In the Bible, the trumpet is an instrument of warning, not too different from the tornado sirens in some towns right here in the U.S. An advance warning can save lives. And that's what today's reading from Chapter 3 of the prophet Ezekiel is all about. Ezekiel was the first prophet called to speak for the Lord outside the Holy Land. Exiled to Babylon by King Nebubuchednezzar around 600 B.C. along with many of his fellow Israelites, he prepared the people for the destruction of Jerusalem. To a jew, such an event was unthinkable. The holy city and the temple were inviolable. But destruction was exactly what the sinfulness of God's people brought about despite the fact that many false prophets refused to blow the trumpet. Here's what we heard this morning:
