Ezekiel 17-18

“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent!” (18:30). God gave a counter-cultural word of hope to Ezekiel. In ancient societies, a person’s identity and future was mostly determined by their family, yet God declared that parents and adult children were free to choose their own paths. They were not responsible for one another’s spiritual choices (18:4). Also, individuals could change their ways: repentance was possible and God would welcome them (18:23).

“For everyone belongs to me ...” (18:4). Family background, culture, and past choices do not have to define us. God knows our names and calls us personally to follow Him.