People from different cultures mourn the death of a loved one in various ways. In some places, it is customary to hire people to wail in sorrow at the wake. In others, the death of a family member leads to elaborate rituals of mourning.

In no culture, however, is it natural to do what God asked Ezekiel to do when his wife died. The Lord told him that his wife, the "desire of [his] eyes," would succumb to a sudden death (24:16). Yet Ezekiel was not to mourn openly, but he was to remain silent (v.17).

Why did God ask Ezekiel to do something that seems so unfair, difficult, and unnatural? He wanted to illustrate to the people of Jerusalem that just as the prophet's delight was taken from him, so also their delight—the temple—would be taken from them. Ezekiel pronounced God's judgment on Israel, stating that they would lose their temple to the Babylonians.

Like Ezekiel, they were told that they would not mourn in the normal way (v.23). The destruction of the temple would be so horrifying, and their guilt and grief so overwhelming, that normal expressions of sorrow would be inadequate.

What a lesson! When we don't obey God, we should mourn (James 4:8-9). Sin is serious.  —Dave Branon  — Dave Branon