During the industrial revolution, miners carried canaries with them. If the canary fell over, they knew the air was full of mine gas — which could not only smother them but would explode of there was a spark.
Let’s look at part of today’s reading.
Ezekiel 39:21-29
21I will display my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. 22The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward. 23And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt treacherously with me. So I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. 24I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.25Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for my holy name. 26They shall forget their shame, and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they live securely in their land with no one to make them afraid, 27when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies' lands, and through them have displayed my holiness in the sight of many nations. 28Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will leave none of them behind; 29and I will never again hide my face from them, when I pour out my spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord GOD.
via PCUSA – Devotions – Daily readings for Saturday, February 20, 2010.
What does this mean? If we take this as read it implies:
- God’s glory is displayed in the restoration of Isreal.
- Isreal will not be destroyed.
- God will pour out his spirit on Isreal.
It also suggests that antisemitism is a good acid test, for those doing what is right generally support Isreal. If you don’t like this, you have to spiritualise it: but Ezekial did not do that.
Or you have to say Ezekial was a madman — but the Ancients could quite readily distinguish the madman from the prophet. The ancient penalty for falsr prophecy was death.
And… if you Beleieve Ezekial was a prophet, it is hard to accept Muhummad. who was overtly antisemetic, is one. It also hard to accept those who support the goals of Islam (the modern “useful idiots”) are acting on the side of the right.
And to those who say “by their fruits you will know them — There iwere two prosperous, democratic countries in the middle East. Isreal and Lebanon. After the Lebanese takeover (de facto) by Hezbollah, there was one country. (We hope that Lebanon and Iraq may also return to democracy) — Israel.
