Sour Grapes

A common saying in the culture at this time was "The parents have eaten sour grapes but their children's mouths pucker at the taste". This proverb was also quoted in Jeremiah 31:29. Recall that Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were all prophesying at about the same time.

Though it is true that children often suffer the consequences of their parent's sin. Remember that God said He would punish sin into the fourth generation for those who hate Him and show love to a thousand generations of those who love Him, (Ex. 20:5). This referred to the trickle-down effect of familial sin patterns. We definately saw that with the Kings of Israel and judah. An evil King almost always bred an even more evil King. So, this reality is not disputed, but the people of Israel had taken it to extremes. The "sour grapes" proverb revealed the prevailing mindset that the Israelites alive during the time of the exile were not responsible for what was happening. They placed the blame squarely on past generations, oblivious to their own hand in their fate. The Bible tells us that this generation was every bit as wicked as those who had passed on, yet they did not take responsibility for their own sin. Ezekiel goes into a lengthy discourse on the way that God renders sin to individual accounts, but also mentions that if wicked people turn away from their sins, those sins will be forgotten and they will live. No mention of atoning sacrifices. Just forgiveness for genuine repentance. The early beginnings of New Testament thinking???

Tomorrow's reading: Ez. 20-22:16