Ezekiel 21-22 “Being Corrupt without Realising”

READ: Ezekiel 21-22  

Verses chosen for meditation: Ezekiel 22:25-29 

²⁵ The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. ²⁶ Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. ²⁷ Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. ²⁸ And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice.

REFLECT

Chapter 22 states the specific reasons for God’s impending judgement. It was to ensure Israel understood why judgement was coming. V25-29 depicts the total failure of all levels of leadership that should have given moral and spiritual guidance to Judah.

The false prophets, instead of preaching against sin, took the wealth of desperate people dying to hear words of encouragement, as payment for the encouraging false prophecies. They urged the nation to go to war (opposite of what God instructed), causing many men to be slain, leaving behind many widows. Their messages were attractive but false (whitewash), claiming it’s from God.

The priests, who were supposed to guide people in the law and keep the temple pure, turned a blind eye to wrongdoing and perverted God’s truth with their teachings. The princes, responsible for enforcing law and order, were themselves violating law and order. They promoted murder, extortion, greed for personal gain.

It was an ecosystem of corruption, so pervasive that everyone deemed it acceptable. It was no surprise then that the common folks followed suit. Anyone in positions of power were robbing from the powerless who could not defend themselves (the poor, the foreigners).  

RELATE

To better understand the depraved actions of the whole leadership, these were tense times, with Judah sandwiched between the ambitions of Babylon and the useless promises of Egyptian protection. The economy was probably in shambles. In those years of crisis, the leadership justified one another’s actions of grabbing whatever they could for themselves. That’s when law and order collapsed.

That was wartime, where high pressures reveal one’s true character. In peacetime, we may not display this level of evil, but would we have acted differently under the same circumstances as the people of the land (v29)? Even now, are we fully innocent? Can we truly say we do not rob, extort, gain advantages for ourselves at the expense of others, given how these can take subtle forms today?

To prevent this abominable history enacting in us, it is important for the church to help one another distinguish between the holy and the common (v26). Common is what’s widely accepted and can be deceptively evil. Widely accepted doesn’t equal right. Widely accepted may mean we lack the moral courage to correct each other, turning a blind eye on many things and over time, we ourselves begin to normalise the conduct.

What are some things that may be widely accepted but not necessarily holy? Do we find ourselves competing a lot to amass personal gain, doing it fairly, though it means less for others who may not have the same ability to amass the way we do? Do we share what we amass with them, or do we leave them to be at the mercy of their abilities?

What if the government announce that foreigners residing in our country get CDC vouchers too, the same amount as us? That would likely mean we all share the pie and take a lower cut, perhaps $300/household. Would we react in protest or celebrate the move? Would that reaction depend on the finances we have at that moment? Answering these may give us insight on how we might behave in wartime. If we find ourselves hoarding, ignoring needs of the powerless, ignoring injustice in peacetime, what makes us think we would not start exploiting them during wartime?

REST

Dear Lord, may you search my heart and point out the corrupt ways in me. May your spirit reveal to me your holy ways from the common, and give me the strength in Christ to obey what the spirit prompts. Amen.

Chris Chong