Got Fruit ?

From Chapter 18 of Ezekiel, we have the Sovereign Lord explaining to Ezekiel the prophet (through a vision?) how He judges each of us for the manner in which we conduct our life.  The basic premise (Christianity 101 if you will) is that sin, the act of disobedience to God, his Word, His commands, separates us from His holiness & therefore results in death.

Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.

God is setting straight the people of Israel concerning a proverb that they had used; and from what I gather the Israelites had either misunderstood the proverb to mean that a child would be judged for their father’s sins (see Exodus 20:4-6), or in view of Exodus 20:4-6, was since then rescinded by God (?).

Ezekiel 18:1-3
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:
       " ‘The fathers eat sour grapes,
       and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

3 "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. 4 For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

An additional thought or two regarding  Exodus 20:4-6 which reads:

Exodus 20:4-6
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

It occurs to me that Exodus 20:4-6, specifically the passage: "…for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation…" is what is focused on, what’s remembered from this commandment forbidding idol worship.  What gets lost though is the consequences of the father that sins against God (hating Him).  A very simplified idea that comes to mind is that when a father neglects to raise his children up in the way of the Lord,because he’s not following God himself, he "condemns" his children because he perpetuates the natural inclination to live a sinful lifestyle.  The father has failed to guide the child(ren) to an alternate choice of  living morally through God which mitigates sin.

As for the idea of God rescinding the "generational curse" portion for disobedience to Exodus 20:4-6, Ezekiel 18:1-3 definitely seems to support this when God speaks what sounds like a command to cease  quoting the proverb, followed by a declaration that each man is responsible for their own actions regarding living either a wicked or a righteous life (Ezekiel 18:18-32). See also: Jeremiah 31:27-33.

Grace and peace be with you.