The Bible Recap – Day 244 (Ezekiel 18-20) – Year 7

Host: Tara-Leigh Cobble
Date: September 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tara-Leigh Cobble walks listeners through Ezekiel chapters 18 to 20, focusing on themes of individual responsibility before God, the reality and consequences of sin, God's relentless invitation to repentance, and the deeper theological purpose of the law. Cobble unpacks these dense chapters with relatable commentary, pointing out memorable metaphors, possible points of confusion, and connecting Ezekiel’s message to New Testament teachings.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Individual Responsibility and Judgment (Ezekiel 18)

• God addresses a popular saying in ancient Israel: “Children pay for the sins of their parents.”

  • Tara-Leigh’s explanation:

    "While children are certainly impacted by the sins of their parents and might even inherit some of those traits, they aren't punished for them." [02:13]

  • God promises to judge each person based on their own actions, not on inherited guilt.

• God uses illustrations: a righteous father with a wicked son, and vice versa, emphasizing that “righteousness doesn't transfer genetically, and wickedness doesn't either.” [03:04]

• Not Just About Good Works:
  Cobble cautions against reading this as works-based salvation:

  "The point of this passage is that our righteous works are evidence of our love for God and our faith in Him. And that kind of faith is individual, not inherited." [03:36]

• God’s invitation is open to all, regardless of past—repentance is always possible.

• Israel’s response, ironically, is to object to God’s mercy toward repentant sinners—missing that this is their only hope.

  "They're objecting to the mercy he's extending to them." [04:23]

2. Metaphors of Lament: Lioness and Vine (Ezekiel 19)

• Ezekiel’s lament over Judah uses two metaphors:

  • The Lioness:
    • Raises a cub (likely Jehoahaz) who is taken to Egypt.
    • Raises another cub (likely Zedekiah) who is captured and taken to Babylon.
    • Both represent failed leadership and exile.
  • The Vine:
    • Judah, once strong and fruitful, is later destroyed and burned.

  "Judah is like a vine that has grown so tall and strong that it gets turned into a scepter, then eventually burned. And again, Ezekiel laments over Judah's demise." [05:01]

• These images reflect Judah’s lost potential and the heartbreak of national ruin.

3. God’s Recap of Israel’s History and the Purpose of the Law (Ezekiel 20)

• Israel’s Leaders approach God with questions, but he rebuffs them due to their ongoing idolatry:

  "He says no, they can't ask anything of Him. Then he's like, but while you're here, pull up a rock. I'm going to tell you a story." [05:41]

• God recounts Israel's persistent rebellion through different eras: Egypt, the wilderness, the promised land, up to their current exile in Babylon.

  "No matter their circumstances, enslaved, challenged, blessed or oppressed, they reject God." [06:17]

• Confronting a Troubling Passage (Ezekiel 20:25–26):

  • The text says God gave them “statutes that were not good.”
  • Cobble suggests this statement could be sarcasm, reflecting Israel's perception, or a complex theological point:

    "God’s laws on their own don't bring life. They serve to reveal how broken and helpless we are and how righteous God is. We can't keep the law even if we try.” [07:18]

• The law’s ultimate purpose:

  • "The law does not lead to life; it points to death. And it is devastating." [07:37]

Connection to the New Testament (Romans 7)

• Cobble draws a parallel to Romans 7, where Paul reflects on the law’s function:

  "The law acts like an MRI, revealing where we're broken, but it can't heal us. For that, we need a surgeon, and he gives us a new heart." [09:16]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Individual Responsibility:

  "Everyone will be judged individually. Righteousness doesn't transfer genetically, and wickedness doesn't either." [03:04]

• On Repentance:

  "Just in case anyone is discouraged, God reminds them in verse 21 that it's never too late to turn to him and have the debt of their sins paid for." [03:47]

• On Israel’s Irony:

  "They're objecting to the mercy he's extending to them. I can't think of a better way to follow their response than with a lament from Ezekiel." [04:23]

• On the Law:

  "The law does not lead to life; it points to death. And it is devastating. But this is where my God shot comes in..." [07:37]

• The Gospel Connection:

  "Trying to keep the law isn't the path to righteousness. There's only one path to righteousness. He calls himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life... What's good news is that God the Son who kept it perfectly, paid the debt for those God the Father has adopted into his family." [08:15]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|--------------------------------------------------| | 02:13 | Addressing Israel’s proverb about inherited sin | | 03:04 | Illustration: righteous/wicked fathers and sons | | 03:36 | Faith is individual, not inherited | | 04:23 | Israel objects to God’s mercy | | 05:01 | Ezekiel’s lament: Lioness and Vine metaphors | | 05:41 | Israel’s leaders interrogate God; God's response | | 07:18 | Purpose of the law; statutes that were “not good”| | 08:15 | The gospel and the law | | 09:16 | Law as MRI; God the surgeon |

Episode Takeaways

• God judges each person individually: Past generations do not determine our fate.
• Repentance is always available: God’s mercy is open to all who turn to Him.
• The law reveals our need for grace: It isn’t life-giving on its own; it exposes our brokenness so we see our need for a Savior.
• The ultimate hope is in God’s restoration: Even amid judgment, God constantly points to His intention to restore His people.

Final Thought

"He gives us a new heart. And those new hearts know him and praise him because he's where the joy is." [09:31]

For more resources or to join the reading plan, visit thebiblerecap.com.