You And Israel?

TUES., JULY 28, 1998, 2:53 PM
FARM, STUDY

As you reread Ezekiel once again you see Me portrayed as an angry, jealous God, quite willing to punish this chosen people, Israel, in many terrible ways. I tell you that you are a chosen one, and you wonder if you are being punished in these days for some of your acts of unrighteousness. Are these Scriptural stories just tales of what happened “way back when”, with little relevance to “your world”? Or are they mystical stories that can be relevant to many ages and situations? I’ll just say they always have the potential for being the latter.

Your tragedy of this day is that your cows are gone… wandering away from a pasture which doesn’t have enough good grass for even this small herd. You assume they will return, but your present state of mind and spirit also accepts that this may be a punishment for your sins – of omission and commission. You accept, at a deeper level, that your sin is forgiven, but not always without punishment of some sort.

You know, quite well, that your life has been one full of blessings, with few experiences of harm and punishment. You appreciate this, and have enough of the “old time religion” to expect that there will be some retribution. For what? For not being as faithful to Me and as helpful to those in your church as you could be… for not being as loving and communicative a husband as you could be… and father and grandfather… and… I also have given you general directions about how your life should be lived now, in Emeritus status, and you are slow, slow, in moving into such a state. (Another month, and it will be a year since your full-time professoring ceased.)

You assume that there were some in that nation of Israel to whom Ezekiel prophesied who were loyal and true to Me. Comparably, you can assume that I recognize some of the characteristics in you that I have encouraged… that you are not wholly a sinner.

Still, the God I Was, speaking through Ezekiel, is one true aspect of My Nature. The term “tough love”, used by some present counselors, is close to a description of this side of Me. I can love, without ceasing, and yet I can be angry because a people… or an individual… fail to come up to what I expect of them. You have suffered during this recent time, and you can assume it was deserved… even that it has come from Me.

As you have known for many years, yet continually forget, “all things come of Me, your Lord”. What you achieve that is pleasing… comes, finally, from Me. What you experience that is frustrating, saddening, hurtful… comes, finally, from Me, also.

Sometimes you have asked yourself if the Jews’ rejection of Me, as the Messiah, even God Himself (Myself!) was the ultimate sin, causing them to lose their place, as My chosen. Consider here My oft-proclaimed love of diversity. I have had many “chosen peoples”. Old Testament Scriptures claim Israel as My only chosen people. Christians have called themselves “the New Israel”, implying chosenness.

This doesn’t bother Me, any more than My being called The Great Spirit by Native Americans or Higher Power by AA’s. I like religions (and I’ve told you that I like Christianity best… but what do I say to a diversity of non-Christians?), but I see the harm they do, along with the good.