OLD TESTAMENT

A narrative on Ezekiel 2,3 –

FROM John Wayne to other characters like James Bond, the tough guy who wins through is a familiar figure of fiction. We need heroes like that, even if they are make-believe. We all face challenges, and we need the inspiration to overcome them.

Ezekiel is among the Old Testament prophets and belongs in the Babylonian exile. It is known that Jeremiah worked in Jerusalem at the same time (between 597 and 573 BC) and his message is similar to that of Ezekiel’s in places.

Ezekiel is the biblical tough guy more than the strong man Samson (Judges 13-16). Ezekiel is the dogged, never-say-die guardian of truth who sticks to his spiritual guns. Samson was like a grunting Sumai wrestler performing tricks, but whose personal and spiritual life was a mess.

It seems from this passage that Ezekiel was temperamentally independent, not easily swayed by others. But he still needed to be prepared for his assignment. He is warned that it will be hard, that he will face opposition, and that he will be ostracised (2:4-6; 3:4-9). Ezekiel must count the cost.

And so do we. We will know of many people offering themselves for neither a sinecure nor an ego trip. That is often rewarding, but it will also be tough. People called to witness in the secular world through ordinary jobs, for instance, find it no less demanding. Ethical issues can be fudged easily when we do not wish to rock the boat. We should count the cost from the beginning.

Ezekiel is given God’s word to sustain him in a vision and finds it “sweet”. (So did John, but it turned his stomach because God’s word is hard as well as nourishing; Revelation 10:9,10). Tough guys need the correct diet. We will not survive the battle without God’s sustenance; giving time to his word can be as enjoyable and is certainly as essential as a good meal.

(Podcast ends)

---

MODEL SHEPHERD

Later, in Ezekiel (34:11-31), we come across what can only be paraphrased as the Model Shepherd. This is the Old Testament root of the familiar teaching of Jesus in John 10: “I am the good shepherd”. It tells us both about God and life.

In biblical times, sheep grazed on open hillsides and wandered over large distances. Flocks could get split up, and mixed with others. Rounding them up was not easy. Judah has been scattered, so God promises to “round them up” and bring them home to Jerusalem from Babylon.

This is a promise for people who belong to God in any age but who drift from him. He organises a rescue mission to bring us back to himself. He may use our conscience, other people or circumstances. Thank him for his love and patience; but mourn that it is ever necessary.

Notice, too, that punishment is reserved for those who led the sheep astray (v 16). Jesus also warned us of the peril of being the cause of other people’s spiritual divergences, whether by word or by example (Luke 17:1,2).