Thoughts on Ezekiel

In Chapter 24 of Ezekiel the prophet's book, who wrote at the time of Israel's destruction and exile by the Babylonians, I came across one of those passages that kinda knocks the wind out of you...

The word of the LORD came to me: "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." 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. (Ezekiel 24:15-18 ESV)

I have recently been thinking about the lives of the prophet's in Israel's history and about how difficult it must have been for them. It's obvious that these men aren't perfect (just look at Jonah). We can identify with them as fallen men who are called by God to proclaim His truth and praises to a lost world. In our lives and theirs it can often be hard to obey, and hard to continue walking in faith. However, what strikes me as particularly challenging...wow, ok I can imagine Ezekiel hearing me say that, how his life was 'particularly challenging'...Compared to most, I've only faced brief and light trials in my life, and if someone had the audacity to describe my times of pain as just 'particularly challenging' I would probably want to punch them...Maybe I should just say that what must have been impossible without the grace of God for these men like Ezekiel was that they often had to be messengers or deliverers of God's wrath to their own people, and then they often had to suffer alongside these people as God judged their unrighteousness...EVEN THOUGH THEY THEMSELVES WERE PLEASING GOD!
In this passage we see that God tells Ezekiel that He is going to take away the 'delight of his eyes', his wife. What is translated as 'at a stroke' (the way she would die) in Hebrew has the connotation of suddenly, without warning, as though by the hand of God. But why? Why would God take away Ezekiel's wife and then even remove all the ways He can mourn for her? Well, the passage goes on to reveal that it, like other things in Ezekiel's life and prophetic ministry, will be another sign to the Israelites concerning the destruction of their temple...and Ezekiel obeys.
I can't imagine this. I don't want to imagine going through that. God's Word does not reveal everything about His Sovereign will...we don't know all of the Lord's thoughts and purposes in doing this, but He saw it as good and Ezekiel trusted first in the Lord. I have no doubt this was unspeakably painful for him. His wife was the 'delight of his eyes', or the desire, the object of his affection, a beloved, goodly, pleasant, lovely thing (Strong's Dictionary). This, like all other Scripture, should point us to the Cross...to the Gospel. This is not our home, and the Lord's love for His saints is immeasurable and eternal. Praise Him and cling to Him.