Why did Ezekiel's wife die?
15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “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. 17 Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.” 18 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
ESV - 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.
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Asked June 22 2014
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Sam Mekonnen
Supporter
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Jeffrey Johnson
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(Read Ezekiel 24:15-18.) Why was the prophet to display no grief when his wife died? To show how stunned the Jews would be at the destruction of Jerusalem, her inhabitants, and the temple. Ezekiel had already said enough about such matters and would not speak God’s message again until Jerusalem’s downfall was reported to him. This was all really for the purpose of a sign to the Israelites there in Babylonian captivity that Jehovah would profane his sanctuary in which the Israelites took such pride, and that, contrary to their hopes, Jerusalem would be destroyed.—Eze 24:17-27. The prophecy occasioned by the death of Ezekiel’s wife was a dire one. Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem—the delight of the people’s eyes—would be suddenly destroyed. And the people, when they heard the news in Babylon, would respond in stunned, sorrowful silence. Their grief would be so overwhelming that groaning and pining away would be all they could do. They would act this way because of their sins. (Ezekiel 24:23) This was all pointing to God, so that in the midst of Judah’s loss, they would know and cling to God. Very soon, their beloved temple would be destroyed—their source of pride and joy. Sadly, the people were putting more weight on the place and practices (and not all of them holy) than on God. Yet, they wouldn’t be free to lament because they would immediately be taken into captivity. And sadly, this is why Ezekiel's wife died.
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