{"id":73140,"date":"2020-04-08T16:29:05","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T13:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=73140"},"modified":"2020-04-08T16:29:05","modified_gmt":"2020-04-08T13:29:05","slug":"there-is-a-job-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/there-is-a-job-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"There Is A Job To Do"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The line between \u201cdifficult\u201d and \u201cimpossible\u201d can be hard to draw, even (sometimes, especially) for oneself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ezekiel doesn\u2019t tell us why he \u201csat there stunned\u201d (3:15) for seven days, but certainly he\u2019s been through a lot; perhaps he just needed time to adjust. And apparently, God approved: though some commentaries seem to criticize the prophet for neglecting his people, God allowed Ezekiel those seven days before snapping him out of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s because for those seven days, Ezekiel truly couldn\u2019t. Because even when inaction will have consequences (as outlined below), sometimes one is simply incapable of the action, at least for a time, and will have to accept those consequences, for a time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Until God knows Ezekiel is ready, and does snap him out of it, in no uncertain terms: there is a job to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ezekiel\u2019s role is described as \u201ctzofeh\u201d (ibid. 17), a watchman \u2013 like a guard atop a tower, ready to sound the alarm at the slightest hint of a looming enemy incursion. What sort of catastrophes might occur if the lookout falls asleep on the job? Ezekiel has to wake up from his stupor and start warning his people of approaching internal, spiritual enemies before more harm is done.<\/span><\/p>\n

It might be difficult, and maybe he couldn\u2019t before, but now he can, and must \u2013 or he will face some very personal consequences. Ezekiel\u2019s hands will be red with the blood of any person who, blind to the dangers, continues down a prior path of wickedness or slips into such a path for the first time. \u201cI will require a reckoning for his blood from you\u201d (ibid. 18, 21).<\/span><\/p>\n

But though a given task might prove only difficult, some things remain impossible. Some things, such as other people, are out of our control. God places tremendous responsibility on Ezekiel\u2019s shoulders as a tzofeh, but there are limits to the job of the tzofeh. He offers information only, warning the people of dangers on the horizon; what they do with that information is up to them. The fortress lookout doesn\u2019t control the barricading of the gate, only suggests it might be a good idea; the spiritual lookout doesn\u2019t repent for the wicked, only suggests repentance might be wise.<\/span><\/p>\n

The prophet is held responsible in a case of continued sin not because he should have prevented it, but because he should have offered that information, \u201cbecause maybe he would have repented from his wickedness\u201d (Malbim). It\u2019s always only a \u201cmaybe,\u201d but he has to try.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do warn the wicked man, and he does not turn back from his wickedness and his wicked course, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your own life\u201d (ibid. 19).<\/span><\/p>\n

Ezekiel can save his own life, and maybe others\u2019 too, by taking appropriate action. He can\u2019t control the results, but must do his job for the sake of that \u201cmaybe,\u201d finding salvation in that space between \u201cdifficult\u201d and \u201cimpossible.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","image":false,"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"There Is A Job To Do","main_caption":"Ezekiel can save his own life, and maybe others\u2019 too, by taking appropriate action: he must do his job for the sake of a possible repentance","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":false,"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73140"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73140"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73141,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73140\/revisions\/73141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}