Prophecy against the mountains of Israel

In today’s reading, we get part of the explanation for God’s judgement against Israel. They had long-ago turned the high places on mountains into shrines for other gods. These had become sanctuaries of idolatry, and now these same places would be the arena of God’s judgement. But even here, at His most vengeful, we see that God is merciful – determined to save a remnant for Himself.

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REFLECTION

Desecrated Mountains
by Dan Kidd

I grew up the mountains and rolling hills of East Tennessee. And though this may very well be my bias speaking, I think there is something uniquely awe-inspiring—downright sacred—about mountain peaks. The Celts had this idea of “thin places,” where the membrane between heaven and earth is smaller, and we can’t help but feel God’s presence and majesty. The Israelites seem to have had this idea too. As they were expanding their territory, they would build alters to Yahweh atop the mountains, where they would pray, meet with priests, and make sacrifices.

But when Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, the temple became the primary location of worshipping the Lord. And the places that had once been sacred spots where the one true God of Israel was praised were incrementally replaced—desecrated—by artifacts like poles, pillars, and tents for the worship of other gods. 

The Lord directs Ezekiel to set his face against the whole inhabitants of Israel (the “mountains of Israel”) and proclaim that their idolatry has put them squarely in the crosshairs of disaster. The Lord says he will scatter their bones around alters of these imaginary gods who could not protect them from the swords of their enemies. 

This is harsh stuff. 

We might be tempted to read into this that God has responded in anger against his people. And that certainly may be true to an extent, but v. 9 gives us explicit insight into how God feels about this: grieved! Or, more poetically put (and closer to the Hebrew), “I [the Lord] am broken with their whorish hearts.” The Lord is devastated by this betrayal! He shared vows with them; I, Yahweh take you to be my people, to have and to hold, to cherish and protect—and to love—in sickness and health, and not even in death shall we part!

But now, in those sacred places that the Lord once met with his people, where they poured out their affections for him and he showered them with blessings, they have taken up new lovers. Yahweh is undone. He is broken. And as is usually true in cases of a relentless pattern of unrepentant adultery, calamity was inevitable. 

Some would be spared, perhaps out of grace? Or maybe to preserve the memory of God’s shattered heart? Perhaps as an assurance that Yahweh is not yet done with this marriage to Israel?

Here’s what’s certain: I desperately do not want to break God like this. But I am concerned by how easy it is to take those places in my life where God has graciously poured out blessings and give them over to something other than God. To take the gifts of my marriage, my son, my job, or my home and credit myself with them—my hard work, my mind, my preparation, or my good fortune. How easily my mornings spent in the company of the Lord can be replaced by a head start on the pile of tasks waiting on me at sunup. We would do well to remember how inconspicuously we can replace our once sacred spaces with unholy things. Lord, train our eyes on you and lead us not into betrayal. 

UALC'S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER

TUESDAY -  UNITY: God of peace, we pray for de-polarized, non-defensive pursuit of truth, unity, and equality. We pray for well engaged minds. Set us free from the competing narratives of our culture wars that funnel us into opposing camps and make of us a house divided. Kindle in us a desire for your truth that is larger than our desire to have been right.