Ezekiel 24:15-27--Ezekiel's Wife Dies

Ezekiel 24:15-27
English Standard Version

Ezekiel's Wife Dies
15 The word of the LORD came to me: 16 “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.” 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded.

19 And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?” 20 Then I said to them, “The word of the LORD came to me: 21 ‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. 22 And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. 23 Your turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another. 24 Thus shall Ezekiel be to you a sign; according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’

25 “As for you, son of man, surely on the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul's desire, and also their sons and daughters, 26 on that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news. 27 On that day your mouth will be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.”

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The LORD tells Ezekiel that He is about to take his wife away (she is about to die).  However, Ezekiel is not to mourn or weep for her.  He should not even be seen with tears running down his face.  He can grieve sigh with grief when he is by himself, but he should show no sign of pain, suffering, or grief when He is ministering among the LORD's people.  He was to get up and go to work like normal and continue doing the work the LORD gave him to do.  In the morning he was with her, and by the evening she was taken from him, and he did exactly as the LORD commanded the next day.

The people see that Ezekiel is troubled, and they assume he has heard something even more terrible from the LORD that is troubling him.  He tells the people how the LORD is going to profane His sanctuary.  They as a people love the Temple in much the same way that Ezekiel loved his wife, but in a day, it will be destroyed.  The people will have to carry on and will not be able to mourn, just like the LORD had told Ezekiel to do.  The LORD is using Ezekiel as a sign of what is to come for His people.

The LORD is going to give Ezekiel a message to speak to the people even on the day when all this occurs to remind them that this exactly what the LORD promised would happen.  This has been His plan and things are unfolding according to His plan.  In the midst of their sorrow, the LORD will not abandon His people,, but He will go with them into Exile, and He will be with them wherever they go because the LORD dwells among His people, wherever they are.