Ezekiel 24:18
“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.”
It is very common for tragedy to become an excuse to misbehave. We complain, doubt, or even sin, believing we are justified in doing so because of the difficulties we are enduring. Perhaps it would do us good to examine the actions of Ezekiel, when he faced the greatest trial of his life.
Ezekiel was no stranger to hardship. Years before the events of chapter twenty-four, he was taken captive by Babylonian forces and led as a prisoner of war from his home to a distant land. Living in what amounted to a refugee camp, Ezekiel became a prophet to a group of people who refused to listen to his message. God told him the only way he would be successful was to be more stubborn for the cause of God, than the people were for their sins. During his years of ministry, he experienced ridicule, sleeplessness, rejection, and hunger, but the trial he was about to face was more difficult than all of this things combined. Ezekiel’s wife would die suddenly.
We know how hard this was for him, because after all the years of marriage, she is described as, “The desire of your eyes.” What a beautiful picture of the relationship between the prophet and his bride. It is likely they had walked hand-in-hand through whatever life threw at them, until suddenly, almost without warning, she was taken from him. Rather than blaming God or even stumbling in his walk, we read,
“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.”
In the midst of the most difficult time in life, Ezekiel chose to remain obedient to the Lord. I think this is possible because of the years he spent faithfully sowing into his relationship with God. As a result, he had something to draw from when his world collapsed.
We cannot avoid the difficulties of life. The longer we live, the more likely we are to be struck by them. We can, however, control how we respond to them. We can either allow hardship to bring us to the Lord, or to put a wedge in our relationship with Him.
Choose to allow the difficulties to bring you closer into the presence of God and see His faithfulness.
Pastor Jim
Ezekiel points out that the sins of the parents resulted in the sacrifice of the children. When they stopped following the Lord, their decision impacted the next generation. I think it would do us good to keep in mind that we have a much greater influence on others than we might think. Jesus compared us to a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). Paul explained, the whole world is watching the Christian as though we were on display. When we decide to commit ourselves to the Lord, living to please to Him, that decision will impact others. People will take notice and decide to further their commitment to Christ. On the other hand, if we wander from the Lord, we will have a domino effect upon others who may fall along with us.
Revelation 4 and 5 takes us on a heavenly tour, and with an all access pass, we are brought into the throne room of Jehovah God. There, we are privileged to observe as the saints and angels worship at His feet. Suddenly, the scene shifts from the throne to a scroll in the hand of God. All of Heaven seems fixated on this scroll and its contents. John is never told exactly what this scroll is, but it has been suggested by some, that it is the title deed to the earth.
Israel, in Ezekiel’s day, was a mess. The people had long ago left the Word of God and chose to follow the ways of the world around them. This led them into gross immorality, putting them at odds with God. As a result, the Babylonians were fast approaching the city and the people would be destroyed. Prophet after prophet had filled the airwaves with warnings of coming judgment and the way of escape. Sadly however, instead of turning to the Lord, the people remained entrenched in their immoral ways, hoping against reality, that life would continue unchanged, regardless of their backslidden state. All the while, God was looking for men and women who would respond to him in repentance and obedience, but none were found. In many ways times have not changed, God is still looking for those who will build a wall and stand in the gap.
Paul penned some of the most encouraging words ever written when he wrote,
John looked into the future of mankind and saw the day when the heavens will open, not to speak, but to call home all who have trusted in Christ for salvation. Paul explained that the dead in Christ would rise first, and we who are alive and remain will be caught up together in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). What a day that will be, when we are no longer looking through a glass dimly, but we are face to face with Christ (I Corinthians 13:12) steeped in His glory.
What a beautiful and insightful way Jesus describes Himself to the church. He tells us three things about Himself.
The Bible is filled with seemingly paradoxical statements. Here God promises to bring the low high and the high low. The context makes it clear that the low are those who willingly submit themselves to His ways, and the high are those exalt their own opinions above the teaching of the Word of God. James said essentially the same thing when he wrote,
It seems we have become a generation who blames our faults on others. No one wants to take responsibility for their own actions. Attitudes of the heart, as well as sinful behavior, are often blamed on our upbringing or our genetics. As much as this may seem like a modern problem, Ezekiel reveals this is actually a human nature problem. 2600 years ago this attitude was so commonplace it was captured in a proverb; the people could be heard saying,
n a very poetic fashion, Jesus describes Himself walking through and observing the goings on, in the church of Ephesus. It is both encouraging and frightening to know that Jesus is so involved with His church. He knows, and intimately describes, the affairs of the church, both good and bad. While He has much that is positive to share, the indictment He brings overshadows their successes. He declares they have left their first love.
Jim Gallagher 