Why will you die?

 ¹⁰ “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ ¹¹ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways,  for why will you die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:10-11)

Is it surprising to hear from the Old Testament God, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live".  It turns out this God is all about second chances, not sudden judgment. And this God is not only warning, but pleading with those on the wrong path. "for why will you die, O house of Israel?"

What a strange expression: "why will you die?" Does anyone will to die, rather than "turn back from your evil ways"? Well, yes, there are the addicted, the self-destructive, the ultimately despairing, but do they really choose to die or have they just lost the will to live?

What about those who want to live, but refuse to do what's good for them? Like you who resist taking a vaccine.  You have a policy, and it doesn't include vaccines.

You've suffered the dangers and the relentless infection of the coronavirus for ten months.  You stay clear of families with the slightest association with the CoVid-19 plague, keeping your kids at home, even for the brief weeks when school was face-to-face.  You wear a kerchief when you are in the stores, even though your glasses keep fogging from your warm breath. Sometimes you convince your kids to keep something over their faces when they play indoors with friends. But you will not trust the vaccine. Why will you die?

You try to keep a tight bubble. You stay away from families rumored to be sick with anything, assuming it was Covid-19. On Thanksgiving it was just immediate family, and no one flew or traveled long distances.  You don't go into a church or a restaurant with close quarters. You can't go to the movies. You are always home by 8 p.m. But you fear a shot that could immunize you from the plague "that rots away." Why will you die?

You kept hearing from the President that the vaccine would save us. Then you hear that a flu shot is about 60% effective. You decide that the corona vaccine is not worth it. Then you hear that Pfizer has produced a vaccine that is 94% effective. They were so quick you are wondering if you can trust their work. Now you are balancing the odds of dying against 94% effectiveness. Why will you die?

They say a drowning person, in a panic, will drag a swimmer down, rather than submit to being saved. Is this the kind of panic you feel when you consider getting the vaccine? Are you resisting the one chance you have for health and relief from CoVid anxiety? Are you being cautious or self-righteously stubborn? Are you taking an enormous risk and resisting a small one?  Why will you die?

Bill