Today’s Scripture Reading (June 4,
2014): Ezekiel 42
The origin
of military dress seems to have been for several reasons. In antiquity, there
was no specialized uniform. But uniform’s evolved over time, partially so that
allied and enemy soldiers could be easily identified – although in modern times
the purpose has evolved more toward the ability of the soldier to blend into
the background. Military uniforms that once displayed bold colors, now are more
characteristically made up of drab colors and camouflage patterns. Distinctive
uniforms also made it almost impossible for a soldier to walk off of the front
lines and desert the battle.
But another
significant role of military dress was to differentiate between the combatants
and non-combatants in times of war. Specifically it differentiated between the
rules that governed over some, but not others. Killing, for instance, is a part
of war for combatants, but is actually still forbidden for non-combatants. And
the laws that govern war really only applies to the combatants – those traditionally
in uniform.
But one of
the controversies is still the question about a soldier – or a police officer –
when they are off duty. Once they have taken the uniform off, who exactly are
they? And for some, the answer is simple. When the uniform comes off, so does
the military responsibility and privilege. And this actually protects the
civilian. If we expect non-combatants to be safe – at least relatively – during
times of conflict, combatants also have to be sure that those not in uniform
are truly not part of the conflict. And when that line is crossed, the result
is often the death of innocents.
Some have
argued that this passage suggests that the priest is not allowed to have any
kind of secular employment. That those who are called to minister before God
are holy and are to remain that way. But I am not sure that that is the
reality. It actually would seem to argue the reverse. There are times when we put
on the holy vestments. There are times when we stand in the place of God, and
everyone who ministers needs to tremble in fear of those moments. We cannot
take them lightly. We need to struggle with the words of God as we set out to
speak them to the people. We need to be careful that we are not serving our own
agendas, but are actively seeking God’s.
But there
are also times when we leave the holy things of God. And Ezekiel seems to be
arguing that when that happens, when we step through the door and leave the
holy behind that we are to recognize that we are human and we are fallible. Those
of us who minister before God (which should be all of us who bear the name of
Christ) need to recognize that we are actually called to do two things –
minister before God and stand with the people. In one task we are the holy
instrument God, but in the other we are as fallible as the rest of creation. We
have to be or we will never be able to understand those that we serve.
Joel writes “Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the portico and the altar” (Joel 2:17). Let those who minister before God weep between the two places where
they are called to be – and two uniforms that they are called to wear – one at
the Altar where God resides and the other at the portico (or the porch) where
the people live.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel
43
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