Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Tues.’s Devo - Restoration and Mercy

Read: Jeremiah 32-33; Ezekiel 26
Zedekiah had thrown Zedekiah into prison because he kept prophesying that Babylon would prevail against them. The siege had been going on for years and the king wanted to hear good news. Ezekiel told Zedikiah that if he fought against Babylon he would be fighting against the Lord. He also told Ezekiel that his cousin would come and offer family land for him to buy. He was to buy it to show that God would one day bring his people back to this land and restore their inheritance back to them.
Since it was getting closer to Jerusalem’s destruction and the people refused to repent, God started giving them a promise of restoration. One day, their posterity would return to their land and be fruitful once again. From this people would come the Messiah who would bring righteousness and salvation.
The siege had become so bad, the people had torn down their homes to build up the wall. Even materials from the king’s palace had been used. He told the people that the people in this city were as good as dead because God’s anger was blazing against the sin of the people.
I put a star on Jeremiah 33:20. It says that God has a covenant with the day and the night so that one follows the other. We have never seen this covenant broken so we can look at this example and know that God’s promises in his Word are just as sure as his covenant with day and night. His promise for us is restoration and mercy. We always think that we have to do something to right our wrong, but God is a god of restoration and mercy. Our good deeds will never cover our sins but the blood of Jesus can. Our part is to believe.
Lord, help us to come out of condemnation into mercy and grace. We fall on the altar of the cross and walk in confident righteousness.

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