The Anatomy of a Righteous Man Text: Ezekiel 18:5-9
Introduction: No Excuses in Zion
We live in an age that has perfected the art of the excuse. We are therapeutic victims, all of us. Our sins are not our fault; they are the unfortunate result of our upbringing, our environment, our genetics, or the lingering specter of historical grievances. We are a people drowning in a sea of sour grapes, and every man is quite certain that his father is the one who ate them. This is the oldest trick in the book, going all the way back to the garden. The man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the serpent. Passing the buck is the second oldest profession.
The Israelites in Ezekiel's day were masters of this particular art. They had a little proverb they liked to toss around: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." What they meant by this was that their current predicament, exile in Babylon, was not their fault. They were simply bearing the punishment for the sins of their forefathers, particularly the generation of Manasseh. They had become theological fatalists, using the doctrine of generational sin as a comfortable excuse for their own rebellion. It was a clever way to shirk responsibility and murmur against the justice of God.
Into this festival of self-pity, God speaks through Ezekiel to demolish their excuses. The entire chapter of Ezekiel 18 is a divine declaration of individual responsibility. God, in no uncertain terms, states that the soul who sins shall die. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. This does not abolish the biblical reality of covenant and federal headship, not at all. But it does obliterate the use of that reality as a smokescreen for personal sin. God is making it clear that while sin has corporate consequences, judgment is ultimately individual. You will stand before God and give an account for your life, not your grandfather's.
In our text today, God provides a case study. He gives us a detailed sketch, an anatomy, of what a righteous man actually looks like. This is not an abstract, philosophical definition. It is a practical, tangible, shoe-leather description of a life lived in covenant faithfulness. This is what righteousness looks like on the ground. It is a righteousness that touches every area of life: worship, sex, money, and social relationships. It is a holistic righteousness, because our God is the God of all of life, not just the "religious" bits.
The Text
"But if a man is righteous and does justice and righteousness, and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period, if a man does not mistreat anyone, but returns to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, if he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he turns his hand from injustice and does true justice between man and man, if he walks in My statutes and My judgments and is careful to do the truth, he is righteous and will surely live,” declares Lord Yahweh.
(Ezekiel 18:5-9 LSB)
Righteousness Defined (v. 5)
The passage begins with a general statement that is then unpacked in the following verses.
"But if a man is righteous and does justice and righteousness..." (Ezekiel 18:5)
Notice the structure here. A man "is" righteous, and therefore he "does" justice and righteousness. Being precedes doing. This is not a man who is trying to make himself righteous by his actions. This is a man whose actions flow from who he is. In the New Covenant, we would say this is a man who has been justified by faith, and his justification is now bearing the fruit of sanctification. His status before God has been changed, and therefore his state in the world is changing.
The words for "justice" and "righteousness" are mishpat and tzedakah. These two words are the bedrock of biblical ethics. Mishpat refers to judgments, ordinances, and the impartial application of God's law. It's about making right decisions and maintaining a just order in society. Tzedakah is righteousness, but it carries the sense of covenant faithfulness, of living in a right relationship with both God and neighbor. A righteous man is one whose life is aligned with God's revealed character and law. He doesn't just know the law; he does it. His faith is not a dead, intellectual assent; it is a living, active, obedient faith.
Upward Righteousness: Fidelity in Worship (v. 6a)
The first specific characteristic of this righteous man is his loyalty to the one true God.
"...and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel..." (Ezekiel 18:6a)
Righteousness begins with right worship. All sin, at its root, is idolatry. It is the exchange of the worship of the Creator for the worship of something in creation. The "mountain shrines," or high places, were centers of pagan worship, often involving syncretistic mixtures of Canaanite fertility rites and corrupted Yahwism. To eat at these shrines was to participate in sacrificial meals offered to demons. It was an act of spiritual adultery.
The righteous man refuses to do this. He does not even "lift up his eyes" to the idols. This is a posture of longing or dependence. He does not look to idols for help, for provision, or for meaning. His gaze is fixed on Yahweh alone. This is the first commandment in action: "You shall have no other gods before Me." This man understands that you cannot serve two masters. He has settled the issue of ultimate allegiance. His worship is exclusive. He will not cheat on his God.
Inward Righteousness: Purity in Relationships (v. 6b)
From right worship, God moves to the realm of sexual purity and the sanctity of the marriage bed.
"...or defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period..." (Ezekiel 18:6b)
A righteous man respects the boundaries God has established for sexuality. He does not commit adultery. The marriage covenant is a sacred picture of Christ and the Church, and to violate it is to profane a holy thing. It is to lie about the nature of God's faithfulness to His people. Adultery is not just a personal failing; it is a theological crime. It is a wrecking ball to the family, which is the basic building block of a godly society.
