Say to them, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their way and live.” Ezekiel 33:11 

This verse seems a bit out of place in the whole context of our Old Testament lesson for this week. God has just warned Ezekiel that He has called him to be a watchman for His people. If Ezekiel does not warn God’s people of their sin, God will demand Ezekiel’s life from him. God makes it certain that sin is indeed a serious matter. So how does this verse make sense since it speaks of God’s mercy and grace? 

The answer can only be found in knowing the true nature of God. He is and will always be both a demanding God and a forgiving God. The answer is found in the consequential and antecedent wills of God. God is at the same time just and merciful. 

Within His consequential will, God is just and demanding. He looks upon all of the circumstances to make His just ruling. He has created us to love and to serve Him, but we have rebelled and turned against Him at every turn. He has set His laws above us, and we have routinely broken them. And because we have been disobedient, there are consequences for our disobedience. Pain is inflicted, privileges are withdrawn, and death looms over us. God cannot stand in the presence of the wicked, the Holy one with the profane. So, if He must, He will separate us from Him forever in death. 

But within His antecedent will, God is loving and forgiving. He does not look at the circumstances of our sin and rebellion. Rather, He looks upon who He truly is, gracious and merciful. He desires not death and separation but life and restoration. But His justice still calls out to be appeased, and His people can do nothing to appease it. So He stepped into time and sent His Son to restore our peace with Him. Blood needed to be shed. Christ’s blood, holy and precious, is the perfect union between God’s consequential and antecedent wills. 

He has called us to be His watchmen. As with Ezekiel, we are not to withhold the law for the sake of popularity or harmony. We must warn people of the coming wrath of God. But for the repentant, struck by the weight of the law, we are also not to withhold the gospel of peace. May we be faithful to our calling. Blessings, 

Frank Van Brocklin 

Principal, Immanuel Lutheran School 

News Notes for our school: 

❖ Thank you to Mike Parks and Fred Ebert for completing the roofing on our gazebo.

❖ Our first ILSA meeting of the year will be tonight (or was), Wednesday, September 6 at 6 PM in the former school library. 

❖ Visits from our local librarians in our Pre-K classroom start Thursday, September 7.

❖ School Board meets on Tuesday, September 12, at 6 PM in the former library.

❖ School pictures will be taken on Tuesday, September 19.