Tues.’s Devo - Walking in the Light

Read: Daniel 7:1-28; 1 John 1:1-10; Psalm 119:153-176; Proverbs 28:23-24 Daniel takes us back to the first year of King Belshazzar’s reign in Babylon. Daniel had a dream of four beasts that came out of the stormy sea. The first beast was like a lion with wings. Its wings were pulled off so it was left standing on the ground. It was given a human mind. The second beast looks like a bear which reared up on one side. It had three ribs in its teeth. It was told to get up and devour the flesh of many people. The third beast looked like a leopard with four wings on its back and four heads. Great authority was given this beast. The fourth beast was terrifying and very strong. If devoured it victims with it iron teeth and trampled their remains under its feet. It had ten horns. Then the thrones in heaven were set up and the Ancient of days sat to judge. Court was in session and the books of evidence were opened. The fourth beast was killed and destroyed by fire and the other three beasts had their authority taken from them though they were allowed to live a while longer. Then the son of man came in the clouds and approached the Ancient of days and he was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world so that every one on earth would obey him. His rule would never end or be destroyed. Daniel’s dream was explained to him. The four beasts that he saw were four kings that would reign. In the end the saints of God would take the kingdom and possess it forever and ever. The last beast had ten horns which stood for leaders. A little horn also came up and brought down three of the ten horns. This horn spoke evil and came against the saints and prevailed against them, trying to change the timeline and the laws. He will succeed until God judges and it will be time to give the kingdom to the saints. In Daniel, the Ancient of days was God. In John, the Word of life is Jesus. Our fellowship is with both our Father and the Son. God is in light so there is no darkness in him. If we accept the Son, then we too live in light. In that light, we fellowship with each other and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. We all need to be cleansed from our sin because we all have been born into sin and darkness. Jesus came to bring us into the light where our sins are exposed and forgiven. Lord, thank you for your perfect plan for sinful man. Thank you that you want us to walk with you in the light and you made a way through Jesus that we can do that. We choose to walk in your light.

Mon.’s Devo - Daniel and the Lion’s Den

Read: Daniel 6:1-28; 2 Peter 3:1-18; Psalm 119:129-152; Proverbs 28:21-22 Darius divided his huge kingdom into 120 provinces and appointed a ruler over each. Daniel and two others were chosen to protect the king’s interests. Daniel proved himself more capable than all the other administrators so the king began making plans to place him over the entire empire. The other officers met together to scheme against Daniel and keep him from being promoted. They couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn him with so they had to find something against his faith. Daniel prayed three times a day to God, so they decided to trick the king into making a law stating for the next thirty days, everyone in the kingdom had to only worship him. Anyone who was found worshiping another god would be thrown into the lion’s den. They appealed to the king’s arrogance and it worked. Daniel had to know this was happening and instead of appealing to the king for his rights, he appealed to God. That is where they found him, on his knees, praying about the whole situation. The king was notified and trapped in a corner by his own law. He finally had to stand by the law and have Daniel arrested to be thrown into the lion’s den. He told Daniel, “Your God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you.” The king was so distressed over what he had to do to Daniel that he couldn’t sleep or eat that night. Early the next morning, he ran to the den and yelled asking Daniel if his God was able to deliver him. Daniel told him that angels had shut the mouths of the lions because he was innocent. The king was overjoyed and had Daniel lifted from the den. Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had accused Daniel and had them thrown into the lion’s den along with their wives and children. The angels released the mouths of the lions and they leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den. Darius sent out a proclamation of praise to the Lord of Lords and told of how God rescued Daniel. Daniel prospered all during Darius’s reign and Cyrus’s, his predecessor. Peter warns us of the people who would mock God in the last days, saying that He was never coming back. These people choose to forget that God created the world with his Word. With his Word he destroyed the earth once with water and has promised to destroy it again with fire. To the Lord, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. God isn’t slow about what he has promised, he just doesn’t count time like we do. God is patient and wants everyone to have the opportunity to repent if they will. The “day of the Lord” is the day that Jesus will return. We will be with him as his warriors. When that happens it will be quick and the world will be surprised. He will come like a thief. The heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt with the heat. The earth will be burned up. Since all the things we see are going to be dissolved one day, how should we live? We should live holy lives and be found living in peace with God and our fellow man. We have been told all these things in advance that we might grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. To you be all the glory both now in our lives and forever. May we be faithful like Daniel and allow you to fight our battles and defend our innocence.

Sun.’s Devo - The Writing on the Wall

Read: Daniel 5:1-31; 2 Peter 2:1-22; Psalm 119:113-128; Proverbs 28:19-20 This chapter happened 25 years after the last one. Belshazzar has succeeded Nebuchanezzar and he apparently didn’t learn anything from Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling experience of being mad for seven years. Belshazzar was having a party and had his servants bring in the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem. He wanted his guests and all his wives and concubines to drink from them and praise their false gods. While they were drinking God wrote a message on the wall and all they saw was the hand that was writing it and what it wrote. Belshazzar was trembling in his knees as he watched this. He called for all his sorcerers and wise men to interpret the words. None of them could make sense of it. The queen mother came in and immediately knew who to call because she was probably a young girl when Daniel had interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. She told them about Daniel and they called for him. He was promised a purple robe, a gold chain for his neck and to be promoted to the third highest ruler in the kingdom. Daniel told them they could keep their gifts because they didn’t mean anything to him but he would tell him the meaning of the words. The words were in Aramaic. Mene was written twice meaning that his days had been numbered and finished. Tekel meant that Belshazzar had been weighed in the balances and had not measured up. Peres meant that his kingdom had been divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Belshazzar gave Daniel all the gifts he had promised him and that night the king of the Chaldeans killed him and Darius the Mede took the kingdom. Peter warned the believers of false teachers. They cleverly taught destructive heresies and even denied the Master who bought them (Jesus). They would self-destruct. They taught immorality and slandered the truth. They made up schemes to trick the scam the people of their money. God condemned them long ago and they would soon be destroyed. God didn’t spare the angels who in Genesis 6 came down from heaven and had sex with the women of the earth. They have been thrown into hell in pits of darkness where they will be help until the judgment. God didn’t spare the pool oof the ancient world of Noah. He only spared Noah and seven others. God condemned Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of asked. He made them an example of that will happen to ungodly people at the end of their lives if they don’t repent. He rescued Lot because of his righteousness. Wicked people are proud and arrogant and scoff at the supernatural beings that even the angels are afraid to speak against. These false teachers would be caught and their reward will be their destruction. They delight in deception and their desire for sin is not satisfied. They love to earn money for doing wrong like Balaam who was hired to curse Israel. God had to speak through his donkey. They are doomed to blackest darkness and are drawn to twisted sexual desires. They are slaves of sin and corruption. Peter gives a dire warning to those who know the Lord and Jesus and choose to go back into darkness. Their end will be worse that it would have been if the had never know Jesus. They prove the proverb, “A dog returns to its vomit” and “a washed pig returns to the mud.” That doesn’t mean that a dog or a pig can’t be totally redeemed and changed into a new man by renewing his mind in the Word but they have to be willing to do the work to change their patterns. God’s grace is sufficient to do just that. Lord, may we have eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to understand the things of You.

