[Anglican Devotional 23 July 2022] Topic: Complete Obedience
TOPIC: Complete Obedience
TEXT: EZEKIEL 24:15-END (NKJV)
Also the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down.
Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.”
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.
And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?”
Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.
And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow.
Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another.
Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”
‘And you, son of man—will it not be in the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters:
that on that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears?
On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”
THE MESSAGE:
In our text today, God told Ezekiel that his loving wife would die and that he should not mourn her. As human beings, we know that this is not palatable or convenient. No reasonable husband would take the news of his wife’s death as a symbol of laughter. Ezekiel obeyed God fully and did not mourn his wife as he was commanded. In the same vein, Israel was instructed not to mourn over Jerusalem when it would be destroyed. Israel was to emulate Ezekiel in obedience; there must not be weeping nor mourning when Jerusalem would become desolate. As Christians, we must understand that obedience to God is non-negotiable.
As in the case of Ezekiel, it could sometimes be painful to obey the Lord. At such points, we are to note that we can never be wrong for choosing to do the right things as commanded by the Lord. When God forbids a thing, we need not rationalise and encourage ourselves to do it after all. As a child of God, you should obey God wholeheartedly in all your endeavours today and always. Do not join the camp of those who twist the word of God to satisfy their personal ego and fulfil their selfish desires. You are supposed to be an obedient child. God will help you.
PRAYER: Lord, give me grace to obey You in all things in Jesus’ name. (Amen)
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