“Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, you live in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house.’ … Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, what is this proverb you people have concerning the land of Israel, saying, “The days are long and every vision fails”? Therefore say to them, “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘I will make this proverb cease so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel.’” But tell them, “The days draw near as well as the fulfillment of every vision.”’” … “Furthermore, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, “The vision that he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.” (Ezek 12:1-2, 21-23, 26-28).
How tragic it is when God is at work right in front of people’s faces, and they simply cannot see it. Ezekiel 12 reveals the true cause of this spiritual blindness, what we might call the “Dusty Bible Syndrome” (DBS for short). DBS often leads to agnosticism, and in severe cases even atheism, among those who treat the Bible as ancient and irrelevant. To them, prophecies about the rebirth of Israel, universal antisemitism, and the coalition of nations against Jerusalem sound like the ramblings of half crazy prophets whose words expired long ago.
We see God at work all around us, and we live with the expectation that “none of [God’s] words will be delayed any longer,” for “whatever word [He] speaks will be performed”.
But for those who recognize the Bible for what it truly is, the word of God, there may be many dusty books on our shelves, but the Bible is not one of them. Because of its unmatched precision and relevance, we simply cannot put it down. We see God at work all around us, and we live with the expectation that “none of [God’s] words will be delayed any longer,” for “whatever word [He] speaks will be performed”.
Although DBS is spiritually deadly, there is a simple two-step cure that has proven remarkably effective. Step one: take your Bible from the shelf and open it. Step two: begin reading it daily, starting with this simple prayer:
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your Torah” (Psa 119:18).
