Contemporary reflections on Ezekiel 22:23-31 as a depiction of collective responsibility of leaders for national demise

Abstract

Ezekiel 22:23-30 in which Israel’s leaders are judged for their various abuses offers the notion that collective leadership responsibility for national demise demands serious attention in contemporary situations. However, Ezekiel’s context is theocratic, to what extent does his prophecy apply to non-theocratic contexts? There is also in this oracle a quest for one man standing in the gap in order to avert divine judgment. How do we read that concept in contemporary settings?