I read this passage last night. I have seen a verse or two about it... but the entirety of it gripped me when I read it.
I had never thought about it as a principle. "When a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness..."
Then I was blown away by the men God used as examples. Noah, Daniel, Job. Men whose lives have a tremendous impact on the end-time saints. To be the only ones delivered in your righteousness. What was it like to watch an entire culture that God was not pleased with and see his judgment poured out accordingly. Righteous men - Noah, Daniel, Job - who stood, even when they stood alone. And yes, all three of those men, stood in their righteousness alone. They all faced scoffing and hatred of them. There are lessons in all of these men's lives.
God judges nations. He judges lands that sin against the Lord in persistent unfaithfulness. But there are righteous ones in the midst of judgment.
Eze 14:12-23
The word of the LORD came again to me, saying:"Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.
"Even [if] these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver [only] themselves by their righteousness," says the Lord GOD.
"If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts,
"[even though] these three men [were] in it, [as] I live," says the Lord GOD, "they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate.
"Or [if] I bring a sword on that land, and say, 'Sword, go through the land,' and I cut off man and beast from it,
"even [though] these three men [were] in it, [as] I live," says the Lord GOD, "they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.
"Or [if] I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast,
"even [though] Noah, Daniel, and Job [were] in it, [as] I live," says the Lord GOD, "they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver [only] themselves by their righteousness."
For thus says the Lord GOD: "How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem--the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence--to cut off man and beast from it?
"Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, [both] sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it.
"And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it," says the Lord GOD.
I had never thought about it as a principle. "When a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness..."
Then I was blown away by the men God used as examples. Noah, Daniel, Job. Men whose lives have a tremendous impact on the end-time saints. To be the only ones delivered in your righteousness. What was it like to watch an entire culture that God was not pleased with and see his judgment poured out accordingly. Righteous men - Noah, Daniel, Job - who stood, even when they stood alone. And yes, all three of those men, stood in their righteousness alone. They all faced scoffing and hatred of them. There are lessons in all of these men's lives.
God judges nations. He judges lands that sin against the Lord in persistent unfaithfulness. But there are righteous ones in the midst of judgment.
Eze 14:12-23
The word of the LORD came again to me, saying:"Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.
"Even [if] these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver [only] themselves by their righteousness," says the Lord GOD.
"If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts,
"[even though] these three men [were] in it, [as] I live," says the Lord GOD, "they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate.
"Or [if] I bring a sword on that land, and say, 'Sword, go through the land,' and I cut off man and beast from it,
"even [though] these three men [were] in it, [as] I live," says the Lord GOD, "they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.
"Or [if] I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast,
"even [though] Noah, Daniel, and Job [were] in it, [as] I live," says the Lord GOD, "they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver [only] themselves by their righteousness."
For thus says the Lord GOD: "How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem--the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence--to cut off man and beast from it?
"Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, [both] sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it.
"And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it," says the Lord GOD.
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