Family Law

A friend asked me last night what I was going to do for the evening.  As I weighed my options with limited funds I set my sights on a relaxing evening watching football at the house.  My home is my sanctuary, as yours should be. 

Even if your home environment is strained because of who else you share your space with…you should be able to have quiet moments of reflection and heightened moments of family ties to make you feel at home…as the saying goes.  And I dare say if your home environment is so abusive and twisted that you are not comfortable and constantly on the edge of frustration…you need to make a change…for nothing that is bad can’t be made good and anything good can always be made better.

But what about those that live alone you may ask.  Well I live alone, but I have surrounded myself with things that remind me of my past, keep me focused on the present and encourage me for a bright future.  Ever walk into a doctor’s office and the waiting room has pictures of nature?  These help sooth an anxious mind, they help calm a troubled mind.  If you walked in and there were pictures of dead and dying forests and polluted waters, your attitude would be different and your mind would be anything but calm. 

Those you surround yourself with on a daily and weekly basis have the same effect.  If someone you regularly associate with has a foul speech pattern, you are most likely going to pick up on that weakness and it will creep into your patterns as well.  However, if your mentors choose their words carefully, you will see the impact intelligence can have in this world.  In that vein I offer the following observation:

Reading Ezekiel 18 it is clear we are responsible for our own sin, a father his and a son his.  Some religions pertain the son carries the weight of the father’s sin…this is false according to the Word.  Nor should a father or mother be responsible for their children’s activities which may stray from the Way, this according to Ezekiel and elaborated by Jeremiah as well.  But this is where I feel a modern translation is needed.  My faith has revealed this to me:

Two days ago and about six hours after I read Ezekiel 18 my friend Mike asked me what I thought about parents who let their kids run around like undisciplined banshees.  The timing of this conversation was impeccable as I was already forming thoughts in my mind on how to address this topic on the blog.  Having someone to talk it out with helped and strengthened my faith in what the Word reveals to those that read between the lines, not for fault or criticism, but for understanding and wisdom.

But the Word is unwavering; it cannot be added to or taken away from.  But…it can be read & re-read & re-read again & again & again for insights into our current world, our current situation, the problems and promises we hold today.  That is what many people struggle with the most with the Bible, what is it really saying….part history, law, genealogy, prophesy and knowledge passed on from generation to generation, from time to time, from world to world, to help us on our life’s journey…no matter where we are in it and what decisions were made in the past…what does today have to do with it?  Well, that is the majesty of the Word…it helps us apply the Way to the everyday and current day.

Much like today where people struggle with applying what the Founding Fathers of this country established in our current environment, the same holds true for Ezekiel’s words as delivered to him.  Picture the times Ezekiel lived…600-550 years before Christ.  The Holy Lands were split between Israel in the North (which included Samaria) and Judah in the South (which included Jerusalem). Ezekiel was a major Old Testament prophet whose Book is fascinating.  There is so much to observe and learn from him, but at the same time there is worldly logic and revelations that come from a society not accustomed to our benefits and temptations.  Ezekiel was perhaps the last of the Major Prophets.  The Northern Kingdoms of Israel had been overtaken by Assyria and the Babylonian empire was strengthening and expanding with the King of Judah being Zedeklah.  It was an amazing time in our World’s History with other prophets of the time including Jeremiah, Daniel and Habakkuk (Hindson & Ice 2016).  Times in society were simple…times in spirituality were complex and hard to understand.

You see history repeats itself time & time & time again, the names have just been changed to protect the innocent.  And that was the difference between 2600 years ago and today…innocence.  The people, the society, the laws of the land even though torn by political and military unrest were of a simpler guild.  They could not even possibly conceive of the sins and temptations, the misguided and God absent words and actions of individuals around us today in our modern society.

Life was not easier, but it was simpler from a cultural standpoint.  You had your God and they had theirs.  There were two kinds of people in the world, not the have and have nots, but the faithful and the faithless.  And the only bones made about it were the left-overs from their heathen enemies.  You raised your children as you were raised…with respect and dignity…with honor and trust…with purpose and conviction…with hard work and just rewards…with all the things passed down… to be passed on.

And nowhere…absolutely nowhere could their minds conceive of a parent teaching their child to steal.  Of a parent leaving their child to suffer…of a parent not being a positive role model for their child…of a parent not giving his child a chance at a better life…or life at all. 

Do you see it as I see it?  The times were different then, so it influenced the Words of the Prophets just like it influenced our Founding Fathers in this country.  So, when Ezekiel says a father is not responsible for his son’s sins and visa-versa I have to take a modern day exception to it as I interpret Holy Words into what I see around me today.  And what I see is not always good and it certainly isn’t always innocent.

If a father teaches his son to steal, something Ezekiel could not conceive of, then my faith tells me that the father IS responsible for the sins his son commits as a result of those teachings.  Likewise, if a son brings his father into his life of crime and sin, than his father’s actions can be traced to this influence, and the son will be held responsible for his actions as well.

We live in difficult times, where we struggle to put old time practices into a modern day situation.  But, if we break it down to its simplest form it all makes sense…nothing is so complicated it cannot be unraveled. 

Parents and teachers bear a heavy but rewarding burden, the burden of success… not theirs but the success of those they influence, with a hope of remembrance to guide them on their journey.  

(c) Bryan A. Stross December 18, 2018 7:47 AM EST 

Reflections & References:

Ezekiel Chapter 18...Jeremiah Chapter 8 & 12...the Book of Habakkuk

(Hindson & Ice, 2016)  Hindson, Ed & Ice, Thomas "Charting the Bible Chronologically" (c) Harvest House Publishers Eugene, Oregon 2016  Chapter 23 "Old Testament Prophets" Pages 81 & 89 

Pictures Courtesy of: West Shore Animal Hospital Denver, NC 28037