A Correction, or On Sour Grapes and Puckering Mouths

In a couple of recent blog posts, I've been raging on like a minor prophet about how South Africans share a collective responsibility for the recent xenophobic violence and our government's reticence to deal more toughly with Mugabe and his cronies. But while I was on holiday, my father said something that made me change my thinking a little.

We were discussing Ezekiel 18:2-4, where the Lord says, "Why do you quote this proverb in the land of Israel: 'The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children's mouths pucker at the taste'? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, you will not say this proverb anymore in Israel. For all people are mine to judge both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: the person who sins will be the one who dies."

The old proverb means that the children will be punished for the actions of their parents. A group would be punished for the actions of those in the group. There was collective responsibility, and collective punishment in Old Testament times. But Ezekiel prophesies about a time when each person will be accountable for his/her own sins; there will be no more collective responsibility. My father pointed this out to us.

In Jeremiah 31:29-30, God cites the same proverb and repeats that it will not be used any more for the same reason. But here this dawn of individual responsibility for sins is associated with the beginning of the new covenant which God negotiated with us through Jesus.

So it seems we don't need to worry that God will judge all of us South Africans for what some people in the government and on the streets have done. But he will judge us for our individual attitudes towards those in need. Seems we still have a lot of repenting to do!

However, that must not stop us from interceding for those in our nation or city who have done wrong and are under judgment. Paul gives us a good example when he says "My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed cut off from Christ! if that would save them" (Romans 9:2-3). Paul would be willing to take his people's sins on himself. And that's exactly what Jesus did when he took our sins on the cross.

These two are brilliant examples for us to keep crying out to God for our people who don't know him, asking that he would save them from their wickedness. There are plenty of others in the Old Testament: Moses, Nehemiah, Daniel. So let's do what they would have done and pray earnestly for our people.