As I continue my stroll through the Old Testament, I’m now getting to books that I have barely read. I’ve been very lazy about scriptural study for the past 23 years, and I’m fascinated by both the 10,000-foot view of the Bible as a whole, as well as examining each book in part.
I cracked open Ezekiel last weekend, and read chapter one with a mixture of fascination and confusion. A thought occurred to me:
Don’t bother trying to understand God. My first impulse, in picturing Ezekiel’s vision, was to try to interpret and explain it. And, by doing that, I’m trying to stuff God into my own little box…to bring him under my control. And God won’t be controlled by one of his creation.
I can picture Ezekiel, as he was either writing or dictating his vision, muttering to himself, “They’re never going to believe this…” It reminds me of the time I tried explaining the rules of baseball to Ian. The farther along I went, the more I realized it just didn’t make sense. And yet, these were the rules…this is how it is. I’m sure that there are aspects of Ezekiel’s vision that would make more sense to a Jew living in that time. And yet, I’m also sure that most of it was entirely incomprehensible, like it would be for me.
And, I find a comfort in that. I want a God with mysteries and unfathomable aspects. Who wants to love and serve a God-in-a-box?
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