“Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin” (Eze. 18:29-30).

Ezekiel was told of a people who saw themselves as victims.  They used the proverb, ”The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Eze. 18:2).  In other words, the blame was put on the previous generation while the next generation claimed innocence claiming unfair treatment.  The eighteenth chapter of Ezekiel is a classic explanation of how the Lord deals with sin and righteousness.  Consider the three aspects of God’s righteous ways.

1. Treatment of the Righteous. The first example is that of a person who strives to follow the will of God.  Ezekiel wrote, “But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, . . . Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God” (Eze. 18:5-9).  While doing what is lawful and right does not mean sinless perfection in that he would be walking in the statutes that would involve sacrifices for sin, he would not be practicing the sinfulness outlined in verses six through eight.  In other words, he would be seeking to walk in the light of God’s revelation.  This would be illustrated by Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, etc. (cf. Heb. 11:2ff).  Ezekiel further illustrated a righteous one in a son who saw his father’s sins “and considereth, and doeth not such like” (Eze. 18:14).  Since the son refused to follow the wickedness of his father’s ways and “hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live” (Eze. 18:17).  Therefore, following God’s righteous laws brought blessing, not a curse.
2. Treatment of the Rebellious. Ezekiel follows the example of a righteous father with a rebellious son (cf. Eze. 18:10-13).  Though the father practiced the will of the Lord, the son would not benefit such blessings if he did not personally follow the same course.  It is clearly stated, “he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him” (Eze. 18:13).  Following up with a son that sees the father’s wickedness and does not walk in such ways, there is still the emphasis that the father who would not turn from his wickedness “lo, even he shall die in his iniquity” (Eze. 18:18).  Therefore, personal sin brings personal judgment (cf. Eze. 18:20).
3. Treatment of the Repentant.  The heart of the message of chapter eighteen is in the emphasis on the need for repentance.  If the wicked would turn from his sins and keep the statutes and what is lawful and right, then “he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live” (Eze. 18:21-22).  Note also if a righteous one turns from righteousness and pursues wickedness, he shall die (cf. Eze. 18:24).  God’s righteous way is clearly set forth to bless the pursuit of obedience and to punish the way of the wicked who will not repent.  While sin must be punished where not repented, God does not desire to punish (cf. Eze. 18:31-32).                                                        

Jimmy Clark

“My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?” (Ps. 42:3). 

“As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?” (Ps. 42:10).

Psalm 42 is a song of great emotion.  It addresses the deep longing to “come and appear before God” (Ps. 42:2).  It addresses the deep yearning of the soul for the only one who can satisfy; namely, God (cf. Ps. 42:1).  The soul of the psalmist is suffering from the oppression of the enemy (cf. Ps. 42:9).  The enemy is cutting deep “as with a sword in my bones” (Ps. 42:10) with words that challenge the very faith of the faithful.  The question of “where is thy God” (Ps. 42:3, 10) does not cause the faithful to lose his faith but only to know that God will answer in the proper time.  Consider three types of people who would ask such a question to the faithful.

1. The Question of the Skeptic. Skepticism is the philosophy that holds to doubt even in the face of evidence.  The Pharaoh of Egypt who would not let Israel go until his nation was almost destroyed is a prime example of this kind of thinking.  When Moses first approached Pharaoh about letting Israel go, Pharaoh stated, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go” (Ex. 5:2).  Such would change in a matter of time (cf. Ex. 12:31) only to bring about more destruction to his army in the Red Sea.  The agnostic and atheistic circles of today would easily fit into the thinking of such a questioning Pharaoh.
2. The Question of the Scoffer. The psalms and the prophets are filled with the question of “where is thy God?”  It is written, “We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us” (Ps. 79:4).  Then follows these words, “Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed” (Ps. 79:10).  Read also Psalm 115:1-3; Joel 2:17; Micah 7:10 in their contexts.  Peter wrote of some like unto these, where he wrote, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).  Scoffing is a low form of indirectly criticizing God while challenging God’s people.
3. The Question of the Simple. Here is the bottom line of skepticism and scoffing: ignorance.  Ignorance coupled with impatience causes one to ask questions that are foolish in nature.  Sometimes people ask where God is when human suffering arises.  Sometimes people ask where God is when they do not get what they ask for from God.  Sometimes people ask where God is when they are looking for a “sign” as to what direction to go.  When Jesus was hanging on the cross, God was in heaven ready to care for his life in the resurrection.  When Jesus was hungry in the wilderness, God was in heaven ready to send angels to minister to his needs after the temptation by Satan (cf. Matt. 4:11).  The more one has an overview of the scope of the Bible concerning God, the more confident one is in knowing that God does not leave nor forsake (cf. Heb. 13:5).

