Week of Monday April 7 - April 13
Jesus is Lord - Man as Provider
“‘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.’” - Ezekiel 24:24 ESV
Serving the Lord faithfully often requires great sacrifice. I have experienced this in my own life, and it is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. In Ezekiel 24, we read about sacrifices that God required of his prophet. These sacrifices included enduring hardship while delivering God’s message and also losing his wife. Can you imagine that?
At the time, Ezekiel was around 35 years old, which means he and his wife may have already been married awhile. They had undoubtedly endured tough times together, including being exiled from Jerusalem, all while Ezekiel carried out his difficult ministry among people who rejected God’s words. I mean she put up with all the weird and strange stuff God asked him to do, like dig a gaping hole through the wall in their house! On top of that, apparently Ezekiel loved her dearly. God said in v 16 that she is “the delight of your eyes.”
Then one day, God basically told His prophet: “I’m going to take your wife away from you, but I’m going to use her death for my purposes. Your heartbreaking loss will provide a powerful opportunity to communicate my message to these rebellious people.”
As if that wasn’t hard enough, God instructed Ezekiel to not mourn his wife’s death (verse 16). Instead, he had to keep his grief to himself, his circumstances serving as a living sermon to those who witnessed it. Just as Ezekiel was not to mourn the death of his beloved wife, so the people were not to mourn the destruction of their beloved temple. That temple was the delight of their eyes, and it had become an idol in the place of God. In the end, Ezekiel's deep personal loss serves a greater purpose: “they will know that I am the Lord” (verse 27).
How important is it for others to know that God is the Lord? God’s mission and message must take precedence in our lives.
Some might think that God was asking too much of Ezekiel. However, in Luke 14, Jesus looked at His would-be followers and demanded that they put Him first. He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (verse 26). Clearly, Jesus did not mean for us to actually hate our families. This statement reflects a Jewish way of expressing that our love and loyalty to Him should be so strong that our love and loyalty to our family looks like hatred in comparison. When faced with a choice, Jesus must take priority. If family pulls us one way and Jesus calls us another, we should go where Jesus leads.
What was Ezekiel’s response to the Lord’s hard ask? “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” (verse 18). Despite the immense pain of losing his wife, Ezekiel chose to put God first. He endured the heartbreak and loss so that those hardheaded, stiff-necked, rebellious people would get the message that Yahweh is Lord.
It is important to remember that God sacrificed His beloved Son to redeem us from sin. Serving the Lord faithfully often involves great sacrifices. However, these sacrifices and any suffering that comes with them can be powerful tools that God uses to communicate His message to others. As Providers, we must ask ourselves: Are we willing to make the sacrifices God requires so that those we love and lead might know that Jesus is Lord?
- As a Provider, does your example preach without words that “Jesus is Lord”?
- How important is it for your family and friends to know that “Jesus is Lord”? Is it more important than your own comfort, career, or even your life?
- Ask the Lord to help you live out His message in such a way that what He is saying through you cannot be missed.
Jesus is Lord - Man as Provider
“‘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.’” - Ezekiel 24:24 ESV
Serving the Lord faithfully often requires great sacrifice. I have experienced this in my own life, and it is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. In Ezekiel 24, we read about sacrifices that God required of his prophet. These sacrifices included enduring hardship while delivering God’s message and also losing his wife. Can you imagine that?
At the time, Ezekiel was around 35 years old, which means he and his wife may have already been married awhile. They had undoubtedly endured tough times together, including being exiled from Jerusalem, all while Ezekiel carried out his difficult ministry among people who rejected God’s words. I mean she put up with all the weird and strange stuff God asked him to do, like dig a gaping hole through the wall in their house! On top of that, apparently Ezekiel loved her dearly. God said in v 16 that she is “the delight of your eyes.”
Then one day, God basically told His prophet: “I’m going to take your wife away from you, but I’m going to use her death for my purposes. Your heartbreaking loss will provide a powerful opportunity to communicate my message to these rebellious people.”
As if that wasn’t hard enough, God instructed Ezekiel to not mourn his wife’s death (verse 16). Instead, he had to keep his grief to himself, his circumstances serving as a living sermon to those who witnessed it. Just as Ezekiel was not to mourn the death of his beloved wife, so the people were not to mourn the destruction of their beloved temple. That temple was the delight of their eyes, and it had become an idol in the place of God. In the end, Ezekiel's deep personal loss serves a greater purpose: “they will know that I am the Lord” (verse 27).
How important is it for others to know that God is the Lord? God’s mission and message must take precedence in our lives.
Some might think that God was asking too much of Ezekiel. However, in Luke 14, Jesus looked at His would-be followers and demanded that they put Him first. He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (verse 26). Clearly, Jesus did not mean for us to actually hate our families. This statement reflects a Jewish way of expressing that our love and loyalty to Him should be so strong that our love and loyalty to our family looks like hatred in comparison. When faced with a choice, Jesus must take priority. If family pulls us one way and Jesus calls us another, we should go where Jesus leads.
What was Ezekiel’s response to the Lord’s hard ask? “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” (verse 18). Despite the immense pain of losing his wife, Ezekiel chose to put God first. He endured the heartbreak and loss so that those hardheaded, stiff-necked, rebellious people would get the message that Yahweh is Lord.
It is important to remember that God sacrificed His beloved Son to redeem us from sin. Serving the Lord faithfully often involves great sacrifices. However, these sacrifices and any suffering that comes with them can be powerful tools that God uses to communicate His message to others. As Providers, we must ask ourselves: Are we willing to make the sacrifices God requires so that those we love and lead might know that Jesus is Lord?
- As a Provider, does your example preach without words that “Jesus is Lord”?
- How important is it for your family and friends to know that “Jesus is Lord”? Is it more important than your own comfort, career, or even your life?
- Ask the Lord to help you live out His message in such a way that what He is saying through you cannot be missed.