Friday 18 March 2011

Background

Ezekiel was one of the exiles taken to Babylonia byNebuchadnezzar II. There he received his first call to be a prophetand the book of Ezekiel contains his oracles and visions. Today'spassage is from the first half of the book and is pretty damning ofthe exiles, who have shown themselves to be faithless, disobedientand idolatrous.

Ezekiel doesn't hold back in his condemnation and uses vividlanguage and imagery to convince the people of their rebelliousnessand that they are deserving of punishment. He was from a priestlyfamily and placed great importance not only on the temple andworship but also on the 'deeds' of the people.

It was not enough to appear righteous or to have been righteous inthe past; what mattered was current behaviour and practice. And if"the wicked" repented and turned from their sinful ways God waspleased to commend them and let them live. There are echoes of thismessage in the Gospels and particularly Matthew 7:21-27. Reverence for God andlistening to God's word needs to be backed up by action otherwiseyou will be "like a foolish man who built his house on sand"(Matthew 7:26). Once again we are reminded of the importance ofintegrating belief and practice.

In the subsequent chapters of Ezekiel the prophet's message shiftsfrom condemnation to consolation and a promised return from exile.It is not because Israel does anything to deserve it but solelybecause of God's grace. So, again, we see the willingness withinGod to respond positively and generously to those who turn back toGod. Thankfully God is not a 'fair' God but a gracious God. IfGod's behaviour was governed by fairness how many of us would"live"? As it is, God's behaviour is governed by grace and all whoturn to God are welcomed with open arms and restored to'life'.

To Ponder

In what ways do you try to make the world afairer place?

In what ways do you try to make the world a moregracious place?

As a discipline during Lent why not considerdoing a specific 'good deed' every day?