The Power of One

A Personal Paraphrase of Ezekiel 21 – 22 1

This is the message the Lord gave me to preach: “Son of Adam, I want you to speak out against Washington D.C. and the churches that are there. Indeed, this message is for all the churches in the whole country! Tell them this: ‘I’m against you! That’s right, I’m your enemy, not your friend. I’ve drawn my sword and I intend to use it. I plan to strike bad people and good people alike, those on the east coast and those on the west, and everyone in between. I’m not going to put my sword back in its sheath until I’ve finished the dreadful work I’ve come to do. Then, everyone everywhere will know who I am: I am the Lord.’” (21:1-5)

The Lord’s message kept coming: “Your assignment, Zeke, is not only to preach this message, but to groan in agony. I want you to weep and wail publicly so that people can see how upset you are. Then, when they ask why you are so depressed, tell them this: ‘Because of the judgment that God is sending upon us! When the sword of the Lord appears, hearts will melt, men will faint, and no one will be left standing.’ I want you to dramatize the message, Zeke. Perhaps that will help them to realize that a massacre is coming. So, find a sword and, as you preach, swing it wildly back and forth. And teach them a new chorus to use in their worship services. Let’s call it The Sword Song. It goes like this: 

A sword! A sword! 

The sword of the Lord.

Sharp as a razor, shiny and bright,

Ready to slaughter, ready to kill.

Flashing like lightning,

First to the left and then to the right.

Hearts tremble in terror,

As God keeps on slashing and thrusting, 

For he will not stop

Until his anger against his people

Is satisfied. (21:6-17).

Once again, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of Adam, are you sure you are ready for this assignment? I want you to confront Washington with her sins, all the perverse atrocities and outrageous obscenities she has committed. I want you to give her this message: ‘You are a city full of murderers and idolaters. You have shed innocent blood and worshipped the false gods that your own hands have made. That’s why this judgment is coming upon you. You’ve brought it on yourselves! And when the nations of the world see what I do to America, they will understand what happens to a country who turns her back on God. They may laugh at your destruction, but they’ll get the message. So, Washington, just to make sure you understand why doomsday is coming, let me enumerate your sins. You show contempt for marriage and parenting. You oppress foreigners. You mistreat orphans and widows. You despise what is sacred and you have failed to keep the Sabbath. Your sexual perversities are legendary, including incest, rape, adultery, and much more. And your greed for money has caused widespread corruption involving bribes, extortion, racketeering, and excessive interest. To sum it all up in one damnable accusation: you have forgotten me! So, I will send judgment upon you. No one will survive when I come to hold you accountable for your evil deeds. I will scatter you among the nations and thus I will cleanse you of your filth. Then you will know who I am: I am the Lord.’” (22:1-16)  

Once again the Lord spoke to me about America. This is what he said: “Son of Adam, in case they haven’t been listening, give this message to the nation: The politicians are constantly involved in conspiracies. They are like hungry lions who stalk, and pounce, and then eat their prey. They steal others’ possessions and extort wealth. Their policies have made many widows.  The pastors have found ways to interpret the Bible to make it say things that it doesn’t. They don’t know the difference between right and wrong. And their sermons actually produce pollution, not cleanliness. The leaders are ravenous wolves. They rip their victims apart and devour people, all for money. The spiritual authorities  (evangelists, authors, theologians, etc.) recognize that the wall of righteousness has collapsed and therefore the land is defenseless against the onslaught of wickedness. But rather than rebuilding the wall, they whitewash the rubble! They put their visions and lies in best-selling books and deceive large numbers of people. They say that I told them what to say, but I didn’t! The people are just as wicked and lost as their leaders. They oppress the poor, rob the needy, and mistreat foreigners.’ (22:23-29).

“I looked everywhere in the hopes that I could find someone, just one, who would rebuild the wall of righteousness that protects the nation. Yes, I wanted to find just one person who would stand in the gap that separates sinners from me. If I could find just one intercessor, just one, then I’d change my plans and I wouldn’t destroy them. But I couldn’t find anyone, no, not even one. So, I’ll pour out my anger on this sinful people and consume them in the fire of my wrath. The full penalty for their wickedness will fall upon their own heads.”

(22:30-31) 

1 A personal paraphrase is not intended to be a precise translation of the Biblical text. Rather, it is an effort to let the words of Scripture stimulate my own reflections and prayers concerning my own life circumstances. In this paraphrase, I am certainly not suggesting that America has replaced Israel in the global plan of God. I’m simply striving to let the message of Ezekiel have the same ‘shock value’ it originally had. If my reflections cause you to open the Bible and look more closely at God’s inspired Word, I will have achieved my greatest aim.  

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