Two Roads

"Man proposes, but God disposes” —Thomas à Kempis. 

"The king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road and decides by divination which of two roads to take. He draws straws, he throws dice, he examines a goat liver. He opens his right hand: The omen says, 'Head for Jerusalem!' So he's on his way with battering rams, roused to kill, sounding the battle cry, pounding down city gates, building siege works" (Ezekiel 21:20-22, The Message)

The Babylonian army stands at a crossroad awaiting directions: One branch of the highway leads east to the city of Rabbah in Ammon; the other leads west to Jerusalem in Judah. Which way shall they go? 

The diviners ply their trade. All signs point to Jerusalem. 

Yet, Ezekiel reveals a hidden truth: There is a cause behind all causes: God had said, "I have drawn my sword out of it’s sheath (against Jerusalem)” (Ezekiel 21:1–5. 15). 

It wasn’t the king and his counselors that determined the strategy and tactics of the Babylonian commanders. It was Israel's God, confirming once again the biblical paradox: Men and women enjoy freedom of choice yet God determines the outcome.

This is indeed a mysterious, yet a hopeful thought in that it enables us to be at peace with the all-too-often, ill-begotten schemes of our leaders. We fear their decisions, but they are not running amuck. Everything is under control.

David Roper