From the First Lesson for this day, Ezekiel 33:21-33
"...the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’ Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’"
Ezekiel is right on the money. How often do I expect God's promises to be fulfilled on His part and yet I don't do a thing about my part?
At the same time, Ezekiel missed the blessing of the New Testament - God upholds His end of the covenant through thick and thin.
Under the Old Testament, punishment was swift for disobedience:
- those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword
- those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured
- those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague
- I will make the land a desolate waste
- her proud strength will come to an end
- the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them.
The grace of God in the New Testament is this: Jesus Christ has borne the punishment that I deserve.
The terms of the Old Testament still stand for the people of His Covenant. The land, the promises, the terms, all are still standing. St. Paul reaffirms this in Romans.
But for me and the Church, grace prevails. God's promise was made before I knew Him. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
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