The second prohibition, concerning a woman during her menstrual period, is drawn from the holiness codes in Leviticus. This was not because menstruation is inherently sinful, but because it involved a flow of blood, the symbol of life, and was a matter of ceremonial uncleanness. In the Old Covenant, this law served to set Israel apart, to teach them about purity, and to place a boundary of restraint and respect within marriage itself. A righteous man honors God's law even in the most intimate parts of his life. He exercises self-control and respects the created order of things, submitting his desires to God's Word.
Outward Righteousness: Integrity in Business (v. 7-8a)
Next, the description moves to the man's economic and social dealings. A man's righteousness, or lack thereof, will always show up in his checkbook.
"...if a man does not mistreat anyone, but returns to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, if he does not lend money on interest or take increase..." (Ezekiel 18:7-8a)
This is a portrait of economic justice rooted in love for neighbor. He does not oppress or mistreat anyone. He is not a bully. Specifically, he honors the law concerning pledges. Under Mosaic law, if a poor man gave his cloak as collateral for a loan, it had to be returned to him by sunset so he would have something to sleep in (Exodus 22:26-27). This man obeys. He understands that people are more important than profit. He is not a thief. He does not take what is not his.
But his righteousness is not merely negative, a list of things he avoids. It is positive and active. He "gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing." This is not coerced, state-mandated welfare. This is voluntary, cheerful charity flowing from a heart that has been made right with God. He sees a need and he meets it. He understands that his possessions are not ultimately his own, but are given to him by God to be stewarded for God's glory and the good of his neighbor.
Furthermore, he does not lend on "interest" or take "increase." This refers to the Old Testament prohibition against usury, specifically charging interest on survival loans to fellow impoverished Israelites. It was a law designed to prevent the exploitation of the vulnerable. This man's financial dealings are governed by mercy, not by a desire to get rich off his brother's misfortune. His righteousness has tangible, economic consequences.
Judicial and Covenantal Righteousness (v. 8b-9)
The description concludes by summarizing the man's character in terms of his relationship to God's law and truth.
"...if he turns his hand from injustice and does true justice between man and man, if he walks in My statutes and My judgments and is careful to do the truth, he is righteous and will surely live,” declares Lord Yahweh." (Ezekiel 18:8b-9)
He is a man of impartiality. He "does true justice between man and man." He doesn't favor the rich or the poor. He is not swayed by bribes or public opinion. He calls balls and strikes as God calls them. He is a man of integrity. He actively turns his hand away from what is unjust.
And the foundation for all of this is that he "walks in My statutes and My judgments." This is the key. His life is a walk, a consistent pattern, a journey down the path of God's revealed will. He doesn't just dip his toes in the water of obedience; he immerses himself in it. He is "careful to do the truth." The Hebrew here is potent; it means to act in faithfulness, to deal truly. He is a man of his word because he serves a God who is a God of His Word.
And what is the result of such a life? "He is righteous and will surely live." This is the promise. This is not salvation by works. No man, apart from Christ, can perfectly fulfill this standard. This description is a mirror that shows us our sin and our need for a Savior. But it is also a portrait of the kind of life that the grace of God produces. This is the life that flows from a new heart, the life that the Holy Spirit empowers. The one who lives this way, by faith, demonstrates that he has been given true life from God, and he will surely live eternally.
The Gospel According to Ezekiel
As we read this list, our first reaction should not be pride, but repentance. Who among us can say we have perfectly fulfilled this? Who has never looked at an idol with longing? Who has kept his heart perfectly pure? Who has never been selfish with his resources? This passage, like all of God's law, serves to drive us to our knees. It is a schoolmaster that leads us to Christ.
For there was only one man who ever walked this earth who perfectly embodied this description. Jesus Christ is the truly righteous man of Ezekiel 18. He alone never ate at the mountain shrines of idolatry. He alone was perfectly pure in heart. He alone did true justice, loved mercy, and gave Himself, the true Bread from Heaven, to the hungry. He walked perfectly in His Father's statutes.
And yet, this perfectly righteous man did not "surely live." He was executed as a lawbreaker. Why? Because He stood in our place. He took the death that our unrighteousness deserved so that we might be credited with the life that His righteousness earned. "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Therefore, we do not read this passage as a ladder to climb up to God. We read it as a portrait of the life that Christ has purchased for us and is now working in us by His Spirit. We are righteous in Christ by faith alone. And because we are righteous, we are now being empowered to do justice and righteousness. God is giving us a new heart and a new spirit, as He promised elsewhere in Ezekiel, so that we might walk in His statutes and be careful to do the truth. And because we are in Christ, the truly righteous one, we too will surely live.