Righteous and Wicked Perish

" And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel; and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you. Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north, that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.” ’ Sigh therefore, son of man, with a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes. And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.”" (Ezekiel 21:1-7, NKJV)

This passage of Scripture gives us a glimpse of God’s character that seems out of character. We expect God to spare the righteous and judge the wicked. This text is a prophecy of the impending judgment coming against Jerusalem by Babylon. This passage of Scripture is another example of the Providence of God.

Some of the facts we can deduce from this passage that are taught consistently in Scripture are as follows:

1. All men are worthy of judgment (Rom 3:23)
2. All men should know that God judges sin (Heb 9:27)
3. All men are delivered from judgment is due to God’s grace (Eph 2:8-9)
4. All men should fear God (Prov 1:7)
5. All men should know that the LORD is God (Psa 100:3)
6. All men should know that God is always in control (Isa 43:13)
7. All men should know that God uses evil for good (Gen 50:20)

We must not make God in our image but see Him for who He really is as revealed in His Word.