Jimmy Clark

“And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of my years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage” (Gen. 47:9).

The word here translated “pilgrimage” is from a term meaning to sojourn.  It denotes that there are things about life that are kept in proper perspective.  A pilgrimage involves a beginning and an ending destination in a place that is not home.  Consider three thoughts about this pilgrim life.

1. Each Day is a Step. Jacob spoke of “the days of the years of my pilgrimage” and “the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage” (Gen. 47:9).  Hence, each day in a life is a step on this pilgrim journey.  The Bible often uses the metaphor of walking to describe living one’s life.  It is written in the Psalms, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord” (Ps. 119:1).  Paul wrote, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph. 4:1).  John wrote, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).  As each step leads to the end of the journey then each day leads to the end of the pilgrimage.
2. Every Difficulty is viewed with the End in Mind. Jacob continued to say, “few and evil have the days of my years of my life been” (Gen. 47:9).  Truly, the faithful know that the path of their life is described as “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:14).  Peter wrote to Christians who were suffering for righteousness’ sake, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12).  Paul wrote of the Christian walk, “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” (2 Cor. 5:6-7).  The end of the pilgrimage makes all the struggle worth it.
3. Eternal Destination for the Faithful is Heaven. While there are thousands of people who have walked earthly pilgrimages to specific geographical locations, there is but one destination for the pilgrimage of the faithful.  “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13).  This point closes with the words, “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11:16).  This life is temporary like a pilgrimage and leads to the great resting place of the soul: heaven.  Being strangers and pilgrims here leads the faithful to long to be in that eternal rest (cf. Heb. 4:9, 11).

Jimmy Clark

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

Jesus showed here by using the scriptures from Moses on down through the history of the prophets that there were inspired statements that foretold of his coming and his work.  When one begins reading the Bible starting at Moses (as people often start in Genesis in the New Year to read the Bible through in a year) he finds that there are some fundamental things to be seen as background material to an entire year’s reading of the Bible.  Consider three things found to be important from the book of Genesis.

1. Material World’s Origin. Genesis chapters one and two give answer to some basis questions that men ask.  Some of these questions are “Where did the universe come from?”, “What is the place of mankind in the world?”, etc. The very first passage addresses the questions of time, cause, force, space and matter.  “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).  The first three days give the habitations for the next three days created objects.  The mind of intelligence is clearly at work here.  It is stated in the Psalms, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:6-9).  All of nature seen through special revelation of the Bible declares the glory of God (cf. Ps. 19).
2. Man’s Free Moral Agency. The nature of man is clearly declared in the book of Genesis.  Mankind is made in the image of God (cf. Gen. 1:26-27).  The dual nature of man is clearly manifested in that the body was formed from the dust and became a living being (cf. Gen. 2:9).  Jesus gave testimony to the dual nature of man when he said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).  God also gave man the right to choose his own course of living.  Moses also wrote concerning man, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17).  The sovereignty of God did not mean that man had to choose the will of God.  Man is given the power to choose.  God’s love and the loyalty to him would not be forced.
3. Manifestation of the Problem of Sin.  The third chapter of Genesis shows how sin came into the world.  “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Gen. 3:1).  Here is the agency of Satan deceiving the woman to entice her to eat what was forbidden (cf. Gen. 3:2-6).  Sin truly comes as James wrote, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14-15).  The record of Genesis shows those words to be historically true.  Genesis is fundamental to Bible study.  

Jimmy Clark