What are we to do when a life long belief is shattered? The Hebrews had always maintained that God dwelt in the temple in Jerusalem. The dwelling place of the most High was indestructible. Yet Ezekiel warned of the pending doom. A sizeable number began to share his fearful expectations. Even though they could see the threat of the destruction of Jerusalem they could not bear to think that it would include the temple. Once the temple was destroyed where would they find God? Ezekiel maintained that the withdrawal of God was not his will. In fact humankind had organized itself around forces other than those centered around God. A society that goes down in ruin is not a sign that God has ceased to govern the world. Although still active, God simply witnesses human choices to call upon the demons of the underworld. What appears as abandonment, according to Ezekiel, is a Presence in a new form. This Presence simply waits for our readiness to receive. For the Jews in exile God comes. “I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.” The God of Ezekiel is a wooing God who wins our loyalty and gratitude, until we obey him not from any constraint but because it is sheer happiness to us to do his will. It is in this reading that we have the description of whitewashing. Men know that the materials are not sound and that the workmanship is poor. Yet they take buckets of whitewash to cover the defects and do so in an admirable fashion. Modern life provides us with all too many whitewashing stories from the false advertiser to the politician to the preacher.
What are we to do when a life long belief is shattered? The Hebrews had always maintained that God dwelt in the temple in Jerusalem. The dwelling place of the most High was indestructible. Yet Ezekiel warned of the pending doom. A sizeable number began to share his fearful expectations. Even though they could see the threat of the destruction of Jerusalem they could not bear to think that it would include the temple. Once the temple was destroyed where would they find God? Ezekiel maintained that the withdrawal of God was not his will. In fact humankind had organized itself around forces other than those centered around God. A society that goes down in ruin is not a sign that God has ceased to govern the world. Although still active, God simply witnesses human choices to call upon the demons of the underworld. What appears as abandonment, according to Ezekiel, is a Presence in a new form. This Presence simply waits for our readiness to receive. For the Jews in exile God comes. “I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.” The God of Ezekiel is a wooing God who wins our loyalty and gratitude, until we obey him not from any constraint but because it is sheer happiness to us to do his will. It is in this reading that we have the description of whitewashing. Men know that the materials are not sound and that the workmanship is poor. Yet they take buckets of whitewash to cover the defects and do so in an admirable fashion. Modern life provides us with all too many whitewashing stories from the false advertiser to the politician to the preacher.
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