Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Stop interceding!

“It is clear that the prophet Ezekiel would be allowed to bring the word of God to the people but would not be allowed to take the word of the people to God. A prohibition of this sort suggests that the coming judgment is inevitable and inescapable. It is instructive that the prohibition on intercession is operative within the first half of the book (chaps. 4–32), the precise section that is dominated by judgment, whereas the prohibition is released with the fall of Jerusalem in chap. 33, just before the section dominated by salvation (chaps. 34–48).”—A Severe Mercy, page 259

<idle musing>
That would be a hard injunction. One thing I've learned over the years of Bible reading is that more than half a prophet's job is interceding for the people. I can't imagine being told to stop. Of course, Jeremiah was told to stop and didn't.
</idle musing>

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