Archive | May, 2006

Ezekiel 25:1-17: What Goes Around

By Stephen Barkley on May 31, 2006 in Ezekiel 0

How can I kill the ones I’m supposed to love?
My enemies are men like me.
I will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well;
My enemies are men like me.
– Derek Webb (Mockingbird)

The tables are turned. God’s judgment on Jerusalem is spent. It’s time to judge the surrounding nations.

It is somewhat ironic that Israel’s hope begins with messages of judgment. Is this not vile schadenfreude? Little more than glib happiness in the midst of their enemies destruction. No. That is what the surrounding nations were being judged for!

This is something more profound. For a nation who believed that their God had left them (or was not strong enough to defeat the gods of the invading armies) this was a sign that their divine defender was still acting on their behalf. The oracles recorded in chapter 25 are the first stirrings of optimism in Israel—their God is still alive and active.

. . .

Seven nations are judged in chapters 25-32:

Ammon
Moab
Edom
Philistia
Tyre
Sidon
Egypt

The oracles against these nations are precisely formed. The first six nations take up exactly the same amount of space as the last nation—Egypt. In the centre of these messages of judgment against the nations, there are two verses (28:25-26) that speak of Israel’s future hope.

The most peculiar aspect of this list is its major omission: Babylon! There are different thoughts on this. Some people figure that since Ezekiel was currently in exile in Babylon it wouldn’t be prudent to shout out judgments against them. (Personally, I don’t think that would have stopped Ezekiel.) Other think that since Babylon was God’s direct hand of judgment, they are rightly exempt from the curses to follow.

. . .

There are four nations judged in chapter 25. God gives rationale for each of their punishments:

Ammon: They were exuberant when they heard that Jerusalem fell. They shouted “Aha!”, clapped their hands and stamped their feet with glee and malice. The result? God handed them over to their enemies. What goes around…
Moab: They were cynical when Jerusalem fell. They assumed that Israel was like all of the other nations. Their God was no more powerful than any of the other gods. The result? They shared in the fate of Ammon. What goes around…
Edom: There are two phrases that describe Edom’s guilt, and the first is not adequately translated into English. Literally, the Edomites acted with “vengeful vengeance” on Jerusalem, and committed grievous offenses against them. The result? God will slaughter them just like he judged Jerusalem. What goes around…
Philistia: The infamous Philistines held unending vengeful hostilities against Jerusalem. Their hearts were filled with malice toward Jerusalem, glorying in her destruction. The result? God will utterly destroy them. What goes around…

What was the result of all this judgment? The nations would know that Israel’s God is the true God (vv. 7, 11, 14, 17). These nations were not mocking, insulting, and tormenting Jerusalem—they were attacking Yahweh himself.

. . .

It’s always good to step back from chapters like this and to shine the light of Jesus on them. One of Jesus’ fundamental ethics was: love your enemies (e.g. Matthew 5:43-48). How might things have been different if the surrounding nations mourned the destruction of Israel instead of taking joy in it?

Is loving our enemies even possible on a national level today? It is difficult enough to do personally! How might this world be different if our governments showed practical love for the nations who hated us? Might that love even be reciprocated? Naïveté on my part, many would say. Still, my enemies are men like me.

. . .

Lord God, your ways are beyond our understanding. Give us the power and patience to follow your Son’s example in loving our enemies. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

< Interlude: Judgment’s Complete

Ezekiel 26:1-14 | Silent Song >

Interlude: Judgment’s Complete

By Stephen Barkley on May 24, 2006 in Ezekiel 0

What the prophetic tradition knows
is that it could be different,
and the difference can be enacted.
— Walter Brueggemann (The Prophetic Imagination)

Breathe deep. We’ve made it. The first 24 chapters of Ezekiel (which we’re through) are predominantly about God’s judgment on his own people. Now: enter hope. The climax of God’s judgment was the symbolic death of Ezekiel’s wife. Ezekiel’s beloved wife represented God’s beloved temple. In some horribly profound way, the enactment of Jerusalem’s death via Ezekiel’s wife paved the way for restoration and new life after the slaughter.