Sat..’s Devo - Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

Read: Daniel 4:1-37; 2 Peter 1:1-21; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 28:17-18 Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed this great message to the people of all the things the Most High God had done for him and all the signs and wonders he had been blessed to see. He said this with arrogance exalting himself as the recipient of God’s signs because of his greatness. He was about to be humbled. While Nebuchadnezzar was enjoying the comfort of his palace and all his wealth, he had a most disturbing dream. He called in all his magicians, enchanters, astrologers and fortune-tellers…except Daniel. Had he forgotten about Daniel? No, God wanted to show Nebuchadnezzar that his best was far inferior to God’s best. Finally, he did send for Daniel, when he didn’t approve of the interpretations of his wise men. Nebuchadnezzar admitted that he knew that Daniel got his wisdom from another source than his magicians. Daniel had the spirit of the holy gods in him. This time Nebuchadnezzar told Daniel what the dream was. He dreamed of a large tree in the middle of the earth. It grew very tall and strong and had fresh green leaves and was loaded with fruit. Wild animals lived in its shade and birds nested in its branches. All the world was fed from this tree. Then a messenger from heaven came down and said to cut down the tree, lop off the branches, shake off the leaves and scatter the fruit; chase the wild animals from its shade and the birds from the branches, but leave the stump and the roots and bind them with a band of iron and bronze and surround them with tender grass. He was to live with the wild animals for seven years and have the mind of a wild animal. Then everyone would know that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and he gives them to who He chooses. Daniel was wroth when he heard the dream because he knew exactly what it meant. In Daniel 2:37 God had said that He had made Nebuchadnezzar the ruler over all the inhabited world. He was the great tree. In that same verse it said that God had put even the wild animals and birds under Nebuchadnezzar’s control, and now they would be scattered. The leaves and the fruit stood for the prosperity and wealth of his kingdom. God had given him all of that glory. But now he would be cut down and live among the wild animals for seven years. The stump was a sign that his kingdom would be restored to him. A year went by and as Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his palace surveying his city that HE had made to display HIS majestic splendor, a voice came down from heaven. It said that he was no longer the ruler of this kingdom he thought was his. The dream was about to manifest and when the time set was over he would know that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. When the seven years were over, and he returned to himself and praised and glorified and honored the King of heaven. He said, “All his acts are just and true and he is able to humble the proud.” What a picture of how God moves in the lives of those who refuse to listen to him. God is so loving that he would go to such extreme measures to get Nebuchadnezzar’s attention. His desire is that none of us perish but all come to the saving knowledge of who he is. Peter reminds us that God has given us everything we need to live a godly life. We received this power when we became Christians. Peter gives us a progression of this transformation. We start with faith. With our faith we are given a generous provision of moral excellence. As we begin to walk in that, we gain knowledge which will lead to self-control. This self-control will lead to patient endurance which will grow into godliness. Then we will have God’s heart and be able to love everyone. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to do that in our lives, the more affective we will be in our witness to the world. Lord, that is our goal, to grow into brotherly love and let you perfect us through our tests and trials. We love you and honor you with our lives.

Fri.’s Devo - Our Rock

Read: Daniel 2:24-3:30; 1 Peter 4:7-5:14; Psalm 119:81-96; Proverbs 28:15-16 Arioch was appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar to kill the wise man. When Daniel came to him with the dream and its interpretation, Arioch sent him straight to the king. He must have not wanted to be the executioner of sorcerers. He introduced Daniel as “one of the captives from Judah.” When the king asked Daniel if it was true, Daniel immediately gave the credit to God who had revealed the secret to him. He told him the dream and said that it had to do with future events that God wanted the king to know. He told him that he had seen a huge statue of a man. Its head was fine gold, its chest and arms were made of silver and its belly and thighs were of bronze. Its legs were iron and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. In his dream he saw a rock cut from a mountain but not by human hands. The rock struck the feet of the state smashing them to bits and then the whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver and gold. The wind blew them away without a trace. The rock then became a great mountain that covered the whole earth. That was the dream and this was the interpretation. The head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. After him would come another kingdom inferior to his, like silver is inferior to gold. It would fall too, and the next kingdom would be bronze. After that, a fourth kingdom would arise and be as strong as iron. That kingdom would smash the previous empires. The feet and toes which were iron and clay indicated that that kingdom would be divided. Some of it would be strong like iron and other parts would be weak as clay. They would try to strengthen themselves by allying together through intermarriage but they will not be able to hold. During the reigns of those kings, God will set up his kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all the kingdoms into nothingness and will stand forever. That kingdom of God will be the rock. When King Nebuchadnezzar heard what Daniel said, he bowed down and worshipped him and commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burnt incense before him. He praised God as the greatest of gods. and the revealer of mysteries. Daniel was appointed to a high portion and given gifts. He was made ruler over the whole province of Babylon and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were put in charge of all the affairs of the province. The king had a huge 90x9 foot gold statue made of himself and commanded everyone to bow and worship it when they hear the sound of the instruments. News got back to the king that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow. They were brought in and questioned about it. They were given the chance to bow and save their lives. Instead, they told Nebuchadnezzar that if they were thrown into the furnace that the God whom they served was able to save them and rescue them from his power. But, even if he didn’t, they wanted him to know that they would never serve his gods or worship the gold statue he had set up. Nebuchadnezzar was so furious he commanded that the furnace be turned up 7 times hotter. When they were thrown in the fire, it was so hot it killed the ones who threw them in. But the three men walked with Jesus in the fire. Nebuchadnezzar saw this and called them out. They walked out with not a trace of fire or smell of smoke. Once again, Nebuchadnezzar ended up praising God who was greater than him. The three were promoted to even higher positions than they were before. What a message of God’s redeeming power. If we honor and stand with God, he will honor and stand with us. Peter talked about the end of the world. As we get closer and closer to that end we are to show love for each other and let that love cover one another’s sins. All of the gifts God gives us are given for us to share with others. They are not for us to keep but to give away. He encourages us once again about suffering for Christ’s sake. We will reap a reward and identify with Christ in our suffering. Peter gave a word to the elders to care for the flock and lead them by example. We are to humble ourselves before God who is able to lift us up and honor us. The devil is looking for someone to devour, so we must stand firm against him and be strong in our faith. We are all going through trials so we must stand together. Suffering only lasts for a little while and then God restores, supports and strengthens us and places us on a firm foundation. Lord help us to stand together against the devil. May we stand with and strengthen one another. Our lives are for your glory.

