This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign LORD. – Ezekiel 45:9

Today's Scripture Reading (July 19, 2020): Ezekiel 45

The cry of the opposition in every election season seems to be similar. Still, the current electoral season in the United States appears to be an even more graphic application of the call. The cry goes something like this; the people are oppressed, the government, in some manner, is perpetuating violence on the people, and we pledge to stop the violence. Often the opposition parties like to call to attention the "wars of the nations" with which the country might be involved. Of course, when you are the ruling party, wars are sometimes a necessary part of the defense of the country and the status quo. But the opposition never seems to see the justice in that kind of war. For them, war is always illegitimate. And, to a certain extent, they are right. I am not sure that a truly just war has ever been fought.

But the truth probably exists somewhere between the two extremes. The truth, if there is truth to be found, is that none of us see reality as it really is. We see shades interpreted by both our own world view and the facts as others shape them and deliver them to us. It is this situation, governed by the glasses that we and others have created that shapes our reality. Did Iraq have weapons of mass destruction during the reign of Saddam Hussein? Probably not, as we found out later. But that was a reality that none of us, regardless of our political stripe, really understood at the moment. President Bush was not a warmonger, but someone who seemed to misunderstand the situation, just as Barak Obama did in his dealings with Russia and Ukraine over Crimea. No one understood what was really happening, and to a certain extent, we still don’t. We only see the shadows that lurk around the situation. The truth of our reality would be a powerful tool in our decision making, but it is not a tool that we will ever really possess. Instead, all of us have to deal and make decisions based on the shadows that we can see. Sometimes those decisions might be right. But it is just as likely that will be wrong, even if we are honest about our motivations.

All of which presents to us the other side of the problem. Not only do we only see shadows, but we interpret those shadows through the lenses of our motivations and according to what we want to see happen.

Ezekiel has a vision of a future where righteousness reigns. It is a time when we can clearly see what up until now has been hidden in the shadow. On that day, we will be able to act according to the truth we know. According to Ezekiel, on that day, our leaders will be able to do what is right, and they will also choose what is right. The need to accept violence and oppression will disappear, and on that day, what should have always been our reality will be the truth. Leaders will work for the benefit of the people.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 46