Our Lord and our God,
now as we hear your Word, fill us with your Spirit.
Soften our hearts that we may delight in your presence.
Sharpen our minds that we may discern your truth.
Shape our wills that we may desire your ways.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The way that Ezekiel is called to demonstrate the fall of Jerusalem and the temple through the death of his wife is tough to read. The magnitude of that sign is still just a minor show of what the fall of Jerusalem means. God is clear: he wants his people to know that he is the LORD.
A huge part of today’s reading is prophecies against the nations around Israel – Israel’s enemies. Ezekiel 28:25 says, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.” God’s glory and his reach are universal. This text speaks against any idea that there are many paths and religions in this world that all lead to the same place. God will show himself holy, and nothing in the world is beyond his reach.
33:30-32 is a pastor’s nightmare! You could easily rewrite this section inserting the words, “Sunday morning,” “coffee,” “handshake,” and “great sermon, pastor” and have the scene at any number of churches today. When Jesus tells the story of the wise and foolish builders, the foolish one is the person who hears the Word and doesn’t do it, and the wise one hears the Word and does it. May that be us!
Ezekiel 34 is one of the foundational texts for God as shepherd of his people. It is also an instruction and warning to anyone who is any kind of leader in the church. We see Jesus all over this text as the Good Shepherd.
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