pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: neighbors


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Charges and Judgments

Reading: Ezekiel 22-26

Ezekiel 22:30 – “I looked for anyone to repair the wall and stand in the gap for me on behalf of the land… But I couldn’t find anyone.”

Photo credit: Jametlene Reskp

We begin with chapter 22, where God brings charges against Jerusalem and then closes with a lament, revealing the heart of God. The charges are a summary of how Judah broke each of the Ten Commandments. God will scatter them and refine them like silver in the process. The chapter ends with this lament: “I looked for anyone to repair the wall and stand in the gap for me on behalf of the land… But I couldn’t find anyone.”

Chapter 23 contains an allegory of two sisters. It is the story of Israel and Judah, God’s people who prostituted themselves with multiple foreign powers and their idols, one after the other. The younger sister, Judah, proceeded to outdo the older sister, Israel. Instead of learning from her sister’s wayward ways, she amplified them. God turned both sisters lovers against them, pouring out God’s wrath upon them.

There are two parts to chapter 24. In the first part Judah is compared to a corroded pot. It will be heated so hot that its corrosion will be consumed. Judah will not be cleansed until God’s wrath has fully burned. In the second part, Ezekiel’s wife dies as a part of a sign act. God directs him not to mourn in any way. He follows instructions. So thorough will be Judah’s defeat that they too will walk around in stunned silence, unable to even grieve.

Chapters 25 and 26 contain oracles or judgments about Judah’s neighbors: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, and Tyre. Ammon and Moab took great delight in Judah’s downfall. Edom joyfully took part in Jerusalem’s destruction. The Philistines exacted revenge for past defeats and losses. All but Edom “will know that I am the Lord.” Our reading closes with the judgment of Tyre. They too ridiculed Judah (and God) at her downfall. The people around Tyre will shudder in terror at what befalls Tyre, who will “disappear” as God leads them “down into the pit.” Such will be the fate of all who oppose the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord God, our innate selfishness is on full display today. We continue to struggle with want and greed, with lust and desires, with idolatry and disobedience. We are not all that different than Oholah and Oholibah, than Moab or Philistia. We too deserve your wrath. We too should be refined like silver. Instead, you brought grace in the form of your son. Today, Lord God, we thank you that we stand on this side of the cross, where love was poured out instead of wrath. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.


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Boundaries

Social boundaries can be hard to cross.  Maybe your first experience with boundaries came on the playground in elementary school.  Maybe it was in the middle school cafeteria or audition room or athletic court.  Maybe it occurred in a different area or at another stage in life.  Being on one side or the other of a social boundary is something most of us have experienced.

As we grow into adulthood, the social boundaries do not get any easier to cross.  The imaginary lines we draw in our minds can be as tough to cross as the Berlin Wall.  Sometimes we treat the boundaries with the same level of fear as spiders or death.  Yet God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, continues to nudge and whisper into our ears and hearts.  And we can ignore, but that voice just does not go away if you are really working to live out your faith.

Maybe the nudge is to invite the new family who does not speak much English over for dinner.  Maybe it is to stop and offer some food to the man with the sign.  Maybe it is to be the first to welcome the couple who is different from everybody else in your congregation.

James encourages us to walk across that boundary, to quit judging others, and to get out of our comfort zones.  If one is really working to grow in one’s faith, they feel the nudges and hear the whispers of the Spirit.  If we can get outside our box and engage those across the boundary, then we begin to fulfill God’s command to truly love our neighbors as ourselves.  That first step can be hard, but go ahead, take it.

Scripture reference: James 2: 1-13