Duck and Cover

In the fifties and sixties children endured civil defense training in the classroom; and most homes had civil defense manuals outlining what to do in an emergency. At least that was the practice in North Dakota where hundreds of ICBM missile silos were nestled beneath the wheat fields of the plains. The instruction came in response to fears about a nuclear war. We had plans, we practiced procedures, and every home had a small stockpile of supplies. Looking back, the plans and preparations were pretty futile in light of what we now know about the devastating power of nuclear weapons and, of course, their residual radioactivity.

The prophet Ezekiel was given the task of preparing the people of Israel for very difficult times. Unfortunately, few were willing to listen.

And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel—not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. (Ezekiel 3:4-7 ESV)

Early on in the prophecy of Ezekiel we encounter a recurring phrase, “[Then] you [they] will know that I am the Lord.” It is an ominous theme throughout the book as preceding that particular phrase, there is always a specific promise of judgment. For example,

I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places shall be profaned. When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none. Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor. They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders. The king mourns, the prince is wrapped in despair, and the hands of the people of the land are paralyzed by terror. According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 7:24-27 ESV)

Three things stand out from Ezekiel. First, God didn’t think Ezekiel would be successful in convincing the people to return to Him. Secondly, God’s goal seemed simple enough: that His people would “know that I am the LORD.” The third observation suggests that this simple goal was a frustrating one for God, and the only redemptive means left to Him was judgment.

Have you ever asked a friend or child to do something and watch them mutter “yeah” and not move? Do you notice that every time you repeat the question it tends to get louder? By Ezekiel’s time, the people of Israel had already endured some judgment. Ezekiel was, after all, prophesying from exile in Babylon. But, apparently God’s voice wasn’t yet loud enough: the hardships and devastation visited on Israel and Judah were not having lasting effect. And, thus, the hearts of the people were not moving in response to God’s call.

In Ezekiel 7:24 we learn part of the problem: in judgment God wanted to “put an end to the pride of the strong.” Pride was one of the major factors keeping the people from “knowing”—in other words, acknowledging and therefore worshiping-- God as “the LORD.”

But, in fairness, the people of Israel had not stopped worshiping God. Unfortunately, they were worshiping other gods as well. And when trouble befell them, they were seeking political solutions instead of spiritual ones. What prompted God’s sadness and kindled his wrath was that He had become a symbol, a ritual, a cultural custom. He was not revered, honored, depended upon, sought out, or listened to as in the days of King David. The people of Israel and Judah had grown worldly, sophisticated, and “wise.” They had moved beyond dependence on God. Ezekiel, like many prophets, spoke words that no longer seemed relevant to them.

Several hundred years later, the spiritual climate remained essentially the same. As Jesus began His ministry, the very ones who should have recognized Him became His fiercest opponents. Jesus described them quite critically:

Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say. (Luke 11:52-54 ESV)

Often when people hear things they do not want to hear, their first response is to become defensive--deny the issue; secondly, they may go on the offensive seeking to discredit the observation or the observer. The passage above depicts a classic "kill the messenger” response. Like Ezekiel’s audience, the religious elite of Christ’s time, were in no mood to take God’s message to heart.

It’s pride again. Have you ever noticed that some people can never be wrong? They are rarely at fault, mistakes are rarely their doing. They argue when they should listen. They react to hurtful truth hoping if they can prove the messenger wrong, perhaps they will kill the message, too. Change? Change is the furthest option from their minds. “Right” people don’t have to change. Unfortunately, the people Ezekiel addressed learned their lesson the hard way.

Our town had a civil defense siren to warn us of imminent nuclear attack. As a child I was taught to find shelter and “duck and cover” if the siren were ever to call. But even I knew that the siren was not the thing to be feared; the siren was designed to protect me and warn me of immediate danger.

God’s siren has been blaring for centuries now. Pride convinces men and women that the siren is the problem, not them. The siren is malfunctioning, and/or history has proven its voice irrelevant. But God (in His love), will not allow His creation to miss its most important message—and He will bring judgment to the many in hopes of getting the attention of a few.

