Ezekiel 24:15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “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. 17 Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.”
18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Every time I read this passage it jumps out at me. I mean, how can it not?! Much has already been asked of Ezekiel in his role as God's prophet and mouthpiece to Israel. But this....this just seems like it's too much to ask.
And I think that's a very natural, human reaction.
Yet God gives Ezekiel the strength and ability to see past the human viewpoint, and rather to grasp the eternal point of view. We are so prone to grasp onto this life with desperation (and indeed, the will to live is a good thing!) but what we need is Ezekiel's perspective, and Paul's in Philippians 1 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain". It's a difficult perspective when it comes to our own lives, but it's even more difficult when it comes to the lives of the ones we love.
Thankfully we don't have to understand in order to have faith. And we don't need to rely on our own strength when it comes to faith, but rather rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Ezekiel 27-29; 1 Peter 3
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