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Thousands of years before today's scripture, God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Can you imagine how distraught Abraham must have been?! Would you be able to follow God's command if He told you to take the life of your child? I don't think I could. However, God was only testing Abraham's faith.
Today, in chapter 24, God tells Ezekiel that He will take away his dearest treasure - his wife! God took the most dearest thing to Ezekiel as an example of how He will soon take the dearest things away from the people of Israel - their children - as they're being exiled into Babylonian captivity.
As bad as that must have been for Ezekiel, God told him he couldn't weep for her at all. If fact, God commanded that he "groan silently." And that he couldn't accept any consolation from any of his family or dear friends. Imagine that! God was angry! He had had enough of the people's sin. Now He was going to resort to taking Ezekiel's wife as a matter of showing that the people of Jerusalem was going to experience the same fateful pain Ezekiel had to endure.
Did Ezekiel get mad at God? No. I imagine he was in tremendous grief, but he knew he would one day be with her forever in the presence of God. That's the hope we believers have who've put our trust in Jesus Christ. Praise God! Do you have that kind of faith in our God?
Don't Laugh Or Make Fun Of God's People!
In chapter 25 and 26, God is about to take vengeance on those nations who laughed at Israel and Judah's exile into captivity. God took it personally. He always does! Even Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
That's why God says He'll wipe the nations of Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, and Tyre. To Ammon, He said, "I will raise my fist of judgment against you. I will give you as plunder to many nations. I will cut you off from being a nation and destroy you completely. Then you will know that I am the Lord."
And because the nation of Tyre rejoiced over Israel and Judah's demise, God says, "Tyre will become the prey of many nations, and its mainland villages will be destroyed by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord."
Tyre was one of the 10 nations that God cast judgement on due to the fact they rejoiced in Israel and Judah's exile into Bablyonia. This infuriated God!
In fact, the rest of today's passages are a funeral song for the nation of Tyre. Tyre (in modern-day Lebanon) is one of the oldest cities in the world, dating back over 4,000 years, during which it has been inhabited almost continuously. It was one of the most important, and at times the dominant, city of Phoenicia, whose citizens claimed it had been founded by the great god Melqart. Tyre was also a wealthy city at that time, enjoying being the center of trade and great wealth.
This should serve to remind us that we need to be very, very careful about making fun of anyone...period!! God takes things like that to heart. Like He did to the nations who laughed at the calamity that fell on Israel and Judah (God's people), He may do to you!
Imagine the punishment men like Adolf Hitler and others who have anti-semitic feelings towards the Jews and the nation of Israel. God is going to punish them in the harshest way.
And, He feels the same way about you if you're one of His. He takes it personally when others laugh at you, mock you, and try to hurt you! God will always take vengeance out on those who hurt His faifhful children. So, if you feel beaten down by others, God is noticing and He will take action at the perfect time. Remember what He said in Romans 12:19-21, "Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge, I will pay them back,” says the Lord."
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