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Of this be certain, the Lord will finalize every promise, negative and positive that He makes. Eze. 24:14 There was to be no way that His words to them would in anyway be altered. He is not a man, that He should lie. What He has spoken He will do. Num. 23:19 Just think of it, all that He has declared pertaining to the end of the age will be fulfilled exactly as He has caused it to be recorded. He is not slack concerning His promises. 2 Peter 3:9 Tomorrows news cast has already been recorded and printed in the Word of the Lord.
The prophet was called upon to participate in the Word of the Lord to Israel in a very personal manner. As a witness to Israel, Ezekielís wife was to die suddenly and he was not to mourn her death according to that which was customary. Mind you, the Lord knew the love that Ezekiel had for his wife. She was the desire of his eyes. The very best, the dearest to his heart. It is not unusual to have to pay a great price while serving the Lord. He was not to mourn nor cry tears. Contrary wise he was to conduct himself in a festive way. Eze. 24:16-17 Thus, Ezekiel prophesied to the people in the morning and in the evening his wife died. Eze. 24:18
As much as we might want to question the ways of the Lord we have to know that He does all things well. Many times those things which take place in our life we do not understand why and we question them. Ultimately, and it could be years later, we see the wisdom of the Lord and are content with what has taken place. Every adversity has itís blessing when we walk with the Lord. The people recognized that this was a sign from the Lord to them and approached Ezekiel for an understanding, an interpretation of what the Lord was saying to them. Eze. 24:19
A response from the Lord was not long in coming. He was about to take from them His sanctuary, any indication of His presence among them. They desperately clung to the history of the revelation of the glory of the Lord in both the tabernacle and the temple. They had not seen that glory themselves because of their worship of other gods, but they knew the history which was their pride and joy. Their youth would fall by the sword, but in it all, they would not be able to mourn and would react even as Ezekiel. However, they would pine away, or be filled with unreleased grief. The personal experience of Ezekiel was to be the national experience of Israel. Their strength, their joy, their glory was to be taken from them. Any presence of the Lord completely removed from them. Ezekiel was a living example to them of their own future. Eze. 24:20-27.