“Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,’ declares the Lord GOD” (Ezek 14:13–14).
According to Ezekiel 14, Jerusalem had thoroughly exhausted God’s patience with its sinful idolatry. The city’s time was up, and nothing and no one could stay God’s hand from bringing judgment. To emphasize this point, God tells Ezekiel that even Noah, Daniel, and Job could not persuade Him to spare anyone but themselves (Ezek 14:14, 20).
Neither priest, prophet, nor saint will be able to stand in our defense or prevent God from giving us the judgment we deserve.
And though we do not like to think about the day when all people must give account before God, that day is coming. Scripture makes clear that “there is none righteous, not even one,” for all of us have loved God’s creation more than the Creator, what Ezekiel calls “idols of the heart” (Ezek 14:3–7). On that day, it will matter little how much we plead our innocence or ignorance. There will be no one else to blame, no excuses for sinful thoughts or rebellious acts against a holy God. Neither priest, prophet, nor saint will be able to stand in our defense or prevent God from giving us the judgment we deserve.
Yet while God insists that even the righteous Noah, Daniel, and Job could not deliver us on judgment day, these men did in fact point us toward the One who could. Noah foretold of a promised seed who would come from the line of Shem (Gen 9:26–27). Daniel saw in a vision “one like a son of man” who would be worshiped by all nations (Dan 7:13–14). And Job longed for a mediator to stand between God and man (Job 9:33), a Redeemer who would deliver us from death itself (Job 19:25–26).
Noah’s promised seed, Daniel’s “son of man,” and Job’s mediator Redeemer has already come, and He is coming again. He alone not only rescues sinners from the punishment they deserve but also gives His own perfect righteousness to all who believe. His name is Yeshua.
