Ezekiel 33: 20, 24 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways….Son of man, they that inhabit those waste of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is give us for inheritance.
An Entitlement Mentality
It seems that in America today that there are fewer people that are taking responsibility for their own lives, and more that feel entitled to the good things of life. I’ve noticed signs in various businesses that say “You deserve” and then fill in the blank. I deserve a good hamburger. I deserve prompt service. I deserve the finer things of life. We’re living in a day dominated by an entitlement mentality, which is to say that a lot of us feel like we own the title to the good things of life, instead of seeing every good thing in life as a gift from God.
The Israelites in Ezekiel’s day made two statements about themselves and God that are dead giveaways to their entitlement mentality. The first one is found in Ezekiel 33:20 where God says to Ezekiel, “Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal.” They were accusing God of not being fair.
Have you ever found yourself feeling that way? The truth is that if God were merely fair, then I would be living in eternal judgment for my sins this very moment. God is just, but He’s also gracious which is much better than being merely a fair God. It was not fair that Christ died in my place, but it was grace. When I start living my life by thinking to myself “It’s not fair” it’s obvious that I’m living my life based on what I think I deserve instead of being thankful for what God has not given me, namely judgment.
A second statement we find that these people of Ezekiel’s day made is in verse 24 where they said, “Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.” They were saying that Abraham, only one man, was given the land, so how much more did they deserve the land because they were many. They were saying, “We deserve it.” That’s the second flag of an entitlement mentality—“I deserve it.”
Now what is the antidote to feeling entitled, to being selfish? The antidote is to realize who I am and who God is. I am a sinner deserving God’s judgment. God is a holy and righteous God who is also a merciful God. When I realize that God is just and that I have cause to be thankful that He’s not merely fair, it changes my perspective in life. It gives me reason to rejoice instead of sulking about my lot in life.