The book of Ezekiel as a whole can be divided into three main sections:

Judgment on Israel (chs. 1-24)
Judgment on the surrounding nations (chs. 25-32)
Hope for Israel (chs. 33-48)

“Look, there are still 8 chapters of judgment to go,” you may say! True, but in these chapters God judges Israel’s enemies. In a negative way, the next 8 chapters are full of hope for God’s people even as they are full of judgment for God’s enemies.

. . .

At the brink of such a major shift in the message of Ezekiel, I think it might be fitting to remember some of the important lessons the Jewish people have learned through Ezekiel:

God’s love is unstoppable: God’s desire from the day Adam broke fellowship was to restore it. By Ezekiel’s day, God’s presence in the Temple was counterproductive. Instead of worshiping Yahweh, people were taking him for granted. Familiarity bred contempt. Paradoxically, God saw that the most effective way to restore fellowship with the world was to destroy those who were originally called—but were now leading the procession away from God.
God takes infidelity personally: The heart-wrenching stories in chapters 16 and 23 tell us that spiritual idolatry is tantamount to extra-marital adultery. The personal details in these chapters show us that God takes Israel’s departure from him very personally. Israel hurt God.
God cannot be toyed with: Do you remember what the Israelites did in the temple? They pushed the brazen altar into the corner of the courtyard so they could erect a statue to a foreign deity. Do you remember when Ezekiel dug through the wall and saw what all the leaders of Israel were doing—each worshiping all manner of animals? God will not put up with this sort of insult. Imagine it from his perspective. He created the entire universe, and then mercifully chose to condescend to live with his people. He chose Israel to be the nation through whom he would restore the entire world! Yet after a few years they wind up worshiping the things that Yahweh made—snakes, spiders, and the like. They put creation on par with the Creator, and the Creator did not stand for it.
God cares for the poor: When the broad messages of judgment turn to specific indictment, abuse of power is a common theme. Again, try to see this from Yahweh’s perspective. He created all humanity equally in his image. Some of his creatures managed to grasp more power than others, and they quickly used it to oppress and extort their fellow humans. It was obscene, and it leads us to our next point.
God’s power dwarfs the power of humans: Israel thought they had power. Even though their very lives were a result of God saving and sustaining power, they began to think that they were self-sufficient. They sought political alliances with Egypt and Babylon, forgetting that their only strength was in Yahweh whom they were ignoring.
God expects everything from his messengers: Ezekiel went through a lot in these first 24 chapters. He had to create a model of a city, and then lie on his side for days. He was asked to clap, stomp, and snort. He was grabbed by the hair by the Spirit of God and told to dig through a wall. He was mocked and ridiculed for what God asked him to do. In the end, God took his wife—the delight of his heart. God will stop at nothing to restore his people, and will demand everything from his messengers to accomplish his will.
God holds justice and mercy in one hand: This truth is paradoxical to us: God is love / God is just. We think we need to choose—will we be merciful or just in each specific situation? But God holds those two attributes together without difficulty. How do you judge a people whom you love? Ultimately, the paradox was conquered in Christ. When Jesus died, he was at the same time God’s chosen beloved son, and the black face of all of humanity’s sins. God’s love and justice found its fullest expression on the cross.

Seven is a suitable number. There are obviously many more lessons to be learned from Ezekiel 1-24, and we have reflected on them over the past year. Take these seven as the start of your own list of reasons to fear, reverence, and praise Yahweh.

. . .

Almighty God, your loving power and awful mercy is beyond my understanding. Help me to continually live in light of your Son’s sacrifice, by the power of his Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

< Ezekiel 24:15-27 | Don’t Mourn

Ezekiel 25:1-17 | What Goes Around >

Ezekiel 24:15-27: Don’t Mourn

By Stephen Barkley on May 18, 2006 in Ezekiel 0

In the heavenly Jerusalem of Revelation
nothing is more finally significant
than the church’s complete absence:
“And I saw no temple therein”.
— Karl Barth

Have you ever felt God telling you to do something that seemed completely bizarre? Have you heard something so unorthodox, it made you question where that notion actually came from? Have you ever acquiesced? What if God told you something that was so sickening, it would make you question whether or not he is the type of God worth serving? Now we’re in Ezekiel’s territory.

