Ezekiel stands in the valley of dry bones, probably an actual battlefield. He is called to prophesy to these bones that they may hear the word of the Lord. This reminds me of the closing lines of Three Cups Of Tea and the subsequent book, Stones Into Schools, both by Greg Mortenson. In the closing scene of Three Cups of Tea, an Afghan warrior looks out over a rocky terrain and recalls the number of battles he has witnessed in this area and the number of lives that has been lost. His wish is for no more bloodshed. His wish is that Greg Mortenson will turn these stones into schools in Afghanistan as he has already done in Pakistan. And so it is today that schools, especially for girls, are being built there. Ezekiel must have lived with that same tenacity and refusal to abandon his mission where there seemed to be no hope of success. Is it that fidelity to a cause alone can release the energy necessary to bring new life? In Ezekiel’s day that is exactly what happened. Israel did rise from the grave of exile, an exceeding great army at God’s service. Gog’s plot is an elaborate piece of symbolism, an attempt to portray some of the ultimate problems of human life. There are forces of unreason and brutality armed to overthrow what has been done in the name of reason and humanity. There are passions in man strong enough to shatter society. Yet there is a Spirit of God which can seize him at any second and cast out demons. There are inspirations which can counter our worst impulses. There is love which can prevail even against cruelty. Endless possibilities to be recognized but not feared. There is always grace!
Ezekiel stands in the valley of dry bones, probably an actual battlefield. He is called to prophesy to these bones that they may hear the word of the Lord. This reminds me of the closing lines of Three Cups Of Tea and the subsequent book, Stones Into Schools, both by Greg Mortenson. In the closing scene of Three Cups of Tea, an Afghan warrior looks out over a rocky terrain and recalls the number of battles he has witnessed in this area and the number of lives that has been lost. His wish is for no more bloodshed. His wish is that Greg Mortenson will turn these stones into schools in Afghanistan as he has already done in Pakistan. And so it is today that schools, especially for girls, are being built there. Ezekiel must have lived with that same tenacity and refusal to abandon his mission where there seemed to be no hope of success. Is it that fidelity to a cause alone can release the energy necessary to bring new life? In Ezekiel’s day that is exactly what happened. Israel did rise from the grave of exile, an exceeding great army at God’s service. Gog’s plot is an elaborate piece of symbolism, an attempt to portray some of the ultimate problems of human life. There are forces of unreason and brutality armed to overthrow what has been done in the name of reason and humanity. There are passions in man strong enough to shatter society. Yet there is a Spirit of God which can seize him at any second and cast out demons. There are inspirations which can counter our worst impulses. There is love which can prevail even against cruelty. Endless possibilities to be recognized but not feared. There is always grace!
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