Ezekiel loved his wife, but God told him not to grieve publicly when she died. This was to be a living message to the people concerning their abandonment of God. Yes, grief would come to them, the grief of captivity. They would suffer at the hands of Babylonian conquerors, and their homes, lands, and precious temple would be destroyed. Would they be as mute as Ezekiel, or in grief repent of sin and return to the worship of God?

Ezekiel’s personal sacrifice must have affected him deeply. Yet obedience to God puts unusual demands on leaders. No Christian is called to be a stoic, accepting any and all pain without tears; sometimes, however, for special purposes, Christians are called to endure unusual difficulty for the sake of the mission. Ezekiel knew his assignment, and while others could not understand his facade, he did. It was God’s call-God’s way for Ezekiel to send a message to people would not hear through any other channel.

EZEKIEL 24:16 – ¹⁶ Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.