In the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians Ezekiel was considered a traitor by his countrymen. He not only urged the king to surrender, he advised individuals to desert to the enemy and to save their own lives. We see that these prophets judged treaties and obligations attached to them by a very different standard from our own. Nebuchadnezzar was not in Ezekiel’s eyes a brutal oppressor, but a victor who had used his power with humanity and restraint. Zedekiah ought to have realized that his position could not possibly be improved by rebellion. Babylon’s policy was to keep Judah weak so that it might never again become dangerous. God, however, willed that this tiny twig should one day grow into a tree to become a spiritual leader of humankind. Ezekiel further declares that the individual is never a slave to his own past. The past does not determine the future. The present is an instant of decision in which we are not determined by our past. This is a message of hope. Obsessed with problems we ask why God allows this or that. We ask on an intellectual level. Ezekiel insists that the real problem is of a moral and spiritual order. It is one for us to face, not to ponder. In chapter 19 Ezekiel laments over three kings of Judah-Jehoahaz, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. The prophet wants to teach that the fatal weakness in within us. The fault begins where we are confident and proud. It may one day destroy us.
In the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians Ezekiel was considered a traitor by his countrymen. He not only urged the king to surrender, he advised individuals to desert to the enemy and to save their own lives. We see that these prophets judged treaties and obligations attached to them by a very different standard from our own. Nebuchadnezzar was not in Ezekiel’s eyes a brutal oppressor, but a victor who had used his power with humanity and restraint. Zedekiah ought to have realized that his position could not possibly be improved by rebellion. Babylon’s policy was to keep Judah weak so that it might never again become dangerous. God, however, willed that this tiny twig should one day grow into a tree to become a spiritual leader of humankind. Ezekiel further declares that the individual is never a slave to his own past. The past does not determine the future. The present is an instant of decision in which we are not determined by our past. This is a message of hope. Obsessed with problems we ask why God allows this or that. We ask on an intellectual level. Ezekiel insists that the real problem is of a moral and spiritual order. It is one for us to face, not to ponder. In chapter 19 Ezekiel laments over three kings of Judah-Jehoahaz, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. The prophet wants to teach that the fatal weakness in within us. The fault begins where we are confident and proud. It may one day destroy us.
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