When Grief Speaks — And When It Must Stay Silent
Prophet: Ezekiel 24:15–27
Torah: Genesis 23–24
Focus
Verse:
“Groan silently… let there be no tears.” (Ezek. 24:17)
Four Voices
Ezekiel 24:15-27 Unspeakable Grief (18-24)
15 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 16 “Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears. 17 Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends.”
18 So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did everything I had been told to do. 19 Then the people asked, “What does all this mean? What are you trying to tell us?”
20 So I said to them, “A message came to me from the Lord, 21 and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will defile my Temple, the source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in. Your sons and daughters whom you left behind in Judah will be slaughtered by the sword. 22 Then you will do as Ezekiel has done. You will not mourn in public or console yourselves by eating the food brought by friends. 23 Your heads will remain covered, and your sandals will not be taken off. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins. You will groan among yourselves for all the evil you have done. 24 Ezekiel is an example for you; you will do just as he has done. And when that time comes, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”
25 Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold—their joy and glory, their heart’s desire, their dearest treasure—I will also take away their sons and daughters. 26 And on that day a survivor from Jerusalem will come to you in Babylon and tell you what has happened. 27 And when he arrives, your voice will suddenly return so you can talk to him, and you will be a symbol for these people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Old Testament
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 23
17 Ephron’s Field of Machpelah, which faced the plains of Mamre—the field, the cave within it, and every tree within its perimeter—was thus confirmed
18 as Abraham’s purchase publicly, in full view of the Hittites and of all who had come to the gate of his city.
19 Abraham then buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the Field of Machpelah facing the plains of Mamre, which is Hebron, in Canaan.
20 The field and its cave were thus confirmed as Abraham’s property as a burial ground, purchased from the Hittites through Ephron.
Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 24
1 Abraham was old. He continued to deeply internalize his experiences. God had blessed Abraham with everything.
2 He said to his servant Eliezer, the elder member of his household who was in charge of all that he owned: “Place your hand under my ‘thigh’ [i.e., reproductive organ],
3 and I will bind you by an oath to God, God of heaven and God of the earth. Do not take a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites in whose midst I live.
4 Instead, you must go to my former land, to Charan, the place where my family still lives, and take a wife from among them for my son, Isaac.”
5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not wish to follow me to this land. Should I take your son back to the land from which you departed?”
6 Abraham said to him, “Be most careful not to take my son back there.
7 God, the God of heaven, who took me away from my father’s house in Charan, and from the land of my family, Ur of the Chaldeans, spoke concerning me—and even swore to me—saying, ‘To your offspring will I give this land,’ will send His angel ahead of you to orchestrate events to your advantage. With His help, you will take a wife for my son from there.
8 But, despite all this, if the woman does not wish to follow you back here, you will be absolved of this oath of mine. In any event, do not return my son to there.”
9 So the servant placed his hand under the “thigh” of Abraham, his master, and swore to him regarding this.
Chiastic Structure (A–F–A′)
A. The delight of the eyes taken suddenly (Ezekiel’s wife dies)
B. Muted mourning — silence commanded
C. Temple judged — national grief approaching
*F. Center. A survivor arrives — voice returns, revelation flows
C′. Burial rights secured — Machpelah purchased
B′. Public mourning practiced — Abraham weeps openly
A′. Covenant continuity through marriage — Isaac receives his future
Center truth: Revelation returns when witness arrives. The survivor’s testimony unlocks the prophet’s voice.
Reflection
Ezekiel models silent grief. Abraham models structured grief. Isaac’s marriage models continuing life.
All three teach one truth: Grief is not the end of covenant — it is the soil covenant grows in.
The community of God must remember that revelation often rides in on sorrow. When our voices disappear, God sends a survivor with a word. When our hearts break, God roots the promise deeper than before.
PARDES: Four Layers of Understanding
Peshat (Literal):
Ezekiel loses his wife but is forbidden to mourn.
Abraham loses Sarah, mourns, and secures burial land.
Then he sends his servant to secure Isaac’s future bride.
Remez (Hint):
Two griefs reveal two kinds of judgment:
– Ezekiel’s silence = national numbness
– Abraham’s tears = covenant tenderness
God can speak in tears or in the absence of them.
Drash (Sermon):
You cannot build the future without burying the past with honor.
Machpelah is not just a tomb — it is the first deed of promise.
Ezekiel’s silence warns us that when a community abandons covenant,
mourning becomes private because shame becomes public.
Sod (Mystery):
When the “delight of the eyes” is taken,
the heart becomes a doorway for revelation.
Ezekiel loses his voice until the survivor arrives —
for prophecy requires two witnesses: the suffering and the one who carries the report.
This is the same pattern as the empty tomb.
Silence → witness → resurrection speech.
Hebrew Word Studies
1. “Delight of your eyes” — מַחְמַד עֵינֶיךָ
Pronunciation: mach-MAHD ay-NEH-kha
Meaning: Not just “beauty” —
the thing that makes your eyes light up and stay alive.
2. “Groan silently” — הֵאָנֵק דֹּם
Pronunciation: heh-ah-NEK dom
Meaning: A groan that’s felt but not heard —
a hidden, internal lament.
3. “To mourn” — לִסְפֹּד
Pronunciation: lis-POHD
Meaning: From a root meaning to beat the chest —
mourning that is physical and embodied, not just emotional.
4. “Purchase / Rise for Abraham” — קוּם לְאַבְרָהָם
Pronunciation: koom leh-av-ra-HAHM
Meaning: Literally “to rise for Abraham.”
A poetic legal phrase meaning:
“This land now rises up to become yours — permanently.”
5. “Place your hand under my thigh” — תַּחַת יְרֵכִי
Pronunciation: ta-khat yeh-reh-KHEE
Meaning: A fertility oath — symbolically swearing by
the source of future life.
A way of saying:
“My future and my lineage stand behind these words.”
