Text: Ezekiel 14:12-20
Our text describes judgment against a country because of their sins against God. Yet three men would be saved by their righteousness – Noah, Daniel, and Job. We are living in a wicked society, but this passage gives us hope. We can be saved like these men were. Let us notice the chief characteristics about these men so we can imitate their example.
Noah: An Example of Obedience
- At a time when mankind was corrupt, Noah “found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:5, 8)
- God offered Noah a chance to be saved, but he had to do things God’s way (Genesis 6:9, 18) – he acted by faith (Hebrews 11:7) in preparing for something that had never happened; he obeyed God (Hebrews 11:7); he followed God’s pattern and did all that was commanded (Genesis 6:14-7:5)
- Serving God will not always be easy, popular, or seem logical – like Noah, we must obey anyway
Daniel: An Example of Conviction
- As a young man, Daniel found himself far from home in a strange land (Daniel 1:3-4, 6)
- Daniel refused to eat the king’s food (Daniel 1:8) – to accept it would be against God’s law; he had faith that God would take care of him (Daniel 1:12-13); he refused to conform to his surroundings in violation of God’s law (Leviticus 11:44-45; cf. Romans 12:1-2)
- Later, Daniel refused to obey an ungodly law (Daniel 6:6-13) – God’s law overrules man’s law (Acts 5:29); he kept serving God as he always had, regardless of man’s opinion
- Serving God may lead to undesirable situations – like Daniel, we must have the conviction to obey anyway
Job: An Example of Patience
- Job was “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:1) – he was so richly blessed that he was called “the greatest of all the men of the east” (Job 1:3)
- Satan believed Job only served God because he was blessed, so he was allowed to test Job (Job 1:6-12) – Job lost everything (Job 1:13-19), but patiently endured all of it (Job 1:20-22)
- Satan was then allowed to afflict Job’s health (Job 2:1-6) – Job found himself in a miserable state (Job 2:7-8), but he patiently endured (Job 2:9-10)
- Job endured the loss of possessions, health, and family; a discouraging wife; accusing friends – he serves as an example for us (James 5:11)
- In the end, God blessed Job even greater than He had before (Job 42:10-17) – Job had no assurance this would happen, yet he remained faithful through all his sufferings
- We may face hardships in life – like Job, we need to have the patience to endure them and serve God
Conclusion
- We live in a corrupt world – but we can be saved despite this; just like Noah, Daniel, and Job
- To be saved, we need to have the characteristics of these men – obedience (Hebrews 5:9; 1 Peter 3:21); conviction (Matthew 10:32; Acts 5:29); patience (Matthew 10:22; Revelation 2:10)
