Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people. – Ezekiel 42:14

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 9, 2017): 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, partially so that allied and enemy soldiers could be easily identified – although in modern times the purpose has changed 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 distinguished between the rules that governed over some, but not others. Killing, for instance, is a part of war for combatants but is still forbidden for non-combatants. And the laws that govern war only applies to the soldiers – 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 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 on 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. We belong to both worlds, and we can never forget that important fact.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 43