Ezekiel 45 | Wayfarer

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
Ezekiel 45:9 (NIV)

When you live in Iowa your entire life and feel a civic responsibility, there’s a certain mindshare that politics and national issues take up. Certainly the Iowa Caucuses are a major part of that. A year ago you could meet and hear any number of the Presidential candidates right here in our little town. Usually the venue is packed.

Hearing the issues the candidates talk about and how they plan to address large scale, complex problems stirs thoughts about how one might re-order the world. Approach an issue one way and you create one negative consequence. Approach the same issue a different way and you create a different negative consequence. Pretty soon I begin to have “If only” thoughts and conversations in my head.

“If only we could eliminate the Tax Code and start from scratch.”
“If only the Founding Fathers had included term limits.”
“If only we could rid the entire system of corruption.”

In the past few chapters, Ezekiel envisioned an ideal new Temple that has , to this point in history, never been built. I discussed the various interpretations regarding why it has never been built in the post/podcast on Ezekiel 43 entitled The Mystery. In today’s chapter, Ezekiel’s vision now shifts to an idealized vision of the restoration of Israel. I have to remember that as Ezekiel is having this vision the nation had been conquered, Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple had been destroyed. It’s as if there’s now an opportunity to envision how things could be “if only” they can return and start from scratch.

This idealized vision of their nation’s restoration begins with “when you allot the land” because security and prosperity begin with having land to build homes and grow crops and raise livestock necessary to survive and thrive. And the first allotment of the land described is God’s. It’s a giant, square sacred space at the center of everything and the center of that square is God’s sanctuary. Adjacent to it is a new square holy city within the giant square and Zeke says, “it will belong to all Israel.”

So we have a nation with this giant sacred space and God at the center. There’s also holy city. All of this land doesn’t belong to the king, land barons, property developers, oligarchs, or powerful blue blood families. It belongs to everyone.

Throughout the Great Story, beginning in Exodus, God has been trying to provide humanity with a vision for how things can and should be. But there’s a pesky issue that has to be addressed. Zeke addresses it right up front in verses 9-12. The princes of the past have been power hungry, greedy, and corrupt. And, this is always the problem when you begin to play “If only…” games in your head and dream up ideal situations.

People are not always ideal. We have pride and out of control appetites that make us hurt one-another with our selfishness, anger, jealousy, envy, and hard-hearted resentments. This the thing that I always find missing when candidates talk about systemic changes to fix complex problems. Solutions start with a change in the hearts and lives of people.

That’s what Jesus would come to tell us. Large, systemic changes begin with God changing me.

If only I will surrender and allow Him to do so.

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

This land will be his possession in Israel. And my princes will no longer oppress my people but will allow the people of Israel to possess the land according to their tribes.
Ezekiel 45:8 (NIV)

When I was young, one of my boyhood dreams was to go into politics. With idealistic notions and the strains of Schoolhouse Rock going through my head, I thought that it would be great to serve my country by running for office.

Then I grew up. And, my idealistic notions gave way a more sober understanding of what politics is really like in our day and age. You have to have money to run and pay for all those political advertisements, so your hand is always out and you’re likely going to be required to make deals with donors and special interests so your war chest is full. You can’t get anything done without political alliances with the inside power brokers who have been incumbents for decades and hold all the senior positions. So, you have to make back room deals and support bills you don’t agree with so that you can get your pet project through. Then there’s pork barrel spending, negative ads, and a number of other “realities” that make me happy to put away one particular boyhood dream.

The people of Israel went through a similar wake-up call in Ezekiel’s day. About 500 years before, the people of Israel with their idealistic notions wanted a change in government. They wanted a King to rule over them; A strong centralized monarchy like all of their neighbors had. God, through the prophet Samuel, warned them that they were being naive and said:

[This King you desire] will take the best of your fields and vineyardsand olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.

But, they finally got their wish. Now, 500 years later, Ezekiel is giving a prophetic word of eschatological hope that someday the princes of the land will stop oppressing the people by continuing to do exactly what Samuel had predicted.

Today, I am reminded that on this side of eternity there is no perfect form of government, because there are no perfect human beings. Our fallen nature, despite the highest of ideals and best of intentions, is given to corruption, greed, and pride. Monarchy, Parliamentary, Democratic, and Socialist governments all suffer from the same human corruption. As it was in Ezekiel’s day, so it remains these 2600 years later.

A rather sobering and cynical thought to start the work week, but I am reminded that the underlying message Ezekiel is communicating is one of hope that someday things will be restored, reclaimed, and redeemed. And, this morning I take that to heart and join with all others who continue to hope for that Day.