Ezekiel spoke to a people who didn’t want to hear what he was saying. He warned the Israelites of the destruction of Jerusalem. Then, in Ezekiel 24:16-17, God gave Ezekiel a personal message that he didn’t want to hear.
“Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.”
Ezekiel was a young man, but he revealed great spiritual maturity in his response to the death of his wife and God’s instructions for him not to mourn her death.
“So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded.” (v. 18)
Of course, everyone asked why he behaved in such an unusual manner.
Ezekiel lived out his prophetic illustrations. The death of Ezekiel’s wife and his response to it was a visual lesson to prepare the people for what was to come. God would destroy the pride of their eyes, the temple in Jerusalem, with the remnant left in Jerusalem dying by the sword.
He told them that when that time came, they were to follow his example and not mourn as they would be inclined to do. Instead, because of their sins, they would waste away and mourn among themselves. When this happened, they would know that the Lord was God.
Read about Ezekiel’s wife: Ezekiel 24:15-27
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