitivity still applies (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; Galatians 5:22-23). summary Ezekiel 18:6 sketches a life wholly devoted to God: no mingling with idols, no betrayal of neighbors, no disregard for God’s purity standards. True righteousness isn’t a single heroic act but a series of daily choices that say, “The LORD alone is my God, and I will love Him—and others—on His terms.” |
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