Ezekiel 22-24

WHY? - Ezekiel 22-24

Good Morning! Today we move through chapter 24. In our readings you will read about several oracles that are quite interesting to read. Have you noticed how the LORD addresses HIMSELF through the book of Ezekiel? Sovereign LORD, it appears time and time again.There is another chapter that is worth noting and reading. It is chapter 20. There is one theme that is repeated again and again; do not desecrate MY Sabbaths. The one word that jumped out at me, is "MY". GOD did not call it "The" Sabbath, HE called it MY, like HE is saying to us that it was/is personal to HIM.


Ezekiel 24:15-24 ESV
Ezekiel's Wife Dies
15 The word of the LORD came to me: 16 "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. 17 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." 18 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.
19 And the people said to me, "Will you not tell us what
these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?"
20 Then I said to them, "The word of the LORD came to me:
21 'Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD:
Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power,
the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and
your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.
22 And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips,
nor eat the bread of men. 23 Your turbans shall be on your heads
and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but
you shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another.
24 Thus shall Ezekiel be to you a sign; according to all that he
has done you shall do. When this comes, then you will know
that I am the Lord GOD.'

Thought for the Day
Wow, after you read this story there is not much else you can say. Can you even try and put yourself in Ezekiel's shoes for a moment? I am not sure if I can.

Imagine GOD telling you that HE is going to kill your spouse or loved one for the cause of the project that He is having you work on. For me, we are starting a church in Ocean Shores If GOD told me that HE was going to take Kim (my wife), and because of her dying, others would see the example and learn. I think that I would say,"Forget the church LORD, I do not want to be involved anymore!" What would be your response to GOD?

What a test of faith on Ezekiel's part. And to make matters harder, GOD told Ezekiel that he was not to mourn, he was to dress normal with a festive turban and sandals. He could not act or dress like he was in mourning. If you remember, the "Act" of mourning was very big back them. A person would put on a sackcloth, maybe shave, and put ash on his/her face. To ask Ezekiel not to mourn was HUGE!

There are two points that I wanted to make to get you thinking. Serving GOD at times is not easy, and at times there are going to be situations that do not make sense, in fact it may even cause you to think, "This is not worth it." It is OK to think these things, because when you work through these feelings you will come out a stronger person.

Just make sure you work through them, or have someone help you through. Do not let the situation push you away from Jesus. Yes, know that GOD will take you places and will ask you to do things that you are not going to want to do, or go. But, you must. GOD will never leave you and if He brings you into a situation, HE will see you through it.

In closing, you always need to remember this; how you act during a personal crisis can speak much louder than any words could.

Know that whatever you are going through is inspiring a lot of other people. You do not have to tell your story or preach, people know, and you give them hope. The pain that you will go through will inspire many.

Bible Trivia
When Moses died, in what land did GOD bury him?
Hint: Deuteronomy 34:5-6

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Have a Blessed Weekend!