Mon.’s Devo -The Prince

Read: Ezekiel 45:13-46:24; 1 Peter 1:13-2:10; Psalm 119:33-48; Proverbs 28:11 In this perfect kingdom that Ezekiel was being shown, the people brought their sacrifices tot the prince and the prince would offer them at the festivals, celebrations and Sabbaths. Every year on the first of their religious calendar (Nisan 1) they were to sacrifice to purify the Temple. The priest was to apply blood on the doorposts of the Temple and the four corners of the upper ledge or “settle” of the altar and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court. The doorposts stood for the cross and where the blood was applied at the first Exodus from Egypt. The Hebrew word for “settle” is azrarah which means “court, settle”. So the priest was to apply blood to the judgments of the heavenly court so they would be covered with blood. They were to do this on the seventh day also for everyone that had been deceived or erred through ignorance. On the fourteenth day, they were to celebrate the Passover for seven days. He shall do the same on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (which is the Feast of Tabernacles.) Passover celebrated man’s personal walk with the Lord and Tabernacles represented the nation’s walk with the Lord. The prince was the only one allowed to enter the eastern gate and stand and watch the sacrifices of the priests. He would bow in worship in front of this gateway. He would offer a sacrifice every Sabbath day. He would leave the way he came. The prince stands for Jesus who observes our heart and our sacrifices of our heart. He can leave the same way because he is the same yesterday, today and forever. The people were to enter either the north or south gateway and they were to exit the opposite door than when they entered because they were to be changed from the time they entered to when they exited. When we are in the presence of the Lord, we should always be changed. If the prince chose to give a gift of land from his inheritance to one of his servants, then the gift had to be returned at the Year of Jubilee, but if he gave the land to one of his sons, it was his forever. Then, the angel took Ezekiel to the west wall where there were rows of rooms where they would cook the meat for the guilt and sin offerings. The would also take the grain offering and make them into bread and bake them there. They did it there so they could avoid carrying the sacrifices through the outer courtyard endangering the people by transmitting holiness to them. It is God’s mercy that he doesn’t reveal his holiness to the world. They would not be able to stand. In Hebrews, we become God’s children with a renewed mind before we can do anything for God. We are declared holy as God is holy because of whose we are. We have been cleansed from our sins and reborn into a life that will live forever. This new life has to be cleansed of the past sins and start craving new spiritual milk just like a newborn baby craves milk. We are to cry out for this nourishment. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the building that God is building in our hearts - the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the priests of the sacrifices of our hearts. We are identified as God’s people - his children. Thank you, Lord for your mercy and the sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ, our hope and salvation.