Ezekiel 39 | Wayfarer

“‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.”
Ezekiel 39:11 (NIV)

It is an impressive place. The Valley of Jezreel/Megiddo stretches from the Mediterranean on the west to the Jordan River on the east. I stood for a while and gazed at it. This is the fabled place of Armageddon, the site of the prophesied last great battle. It’s a real place and because of its natural topography, it’s been the site of over 30 major conflicts across 4,000 years of human history. Those conflicts include Napoleon as well as David.

Today’s chapter is the second of Ezekiel’s mysterious prophesies concerning a nation called Gog who rallies the nations in a massive invasion of Israel from the north. They are unsuccessful, and in hyperbolic metaphors, Ezekiel describes the aftermath of the great battle. There are so many of the weapons of the enemy left lying around that for seven years the people of Israel don’t need to gather wood for their fires. They simply use the weapons of Gog’s hordes that are lying around everywhere.

In even more raw and graphic metaphors, the dead enemies of God are described in sacrificial terms as if they were the bulls and rams sacrificed on the altar in the sacrificial system of Moses.

When God says that the burial place for Gog and its hordes will be “in the valley of those travel east of the Sea,” the Valley of Megiddo is a natural conclusion.

The chapter concludes with a vision of a restoration of Israel and God pouring out His Spirit on the people.

The challenge, of course, is that nothing like that described in these two chapters has a clear connection to an actual historical event while clear parallels exist to John’s prophetic visions in Revelation.

Along my life journey, I have learned that there is a spiritual dance that happens between the micro and macro, the common and the cosmic, between the everyday events of my life journey and the larger Great Story of which it is a part. God is present and at work in both. There are all sorts of macro-level connections throughout the Great Story that weave their way into a giant storyline. But God also knows the ever-decreasing number of hairs on my head and God is present and intimately involved in everything that happens in my life this day. It is not an “either-or” but a “both and.” This gives me much-needed context for my life journey. My everyday fears and anxieties need the context of the larger Great Story that God is telling in which I can take comfort. Likewise, the larger Great Story informs my daily thoughts, words, and actions. I am part of something bigger than myself and this reminds me that I’m to live this day thinking not about myself, but others and how I can contribute to all that God is doing in this Great Story.

NOTE: I’m on the road tomorrow. See you on Monday!

They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. Ezekiel 39:26 (NIV)

I reached a point as an adult in which I realized that for much of my life journey I had been plagued with an underlying sense of shame,

Shame (noun) \ˈshām\ a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety.

I felt a constant sense of being “less than” some sort of ubiquitous “should be.” I had a friend and therapist who once asked me to place a label to the core pain I felt deep in my spirit. After pondering the question for a week or two the answer I came up with was “not enough.”

This led me on a journey of learning more about shame. There is healthy shame and there is unhealthy shame. Like our appetite for food, healthy shame is a necessary part of a balanced life. Shame for our honest mistakes and shortcomings motivates us to check our behavior and make positive changes. But, appetites unbridled lead to unhealthy places. Shame that is unchecked and out of control leads to all sorts of negative consequences like negative self image, depression, seeking to cover our nagging negative feelings in unhealthy ways, and etc.

I came to realize over time that I was not alone in my struggle. Most people, whether they realize it or not, grapple with an underlying sense of shame. I have come to the conclusion that unhealthy shame is a very natural part of the human condition after The Fall. My discoveries led me to a time of study, introspection, and change. I began catching myself when my thoughts were given over to shame. I started consciously allowing myself to be affirmed in an active counter balance to my destructive self talk. As a result, I have I’ve found myself in much healthier places over time.

Today’s chapter is a continuation of the prophetic foreshadowing of the end times that began in yesterday’s chapter. I found it interesting that one of the restorative spiritual promises God gives is that the people will, in this climactic conclusion, “forget their shame.” I look forward to the Day when I can completely forget my shame.

Until then, I will continue on in my struggle to keep unhealthy shame in check, one day at a time.