Fri.’s Devo - Kings

Read 1 Chron. 8:29 - 9:1; Daniel 4; Exekiel 40: 1-37
Today is a hodgepodge of information. We start with the lineage of Saul. Saul was from Gibeon which means “little hill”. In the Bible a mountain represented a great power so a little hill would represent a little power. Saul’s father was Kish which means “a snare” and Saul’s name means “requested”. It was a snare to the people that they requested a king because God wanted to be their king. But, God gave them what they requested and they got Saul. He was tall, handsome, and looked like a king but his heart was proud and self-centered.
Then we skip over to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon when Daniel was living. He was also powerful and proud. This is the account of what happened to him after the fact. He had had a dream which Daniel interpreted. It meant that he would lose his mind for seven years and be driven into the wilderness to live like an animal. After this time, God would return his mind to him and he would realize that God was in control of the earth and not him. It happened one year later, just as Daniel said and Nebuchadnezzar ended up humbly praising God.
Fourteen years after Jerusalem had fallen, God gave Ezekiel a vision of the new Temple. He gave this to him during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. Even though they were not allowed to celebrate their feasts, God still keeps his feasts. Tabernacles represents God’s new kingdom so it is fitting that he show Ezekiel a sneak preview of what it will look like. It is tall and majestic with palm trees decorating it. I think the palm tree represents the faithfulness of God to carry us through any storm or trial we face. A palm tree can be bent over to the ground in a storm and aright itself and survive. That is a great picture of the overcomers! This is where the true, righteous king will reign.
Lord, let us be palm trees in your temple.