The significance of Ezekiel for modern Christians
The modern world in which we
live faces great problems. Every time we listen to a news broadcast on the
radio or look at a newspaper, we are confronted with news of war, conflict,
unrest and confusion in the lives of different nations and communities, and hardship
of many kinds causing suffering to many people. Many people feel that the very
fast advances of modern technology hold a serious threat to life on this
planet, as well as the possibilities of greater development. Nuclear power may
solve our fuel problems but it can also be used to destroy us.
All this can cause many
people to feel very insecure and afraid; many may suffer great hardships
through events which they cannot control. In such situations, many people
become despairing and pessimistic. Many may stop believing in a God who can
change anything. It can help us to remember that Ezekiel spoke from such a
situation. What he and his people experienced was no less bad than what very
many people experience today. To most of the exiles in Babylon there appeared
to be no future for them and their children, and life had become a matter of
meaningless survival. Yet from this situation Ezekiel spoke with great courage
of God's care for the individual, God's power to transform the human situation
and the certainty of renewal. He challenged his people to face the fact of
their own sin, and modem people need to hear this challenge today just as much
as the exiles needed to hear it. But Ezekiel also promised them forgiveness if
they returned to God, and the same message is relevant today.