Ezekiel: God who travels Chapter 17

The Lord Gives, The Lord Takes Away

How many of us would truly feel devastated if the one person we loved most died—and yet we were not even allowed to mourn?

This was Ezekiel’s painful reality. What God declared came to pass. But you might wonder: Ezekiel was a man of God—a prophet, a priest who loved, obeyed, and worshiped God. So why did God command him, in chapter 24, to experience such a heart-wrenching loss?

Questions like these linger, and believe me, I’ve felt them too. It’s okay to pause and reflect. You might ask: How could God take away Ezekiel’s wife—all for the sake of his ministry? Was her death just a sign, a display of judgment on these stubborn, unrepentant people Ezekiel was called to prophesy against?

I don’t have all the answers. I cannot fully explain this mystery. Perhaps God keeps some purposes hidden, reserved in His divine privacy. Ezekiel’s only choice was to accept and obey, continuing to deliver God’s message faithfully.

This was the command of the Almighty—Creator of heaven and earth. There isn’t much detail in chapter 24 to offer comfort or hope for Ezekiel’s personal loss, but one truth shines through:
As Job declared (Job 1:21), “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

When God chooses to use a man or woman mightily in His service, nothing in their life remains untouchable or off-limits. This is both a privilege and a challenge. We must accept God’s sovereignty and trust His process. Even if He takes something precious from us, it remains under His care and control.

God knows that testing His servants often invites scorn and ridicule. Yet, if we look closely, the faithful servant—like Ezekiel—will always obey. They humble themselves, bearing the deepest losses, to show a powerful truth between God and humanity:
The Glory of the Lord who gives, and the Blessing of the Lord who takes.

 AC

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