Ezekiel was among those in the Northern Tribes of Israel who were taken captive by the Assyrians. During those years of captivity, he was called to bring a prophetic message to those he lived among. It was likely not a message they wanted to hear or believe, but it was God’s message.

God told Ezekiel to tell his Jewish kinsmen, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” The Assyrians were the hated enemies of Israel. They had invaded the “promised land” and taken it as their own. They had harmed, and even killed, many of God’s children. Yet God wanted those who had been enslaved to understand that he didn’t want the Assyrians to die. Instead, God wanted them to live. God wanted the Assyrians to be changed through knowing the one true God.

Rather than condemning the enemies of Israel, God disciplined those who were supposed to live as his children with his wisdom. God told the Jewish people, “Turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” God wanted to bless his people once again, but they would have to repent of their attitude toward their enemies.

What do the words of God to the prophet Ezekiel say to us, God’s children, today?

We cannot walk through this life choosing to honor God’s word as truth and not incur a few enemies along the way. Do we pray for those enemies with their salvation as our goal? Do we care more about their eternal lives than we do their earthly opinions or actions? 

God’s word to Ezekiel was his word for his children. He told Israel, “Turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” God wanted his children to treat their enemies well, not wanting their deaths. Our enemies are likely on a wide path that will lead to a life without God’s blessings and could lead to their eternal death if unchanged.

God wants everyone to become his child through faith in his Son. God still needs his children to repent and understand what matters most. If God doesn’t want the death of our enemies, we shouldn’t either. 

Pleasing God is wisdom. Whom will you care about, pray for, and help? Their eternal life might be your great joy and reward as a result.