20260730 [새벽묵상] 언제나 동일하신 생명의 하나님 - The unchanging God of life (겔/EZK 33:10~20)

Ezekiel 33:10–20 (NKRV)

10 그런즉 인자야 너는 이스라엘 족속에게 이르기를 너희가 말하여 이르되 우리의 허물과 죄가 이미 우리에게 있어 우리로 그 가운데에서 쇠퇴하게 하니 어찌 능히 살리요 하거니와

11 너는 그들에게 말하라 주 여호와의 말씀이니라 나의 삶을 두고 맹세하노니 나는 악인이 죽는 것을 기뻐하지 아니하고 악인이 그의 길에서 돌이켜 떠나 사는 것을 기뻐하노라 이스라엘 족속아 돌이키고 돌이키라 너희 악한 길에서 떠나라 어찌 죽고자 하느냐 하셨다 하라

12 인자야 너는 네 민족에게 이르기를 의인이 범죄하는 날에는 그 공의가 구원하지 못할 것이요 악인이 돌이켜 그 악에서 떠나는 날에는 그 악이 그를 엎드러뜨리지 못할 것인즉 의인이 범죄하는 날에는 그 의로 말미암아 살지 못하리라

13 가령 내가 의인에게 말하기를 너는 살리라 하였다 하자 그가 그 공의를 스스로 믿고 죄악을 행하면 그 모든 의로운 행위가 하나도 기억되지 아니하리니 그가 그 지은 죄악으로 말미암아 곧 그 안에서 죽으리라

14 가령 내가 악인에게 말하기를 너는 죽으리라 하였다 하자 그가 돌이켜 자기의 죄에서 떠나서 정의와 공의로 행하여

15 저당물을 도로 주며 강탈한 물건을 돌려 보내고 생명의 율례를 지켜 행하여 죄악을 범하지 아니하면 그가 반드시 살고 죽지 아니할지라

16 그가 본래 범한 모든 죄가 기억되지 아니하리니 그가 반드시 살리라 이는 정의와 공의를 행하였음이라 하라

17 그래도 네 민족은 말하기를 주의 길이 바르지 아니하다 하는도다 그러나 실상은 그들의 길이 바르지 아니하니라

18 만일 의인이 돌이켜 그 공의에서 떠나 죄악을 범하면 그가 그 가운데에서 죽을 것이고

19 만일 악인이 돌이켜 그 악에서 떠나 정의와 공의대로 행하면 그가 그로 말미암아 살리라

20 그러나 너희가 이르기를 주의 길이 바르지 아니하다 하는도다 이스라엘 족속아 나는 너희가 각기 행한 대로 심판하리라 하시니라

Ezekiel 33:10–20 (ESV)

10 “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ 11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

12 “And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. 13 Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. 14 Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, 15 if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16 None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.

17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. 19 And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. 20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”

            오늘 본문의 말씀은 그 내용이 에스겔 18장의 주제를 반복하고 있습니다. 18:23에서도 하나님께서는 동일하게 “주 여호와의 말씀이니라 내가 어찌 악인이 죽는 것을 조금인들 기뻐하랴 그가 돌이켜 그 길에서 떠나 사는 것을 어찌 기뻐하지 아니하겠느냐”라고 말씀하셨었지요. 하나님께서는 악인이라 할지라도 그 길에서 돌이켜 살기를 원하시는 생명의 하나님이신 것입니다. 예루살렘이 멸망하고 바벨론에 포로로 잡혀와 깊은 절망에 빠져 있던 유다 백성들. 18장과 오늘 본문의 33장의 상황은 바뀌었을지 몰라도 하나님의 말씀은 동일하십니다. 그리고 바로 그렇기 때문에 이 말씀은 절망에 빠진 그들에게 소망이 되는 것입니다. 오늘은 ‘언제나 동일하신 생명의 하나님’ 이라는 제목으로 말씀을 나누기 원합니다.

Introduction: The Unchanging Promise of Hope

Today's passage directly echoes the core message found in Ezekiel chapter 18. In Ezekiel 18:23, God declared:

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?”

God is the God of life who earnestly desires that even the wicked turn away from their evil paths and live.

