Lethal Entitlement

Ezekiel 33:21-26

On January 8, (585BC)] during the twelfth year of our captivity, a survivor from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!” The previous evening the Lord had taken hold of me and given me back my voice. So I was able to speak when this man arrived the next morning.

Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, the scattered remnants of Israel living among the ruined cities keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he gained possession of the entire land. We are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’  So tell these people, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You eat meat with blood in it, you worship idols, and you murder the innocent. Do you really think the land should be yours? Murderers! Idolaters! Adulterers! Should the land belong to you?’

When news comes that Jerusalem has fallen (and the Temple had been destroyed), you might think the message Zeke would have would be one of consolation.  Nope.  That will come later.  This is the “I told you so” message.   It is not Zeke being petty. It is a message that the Hebrews needed to hear and it should be a warning for us.

It’s a wonderful and dangerous thing to feel that you are the chosen people, God’s favored nation among the nation.  While such a designation can induce humility (and it should), it can also induce pride.  Over time, it can foster a sense of entitlement.  Left unchecked, it can lead to attitude of superiority, even invulnerability.  Ironically, it is exactly this attitude that precipitates the fall. 

Ezekiel, in the wake of the very symbol of greatest pride being destroyed, simply asks this poignant rhetorical question: “What did you think would happen?”  People were being wrongfully murdered.  The rich were getting richer and the poor were dying.  The King Jehoiakim was a tyrant whose shameful adultery, lawlessness, and hateful speech began to spread throughout the land.  The people became divided against themselves and violence spread like wildfire.  All of this made Israel an easy target for their enemies.  Just as an individual cannot escape the consequences for their destructive actions, neither can a corrupt and divided society expect to continue to skate on its former glory and designations.  Character counts, whether it’s individual or national.

I hope it’s obvious by now why Ezekiel’s message to his people 2500 years ago should serve as a warning to us in the present age and society in which we live.  I’ll leave you with God’s message to Ezekiel himself about the people he has just given this message, May the same never be said of us:

“Son of man, your people talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors. They say to each other, ‘Come on, let’s go hear the prophet tell us what the Lord is saying!’  So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money.  You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t act on it!  But when all these terrible things happen to them—as they certainly will—then they will know a prophet has been among them.” (Ezekiel 33:30-33)

Prayer:  God, give us eyes to see the injustice and inequity around us.  Give us ears to hear the cries of the innocent.  Give us mouths that are not silent about what we see and hear and hands to do what we can to make things right.  Amen

Prayer Focus:  Pray for the families of people whose loved ones have been murdered and their murderers have not been brought to justice.

Song:  Great American Novel – Steve Camp (written by Larry Norman in 1972)