Thurs.’s Devo - God is Our Judge

Read: Daniel 1:1-2:23; 1 Peter 3:8-4:6; Psalm 119:65-80; Proverbs 28:14 The book of Daniel begins at the time when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem the first time. Daniel is writing this and he understands that only God could give Nebuchadnezzar the victory. He could have never defeated God’s people except God let him. Nebuchadnezzar took the sacred objects from the Temple which I would guess were the Ark of the Covenant and all the gold furniture. He placed them in his treasure-house of his god. He also commanded his officer, Ashpenaz to bring back young men of Judah’s royal family and from noble families as captives. He was to choose the best, smartest, best looking and gifted and teach them their language and culture. They would be fed and trained for three years to enter into royal service. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were chosen. They were probably around 12 years of age. They were renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Daniel means “god is my judge” and his new name, Belteshazzar means “favored of Baal”. God was Daniel’s judge all through his life and defended him against all their decrees. Daniel was also favored by their god and was shown that by the favor his captors had for him. When he asked not to eat the unkoshier food of the Babylonians, he won their favor and their test. He was also favored by God and was given special ability to interpret the means’s of visions and dreams. Daniel and his three friends also found favor with the king who tested them and found them ten times more capable than any other the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus. He and Ezra would have been in the kingdom together. Daniel would have known of his return to Jerusalem to rebuilt the Temple. During the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign he had such a disturbing dream that he called all his magicians and enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers together. (Daniel would have still in his apprenticeship so he would not have been called.) Nebuchadnezzar demanded that they tell him his dream and its meaning or he would have them torn limb from limb and their houses turned into heaps of rubble. This was an impossible order and the psychics tried to reason with the king but he would not have it. He decreed them all executed. Men were sent to find Daniel and his friends to kill them. When they found them, Daniel asked why they were being killed and when he found out he went at once to see the king and to request some time. Daniel told his three friends to pray that God would show one of them what the dream and its interpretation was. That night God gave the dream and interpretation to Daniel. Daniel praised the Lord for revealing to him what was hidden in darkness. First Peter tells us how to love. We love each other as brothers and sisters with a tender heart and a humble attitude. We don’t repay evil for evil or insult for insult. to do this we have to keep our mouth from speaking what we feel in our raw emotions. God will turn his face toward those who do right and hear their prayers but he will turn his face against those who do evil. Peter tells us over and over not to worry if we suffer for doing right because that is what Christ did. We only have to worry if we are suffering for doing wrong. Christ suffered for us and died a physical death but was raised in the spirit to life. He went and preached salvation to the spirits of those who had died during the days of Noah. They were waiting in Sheol. To the eight people who were saved in the flood, the flood was their baptism cleansing their world from sin. Now Christ is in heaven seated at the right hand of God and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority. The good news of the kingdom continues to be preached through our changed life. We are Jesus’ ambassadors on the earth. May our lives point others to You and your salvation power. You are the resurrection and the life.

Wed.’s Devo - The Lay of the Land

Read: Ezekiel 47:1-48:35; 1 Peter 2:11-3:7; Psalm 119:49-64; Proverbs 28:12-13 Ezekiel’s tour guide from God showed him a new aspect of the New Temple area. He brought Ezekiel from the altar out through the north gate around to the entrance of the eastern gate. There was a stream of water that he took Ezekiel through. For the first cubit (1,750 feet) the water was ankle deep. The next cubit was knee deep, the next was up to his waist and the last was too deep to walk in so he had to swim. He asked Ezekiel if he had been observing. He led him back the way they had come and Ezekiel was surprised to see the trees growing on both sides of the river. The man told him that this river ran all the way to the Dead Sea and would make its salty waters fresh and pure. It would abound in fish. The marshes and swamps would not be purified. Fruit trees grew on both sides of the river and they would bear a new fruit every month. The fruit would be for food and the leaves for healing. The northern border was a city north of Canaan. The eastern border was Syria and the southern border was the last town in Judah by the Dead Sea. On the west was the Mediterranean Sea. It is opposite of Lebo-hamath which means the “enclosure of wrath”. Specific instructions are given for the Gentiles who have joined their hearts with God’s people. They were to be treated like the native-born Israelites and will receive an allotment among the tribes that they identify and live with. The tribes were to have their territory in this order, from north to south: Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, Judah. Next was the land of the Zadok priests who were faithful to the Lord. The Temple would rest in the middle of their land. Below them would be the Levites and the city would be in the midst of their land. Pastureland would be on both sides for the Levites and the people who worked in the city. Below them would be the rest of the tribes: Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulon and Gad. The prince would have land to the east and west of the Temple. If you draw this out it makes the sign of the cross. The prince’s land is the cross bar. There were three gates on each side of the entrance into the city. Each gate was named a different tribe. On the north was Reuben, Judah and Levi. On the East was Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan. South was Zebulun, Issachar and Simeon and on the west was Naphtali, Asher and Gad. The distance around the whole city was 6 miles and the city would be called “The Lord is There.” In First Peter the main theme is our response and behavior whether it is with an unbelieving and harsh boss or spouse. The instruction is the same. We should live honorably and respectfully. We obey authority and follow God’s order of authority. We endure persecution and wrong accusations and prove our innocence by our lifestyles. Lord, help us to honor You with our lives and let our actions bring you glory. Thank you for the picture of Your new kingdom which is fair and good. We look forward for the things you are preparing for us.

