Ezekiel 24:15-17 – “Then this message came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears. Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends.'”
Losses are painful and difficult. If you have ever gone through a time of grieving, you know that it is unpredictable, sad, and hard. Imagine Ezekiel’s life as a prophet — the death of his wife serves as a live demonstration for the people of Israel about how to respond to the destruction God is going to bring. Ezekiel must act out what God desires for Israel: show no pain or sorrow, do not cry, and don’t even take food from your friends. That’s a tough calling from God.
Ezekiel is faithful and obedient. He challenges me to think more deeply about the gift of prophecy and how hard life can be when God has given you a prophetic gift. The point here is that God’s destruction doesn’t deserve tears. When evil is destroyed in your life, you don’t need to cry over your losses.
Here’s your freedom for today:
When God sets you free, never look back.
Ezekiel’s wife’s death is not the point of today’s chapter. That is simply a metaphor for the losses the people of Israel are about to face. Although destruction is hard to take, it is the first step to freedom. Removing evil from your life can be painful — you need to give up the things that harm you. But when you experience these losses, don’t cry! It’s the best thing that ever happened to you. I’ve known women who have sat with me and deleted drug dealers’ phone numbers from their phones or blocked the number of a guy that was no good for them. There is a sweet relief in these moments, and it’s no time for tears except tears of joy. What losses do you need to experience today in order to be set free?