Sunday 11 June 2017

But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD. – Ezekiel 44:15


Today’s Scripture Reading (June 11, 2017): Ezekiel 44

Henry the VIII is probably most remembered for two things – his wives and the separation of the Church of England from the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. But what we sometimes forget is that before Henry decided to separate from the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo X bestowed upon the king the title of “Defender of the Faith.” Henry started off his reign as a devout Catholic. His promotion to defender of the faith was due to his 1521 publication of his “Defence of the Seven Sacraments.” But all of that began to disappear in 1525 as Henry became impatient in his wife’s, Catherine of Aragon, inability to produce for him a male heir. As a result, he began to want to dissolve his marriage with Catherine. 

It was not the first time that the monarchy and the leaders of the faith disagreed with each other. But in this case, the situation between Henry and the Pope was exceedingly complex. For Henry, it is very likely that he believed (or was self-deceived into believing) that his marriage to Catherine, who happened to be the former wife of his brother, was in direct conflict with Leviticus 20:21. Leviticus states that “If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.” Therefore, Catherine’s inability to produce a male heir was directly attributable to the sin that existed in the marriage between Henry and Catherine. Henry believed that the Pope had allowed a wedding (incidentally, because of pressure brought on the Pope from Henry) that he did not have the power to approve. But for the papacy, it could not admit that it had been wrong, and there were intense political pressures that wanted to keep Catherine married to Henry. The result was a divide between church and state that could not be healed.

The story of the descendants of Zadok would seem to be the reverse of the story of the Pope and Henry VIII. When Absalom, David’s son, rebelled against David – and it appeared that most of the nation was backing Absalom over the aging David - it was Zadok who supported the king. And according to Ezekiel, the descendants of Zadok continued to support the purposes of God.

And for that reason, Ezekiel decrees that it will be the descendants of Zadok who would continue to minister before God in Ezekiel’s vision of the new Temple. Zadok and his descendants were willing to put their personal biases behind them and simply chase after the things of God – no matter where that path might take them. And as a result, God would continue to reward the faithfulness of the family of Zadok.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 45

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