Tues.’s Devo - The Prince

Read: Ezekiel 45:13-46:24; 1 Peter 1:13-2:10; Psalm 119:33-48; Proverbs 28:11 Never in the priesthood of Moses was the prince involved. But in this new Temple the priest is the major player. The prince represents Jesus. A tax is given to the priest to use to purchase the animals and grain used for the sacrifices. The prince was to give the sacrifices and prepare them. He made reconciliation for the people. On the first day of Nissan, the prince was to cleanse the sanctuary with the blood of a young bull. The priests would take the blood and put it on the posts of the house, the four corners of the border of the altar and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court. The priests stand for the believers. (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6) Jesus prepares the sacrifice and offers it to us. We have to take it by faith and apply his blood to the doorposts of our hearts. On the fourteenth day of Nissan was Passover which stood for the day Jesus died on the cross for our sins. On this day the prince would provide the bull and a sin offering for himself and the people. That is exactly what Jesus did on that day. The next seven days were the Feast of Unleavened Bread which stands for our purification for sin. All the days of our lives we will walk in the saving grace of our salvation. We will be righteous because of the sacrifice made for us. God’s mercy’s are new every morning. The prince enters through the eastern gate just as Jesus will enter the eastern gate of Jerusalem when he comes back. He will stand and watch as the priests offer HIS burnt offering and peace offering. Then he will bow down in worship inside the gateway passage and then go back the way he came. The people must enter through the north gateway and leave by the south gateway or vice versa. They cannot leave the way they came. That is a message to us. When we experience the presence of the Lord, we have to change. We cannot leave the way we came. If the prince gives a gift to his son, the gift is his inheritance and can never be taken from him. (Our gifts are irrevocable.) But if the prince gives a gift to a servant, his gift will not be his forever. There are many people on the earth that are given great gifts to be used in this world for the benefit of his children. When they die without Christ, their gifts will not follow them to hell. Our gifts will follow us to heaven and we will use them there. First Peter explains everything we just read about in Ezekiel. I love how God’s Word fits together and the Old Testament and the New confirm one another. First Peter is self-explanatory. The one thing that we have to remember as Christians is that our deeds are the extension of our hearts. We are crucified with Christ so in this life we give, suffer, sacrifice and serve. We are not living for this life; we are living for our heavenly home where will will be eternally blessed and suffer nothing. This is our test. Lord, help us to live in a way that You are glorified through us. Thank you for the cross and the resurrection. We are crucified with you and we will rise with you. Glory to Your Name!

Mon.’s Devo - Our Inheritance

Read: Ezekiel 44:1-45; 1 Peter 1:1-12; Psalm 119:17-32; Proverbs 28:8-10 Ezekiel was brought back to the eastern gate, but it was closed. It was to remain closed and never reopened. It was the prince’s gate and he was the only one who could sit inside the gateway and feast in the Lord’s presence. If you go to Jerusalem you will see that the Muslims have put rocks against the eastern gate because they know the prophecies that the Messiah would enter through that gate. They think that their rocks will keep Jesus out. Ezekiel was taken to the north entrance where he was shown the glory of the Lord which had returned to the temple. In Ezekiel 11, we read that Ezekiel was taken to the eastern gate and shown all the sin of the people. The glory left out of the eastern gate and now it had returned. God explained why the glory had left. They had brought foreigners into the temple to take charge of the sanctuary. These people didn’t know or honor the Lord. Men from the tribe of Levi had abandoned the Lord to worship idols and would not be allowed to minister as priests. Instead they would serve as the Temple caretakers, taking charge of the maintenance work and performing general duties. The Levitical priests of the family of Zadok who continued to minister to the Lord and didn’t abandon the Lord for idols would be his priests to minister in his presence and offer sacrifices to God. These godly priests would wear linen as a sign of their righteousness and they were never to sweat showing that they no longer labored as the world labors. There must be a perfect balance in their lives and they were to be set apart in every area of their lives from the way they cut their hair to the women they married. They were not to own land as a picture to the people that their home was in heaven. In God’s Temple, a section was set apart for the priests to live. It was within the Most Holy Place. They were to forever live in God’s presence. The prince would have his land on the east and the west of the Temple. He gave a rebuke to the earthly princes to stop being violent and oppressing the people. They were robbing and cheating them out of their land and expelling them from their homes. Then God gave them a physical picture of being fair in their measurements. He was telling them to be honest in their affairs. It was a warning because God has just measurements by which he judges and they would be measured themselves by God’s standards. In Peter, he tells us that the prophets of the Old Testament prophesied this great salvation though they didn’t understand it. We as Christians live as foreigners in this world because this is not our home. We have a priceless inheritance that is being kept in heaven for us. God is keeping us and empowering us to endure until we can receive it. Our faith is being tested now but our reward will be so worth the suffering and testing. Lord, we patiently await your promises and our inheritance you have for us. All glory to Your Name!

Sun.’s Devo - Cleansing the Altar

Read: Ezekiel 42:1-43:27; James 5:1-20; Psalm 119:1-16; Proverbs 28:6-7 Chapter 42 described the rooms off the Temple towards the north, south and east that were for the priests who offered the sacrifices and at the most holy offerings. They also used these rooms to store the grain, sin and guilt offerings. Before entering these rooms they had to take off their clothes and put on priestly clothes made of linen. We read in previous chapters about the Spirit of the Lord leaving the Temple and in Chapter 43 we read about its return. When God came it was to the sound of rushing waters just like at Pentecost when he came to reside in the bodily temples of the disciples. The Spirit of God came in the eastern gateway and Ezekiel was taken inside to see it. God’s glory filled the Temple. God told Ezekiel that this was the place of his throne and the place where He would rest his feet. He told them that he wanted man to stop polluting his altar with other gods. He wanted to live among them forever. He gave Ezekiel the measurements of His altar. It stood 7 feet high and was 21 feet square. That is a huge altar! This is where the burnt offerings and the sprinkling of blood would occur. At the four corners of the altar there were four horns. The priests were to sanctify the horns, the corners and the upper ledge of the altar with the blood of the bull. Then the bull which was the sin offering was to be taken outside the Temple area. This bull represented Jesus who was crucified on the cross (the altar) then buried in a tomb outside of the Temple area. The next day, the priest were to take a goat what was spotless and cleanse the altar, then do the same with a bull and a ram. Every day for seven days after that they were to sacrifice a male goat, a young bull and a ram from the flock. They had to be perfect without spot. This would make the altar clean and ready for use. When this was done, God would accept them as his people. James spoke to the rich people who put their trust in their riches. They would find that what they put their trust in was not eternal and would eat away at their flesh like fire. The things they hoarded would testify against them on the day of judgment. James reminds us of Job who patiently endured suffering that he didn’t deserve and didn’t understand. God was kind to Job and rewarded him for his patience. He will do the same for us as we patiently await Jesus’ return. James gives us some practical things to do while we are waiting. If we are suffering hardships we should pray. If we are happy we should sing praises. If we are sick we should call for the elders to pray and anoint us with oil. If we have committed sins, we will be forgiven. If we confess our sins to one another, we will be healed and if we earnestly pray then our pryers have great power and will produce wonderful results. James gives us the story of Elijah as an example. When we help a brother return to the Lord, we have saved him from death. Lord, may we joyfully and patiently live our lives in great expectation of your return.

