Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Tue.’s Devo - Restoring the Temple

Read: 2 Chronicles 29:1-36; Romans 14:1-23; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 20:12
Hezekiah started his reign running. He understood why Judah was like it was and how to change it to get God’s favor. He began by commanding the priests to open the doors of the house of the Lord and repair them. He did this on the first day of the year which is Roshashana. On this day, spiritually, the doors of heaven are opened and anyone can come in. It is the time of soul searching and repenting for the Jews. They believe that the doors of heaven close on the last day of the feast of Tabernacles and then it is too late to repent. The feast of tabernacles started on the 15th and went for 7 days. The priests finished sanctifying the temple on the 16th.
One day, these feasts will be literally fulfilled. Hezekiah was giving us the picture.
For the next days, the priests offered sacrifices and sang praises and worshipped the Lord. The king offered 7 bulls, 7 rams, 7 lambs, 7 goats. Seven means perfect; the perfect sacrifice was offered to the Lord by Hezekiah. Then the people brought so many animals to be sacrificed that the priests had to ask the Levites help them. God’s service in the Temple was reestablished and the people rejoiced. It is noted that this was done very quickly. When God gets ready to move, he does it suddenly.
In Romans, Paul talks about freedom and humbly loving one another. Not every Christian walks in the same freedom in Christ so the ones who are the freest need to honor the convictions of the weaker. Our freedom is not something we flaunt or judge another by but something that is personal to us. Everything we do should not be for anything but to honor God and his bride.
Lord, help us to walk in freedom but to love and respect other’s convictions. Help us to do everything to honor You.

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