The word of the Lord came to me: “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. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners.” 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. (Ezekiel 24:15–18, NIV 1984).
My Musings – This is a somewhat bizarre portion of Scripture, which the Lord uses as an object lesson (example) to the “house of Israel.” Although a rebellious people, they took pride in the Temple as a symbol of God’s favor and protection. It was “the delight of [their] eyes.” But the Temple would soon be desecrated by the Babylonians. Because of the siege of Jerusalem, they would be unable to “mourn or weep but [would] waste away because of [their] sins and groan among [themselves]. (Ezekiel 24:23, NIV 1984).
When sin entered the garden, so did death – physical and spiritual. And whether we are a prophet like Ezekiel or just a nondescript follower doing their best to “retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to [them] and to which God has called [them],” (1 Corinthians 7:17, NIV 1984), death will touch each one of us at some time in our life. Along with trials. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I [Jesus] have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV 1984).
My Advice – These are the consequences of a fallen world. Yet, for those of us who are followers of Christ we can, and should, take heart. Though we leave (or have taken away from us) “home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.” (Luke 18:29–30, NIV 1984). These may also very well be used by God as an object lesson to encourage others to “take heart.“
“Brothers [and sisters], [be] an example of patience in the face of suffering” and loss. (James 5:10, NIV 1984).
The Brew Is A Musing 