Sat.’s Devo - Our Hearts

Read: Ezekiel 40:28-41:26; James 4:1-17; Psalm 118:19-29; Proverbs 28:3-5 Ezekiel was led into the inner court gateway which led to the inner courtyard. The gateways were the same on the south, east, and north. The west is not mentioned here. All of the gateways had alcoves and rooms along their halls. They all led to an inner courtyard. There was a room just for sacrificing the meat and washing it for the burnt offerings, sin offering and guilt offerings. Inside the inner courtyard were two rooms one on the north side facing south and the other on the south side facing north. These rooms were for the priests who supervised the Temple maintenance and took care of the altar. They were the descendants of Zadok which were the only priests who could approach the Lord to minister to him. In the middle of the inner courtyard was the altar. Ezekiel was brought into the sanctuary of the Temple and then into the inner room behind the sanctuary. He was told that this was the Most Holy Place. Along the outer wall of the Temple were a row of rooms built on three levels with 30 rooms per level. There was a large building toward the west facing the Temple courtyard. The three parts of the Temple were all paneled with wood and the walls were decorated with carvings of cherubim each with two faces. The faces were of a man and a young lion. Between each of the cherubim there was a caving of a palm tree. There was an altar in the Holy Place which was to stand in the Lord’s presence. Both the sanctuary and the Most Holy Place had double doorways with swinging doors. Each were decorated with carved cherubim and palm trees like on the walls. It sounds like our hearts are the Holy of Holies and it is surrounded and protected by walls and rooms for many other things like our thoughts and memories. We have a special place of repentance where Christ’s sacrifice atones for them. In James, he came down heavy on those with wrong motives. He summed it up with: if you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Humility and taking responsibility is the only way to be honored by God. We must place our plans and our future in God’s hands. Lord, we surrender to your will and plans for our lives. You hold our future and it is full of hope and the good things You have prepared for us. May we have clean hands and a pure heart.

Fri.’s Devo - The Temple of God

Read: Ezekiel 39:1-40:27; James 2:18-3:18; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 28:2 I listened to the prophet Robin Bullock today and he said that Obama was Gog personified. That is interesting in the fact that Ezekiel was told to tell Gog that He would knock the bow from his left hand and the arrows from his right hand and leave him helpless. Him and his allies would all die on the moutons and be fed to the vultures and wild animals. All his allies who live safely on the coasts would all burn with God’s fire. The people in the towns will turn their weapons into fuel that will last for 7 years. They will plunder the ones who planned to plunder them. It will take 7 months to bury all the people and cleanse the land. After that, crews would be sent out to find corpses and mark them for the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. God will call the birds and wild animals to come and drink the blood of the evil ones. This is the picture of the Feast of Leviathan where the evil spirits will drink the blood of the ones who drank the blood of innocent people. Israel will accept the responsibility of their own sins and repent. They will come home to live in peace. Chapter 40-48 is the description of the new Temple of God. Ezekiel was taken in a vision to this new Temple and told to have spiritual eyes, ears and heart that he might understand what he was seeing, hearing and doing. He was given a measuring tool and told to measure everything in the Temple. This chapter has to do with the two outer courtyards. This is what I found out in my commentary: The description involves things which, taken literally, seem to be naturally impossible. The square of the temple, in Eze 42:20, is six times as large as the wall enclosing the old temple, and larger than all the earthly Jerusalem. Ezekiel gives three and a half miles and one hundred forty yards to his temple square. The boundaries of the ancient city were about two and a half miles. Again, the city in Ezekiel has an area between three or four thousand square miles, including the holy ground set apart for the prince, priests, and Levites. This is nearly as large as the whole of Judea west of the Jordan. Most of the measures were taken from the human body. The greater cubit was the length from the elbow to the end of the middle finger, a little more than two feet. This exceeded the ordinary cubit (from the elbow to the wrist) by an hand-breadth (twenty-one inches in all). The palm was the full breadth of the hand, three and a half inches. This makes me wonder if this Temple was to be a picture of the New Man of the New Testament where we embody the Temple of the Holy Spirit. James says that faith and good deeds work together. Our actions follow our heart. Rahab acted on her faith when she hid the spies. Teachers are held to a higher measure of judgment because what they say affects those they teach. James speaks much about the tongue and how powerful our words are. It takes great self-control to guard our words. Our words reveal our hearts. The way to guard your words is to guard your heart. James tells us to be peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. Peacemakers plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. Lord, I need so much help in guarding my heart during this season. Please help us all to have eyes to see, ears to hear and Your heart to understand how to navigate this season. Bless our nation and may it bring you glory.

Thurs.’s Devo - Dry Bones Come to Life

Read: Ezekiel 37:1-38:23; James 1:19-2:17; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 28:1 God took Ezekiel to a valley filled with bones. God led Ezekiel through the valley to look at how dry and dead these bones were. As they were walking God asked Ezekiel if he thought these bones could live again. Ezekiel answered that only God knew the answer to that. So God told him to prophecy to them to hear God’s word for them. God’s word to them was that God would cause breath to enter into them and make them live again. (The picture of salvation.) Then he would put flesh and muscles on them and cover them with skin. Then they would know that He was the Lord. Ezekiel prophecied just as God told him and the bones started joining together to form people. Muscles and flesh formed over the bones and then skin covered them but they still had no life. God told him to speak to the four winds to breathe on them. When he did they came to life and stood up on their feet as a great army. Then God explained the illustration he had just showed Ezekiel. The bones represented the people of Israel who felt like all hope was gone and their nation was finished. God said he would open their graves of exile and cause them to rise again and bring them back to their land in Israel. He would put his Spirit in them and they would live again and return to their own land. Ezekiel received another message to take a piece of wood and carve on it “For Judah.” He was to write the words “For Joseph” which stood for the rest of Israel on another stick. Then he was to join them together to show that they would become one nation - God’s people. Chapter 38 deals with Gog and the land of Magog which responds to modern Russia today. Gog was the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. In the last days they would be used to attack Israel in a time of peace after just recovering from war. The enemy would come like a storm and cover the whole land. They would take advantage of Israel’s vulnerability and plan to spoil them. God told Ezekiel to prophecy that when they do this, God will arise in fury and shake the land of Israel. God will bring a sword against them and they will fight one another. God will punish them with disease, bloodshed, rain, hailstones, fire and burning sulphur. The whole world will know that He is Lord. James encourages us to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. Human anger doesn’t produce God’s righteousness. Only the Word of God in our hearts has the power to save our souls. We not only have to hear God’s voice but we have to follow through and obey. True Christians can control their tongue. They are compassionate and will care for widows and orphans. They are not prejudice. To break one of God’s laws is to break them all. We will be judged by the law but if we are merciful, God will show us mercy. Our faith should result in good deeds. Thank you that your unfailing love for us is powerful and your faithfulness endures forever.

