Tuesday 27 November 2007

Background

This passage comes at the end of an outspoken attack on theleaders of Judah just before the Exile (when the Jews were exiledin Babylon), around 600BC. These leaders ('the shepherds') havelooked after themselves at the expense of the sheep, and Ezekiel isscathing in his condemnation of them.

In their place he looks for a new shepherd, a good shepherd, sentby God to be the kind of leader God wants for his people. Thisshepherd will be a new king of David's line, and not a corrupt onelike his predecessors. He will be the real David, one fitted tobear the name of his great ancestor.

Then the Lord will be their God, and they will be God's people,just as it was supposed to be. All will be well: no more injusticeand oppression in the nation, no more invasions and foreignattacks, and prosperity all round. This willbe shalom -a Hebrew word meaning peace, harmonyand flourishing in every aspect of life.

Ezekiel was then caught up in the Babylonian invasion and exiled inBabylon, having seen the first part of his message materialise. Hehad warned them of the consequences if they did not change theirways, and they hadn't. In Babylon he focused on what would comenext, God's new beginning.

Ezekiel never lived to see his hope fulfilled, though the Jews wereallowed home from Babylon and did make a new start in Judah.Centuries later the first Christians saw Jesus as the realfulfilment of Ezekiel's hopes and the hopes for a brighter futureof so many of the prophets. So it is that one of them writes thatsplendid meditation on Jesus as the 'good shepherd' in John 10, taking hiscue from this passage in Ezekiel.

To Ponder

'Politics and religion don't mix' and 'keepreligion out of politics' are old sayings which used to be heard inthe Church. Archbishop Desmond Tutu famously said that people whosaid that sort of thing must be reading a different Bible from theone he read. The sayings have, however, received a new lease oflife recently in the context of 9/11, the Iraq War, the Londonbombings and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. How do we want torespond to them now?

Some of the prophets of ancient Israel weredevastating critics of the politics and social values of their day.Who are today's prophets, do you think?