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I will proclaim the name of the Lord... From the song of Moses at the end of his life.

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It is common in modern times for people to look at the violence caused by the nation of Israel in the Old Testament as an argument against God's goodness. “Oh sure,” they say, “God loves the people of Israel. But what about the suffering of those displaced by the Children of Israel on their way to the Promised Land, which they stole from the rightful owners at the edge of a sword?” While God does not address this charge explicitly in his writings, one can find an explanation for his actions scattered throughout the OT, beginning with Ezekiel.

In Ezekiel, the prophet is writing to the Hebrew people being held captive in exile to a foreign nation (who likewise took their land at the edge of a sword). During this captivity, the nation of Israel comes to believe that God is unjust because he allows the extended suffering of the Children of Israel in a foreign land. The prophet disputes this argument, instead laying the blame solely on the actions of the people (18:1-32). After all, Scripture argues, had they upheld the covenant, they would not be in captivity.

Ezekiel here is making an argument for individual responsibility. The people messed up and suffered the consequences of their choices. Like Moses, Ezekiel presents the Hebrew nation with two choices: obedience and life, or disobedience and death. The prophet argues that the proper response to their suffering is not to waste time complaining about God's inaction, but rather to repent by reordering their choices according to the Torah. If they repent, God will forgive them regardless of what they have done in the past.

At its heart, this is the doctrine of retribution: that free choices have universal consequences that must be avoided (through right choices) or endured (through negative ones). This doctrine, found throughout the Bible, is also extended to those outside of Israel. Today, many make the erroneous claim that God's violence against the nations of Canaan points to the injustice of Yahweh, failing to understand that the commands of God are universal, regardless of whether people know it or not. All sin, irrespective of severity, naturally leads to judgment of some sort (i.e., judgment today, judgment eternally, or both).

Throughout Scripture, you see example after example, where people repeatedly sin. The consequences of their actions build and build until God is forced to respond with judgment. Sometimes this judgment takes minutes, and sometimes it takes centuries, but make no mistake, judgment comes. Yet Ezekiel shows that this judgment is not God's desire but instead is merely the result of the system he established from the beginning. Yet there is good news: while sin always brings judgment, God makes available mercy to those who repent.

The Sower