Wed.’s Devo - The Fall of Edom

Ezekiel 35:1-36:38; James 1:1-18; Psalm 116:1-19; Proverbs 27:23-27 God gave a message against Mt. Seir which is the land of Edom. Edomites were people who hated Israel the most and stood for all of Israel’s enemies. God said that they butchered God’s people after he had punished them. They loved to shed blood, so God would shed theirs. Their land would be desolate and never be rebuilt. They laughed and mocked when Israel fell and the whole world would laugh when they fell. To the mountains of Israel that the Edomites thought were theirs, God said that he would made them fruitful and rebuild their cities. God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the mountains of Israel that He was furious that they suffered shame at everyone else’s expense. God heard the mocking of other nations and said that Israel would never devour their own children or rob them again. God was going to bring them back and prosper them for his own reputation, not because the deserved it. When they come back, God will cleanse them and purify their hearts and give them a new beginning. God will make Israel to look like the Garden of Eden. James is as comical as Hebrews.We read in Hebrews that the good news is that God disciplines the ones he loves. That doesn’t sound like good news. James tells us to be joyful when trials come because we have the opportunity to grow and we should want that. When we have fully developed our endurance then we will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. Wisdom is ours for the asking. We receive his wisdom by faith. God honors the poor and humbles the rich. He blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. God’s gifts are from heaven and are good and perfect. He chose us to be his prized possession. Lord, thank you for your steadfast love that never changes and is new every morning. We trust that you will destroy our enemies and give us a new heart to love you.

Tues.’s Devo - The Watchmen

Read: Ezekiel 33:1-34:31; Hebrews 13:1-25; Psalm 115:1-18; Proverbs 27:21-22 God explained to Ezekiel that when a nation is being attacked from the outside. He will always raise up a “watchman” which is another word for a prophet. This watchman is there to see what it coming and warn the people. In 2008, God raised up many watchmen in America like Bob Jones, John Paul Jackson, Kim Clement just to name a few. They told us what was coming if we didn’t repent. It was their responsibility to tell us what they were seeing that was coming. It was our responsibility as the people of God to respond and repent. Ezekiel was one of the watchmen given to Israel. If he gave the message, then he was innocent and the people were responsible. If he didn’t warn the people then he would be held responsible. The people accused the Lord for what was happening to them. Sound familiar? God told them that it was their fault these things were happening to them. What would happen if we examined ourselves first before we blamed God for our trials? A message came to Ezekiel from God that Jerusalem had fallen the night. The next morning a messenger came to confirm it. God also told Ezekiel that the remnant of people left in the land were saying that since the whole land had been given to Abraham, then it would be theirs. But God said that since they ate meat with blood in it, worshipped idols and murdered the innocent, the land would not be given to them. They would die. God told Ezekiel what the people were saying about him in secret. They would come to Ezekiel wanting to hear the next thing that God had told him but in their hearts they had no intention of heading the warnings or changing their lifestyles. When the words of Ezekiel came true, they would know that there was a prophet among them. Ezekiel was told to prophesy against the shepherds, which would be the pastors of today. They should have been the ones to lead the people to the Lord and repentance but instead they led them to sin and rebellion against God. Instead of going after lost sheep, they took care of themselves and preyed on the sheep. God said that He would be their Shepherd and bring them back home to their own land of Israel. He would give them good pastureland and places of peace to lie down and be restored and healed. He would feed them justice. The flock would be judged by the righteous Shepherd and he would separate the sheep from the goats. God would one day set Jesus over them to be their Shepherd. and make a covenant of peace with his people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Verses 25-31 are the promises of God for Israel and for America. I would encourage you to read them out loud and proclaim them over our nation. It is our heritage. I love what Hebrews says about entertaining angels unaware. It is a good reminder to be kind and loving to everyone we meet. Marriage is to be honored. Money is not to be trusted. We put our trust in the Lord. We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. This is talking about Jesus and the sacrifice of his body on the cross. We eat his flesh and drink his blood at communion and it does more than all the animals sacrificed under the old covenant. Instead of animals, our sacrifice we offer is praise. We are to obey spiritual leaders and do what they say, not the secular leaders if they tell us to do what is an abomination to our bodies or to the Lord. Spiritual leaders watch over our souls for our benefit. We are to pray for them. May You, the God of peace equip us with all we need for doing Your will. May You produce in us through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to You. All glory to You forever and ever!

Mon.’s Devo - The Second Death

Read: Ezekiel 31:1-32:32; Hebrews 12:14-29; Psalms 113:1-114:8; Proverbs 17:18-20 God compares Egypt and its Pharaoh to the tree in the garden of Eden… the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But it became proud and wicked so God sent a foreign army to cut it down and left it on the ground. He would go down to the pit. Egypt would be like Assyria, another tree in God’s garden that he destroyed and sent to the pit. Egypt would lie among the outcasts in hell. God told the Pharaoh of Egypt that he saw himself as a young lion but God saw him as a sea monster about to be caught in Gods’ net and hauled out of the water. He would leave him stranded on the land. His name would be blotted out of the Book of Life. Other nations would be disturbed when they hear about Egypt’s destruction. Egypt was a superpower that Babylon would bring down. Its demise will bring the fear of God on other nations. Egypt’s pharaoh would not only die on earth, but the people who worshiped idols and hated Israel would face a second judgment under the earth. They would be sent down to lie with others who have gone before them in unrighteousness and rebellion from God. Assyria, Elam, Meshech and Tubal, Edom, Sidon and the princes of the north are other nations that would join them in hell. The only comfort that the Pharaoh would have is that he is not alone there. In Hebrews we are commanded to work at living at peace with everyone. Don’t be immoral or godless like Esau who despised his birthright and then wanted it back but it was too late. We are not under a covenant of fear and terror of God but one of grace and love. Ours is a covenant of joy. Jesus is our king who speaks of forgiveness and not vengeance. This is easy to write but not always that easy to walk in. Our command is to listen to God’s voice and let him be God. He is going to shake the earth and the heavens and everything that is not rooted in Him will fall. Lord, help work at peace, walk in forgiveness and hate what it evil. May we hear your voice and receive your instructions and walk in humility.

