Ezekiel 12: Ridicule
Friday, August 25, 2023
In Acts 26 we see that the people of Caesarea listening to Paul think him mad from too much learning! Today we see that the prophet wars exacted a toll on those who spoke on God’s behalf. The HARPER COLLINS COMMENTARY tells us that in chaotic times such as those in the days of the exile, prophets often gave “conflicting messages concerning the way people should react and by predicting different courses for future events. In times of prophetic conflict, people are likely to question prophetic authority, and prophets often respond to this situation by undergirding their own authority in various ways and by undermining the authority of their prophetic rivals.” We see the conflict in Ezekiel 12 with false visions or deceitful divinations within the house of Israel. This calls us to think about the false prophesies or divinations we may have witnessed or passed on. How do we know a false prophet when we see one?
If we have never placed our faith in those who betray our trust, we might thank God. If we have suffered betrayal, we may become more circumspect in our interactions with others, and we may even discover that our actions become too cautious, too prudent. We must guard against giving in to any temptation to strike back, or to submitting to fear or paranoia. We must be willing to move forward in hope, ignoring any ridicule we suffer, doing the work we are meant to do.
Ridicule is a weapon used expertly by mean girls and bullies. A recent survey gave us an interesting statistic: upwards of 68% of people who dislike their work do not dislike the actual task they have chosen or been given, they dislike the work place, because of bullying. We may naïvely believe that most people in most work places have equipped themselves with the necessary tools to defend themselves from haranguing and harassment.
In the U.S. we have seen bold examples of rude behavior and name-calling used to overpower others. This meanness is often described later as “a joke gone bad,” sarcasm or frank speech that is meant to counteract political correctness.
We might look for solutions to bullying but no matter the action we decide to take it is always good to remember to communicate our fears to God. If we do not know where to begin, we might find Psalm 42 helpful: Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God. My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life; when can I enter and see the face of my God? . . . Deep is calling on deep, in the roar of the waters: your torrents and all your waves swept over me . . . With cries that pierce me to the heart, my enemies revile me, saying to me all day long “Where is your God?” Why are you cast down, my soul, why groan within me? Hope in God: I will praise him still, my savior and my God.
Where is your God? Hope in God. We will praise God still.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for? . . . Go to my brothers and your brothers and tell them, “I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”. (John 20:15)
Where is your God? Hope in God. We will praise God still.
When bullies approach, as they surely will, we must hope in God to defend us from ridicule. We must rely on God to show us the way to go. And we must praise God still.
Mays, James L., ed. HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE COMMENTARY. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1988. Print.
To learn about cyber bullying, click on the image or visit: https://cyberbullying.org/what-is-bullying Adapted from a reflection written on March 25, 2008.
When we compare varying translations of these verses, we open our eyes and ears to God’s wisdom as God shows us how we might confront the ridicule we meet.
For a guide to combat bullying, click on the image above or visit: https://www.stopbullying.gov/
For an interesting article on workplace bullying, visit the Society for Human Resource Management at: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/1014-viewpoint-workplace-bullying.aspx
The Noontimes 