August 21: Every Day God: Dead Wife!

Ezekiel 24:15-27Amplified Bible (AMP)

15 Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

16 Son of man [Ezekiel], behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes [your wife] at a single stroke. Yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, neither shall your tears flow.

17 Sigh and groan, but not aloud [be silent]; make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban upon your head and put your shoes on your feet, and do not cover your beard or eat the bread of mourners [furnished by others].

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning and in the evening my wife died, and I did the next morning as I was commanded.

19 And the people said to me, Will you not tell us what these things are supposed to mean to us, that you are acting as you do?

20 Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

21 Speak to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will profane My sanctuary—[in which you take] pride as your strength, the desire of your eyes, and the pity and sympathy of your soul [that you would spare with your life]; and your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind shall fall by the sword.

22 And you shall do as I [Ezekiel] have done; you shall not cover your beard nor eat the bread of mourning [brought to you by others],

23 And your turbans shall be upon your heads and your shoes upon your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall pine away for your iniquities (your guilt) and sigh and groan to one another.

24 Thus Ezekiel is to you a sign; according to all that he has done you shall do. And when this [destruction of the temple] comes, you shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord God [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].

25 And you, son of man, on the day when I take from them [My temple] their strength and their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the delight of their eyes and their hearts’ chief desire, and also [take] their sons and their daughters—

26 On that day an escaped fugitive shall come to you to cause you to hear of it [the destruction of Jerusalem] with your own ears.

27 In that day your mouth shall be open to him who has escaped, and you shall speak and be no more speechless, and you shall be a sign to them and they shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord.

Seriously??? God killed his wife as an example to the people???

And Ezekiel was not to mourn, just continue his ministry.

Wow. How could God ask that of someone? 

From this moment on, with God's help, I am going to choose to keep my mumblings and grumblings about my minor trials and tribulations to myself. Omgoodness. This man had gone through so much already. And now this. The ultimate sacrifice. His dear wife. The delight of his eyes. 

Jesus was called upon to give His life. Ezekiel gave up his wife. What am I willing to give???

"God, I say I am willing to give You all. But am I really? What if You ask me to give my husband? Or one of my children? Others have had to answer this call to sacrifice what they hold dear. Sometimes I wonder when my turn is coming. I will give You all. As painful as it sounds to me, I will give You everything. You gave Your life for me. How can I hold anything back from You? How I love You, Jesus, AMEN."