“‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.’”
Ezekiel 21:10b (NIV)

Along my life journey, I have observed that the political divide here in the States can arguably be boiled down to those who don’t trust the government to do anything well and want to diminish its role in our lives versus those who trust the government to do everything for us and therefore want to entrust more and more of our lives to it.

One of the things that history has taught me is that while the world changes, the one thing that does not change is the human condition and, therefore, all the human systems that we humans create. It’s why Shakespeare is still so powerfully relevant today. Arguably, no one has ever captured the human condition for the purposes of both comedy and tragedy as the Bard.

In today’s chapter, I found that the ancient Israelites were dealing with their own sense of safety and trust in their government, a monarchy founded on the royal line of David.

Throughout history, the staff or scepter has been a symbol of authority, royalty, and command. When God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, He sent Moses with a staff that became a metaphor for God’s power and authority. Archaeologists have uncovered an ivory pomegranate that was used at the top of a scepter with an inscription indicating it may have very well been used by the priests in Solomon’s Temple. Statues and artwork of both royalty and idols frequently showed them holding a scepter.

The Israelites of Ezekiel’s day, living in Judah and Jerusalem, had been raised to revere the King as a member of David’s royal house. It had been proclaimed that God would establish David’s throne forever, and they put a lot of stock in this promise. Many believed that as long as a member of David’s house was on the throne God would protect them and prosper them. Certainly the King had prophets on his payroll who would proclaim this loudly in an effort to keep the peace. People believed it.

Ezekiel, however, is given a prophetic vision contrasting the scepter of the royal house of David to the sword of God’s judgment in the hands of the King of Babylon. The prophetic word begins with the sword despising and mocking the “stick” in the king’s hand. The prophecy continues to explain that the sword is more powerful than the scepter, and warns the people not to trust their king and his royal prophets.

The prophecy ends on a Messianic note:

“‘A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’”
Ezekiel 21:27 (NIV)

As a follower of Jesus, I couldn’t help but note that the monarchy in Jerusalem did end with Babylon’s siege. There was no king in Jerusalem until Jesus rode in on a donkey and Matthew remembered the words of the prophet Zechariah:

“Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

In the quiet this morning, I am reminded of my dual citizenship. Yes, I am a citizen of the United States, but as a disciple of Jesus I am also a citizen of God’s heavenly kingdom. The former is human and temporal, the latter is divine and eternal. My citizenship in God’s Kingdom does not diminish my earthly citizenship or my responsibility to be an active and participatory citizen on earth as I have heard people argue. On the contrary, as an ambassador of God’s Kingdom on this earth I am required to be a more dutiful and engaged member of society, respecting those in authority and acting on a daily basis to make life on earth a better place for my fellow human beings for Heaven’s sake.

With that in mind, I am also mindful that the one thing that does not change on this earth is the human condition, unless it becomes subject to the power of God’s Holy Spirit. The end of the Great Story as told in Revelation is a parallel to Ezekiel’s prophecy in today’s chapter. God’s sword (pictured as the Words from Jesus’ mouth; see Rev 19:15) standing against the scepters of the Prince of this World and all the kingdoms of this world.

Despite knowing and believing the ending, my role in this Great Story is to be an ambassador of God’s Kingdom here on earth today. And that means being a good citizen, and operating out of love in everything I say and do. Here we go…

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.