The people of Judah, dragged into Babylonian exile after the fall of Jerusalem, were trapped in overwhelming despair. Although their external circumstances differed between chapter 18 and chapter 33, God's heart and His Word remained completely unchanged. And precisely for that reason, His message brings vibrant hope to those stuck in hopelessness. Today, I want to share a message titled: "The Unchanging God of Life."

            먼저, 하나님께서는 이들을 살리고 싶어하십니다. 10절에서 우리는 하나님의 말씀 안에서 이스라엘 족속의 마음 상태가 어떤 상황인지 알 수 있습니다. 그들은 “우리의 허물과 죄가 이미 우리에게 있어” 쇠퇴하게 되었다고 고백하며 “어찌 능히 살리요” 라고 한탄합니다. 그야말로 극심한 절망, 자신의 죄에 대한 고백과 탄식처럼 들립니다. 그런데 이들의 말은 사실 가만히 들여다보면 자신은 이미 돌이킬 수 없다며 스스로 회개의 길을 닫아버리는 위험한 체념임을 볼 수 있습니다. 바로 그런 그들에게 하나님께서는 11절에서 말씀하십니다. “내가 살아 있음을 두고 맹세하노니.” 스스로 “우리가 어찌 살리요” 라고 탄식하던 백성을 향해 하나님은 ‘내가 살아있음’ 을 선언하십니다. 당신이 생명이심을 말씀하시는 것입니다. 그리고 당신의 그 생명을 두고 맹세하십니다. 이것은 영원히 변하지 않을 약속입니다. 11절의 나머지 말씀을 함께 읽겠습니다. “나는 악인이 죽는 것을 기뻐하지 아니하고 악인이 그의 길에서 돌이켜 떠나 사는 것을 기뻐하노라 이스라엘 족속아 돌이키고 돌이키라 너희 악한 길에서 떠나라 어찌 죽고자 하느냐 하셨다 하라” 너희들이 스스로 허물과 죄악에 빠진 악인이라고 일컬을지라도 나는 너희들이 죽는 것을 기뻐하지 아니한다고 말씀하십니다. 그들에게 돌이키고 또 돌이키라고 말씀하십니다. 왜 그렇습니까? 생명의 하나님께서 이들이 사는 것을 기뻐하시기 때문입니다. 이것이 어제나 오늘이나 동일한 하나님의 마음인 것입니다. 하나님은 언제나 우리를 살리기 원하십니다.

1. God Desires to Save Us

First, God earnestly desires to give us life. In verse 10, we gain insight into the state of mind of the house of Israel:

“Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”

On the surface, this sounds like deep grief, a humble confession of sin, and a heartfelt sigh of repentance. However, if we look closer, their words actually reveal a dangerous attitude of resignation. They have closed the door to repentance themselves, claiming that their situation is already beyond repair.

To these very people, God speaks in verse 11: "As surely as I live..." To a people lamenting, "How then can we live?" God responds by declaring His own living presence. He proclaims that He Himself is life, and He swears by His own eternal existence—an unshakeable, everlasting promise. Let us read the rest of verse 11 together:

“Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’”

God tells them: Even if you label yourselves as wicked sinners trapped in your transgressions, I take no pleasure in your death. He urges them to turn, and turn again. Why? Because the God of life delights when His people live. This was God's heart yesterday, it is His heart today, and it will remain His heart forever. God always desires to bring us to life.

            그래서 하나님께서는 이들에게 예를 들어 말씀해주십니다. 12절은 먼저 그 예시의 개요를 설명해주십니다. 의인의 경우와 악인의 경우를 통해 누구든 범죄하는 날에는 그 의로 말미암아 살지 못한다고 말씀하십니다. 그리고 13절에서 이 의인의 경우를 자세히 설명하십니다. 13절에서 하나님은 당신이 의인에게 “너는 살리라” 라고 말씀하셨다고 예를 들어보자고 하십니다. 자, 하나님께서 직접 ‘살리라’ 고 말씀하셨으니 그는 살지 않겠습니까? 그런데 그런 그라도 죄악을 행하면 그 모든 의로운 행위가 하나도 기억되지 않을 것이라 말씀하십니다. 그리고 그가 지은 그 죄악으로 말미암아 곧 그 안에서 죽을 것이라고 말씀하십니다. 그런데 그가 죄악을 짓게 되는 경위가 흥미롭습니다. “그가 그 공의를 스스로 믿고 죄악을 행하면,” 분명 하나님께서 이 사람에게 “너는 살리라,” 라고 말씀하셨습니다. 바로 그 뒤에 “그 모든 의로운 행위”라고 말씀하시는 것을 보면 그는 의로운 행위를 실제로 행했던 사람입니다. 애초에 하나님께서 ‘의인’이라고 부르시는 사람이지 않습니까? 그러나 그가 아무리 의롭게 살았다고 할지라도 과거의 공로를 ‘스스로 믿고 의지’한다면 그는 죄악을 짓게 되어버립니다. 그리고 그의 “그 모든 의로운 행위는 하나도 기억되지 아니하리니”라고 말씀하십니다. 그러므로 과거의 신앙과 의로움을 핑계삼아 현재의 범죄를 가볍게 여기는 일은 있을 수 없다는 것을 말씀하고 계시는 것입니다.