Let me rephrase the story in brief. God told Ezekiel that he was going to take away the desire of his heart, and that he was not allowed to show any signs of mourning. That night his wife died. Through that event, Ezekiel was able to address the exiles and tell them that just like his wife was taken away from him, God’s temple was being taken away from the people—and they were not allowed to mourn the loss.

. . .

This is a sickening story. I’ll be honest: it’s beyond my comprehension to think of a God who would kill his servant’s wife to make a point.

Think of some other similar Old Testament stories. God asked Abraham to slaughter his unique son Isaac—but provided a ram to take his place. The anguish leading up to the event would be horrid (not to mention the father-son dynamic after the event), but Abraham got to keep his son.

Hosea is another person who comes to mind. He was told to marry a prostitute. When she ran back to her trade, Hosea ran after her and purchased her again. It’s horrible, but at least she didn’t die! The point was made: no matter how far Israel runs from God after other lovers, he will redeem her.

The bottom line here is that God wanted Ezekiel to be a living example of a spiritual reality. The point is profound and painful: God’s temple is as precious to him and to the Israelites as Ezekiel’s wife was to Ezekiel. Still, God was willing to destroy his own temple to eventually redeem his people.

. . .

No one is sure why Ezekiel was not allowed to mourn the passing of his wife. Scripture is conspicuously silent on this point. There have been an number of suggestions offered, but ultimately we do not know.

Mourning was a big show in Ezekiel’s day. People would typically:

Wear sackcloth
Sprinkle ashes or dust on their heads
Shave their beard or hair
Lie on the ground
Walk around barefoot

These actions would alert everyone that the mourner had lost someone important. Ezekiel was not allowed to indulge in any of this. He bottled up his grief.

. . .

I think the point of this story can be found in the four phrases Ezekiel used to describe God’s Temple:

My sanctuary: God was not gleefully dancing while his people were being judged; the sanctuary was his idea, and its destruction was his pain.
The pride of your people’s strength: When people of this era would go to war, they would typically set up a tent in the middle of the camp for their deity. Basically, whoever won the battle had the strongest God. Yahweh had a great history of defending his people in battle, and the collapse of his temple would completely demoralize the people. Their strength vanished as quickly as Samson’s hair.
Delight of your eyes: The Israelites loved their temple. It was the centre of their very existence as a nation! Israel was not a nation because they lived in a certain place: they were a nation because God called them out from the nations and determined to live with them.
The passion of your life: I hope the repeated emphasis has given you a sense of what the Temple meant both to God and to Israel. Now it was gone.

. . .

It’s important that we understand this passage from a post-cross perspective. In Ezekiel’s day, Israel was called to be a shining light for God in the midst of the nations. They were not called for privilege, but for purpose. The nations were expected to flock to the temple like moths to a flame. Unfortunately, Israel dampened the flame and was judged for her apostasy.

Today things are different. We are the temple of God. Instead of expecting nations to come to us, Jesus has sent us to the nations. Instead of being geographically centered on a specific location, God’s kingdom is wherever his subjects plant their feet.

. . .

Unsearchable God, remind us of just how much you love your new temples. Give us the courage to obey and follow you despite how enigmatic you appear. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

< Ezekiel 24:1-14 | Insulting Injury

Interlude: Judgment’s Complete >

Administrative Notice

By Stephen Barkley on May 10, 2006 in Administration 0

Just a note to let everyone know that there will not be a new Ezekiel post this week. I am attending the Refresh conference at the University of Toronto with N. T. Wright. This blog will resume next week.

Thanks for reading!
Steve.

