Lessons for America from Ezekiel
Ezekiel warns of the coming judgment on the people of Israel. It’s the same story that always gets us into trouble. Sin creeps in and now the whole society is on the verge of destruction.
There are similarities between the time of Ezekiel and American culture. But whether destruction is imminent or not there are lessons for the people of God and in particular, those who preach the gospel. God’s Church much be the bulwark against a culture that’s rooted in selfishness.
Background on Ezekiel
Ezekiel is called to deliver messages to the ‘remnant’ of Israel who will be saved from death. Babylon is about to destroy both Israel and Judah and either kill or capture the people. It’s both a record of their rebelliousness to God and a warning to future generations. A good summary of their fate is found right at the start of chapter 7.
“Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the end has come upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will repay you for all your abominations.” (verse 1-3).
He uses the word “abominations” which suggests extreme disgust. So we aren’t talking about lying or cheating here. Most likely this is judgment on the clergy, or the priestly tribes. We shouldn’t try to rank sins here but there are points at which iniquity becomes full and God’s wrath is poured out. This happens after prophets and warnings and calls to repentance over many years. When there isn’t much left to redeem, punishment is inevitable.
Warnings
The Lord was willing to save Sodom and Gomorrah if just 10 righteous were found (Genesis 18:32). Their homosexual behavior had become all consuming and even the angels that came to the city had to strike the men with blindness to avoid being raped.
It’s a safe bet the twin cities had warning.
Judgment is different when directed at those responsible for the moral health of a society. If the priests are pointing the people to God and keeping the laws the sinfulness is arrested. It doesn’t overwhelm the culture and become a hallmark of the place. God puts them in a position of leadership to teach and demonstrate holiness. They are the watchmen at the gates. But when the watchmen stop watching the city becomes corrupted. Not all at once of course. The first casualty is something simple like keeping the Sabbath or downplaying some portion of the law.
Indifference Toward Standards
It’s much easier to reduce the importance of a standard than to argue against it.
A work policy that insists everyone be there at 8:00 should require punishment for tardiness, especially consistent tardiness. But a company that permits mediocrity will see a lot more of it. How many employees will stick to rule without any punishment? Malaise sets in everywhere without adherence to rules. When you fast forward a decade with no concrete standards the quality of the work, and the employees, suffers greatly. Add 15 or a 30 years and assuming the company is still around, it’s likely a mess and not productive at all.
Malaise
I imagine societies work much the same way. If standards are ignored, or relaxed to point of being useless, the indifference bleeds into other standards. But it isn’t just standards after a while. An entire culture is being conditioned to relax standards to the point of mocking those who insist upon them. The malaise affects Church leadership as well. The problem is less about holding up biblical standards on right living. The lack of zeal for the gospel creates a lazy attitude toward promoting the things of God and keeping His commandments.
After a while the Church can become hostile to the very truth their institution is built on. This is when gay clergy and woke sermons steeped in Marxist theory become the norm.
Idolatry
In Judah, Ezekiel recalls his vision of the men worshiping the sun in the Lord’s temple. Not only had the priestly segments of society forgotten their God, they were now permitting ‘wicked abominations’ inside the temple. We always have this idea that people who turn from God become atheists. They reject the Savior and live without religion, unencumbered by belief in a deity. But Ezekiel plainly shows us that humans are wired to worship. We don’t replace God with nothingness; we replace Him with Lucifer. And we share in his punishment if we don’t repent.
If this sounds harsh it’s because the burden to uphold God’s moral order is incumbent on the Church. Here is what the Lord says.
“I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease, and their holy places shall be defiled. Destruction comes; They will seek peace, but there shall be none. Disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; But the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.” (Chapter 7:24-29)
Institutional Corruption
The cultural rot doesn’t usually begin in the Church. But the Church is designed as a bulwark against the excesses of sin. Is America at a tipping point judgment wise? A close look at the Church as an institution shows an array of styles, denominations and doctrines. On the one hand we’ve never had such a rich understanding of the scriptures. The plethora of ways to engage with great teaching has never existed like this before. It’s not just TV and radio (the old mediums) but also podcasts and streaming services that create a borderless world in dissemination of the Bible. On the other hand, ‘wicked abominations’ are not just permitted but encouraged, sanctified and called good.
Redeem the Time
How much goes on behind the scenes that we are unaware of? Not only with the Church but legal institutions and governing bodies have become irredeemably corrupt. The elders in Ezekiel’s day practiced idolatry in the temple created for Yahweh. That’s not just re-purposing an old building, they rejected their Creator by dishonoring His house and worshiping pagan gods.
Turning from God means embracing the enemy. A third go-my-own-way option doesn't exist.
What is permitted by the ‘elders’ that God calls sin? Judgment or not, it’s time for a return to Christ for all who will listen. I think the Church will look different going forward. It will likely be strong locally and weak nationally. Might we see a Chinese model, where house churches split after reaching a certain number? Yes I believe so. The decentralization allows a quicker move of the gospel. The lessons from our current culture is that when institutions get too big they become corrupt, hopelessly so.
But the gospel finds another way, like water through rocks. Ezekiel reminds us to redeem the time.
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