2. The Example of the Righteous Person

To make this clear, God illustrates His principle with two examples. Verse 12 provides the overview: whether a person is righteous or wicked, if they turn to sin, their past righteousness will not save them on the day they sin.

In verse 13, God elaborates on the case of the righteous person. Suppose God says to a righteous person, "You will surely live." Since God Himself promised life, would you not expect him to live? Yet God declares that if that person turns around and commits evil, none of his righteous acts will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has committed.

Notice the underlying cause of this downfall in verse 13:

“...if he trusts in his righteousness and does evil...”

God had indeed promised him, "You will surely live," and the text refers to "all his righteous acts," indicating that he genuinely was a righteous person. Yet, no matter how righteously he had lived in the past, the moment he trusts and relies on his own past merits, he falls into sin. God warns that "none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered." Therefore, we must never use past faith or former righteousness as an excuse to trivialize or justify present sin.

            14-16절은 악인의 경우를 예로 드십니다. 한가지 주목할 만한 것은 의인의 경우에는 단 한 절의 말씀으로 예를 드셨지만 악인의 경우에는 삼절에 걸쳐서 말씀을 하신다는 것입니다. 우리는 이것만 보더라도 하나님께서 이 말씀을 누구에게 촛점을 맞추어 말씀하시는 것인지 알 수 있습니다. 14절, 의인과 마찬가지입니다. 이제는 반대로 하나님께서 악인에게 “너는 죽으리라” 고 말씀하셨다고 예를 들으십니다. 그런데 그가 돌이켜 죄에서 떠나서 정의와 공의를 행하면 16절, “그의 죄는 기억되지 아니할” 것이고 “그가 반드시 살리라”고 말씀하십니다. 그리고 그가 사는 이유를 “이는 정의와 공의를 행하였음이라”라고 설명하십니다. 바로 이것이 하나님이 이들로부터 원하시는 것입니다. 이 정의와 공의가 14절에 또 16절에 반복됩니다. 그리고 15절에서는 하나님께서 말씀하시는 정의와 공의가 정확히 이들의 실생활에서 무엇을 의미하는지 예를 들어 설명합니다. 함께 읽어보겠습니다. “저당물을 도로 주며 강탈한 물건을 돌려보내고 생명의 율례를 지켜 행하여 죄악을 범하지 아니하면 그가 반드시 살고 죽지 아니할지라” 하나님께서 말씀하시는 정의와 공의는 종교적인 의식에 대한 것이 아니었습니다. 사회의 정의와 질서의 회복에 대해 말씀하십니다. 특별히 약자를 보호하며 보살필 것을 말씀하고 계십니다. 이것이 오늘의 본문 말씀에서만 말씀하시는 것인가? 아닙니다. 오늘의 본문 말씀은 요약에 불과합니다. 18장에서는 20절에 가까운 분량 동안 하나님께서는 이 정의와 공의를 몇 번이고 반복해서 말씀하십니다.

3. The Example of the Wicked Person

In verses 14 through 16, God presents the case of the wicked person. One notable detail here is that while God spent only a single verse on the righteous person, He devotes three full verses to the wicked person. This alone reveals where God’s compassionate heart and focus truly lie—on saving the lost and the sinner.

