Ezekiel: An intolerant God

Ezekiel speaks prophetically of God's approaching judgement upon His people, at a time where they were dangerously unconcerned about their own spiritual state and the state of their nation (and there seem to have been plenty of false prophets to give them fake reassurance). The repeated phrase 'then they will know that I am the LORD' shows that God's character, in particular His righteousness, purity and total intolerance of sin, will be revealed in the judgement that is about to be poured out upon this disobedient people.

Many baulk at the idea of an intolerant God or a God of judgement. Reading Old Testament books like Ezekiel can be hard because of the seeming harshness of the message, such as the angelic executioners who kill all idolaters young and old in the vision of chapter 9. Ezekiel himself falls to the ground and asks God if He intends to destroy everyone, in despair. God answers: “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’ So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.” (v9-10). There doesn't seem to be any leeway here. But think about it: do you want a God who turns a blind eye to the massive injustices of the world? A God who ignores the plight of abused children, trafficking victims, the poor and exploited? We don't really want a God like that at all. God's consistency in His hatred of sin and His absolute moral purity and perfection are why He is worthy of our worship.

God's judgement is indeed terrifying; I would not make out that it's not. And the stunning depiction of judgement in Ezekiel makes me breathlessly in awe of God and very, very thankful that on Jesus Christ His wrath was poured out completely and I will never have to face it myself.

For all those who look around and say, 'where is God? Why does He let all this bad stuff happen?', Ezekiel's message is still relevant today. He effectively reminds us that God's character remains unchanged. He is totally intolerant of sin in any shape or form. The day is coming when He will act decisively and any doubts you have will be completely removed, but you don't want to be on the receiving end of His retribution. Run to Jesus for refuge and urge everyone around you to do the same, before it's too late.

Understanding Proverbs

As I've been going through this Old Testament book, I've been thinking about how much it informs the mindset and teaching of Jesus and the writers of the New Testament. Although Proverbs can sometimes be a bit of a challenge to read through chapter-by-chapter, because of it's bitty nature and it is quite repetitive with lots of different strands and trains of thought, when you do look at the book systematically, a really clear worldview emerges. I think this is key to understanding Proverbs today, and not just looking at it as a bunch of random quotes or pieces of advice.

The biblical worldview as shown in Proverbs mainly covers the areas of justice and sin. The principles clearly taught in the Old Testament law find memorable illustration and examples in these short, pithy sayings. Just as a preacher can really stun you by bringing home some biblical truth with a well-chosen picture, Proverbs is perfect for bringing to life biblical principles in action.

Justice
A key theme on my heart at the moment! The writer(s) of Proverbs have a really clear understanding of God as a just God and therefore he has utter confidence that evil will be punished, truth will out, and the righteous will be vindicated. 'He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.' (Prov 2:8) 'It is a joy for the just to do justice, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.' (Prov 21:15) It is a real temptation for God's people to envy those who seem free from moral restraint, who indulge in sinful pleasures and sometimes seemingly without consequences. But many proverbs remind us that there is a price for sin, and it doesn't pay. 'Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.' (Prov 23:17-18)

Sin
Proverbs exposes the very nature of evil and sin as something at the heart of us, not just limited to the actions we commit externally. Proverbs changes the way that we think, because it constantly emphasises that our thoughts make us who we are. People's actions in Proverbs are linked back to their thoughts; and motives are seen as crucial when the Lord looks at us and weighs up our deeds: 'The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.' (Prov 17:3) The father urges his son 'let your heart keep my commands' and to write mercy and truth 'on the tablet of your heart' (Prov 3:1,3). One of the most famous verses in the book says 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding' (Prov 3:5). The message is clear: if we get our hearts right, then our thoughts and actions will be pleasing to God. God hates 'a heart that devises wicked plans' (Prov 6:18). The many passages about the dangers of a seductive woman warn the hearer to not lust after her beauty in your heart (Prov 6:25), because that will soon lead to physical adultery. The overall message of the book is 'Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way.' (Prov 23:19)

This is not to say that we can somehow achieve our own salvation by changing ourselves and becoming 'good' people. But as believers, part of God's chosen people, washed clean from sin, we do have a divine calling on our lives to be righteous (see 2 Peter 1). The distinction the Psalms so often make between the righteous and the wicked reflects this (see Psalm 1). The descriptions of men like Noah and Job as righteous also indicate that there is a righteousness the people of God can possess through the power of His grace and Spirit.

Proverbs gives us a healthy reminder that our thoughts and actions matter greatly to God; He despises hypocrisy, and He calls for us to live in purity as He is pure. Reading through the book, I've felt challenged to care a lot more about my thought patterns and see that as who I really am, rather than the pretty good Christian I project to the world through being a very 'respectable' person. If I look purely at the person I am around other people, and my actions, then I can kid myself that I'm doing pretty well at living the Christian life. It's when I dig deeper and look at my heart, that I am forced to confront the ugliness of my motives, my pride and my envy of others, that all too often I skilfully mask. Proverbs urges me to get to the root of sin and cut out these evil thoughts and eradicate them from my mind, and only then can I really be the person God wants me to be.

