Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 24-26.

My lovely wife married me 22 years ago on the 23rd of this month.  So I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary every day from now until then.

Happy Anniversary, Darling!

Every time I read Ezekiel’s prophecy about Jerusalem as a cooking pot I feel like I am missing part of the image he is drawing here.  Today, it reads to me like he is making one of two comparisons.  My first thought was that he was comparing Jerusalem to a cooking pot and all of the “meat” was thrown in together and indistinguishable after the cooking.  By that I understand it to mean that there will be no distinguishing the elites from the common man when destruction comes to Jerusalem.  Then when I re-read the passage today, it occurred to me that Ezekiel says that only the choicest meats had been placed in the cooking pot.  To me, that suggests that the prophecy says that the “elites” had gathered in Jerusalem and would suffer there together.  In both cases, I see it as a warning against those who think that they are a special class who will be able to avoid the suffering others will suffer as a result of their decisions.  As I read this I am reminded of things I see in the world today from the elites, from those who believe that their wealth or political connections will shield them from the devastation which will result from the policies they support and the actions which they take.  Again, I would like to note that Ezekiel did not speak his prophecies to the people of Jerusalem.  Rather, Ezekiel prophesied to the Israelites already in exile in Babylon.  I believe that just as I see two possible interpretations for his there are two possible lessons.  First, we should not despair thinking that those whose actions and policies will bring about devastation will escape from the consequences they are bringing upon others.  Second, we should not think that we can take actions which will bring suffering on others and escape that suffering ourselves.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.