It Isn’t Easy Being a Prophet

I don’t make this claim from personal experience, but from the life of Ezekiel as recorded in the Bible. Ezekiel had a difficult life by human standards. He spoke words from God that people didn’t want to hear. He had to do strange things such as lay on his side for days on end to visibly remind people of God’s judgment. Then in chapter 24 we read this: 15 Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16 “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.” 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.

 Ezekiel’s wife died and he is not allowed to mourn her death. This whole event is again, part of God’s judgment on His people and Ezekiel, even through His wife’s death, plays a role in this. This seems so harsh. It seems so uncaring. It reminds me of the words of Jesus where He says that if we do not hate our mother and father we cannot be His disciples (I’m preaching on this passage tomorrow actually). What we see in Ezekiel and in the words of Jesus is that our love and devotion for God is intended to be so much greater than our love and devotion for anyone or anything else, that doing things that seem so out of the ordinary by human standards is OK; if God tells us to do it. I admire Ezekiel’s devotion here (of course, I’m assuming that he actually loved his wife…which is clear from verse 16). I admire Ezekiel’s willingness to follow God no matter what the cost. I pray that I can have this kind of devotion for my God. How about you?

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