Journey to Justice Part 3: a voice for the voiceless

'Speak out on behalf of the voiceless,
and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.
Speak out in order to judge with righteousness
and to defend the needy and the poor.' (Proverbs 31:8-10)

I would love to think that our society is progressive, that our history may be full of primitive blood lust and violence, but that we've become more civilised and just over time.

I don't want to undermine where progress has been made, such as various reform acts passed to protect children in the Victorian era, or Wilberforce's abolition campaign in the C18th.

But the fact is, we create laws to justify the unjustifiable. The Abortion Act made abortion legal if two doctors agree that an abortion would cause less damage to a woman's physical or mental health than continuing with the pregnancy. The majority of abortions carried out are done on the basis of mental health. However, there is no real recognition that abortion actually creates mental health problems, as this truth is rather inconvenient for 'women's rights' and all the other 'pro-choice' arguments (though I would say that many women who have an abortion don't really feel they are making a 'choice' at all, but acting in desperation in difficult circumstances). The increasing number of post-abortion counselling services testifies to two generations of women who have used their 'right' to abort and lived with terrible feelings of loneliness, depression, guilt and shame afterwards. Medical terminology may dismiss an early-stage pregnancy as nothing more than 'tissue', but at 8 weeks' pregnant, your baby is 2cm long, complete with fingers and toes and a heart beating at around 160 beats per minute. I went through a miscarriage where the baby stopped developing at 8 weeks. The loss of this 'tissue' was utterly devastating and I know I am not alone in experiencing that pain. Obviously I didn't choose to miscarry, but does a woman with a crisis pregnancy who makes that decision to abort at 8 weeks really understand how she will feel afterwards?

The unborn child is totally dependent on its mother to protect it, and abortion violates that natural principle, that instinct, of motherly protection.

I know this is a sensitive issue, but I can't stay silent on it.

The sad fact is, that we use laws to supposedly protect and prevent (eg. people arguing that back-street abortions result in much more harm than if abortions can be made legally available) when they are just to make things more convenient. Around 40 women died per year through illegal abortions before the 1967 Act. Since the Act was passed, the number of abortions per year has risen to over 200,000 in the UK. Yes, we've saved those 40 women per year... At the cost of how many unborn lives?

I would apply the same principle to the sex industry. We want to protect prostitutes, and in the UK prostitution is legal, but soliciting and running or owning a brothel are crimes. Many brothels operate through legitimate businesses, licensed as saunas or massage parlours. A recent study found that 40% of prostitutes in the UK are foreigners from Eastern Europe or South East Asia- prime locations for young girls to be trafficked and exploited due to their poverty and corrupt policing. What fuels our appetite for the sex trade? Pornography. And this 'legal' so-called art form or means of sexual expression has so spiralled out of control that suddenly politicians are starting to panic and try to ban certain forms of it. This quote sums it up well for me:

'Pornography... (serves to) normalize and sexualize violence and dominance and portray women as constantly sexually available. It conditions consumers to separate sex from relationships, human connection, intimacy, and proximity (as in, sex isn’t about being near someone, it’s about being isolated and alone.) In essence, it feeds the flesh and starves the soul, bringing about no real fulfilment, only hunger pangs you no longer know how to satisfy.' (Hope for the Voiceless)

We've got to stop tolerating the fabric of exploitation that is woven throughout every area of our society, and it starts with our own personal choices. What kind of consumers are we? And what kind of society have we created through our own desire for increased convenience and less accountability; our passion for our rights, at the expense of the rights of others? I don't find these questions easy, I find them deeply unsettling. There are no simple answers.

Journey to Justice Part 2: Enlarge my heart

There seems to be a tacit agreement that our hearts have a limited capacity to love and care for others. When disasters strike, we watch a few harrowing images and then turn off the news. We think that we've seen enough, that our hearts can't take any more. It would be unreasonable to keep on feeling emotion for all those who are suffering.

But the Bible gives us no get-out clauses for sharing God's heart for justice, and loving others as He loves:

'The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.' (Psalm 145:8-9)

'The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.' (Proverbs 29:7)

“Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.” (Zechariah 7:9-10)

'Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.' (Colossians 3:12)

'This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. For this is the message you heard from the beginning: we should love one another... This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.' (1 John 3:10-18)

There are no limits on God's love; how, then, can we place limits on our own love for others? If we are searching within our own hearts for a selfless, sacrificial love for others, we won't find it. But if we ask God to give us His heart, ours will overflow with grace and compassion.