Ezekiel 24:1-14: Insulting Injury

By Stephen Barkley on May 3, 2006 in Ezekiel 0

The beloved melody again reappears,
but it has lost its modesty and nobility;
it is no more than a vulgar dance tune,
trivial and grotesque.
— Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique

The day had finally come. After 23 chapters of prophecy, Jerusalem had finally fallen like God said it would. God made it very clear to Ezekiel that he was to mark the date down. This was a turning point in the history of the Jewish people.

We use an expression, “adding insult to injury”. That is what God proceeded to do. In callous fashion, he began by singing what was likely a popular feasting song of that day:

Set on the pot, set it on,
pour in water also;
put in it the pieces,
all the good pieces, the thigh and the shoulder;
fill it with choice bones.
Take the choicest one of the flock,
pile the logs under it;
boil its pieces,
see the also its bones in it.
(vv. 3-5, NRSV)

Anyone who heard that song would get excited! It spoke of feasting and celebration. Next comes the twist.

In 1830, a romantic composer named Hector Berlioz created his Symphonie Fantastique. This symphony has five movements, and is interesting in that it uses an idée fixe—a musical theme that recurs in more than one movement. In the first movement, a man meets a young woman who quickly becomes the desire of his heart. The idée fixe is the love theme that permeates the first movement. Skip ahead to the fourth movement. The lover is convinced that his love is unrequited. He takes an overdose of opium, where he sees visions of his own execution. The fifth movement is the most dramatic. The man witnesses a witches sabbath when the love theme returns—only this time it is twisted. Instead of being a pure melodic idea, the line is sabotaged by grace notes that twist the sound into something frightening.

This is exactly what Yahweh does here. He takes a classic pure song of celebration and twists its meaning, turning it into something horrifying. Insult to injury.

. . .

Instead of a feast, the victims of Israel’s bloodshed are in the pot. The bones are human! The pot is so violated, the only possible way to purify it is to stoke the fire until it glows with heat. Only after Yahweh has satisfied his wrath on the pot will it be clean.

One important part of this passage is unclear in the NRSV. The last phrase in v. 6 is “making no choice at all”. A more literal translation would be “no lot has fallen on it” (Block, Ezekiel, I.767). Casting lots was a typical way of discerning God’s will in the Old Testament. This phrase was horribly offensive! The Jewish people understood themselves to be God’s chosen people—which they were. Yet here Yahweh tells them blatantly that they are not his choice. Messages of redemption and healing have no place here: they come after the judgment.

There is one more peculiar phrase in this example that deserves explanation:

For the blood she shed is inside it;
she placed it on a bare rock;
she did not pour it out on the ground,
to cover it with earth.
(v. 7, NRSV)

In the Old Testament, the blood from sacrifices was supposed to be drained into the soil and covered with earth. Exposed blood was taboo. If you look back to the story of Cain and Abel, God told Cain: “Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:11, NRSV).

The Jewish people were not only guilty of bloodshed, they flaunted their crimes. They didn’t even try to cover their tracks. They had ceased believing in Yahweh—or at least in his powerful justice.

. . .

It is always sobering to read accounts like this. Israel was God’s chosen people, yet he told them that they were not chosen in order to judge them for their flagrant crimes.

As Christians, our security is in Christ. We have no need to fear ever falling out of favour with God. Still, when we purposefully turn from Christ and engage in attitudes and behaviours that he hates; we are walking away from the source of our salvation. We effectively behave like the Jewish people of Ezekiel’s day.

God does what we can never do: he holds justice and mercy in unity. While his mercy is always there for us, we can never use that grace in advance as an excuse to cover our unbelief-laden crimes. In the words of Paul, “never let it be”.

. . .

All-powerful God, continually draw our thoughts back to you. Jesus, remind us of your sacrifice and inspire us to live our lives in gratitude for your gift. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

< Ezekiel 23:1-49 | Two Sisters

Ezekiel 24:15-27 | Don’t Mourn >

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Archive | May, 2006