The Sequence that Inspires the World (Ezekiel 21-27)
Have you ever heard that a friendly smile can turn around a stranger’s entire day? Or sometimes the opposite effect can be had by a stranger in the car next to you as you can only assume that their bulging eyeballs share the strong chance that a string of less-than-choice-words are spewing out unhindered. Each of these two scenarios has a cause and effect sequence that will carry on past that encounter.
The same is true with our encounters throughout the day, whether in person, virtual, or as an observer.
It’s never too late to start!
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Have you ever heard that a friendly smile can turn around a stranger’s entire day? Or sometimes the opposite effect can be had by a stranger in the car next to you as you can only assume that their bulging eyeballs share the strong chance that a string of less-than-choice-words are spewing out unhindered. Each of these two scenarios has a cause and effect sequence that will carry on past that encounter.
The same is true with our encounters throughout the day, whether in person, virtual, or as an observer.
It’s never too late to start!
Download your first two weeks free by signing up below (or buy Book One of the Family Bible Plan)!
A Prophet's Proclamations...
Think for a moment if you were a prophet. You would need to be 100% on God’s team in order to endure the wrath, persecution, anger, hatred, disdain, lies, attacks, and more by those around you. Ezekiel’s neighbors, those who claimed to follow the same God, and even the elders and leaders all treated him like dirt.
Would you survive that type of hatred and know you would lose a majority of relationships of those closest to you?
It really only makes sense that the major prophets in the Bible stood in the counsel of God to receive their messages. What a motivator to fall back on for courage and conviction! We tend to forget what an impact that had on them and that we have access to the same God that sustained and strengthened them!
Since it was God speaking through the prophets, their messages were carried out in such a way as to indicate reference to the past, the present, and the future. The future of Heaven/judgment day/end times/death/etc. were often alluded to, or a small piece of what is to come would be represented through the prophecies.
Being an example...
Ezekiel was called to do some odd things:
- Eating a scroll (Ezekiel 3:1-2),
- lying on his side for 430 days(!) (Ezekiel 4:4-8),
- cooking his food over cow (ahem) excrement (Ezekiel 4:12-15), and
- even cutting off his hair and dispersing it (Ezekiel 5:1-4).
God often uses that which we can see and relate to in order to show us in a way in which we can understand it.
In chapter 24, Ezekiel again is called to act out a behavior that is contrary to normal culture. He must not mourn for his wife’s death.
“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.
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.”
The Sequence Begins...
The sequence of events starts again.
His wife dies and he goes right back out the next morning as commanded.
The delight of his life had just passed away, and he was to hide his sadness.
When we think through who is affected by a death, it often hits a spouse hardest, then family, extended family, friends, church community, communities, and extending further out.
The point isn’t to analyze how popular a person was, but to see the ripple effect of just how many people are affected by one person.
The ripple effect...
My oldest two have a neighbor boy they play with often and are best friends, of sorts. His Grandpa died last year and it was a really sad loss after enduring much pain and hardship.
Being it was his Grandpa who was very active in his life, it was hard. His hurt rippled out to my kids who saw his sadness and tried to comfort him. Moreso, this man’s life rippled out amongst nearly everyone in the community in some way.
One thing was sure, he was a man who loved well and was well loved.
He likely had no idea the ripple effect sequence his death would take on so many. His kids would share their struggles much like the Psalms in that their hurts were evident, but they were strengthened and comforted through their faith in God. His last days on earth were a witness for so many!
While this family struggled through a deep loss, God’s name was being given glory.
The sequence of events that took place started in his life but extended far beyond that and it was special to see from an observer perspective in that light.
To mourn or not to mourn...
For Ezekiel, he had no choice. But there was a reason for it….
Being from a priestly family, there were express rules about purification, cleanliness, and death.
A priest was not allowed to mourn as the people did for anyone except for his closest relatives; it made one unclean to touch a corpse or enter the home of one who had died. They were not to follow the custom practices: shaving heads, shaving edges off their beards, or cutting their bodies.
A high priest had no exceptions based on who died, and had even further restrictions in addition to those of the priests: his hair must not become unkempt (uncovered), must not tear his clothes, enter a place where a dead body is, must not make himself unclean, or even leave/desecrate the sanctuary.
Similarly, any Israelite who wanted to make a special vow of separation (holiness) to God would abstain from similar items.
To mourn or not to mourn...
Ezekiel’s instructions had a similar ring to them.
For context about those times:
- mourners would typically remove their turbans and put dust on their heads (“unkempt hair”),
- growing hair was a symbol of dedication to the Lord and was shaved as a sign of grief (Ezekiel had previously cut off all his hair (chapter 5) and there is no surety of the time elapsed since to know if he was still bald),
- removing sandals signified grief,
- covering the lower part of the face was a sign of shame or uncleanness, and
- food was often offered to mourners, as well as ‘cups of consolation’.
His actions spoke louder...
The sequence of events leading to this had already set Ezekiel out from the other prophets, the other elders, and the other exiles.
Here, he is not only showing he has been set apart as the priests were (holy and clean), but that there was more to his message. It inspired questions.
And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?"
His actions had a ripple effect among those around him. He was able to share with a captive audience that they would be called to similar actions for the fall of Jerusalem.
You see, God’s timing is perfect, and He knows the ripple effect our actions will have on those around us. While Ezekiel may not have been fully in the know, his wife’s death and his actions were deliberate timed by our all-knowing God.
The day his wife died was the same day the temple was burned (August 14, 586 BC).
The Sequence Continues Outward...
Ezekiel’s message not only affected those in close proximity, but they are recorded in the Bible and affect us still today.
He may have felt silly or awkward during the times he needed to act out what God told him, but his ministry has lived on well past his death. The sequence of ripples for who it touches is still occurring today as it uncovers even more of the mysteries of God.
While one smile may not result in years of effect, let it be what it reminds you of all that is possible with God when He designs the story.
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It’s true! We require so much encourage, so much reassurance, so many pats on the back from God and others, but the prophets hung in there under impossible circumstances!