~Old Testament Scenarios~
Ezekiel
“The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, with one blow
I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes.
Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.”
Ezekiel 24:15-16 (NIV)
"Only By His Grace Can We Count The Cost"
Wow, what do you do with a message like that? How does someone process that information? God tells Ezekiel that in one quick/sudden visitation He will remove his beloved wife from his life. And as a sign to the people…Ezekiel, prophet and priest, was forbidden to outwardly mourn over her death. Do you wonder what Ezekiel inwardly was thinking, and feeling? Did he look at his wife a bit longer; hold her glance in an embrace knowing it would be the last time to look into her eyes? I wonder if he told her about her upcoming death - or did he even have the chance? Did an ever expanding lump in his throat feel like it just might choke him? The Bible is silent, so we will not have any answers. We do know and can trust that the Holy Spirit gave him the strength and grace to handle this type of pain.
The prophet is serving the Lord in a very costly way. Are you wondering what God was doing here by using Ezekiel in this way? First of all, with these kinds of passages in scripture (like that of the story of Job) one must remember God’s ways are higher than our ways. There are heavenly mysteries that are above our understanding and we are to face that and learn to be okay with that. This is what surrender is about. Period. Jesus Christ is our perfect example of what pure surrender looks like. Keep your eyes on Him!
God is going to use this prophet’s personal life as a sign (or example) to the Hebrew people who had been deported to live in exile in Babylon. Their exile was a consequence of having lived a sinful life in idolatry. Remember, the Northern kingdom of Israel had been taken into captivity in 722BC by the Assyrians. Then in 605BC King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, after taking control over Assyria, he invades the Southern Kingdom of Judah. He took only the “choice men” to Babylon. Ezekiel was 18 years old at this time and he was among the ones left behind. The second invasion into Jerusalem was in 597BC. At that time the city was totally destroyed, temple burned down, and those that survived the rampage where taken to Babylon into captivity. At this time, Ezekiel was 30 years old. His wife’s life ended on the eve of the destruction. God choose Ezekiel to not only be the voice of warning, but also the voice of great comfort. He would encourage the people that they would again return to their homeland and that the nation of Israel would flourish again. Because of the Lord’s gracious kindness towards Ezekiel, he was given a vision of a future temple that would be built in the Kingdom Age after the return of Jesus. What a delight for all of us to look forward to! Praise to Elah Sh'maya V'Arah - God of Heaven and Earth - Ezra 5:11.
This is your day; God has given it to you. What will you do with it? Each of us must be willing to allow God to shape us into vessels that He can use to deliver His message, remembering that He also will give the power and grace to accomplish it - no matter how He chooses that delivery. Faith and trust in the Living God, who dwells in each believer, allows us to “see” beyond what the human eye sees as impossible.
“Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13 (NIV)