A verse that really hit me this morning was this, Ezekiel 44:23, "They (priests) are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common..." The difference between the holy and the common. Lord, this verse has sat upon my mind all day long. Here I am at the end of the day with nothing.
It's a very poetic idea to me, the holy and the common. Like I've said in my rolling thoughts, I've been struck lately by paradoxes, by comparisons and contrasts. This one is interesting. Holy means to be set apart. Israel is God's holy people, they are set apart. Common has come to mean normal, but the root of the word is shared. Things that we have in common are things that are shared. So "teach my people the difference between the things that are set apart for me and the things that can be shared among them." I wonder how Eugene translates this verse. Never mind, looked it up and he wrote it exactly the same, almost word for word.
So what's the context, and why is this so intriguing for me? Okay, let's go with the second question first. I guess, I believe that everything is really both holy and common. Everything. My thoughts on this blog for example Lord. They are holy, set apart for You because it is You that I am forming them for. And yet, when I post, there is a sense in which they become shared. Or we could take the example of my home. I want my home to be a holy sanctuary for You, and yet, I want it to be a common meeting place for my friends.
Maybe the difference is in the timing. If I am offering thoughts to You, then this time is holy. It is set apart. I had better not be thinking about what other people reading are going to think. As I leave that holy, set apart time, then perhaps it is okay for the thoughts to become common.
It all goes back to a question that we've had in Exodus then. Was the ground that the burning bush is on, the ground that God declares as holy, always holy or just at that time. I guess, this is really interesting to me, that You come in, take over the common, and declare it holy. Then when You have accomplished Your purpose, things return to their common state. But then they are often sacred reminders of the things that You have done, things that inspire praise.
Maybe this is all crazy. Maybe I already knew this stuff. Maybe its all wrong. Maybe I'm raising pointless questions. Maybe...
I love this.
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4 comments:
Just a thought, if it is God's presence that make something holy then what does that say about each of us, because of Christ living in us. Its when we take that for granted and try to make it mean that we are holy. We do holy things when it is God at work in us.
wow...i am in deep thought about this now....hmmm
God always amazes
Maybe the job of the priest is to teach what should be set apart and what should be shared. I think the emphasis is usually setting apart the holy from everything else. I wonder if the holy and the common are supposed to be more of a balance than just recognizing the holy.
Holy = set apart = Love God.
Common = shared = Love others.
Still important to know the difference between the two.
Nice analysis everybody. I just love to hear everybody's thoughts. Thanks for sharing! I love the idea of our holy works coming from God's presence, and the idea of holy is love God, common is love others. Oh reverberating, intersecting, connecting words of God!
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