Sun.’s Devo - Weakness into Strength

Read: Ezekiel 29:1-30:26; Hebrews 11:32-12:13; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 27:17 During the tenth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity God have a message to Ezekiel about Egypt. The pharaoh of Egypt was Hophra which means “to cover evil.” His reign began prosperously. According to my commentary he took Gaza (Jer 47:1) and Zidon and made himself master of Phoenicia and Palestine, recovering much that was lost to Egypt by the victory of Nebuchadnezzar at Carchemish (2Ki 24:7; Jer 46:2), He was so proudly secure because of his successes for twenty-five years, that he said that not even a god could deprive him of his kingdom. This explains his boast that the Nile was his own river that he made for himself (vs. 3). God said that He would put hooks in his jaws and bring up him and all his followers. Pharaoh-hophra, was dethroned and strangled, and Amasis substituted as king, by Nebuchadnezzar. Egypt would be made desolate for forty years and its people scattered among the nations. At the end of the forty years they would be gathered together and be a depressed lowly nation. The kingdom of Babylon was being used by God to execute his justice and judgment. They fought against Tyre for years and could never penetrate its walls so God gave him Egypt for a reward for their efforts against Tyre. With the spoils they took from Egypt the Babylonians would be able to pay their army. The downfall of Egypt would be the sign of the uprising of Israel. In Chapter 30 “the time of the heathen” was the beginning of a world-wide judgment on all the heathen enemies of God. God would destroy the idols and images out of Noph (Memphis), the capital of Upper Egypt who was known for its stupendous buildings. The Babylonians took Sin or Pelusium by placing dogs and cats before their army. The Egyptians couldn’t shoot their arrows at the army because they held sacred the dogs and cats. They slew Apis, the sacred ox, and burnt other idols of Egypt. The city of Sin, known as the key of Egypt was at the northeast end of Egypt and No or Thebes at the opposite end. God was saying that he would afflict Egypt from one end to the other. During the eleventh year of Jehoiakim’s captivity God gave Ezekiel another word. Both of Pharoah’s arms would be broken depriving him of the resources of making war. The end was that they would know that God is the Lord. Hebrews begins with the victorious judges, David and Samuel. They turned their weaknesses into strengths. They won their battles and saw miracles. Others didn’t see their victory on earth. They lived for eternity where their victory waited for them. They were persecuted, oppressed and mistreated. They earned a good reputation in heaven. We are all connected in this plan of God’s. What we do is passed on to the next generation and what we are is a product of our past generations. Those who died before us are our cloud of witnesses that cheer us on to finish our race so that the next generation would take the baton and finish their race with success. This race is full of shame and hostility but we are encouraged to endure till the end. Jesus went before us and showed us how to do this. Lord, thank you for Jesus our example of how to walk this life on earth and the Holy Spirit who walks with us and guides us along the way. We are never alone. Thank you that You turn our weaknesses into strengths.

Sat.’s Devo - More Faith

Read: Ezekiel 27:1-28:26; Hebrews 11:17-31; Psalm 111:1-10; Proverbs 27:15-16 God wasn’t through talking to Tyre. He called it the gateway to the sea, the trading center of the world. I would compare it to Dubai in today’s world. Ezekiel gives us a list of the nations that traded with her and the wares that were exchanged. God compares the Tyre of the island like a ship that becomes wrecked by the waves and completely destroyed. No one can believe it could happen. The pride of the world ends sunk at the bottom of the sea. God sent a word to the prince of Tyre. He had proclaimed in his pride that he was a god but God puts him in his place. He is only a man. This reminds me of Herod who proclaimed the same thing only to be struck down and killed. It also reminds me of the politicians of today who are pronouncing the same thing only to be struck down and humbled. The prince of Tyre would die like an outcast at the hand of foreigners. The prince of Tyre was the physical leader Ithbaal which means “with Baal”. The next message was to the king of Tyre which was the spiritual leader - a type of the Anti-Christ. He describes him as being the serpent in the Garden of Eden. He had been anointed as the mighty angelic guardian who had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. We see that Lucifer’s pride led him to violence and he was banished from the mountain of God. He was filled with pride because of his beauty and his wisdom was corrupted by his love for splendor. He was thrown to the ground and exposed to the world. He was personified in the city of Tyre. God told Sidon that He was their enemy who would judge them and send a plague against them. They would be slaughtered within their own walls. To the people of Israel, God said that they would live again in their own land. They who had been scattered would be brought back together. Once God finished punishing their enemies, they would be safe to live in their own land again In Hebrews we continue our talk on faith. Abraham as the “Father” offered his own son, Isaac as a sacrifice just as God offered Jesus. Abraham knew that God was able to bring Isaac back to life just as God planned to resurrect Jesus. Isaac offered blessings on his sons, Jacob and Esau and they came to pass. They both had 12 sons. Jacob’s sons were the sons of promise and became the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob prophecied that his people would one day leave Egypt and commanded that they take his bones with them when they went. Moses was the one to lead God’s people out of Egypt. Moses gave up his worldly position to suffer for the sake of Christ because he knew there was a greater reward waiting for him from God. He defied the Pharaoh of Egypt to follow God who led him out of Egypt. By faith he told the people to kill a lamb and sprinkle its blood on their doorposts, saving them from death. He led the people through the Red Sea on dry ground. This same Sea killed the Egyptians when they crossed. The people, by faith marched around Jericho and it was by faith that Rahab was saved because she believed in the God of the Israelites. It is by faith that we trust in a God who we cannot see and a Saviour we have only heard about. It is by faith that we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit leading us in the way we should walk. Lord, thank you for faith. Thank you that it is a gift you have given us. May we nourish this gift and cause it to grow.

