Theological Commentary: Click Here
Ezekiel 24
is a shocking chapter. It begins plainly
enough. Jerusalem is surrounded and God
tells Ezekiel to get a pot and essentially make a stew. This is a highly symbolic act as the people
who have sealed themselves in Jerusalem have basically sealed their fate. They have no way of escaping the pot, so to
speak.
Then we move
to the proclamation that Ezekiel’s wife is about to die. God takes her, the delight of his eyes, away
from him. While that’s bad, it isn’t the
worst part. God then tells him not to
mourn. I can’t imagine such a
thought. I can’t imagine having the person
in this life that you are the closest to being ripped out of your life and told
to not mourn. How incredibly difficult!
That being
said, I get the many layered images being said through this. God is making a comparison to the fall of
Jerusalem. First of all, the people will
be in the midst of exile. They will have
bigger problems than the loss of the city – especially those who are already in
exile! Yes, the destruction of Jerusalem
is bad; but it isn’t like Jerusalem itself was what truly matters in the
end. What matters is the people and
their hearts being pointed towards God.
I think
there is another layer as well. Jerusalem
was always considered to be God’s Holy City.
Yet, God Himself is about to destroy it.
Will God mourn its loss?
Certainly not! God will mourn that
circumstances had to be dealt with. God
will mourn for the suffering of the people.
But He will not mourn for the loss of the city. It can – and will – be rebuilt. The stones can be reformed. God has a proper perspective on loss, and
that is part of what He is asking Ezekiel to teach.
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