Ezekiel 5:1–2: “And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them.”

November 30th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

In Hebrew society, it was a symbol of disgrace for a man to have his head or beard shaved. God instructed Ezekiel to do so to illustrate the humiliation that was coming to His people at the hand of their enemies. Ezekiel used a sword to shave (ouch!), and then divided the hair into 3 piles: one was burned, one was chopped up with the sword, and the other was thrown up into the air. However, in the middle of all of this, Ezekiel was instructed to take a small amount of hair and put it inside his robe. This was done to illustrate how some of God’s people would be killed in the siege, some would be scattered into exile, and some, a faithful remnant, would be hidden and protected.

Throughout Scripture, the grace of God has always preserved a faithful remnant of people who believe and have placed their trust in Him. The proud person refuses to surrender to the rule of God, while the humble person welcomes His protection and guidance.

The French mathematician Blaise Pascal said it well:

Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that [God] exists.

“LORD, we have placed all of our being on the fact that You do exist and are full of love and mercy. Guide us this day through the maze of life’s pathway, we ask in Jesus’ name.”