Ezekiel: Weeping Over the Injustice of Our City

Transcript:

Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective!

In the ninth chapter of Ezekiel, the prophet details God’s judgment against the remnant of Jerusalem. In preparation for the judgment God sends a man dressed in linen to mark those that will be spared from the pending judgment. God commands him: “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” (Ezekiel 9:4).

Now, did you catch that? God divides the people between those that “sigh and groan over all the abominations” of the city and those that do not. Then, the judgement of God sweeps through the city slaughtering those who do not mourn over the sin of the city.

We learn something here of the fundamental difference between the righteous and the unrighteous.
The righteous weep over injustice. The unrighteous do not.
The righteous mourn over their sin and the sin of others. The unrighteous do not.
The righteous have a tender conscience towards sin and evil, while the unrighteous are hardened cynics.

The heart of the righteous breaks over the sins of the city, both individual and societal.
But the unrighteous only care for themselves and their own immediate gratification.

Now, there is no shortage of sin and evil in our hearts and in our world. And so, to have the posture described here of the righteous (i.e. sighing and groaning over sin) sounds like a rather miserable life.

However, remember it was Jesus who taught us: “Blessed [i.e. happy; fulfilled] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

Do you mourn over the sin of your city, your nation and your world? Do you mourn over the sins of your own heart?

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’”
~ Matthew 5:1-4 (ESV)