God is a loving God, "not wanting any to perish." He is longsuffering and patient. God has always taken the "long view." But, if I were a betting man, I would wager that we are approaching times like that of Ezekiel. And if God desires for all the world to learn and know that He is LORD, then we should understand that He has demonstrated a willingness to bring hardship and judgment in order to foster such revival. America is now looking for another political solution for its woes even as we did four years ago. Have things improved? Will they? It all depends upon the solutions we choose. We are far from God and accelerating in the wrong direction. Revival is the answer. What precedes revival? Well, it isn't affluence and political stability . . .  

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:3-4 ESV

Practice? We’re Talking About Practice . . .

In a recent playoff game, the Celtics were far ahead of the Hawks, and Coach Doc Rivers began to substitute to rest his starters. As Kevin Garnett took his chair, he immediately turned to Greg Stiemsma seated next to him and began demonstrating something to the rookie center acquired by the Celtics in December of last year. Stiemsma appeared to listen very intently to the perennial all-star—and why not? Garnett has forgotten more than most players will ever learn about the game. What an opportunity to learn one’s position from one of the best who has ever played the game! The scene reminded me of something.

Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. Psalm 25:8-9 ESV

This week is the anniversary of the infamous “practice” rant by Allen Iverson. You must remember the interview, where the mercurial star complained about reports that his interest and investment in practicing with his team was far below the coach’s expectations. He seemed insulted by the notion that he needed practice. In his mind and words, there was nothing he was going to gain from the discipline of practicing with his teammates. In the contrast of the rookie center from Boston, and the all-star from (then) Philadelphia we see a valuable lesson. One listened intently, soaking up Garnett’s instruction like a sponge, the other, already “knew it all.” Which one is teachable?

Jesus confronted similar “players” in his day. The Pharisees, Sadducees, priests and scribes were the religious experts; what in the world did a carpenter’s son from Bethlehem have to teach them? They had years of rigorous debate and learning, Jesus had scars from saw cuts and splinters. Further, Jesus gathered around Himself all manner of lowly rabble—how could a religious man (a truly serious one, that is) behave the way Christ did?

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17

In truth, only those who suspect they are sick or injured are willing to seek help in the first place. In other words, if someone denies the reality of a broken arm, they won’t waste time in a doctor’s waiting room. Of course denial rarely changes reality. The religious leaders of Christ’s time didn’t know how spiritually injured and ill they truly were. On the other hand, those who are willing to admit they are not doing well are more readily willing to seek out the Great Physician’s care.

Pride has a way of blinding us to our need. Pride has a way of quenching the desire to learn. A young inmate was interviewed for a television program about gangs and prison life. Already the father of three children he was asked about his hopes for his little ones. He replied that he would be proud if they chose to follow him into the gangs—even though he cheerfully admitted that gang life leads to “a casket or prison.” What? What kind of numbskull desires a casket or a prison cell for his children? His cell-mate (also a product of gang-life), by contrast, moved his family far from the influence and temptation of the gangs, and insists that his children achieve good grades so they can one day earn college scholarships. One inmate considers prison his “badge of honor,” the latter considers it a hard lesson and apt punishment, but also a sad waste of precious time—something he hopes the rest of his family will avoid.

Pride shortens our vision and fixes it on the temporal. Prides closes our ears to any voice but our own. In short, pride fills us with subjectivity, mistakes, missteps, wrong turns, and cultural “wisdom.” Humility, on the other hand, is the characteristic of hearts and minds that are intensely teachable, and readily redeemable. The humble are under no illusions about the value of their knowledge and experience, or the merits of conventional wisdom, but will instead seek the Words of Life from Lord and learn from Him.

We all have a lot to learn . . . realizing that is a pretty positive step! Praise God! He is always at work, revealing Himself, and teaching the right way!