Yes, there is loads of messed-up stuff in this world. Yes, it seems overwhelming. But we can't hide our heads under the Christian duvet and just wait for Jesus to come back with our fingers in our ears. We have to hear the cry of the poor and needy; we have to respond. We have to love in deeds and action, not just with words and grand sentiment. It's tough. It's so hard to avoid hypocrisy. But if we give up, we've lost sight of God's heart and that's a terrible, scary place to be - even more terrible and scary than facing the truth about the sin and brokenness in our world, and the Saviour who is the only One who can heal it.

Journey to Justice Part 1: Justice at the heart of God

Justice and righteousness are the same concept in the Bible- there isn't the kind of division between public justice and private righteousness that we have in western culture today.

If we want to become holy as God is holy, we have to have a passion for justice. We can't just be focused on our own personal holiness without a wider vision for the poor, needy and the voiceless in our society. Here's just a selection of some key Scriptures that focus on this issue:

The Law of Moses

'Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.' (Exodus 23:6)

'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favouritism to the great, but judge your neighbour fairly.' (Leviticus 19:15)

“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” (Deuteronomy 27:19)

Wisdom literature

'Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?' (Job 8:3)

'The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.' (Job 37:23)

'The Lord is known by His acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.' (Psalm 9:16)

'For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.' (Psalm 11:7)

'The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.' (Psalm 33:5)

'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.' (Psalm 45:6)

'And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.' (Psalm 50:6)

'Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.' (Psalm 89:14)

'I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.' (Psalm 140:12)

'The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.' (Proverbs 29:7)

The Prophets

'Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.' (Isaiah 1:17)

'But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.' (Isaiah 5:16)

'Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.' (Isaiah 9:7)

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations... A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:1-4)

The Gospels

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." (Matthew 23:23)

"And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)

New Testament Writings

"For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”(Acts 17:31)

'I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.' (Revelation 19:11)

That God is a God of justice is absolutely foundational to His character and the whole testimony of Scripture. But that doesn't mean His justice is always clear or easy to understand. One thing I'm sure of: as humans we find it easy to cast ourselves as victims. Whenever anything hard happens, we feel it is undeserved. When we encounter sudden loss or grief, we question why God thought it best to take that person away who we loved so much. When we see news reports of war, conflict and disaster, starving children, trafficked women and children, our sense of justice feels outraged and we just can't comprehend how God is just and yet He doesn't intervene to bring all these things to an end... Yet. It's a matter of trusting the Bible's promises, that God is more just than we can imagine or handle. In fact, if His justice was turned on us, there is no way we could stand. (Ps 130:3) The portrayal in the Bible of the coming of God's justice in final judgement are earth shattering and terrifying (eg. Joel 2).

Whenever I'm tempted to think that I care more about justice than God, I remember the cross. The fact is that my concern for justice is all too often self centred and localized. I don't care anywhere near enough about my Christian brothers and sisters in labour camps in North Korea, or refugee families from Syria, or even the poor and needy in my own community. My prayer needs to be: "Lord make me care more about justice", rather than feeling I'm in any position to demand it on my terms.

'The Reader' reviewed

Yesterday I took some students to a public-speaking competition in London. There was a lot of waiting around... But I managed to get through Bernhard Schlink's 'The Reader' AND do my marking, which was quite satisfying!

'The Reader' has recently been made into a film with Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet- I wanted to read the book before seeing the film because my friends recommended it. It is a very compelling read- all about how the protagonist struggles to come to terms with the fact that his past lover was an SS guard in Nazi Germany.

The book raises so many interesting questions. For example, Michael says 'I was guilty of having loved a criminal', but what he is really saying is that somehow his generation is implicated and involved in the Holocaust. He struggles to reconcile Hanna's crimes with the person he once knew, and it raises the issue, as the reading-group questions in the back articulate: 'How can we explain why ordinary people commit atrocities without resorting to calling them monsters?'

The Bible has an answer to this: it teaches that we often try to measure up ourselves against others in order to justify ourselves and pat ourselves on the back for our superior morality. Actually that is fruitless, because our righteousness is filthy rags to God (Isa 64:6). Instead of creating an 'us' and 'them' scenario where the murderers and rapists are on one side of the fence, ourselves on the other, we should accept that every single one of us is capable of 'atrocities' if placed in the right (or wrong) time or place. We should acknowledge that often our thoughts are atrocious, even if our deeds are respectable. And it is our sinfulness that sent Jesus to the cross, so that we could be forgiven.

Our human sense of justice -our desire to see Nazi war criminals pay for their deeds- is a gift from God. He will hold everyone accountable for the wrongs they have done- against other people but also against Him. If you're trusting in Jesus, be glad and look forward to the day when there will be no more injustice and no more suffering. If you're not trusting in Jesus, don't be too quick to call down the wrath of God upon the 'sinners' of our society. Get your rags replaced with the riches of Jesus Christ!