In verse 14, God supposes a scenario where He tells a wicked person, "You will surely die." But if that wicked person turns away from his sin and does what is just and right, verse 16 promises: "None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them... they will surely live." And God adds the reason why: "because they have done what is just and right."

This is precisely what God desires from His people. The phrase "just and right" is repeated in verses 14 and 16. Furthermore, in verse 15, God provides concrete examples of what "doing what is just and right" looks like in daily life. Let us read verse 15 together:

“...if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die.”

The justice and righteousness God demands are not about mere religious rituals; they are about restoring social justice, honesty, and integrity in everyday life. God is specifically calling for the protection and care of the vulnerable. Is this emphasis unique to today's passage? No, today's text is merely a summary. Back in chapter 18, God spent nearly twenty verses repeatedly emphasizing this exact standard of active justice and righteousness.

            그런데 이들은 17절과 20절을 보니 그런 “하나님의 길이 바르지 아니하다,” 즉, 하나님은 공평하지 않다고 말합니다. 어떻게 끝까지 악을 고집하던 죄인이 회개했다고 그는 구원을 받는데 평생을 의롭게 살던 의인이 한 번 타락했다고 심판을 받을 수 있냐는 것이지요. 이들이 이렇게 말을 하는 이유는 무엇입니까? 바로 그들 스스로가 의인의 범주에 든다고 생각했기 때문일 것입니다. 그들은 자신들의 입으로는 우리의 허물과 죄가 자신들에게 있어서 살 수 없다고 말했지만 그들의 진심은 자신들은 원래 의인들이었으나 한 번의 실수로 이런 심판 가운데 처했다고 생각한 것이지요. 그런 그들에게 하나님께서는 그들의 실상이 무엇인지 말씀하십니다. “실상은 그들의 길이 바르지 아니하니라” 그리고 다시 그들에게 의인과 악인의 예를 말씀하십니다. 무슨 뜻입니까? 너희들의 길이 바르지 않다. 그러니 이제 의인인체를 그만하고 스스로 악인임을 인정하여 그 길에서 돌이켜라. 그리고 내가 말한 정의와 공의대로 행해라. 그러면 너희가 살 것이다.

4. "The Way of the Lord is Not Just"

Yet, in verses 17 and 20, the people complain: "The way of the Lord is not just." In their eyes, God is being unfair. They argue: How can a sinner who persistently pursued evil be saved simply because he repented at the end, while a righteous man who lived uprightly his whole life faces judgment because of a fall?

Why did they talk like this? Because they secretly categorized themselves as "righteous." Though their lips uttered, "Our sins weigh us down and we cannot live," their true heart believed: We were originally righteous people who were unjustly condemned due to a minor misstep.

To these self-righteous complainers, God exposes their true condition: "Yet it is their way that is not just." He then reiterates the principle governing the righteous and the wicked. What is God saying to them?

"Your ways are not just. Stop pretending to be righteous! Acknowledge that you are sinners, turn away from your evil ways, practice justice and righteousness as I commanded, and you will live."

            말씀을 맺습니다. 하나님께서는 언제나 동일하신 분이십니다. 그분은 악인이라 할지라도 살기를 원하시는 생명의 하나님입니다. 오늘 하나님께서는 이들에게 또다시 두가지 길을 보여주십니다. 그러나 그 길을 보여주시는 목적은 하나였습니다. 바로 그들이 악에서 떠나 정의와 공의대로 행하여 살게 되는 것. 우리가 스스로 의롭다고 생각하면 우리는 죄악을 범하게 됩니다. 예전이나 지금이나 동일하게 우리에게 두가지 길을 보여주시는 하나님, 우리를 살리기 원하시는 생명의 하나님의 말씀을 따라 악에서 떠나 정의와 공의대로 행하여 생명을 얻으시는 여러분 되시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다.

Conclusion: Choose Life Today

Let us conclude. God is always unchanging. He is the God of life who earnestly desires that even the wicked turn away from sin and live. Today, God once again sets two pathways before us, but His goal in revealing these paths remains singular: that we turn away from evil, practice what is just and right, and choose life.

When we foolishly consider ourselves righteous, we fall into sin. May we follow the voice of the God of life—the God who sets the same choice before us today as He did in ages past. May you turn from evil, practice justice and righteousness, and walk in the fullness of eternal life.

Let us pray.