Fri.’s Devo - By Faith

Read: Ezekiel 24:1-26:21; Hebrews 11:1-16; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 27:14 God said that Israel would be in captivity for 70 years which began at the time that King Jehoiachin went into captivity. That is why it is always marking time in that expression. God told Ezekiel to give the people an illustration of what their lives were about to become. He was to put a pot of water on the fire and fill it with choice pieces of meat from the best sheep of the flock. The pot represented Jerusalem. He was to then take out pieces in no particular order because they were all the same. These pieces of meat represented the people. That is how corrupt they were that they would murder each other with no respect for life. Ezekiel was to make the fire really hot and cook the meat with lots of spices then burn the bones. Next he was to put the empty pot back on the coals and heat it to burn away the filth and corruption. But it would be hopeless to clean just as the people were hopeless to clean. They were full of murder, lewdness and idolatry. God told Ezekiel that with one blow he would kill his most treasured possession which was his wife. He was not to mourn her or show any form of sadness or usual death rituals. He was to accept no consolation from his friends. Ezekiel proclaimed it that morning and that evening, she died. He did exactly what the Lord told him to do and when the people asked him about it he told them that he was demonstrating how they would not be able to mourn the loss of their city or their families. God spoke against Rabbah the capital of Ammon and its land. Because they cheered when they saw Jerusalem fall, they will meet the same fate for their city. Their land would be turned into a land for sheep and goats to pasture.. They would become plunder for many nations and be completely destroyed. The people of Moab would be attacked by nomadic people from the east and their land become a wasteland. The people of Philistia had contempt for Judah so God would wipe them out and completely destroy them in revenge of what they did to his people. In the 12th year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity God spoke against Tyre because it had rejoiced over Jerusalem’s fall. She rejoiced because her competition in trade had been taken out and now she owned the trade routes which made her very wealthy. Tyre would be reduced to a rock when it is destroyed. God will send Nebuchadnezzar against it to destroy its mainland villages. There were two Tyres. One was an island in the sea and the other was a mainland city. The prophecy sounds like waves of attacks like water would destroy the island and the Babylonians would destroy the mainland. Tyre, who was once a naval super power would be reduced to nothing. In Hebrews we read the “hall of faith” chapter. First we have the definition of faith. It is the reality of what we hope for and the evidence of things we cannot see. God is the first one mentioned. By faith he spoke the earth into existence and it appeared. He demonstrated how faith works. Next we have Abel who was a type of Jesus who offered the sacrifice that pleased God. Then Enoch who was the picture of the resurrection as he was taken to heaven without dying. Noah was the picture of salvation from the world of sin and judgment. Abraham was the Father of God’s people who knew that earth was not his home. Sarah was the picture of life coming from death. These people did not live to see the fulfillment of what they started. They were pioneers in the world beginning a good work that their posterity would walk in. They lived their life looking forward to the fulfillment of the promise God had given them. Lord, may we live our lives as a piece of the timeline You have set up. May we not look at things as though they are, but at things as you say they will be. May our faith grow and grow.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Two Sisters

Read: Ezekiel 23:1-49; Hebrews 10:18-39; Psalm 109:1-31; Proverbs 27:13 God have Ezekiel a parable to tell the people. He personified Israel as a women named Oholah and Judah as her younger sister Oholibah. Both became prostitutes in the land. Oholah lusted after the Assyrian officers and worshipped their idols, defiling herself with them. God handed her over to her lovers who stripped her and took her children as slaves and then killed her. Oholibah saw what happened to her sister and didn’t learn from her mistakes. She became even more depraved and lusted even more over the Assyrian officers. She even lusted after the Babylonian officers and their gods. They defiled her and she hated them afterwards. God was disgusted with Oholibah and rejected her. She turned back to lust after Egypt. Because of her sins God would send her lovers against her from every direction. The Babylonians, Chaldeans, and all the Assyrians would come against them from the north and surround them. They would be handed over to them for punishment. They would cut off the nose and ears of the survivors and take their children as captives. What was left would be burned. Their sin was adultery against God and murder against his people. When God was finished with them, they would all know that He is the Sovereign Lord. Hebrews gives us a warning. Jesus opened the way for all of us to boldly approach God’s throne of grace. His blood, sprinkled on our guilty consciences makes us clean. But if we continue to sin after we have receive the knowledge of the truth there is no sacrifice that will cover these sins. In the old covenant, anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy. How much worse will it be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and treated the blood of the covenant with contempt. God will judge them. God reminds us not to throw away our trust in the Lord became we have a great reward if we patiently endure. God’s righteous ones will live by faith but he will take no pleasure in these who turn away from God to their own destruction. Lord, may we put our trust in you. Thank you for the power of your blood to cleanse us from our sin. May we walk in righteousness and forgiveness.

Wed.’s Devo - Judgement on Jerusalem and Rabbah

Read: Ezekiel 21:1-22:31; Hebrews 10:1-17; Psalm 108:1-13; Proverbs 27:12 God told Ezekiel to tell the people that He was coming to destroy the righteous and the unrighteous. Everyone in the world would know that He is the Lord. This should scare every human being on the face of the earth. Their spirit would become faint and even the boldest heart would melt with fear. God told Ezekiel to make a map with two routes drawn on it. The two routes would be for the army of Babylon to follow. There was a fork in the road where they could choose to go to Rabbah, the capital of Ammon or to Jerusalem the capital of Judah. When the army got to the fork they would do all their demonic rituals to decide which road to take. They would choose Jerusalem and besiege it. The people of Jerusalem would think that they have a treaty with Babylon and surely they would honor it, but the king of Babylon will remind them of how they rebelled against him breaking their treaty. God spoke judgement against Israel and Ammon. They would be handed over to cruel men who were skilled in destruction. God told Ezekiel to pronounce judgment against Jerusalem and name their sins. They were guilty of murder, idolatry, blood shed and defilement. They were filled with confusion and would be mocked by people far and near. Every leader was bent on murder. They raped women and committed adultery, slandered one another and sent innocent people to their death. They defiled God’s holy things and violated his Sabbath days of rest. Foreigners were forced to pay for protection. Orphans and widows were oppressed. They despised God and treated fathers and mothers with contempt. They committed adultery with women in their own family and hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners to do their dirty work. They didn’t even consider that God was watching and would act. They would all go through God’s refining fire. Everyone was guilty from the prince to the common people. They all oppress the poor, robbed the needy and deprived the foreigners of justice. God had looked for a righteous man, an intercessor to stand in the gap but couldn’t find one. so he would destroy the land and the full penalty of their sins would come upon them. Every year the people of Israel were to come to Jerusalem on the Day of Atonement. They would bring a lamb to sacrifice and pay the penalty of their sins that year. Year after year they had to do this but the sacrifice would only last a year. These sacrifices didn’t take away their sins they only reminded them of them. Jesus offered himself as a final sacrifice which pleased God. It was done once and for all for the sins of the whole earth. Through his sacrifice, the old covenant was done away with and the new covenant stands. In the new covenant, God writes his laws on our hearts and remembers our sins no more. Thank you Lord for your judgments are fair and righteous. Thank you for mercy and grace and salvation.

Tues.’s Devo - Life in Christ

Read: Ezekiel 20:1-49; Hebrews 9:11-28; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 27:11 During the seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity (which is how they kept time). The elders of the city came to Ezekiel wanting to know what God said. All their false prophets had prophesied a quick victory and now their king had been in captivity for seven years so Ezekiel’s prophecies were becoming more correct than their prophets. God was not happy that they were now interested in what He had to say. He told Ezekiel to bring charges against them to make them see how wicked they and they ancestors had been. He recited of the people's rebellions during five distinct periods: in Egypt, the wilderness, on the borders of Canaan when a new generation arose, in Canaan, and in the time of the prophets. He reminded them that obedience would have given them life but they chose death every time. It was too late for them so they might as well worship their false idols now. The time would com when they exiles returned, they would obey Him. They would be a pleasing sacrifice to Him and they would be repentant and have a heart to love and worship Him. God told Ezekiel to turn and face the south and speak against it. Jerusalem was in this area and it would be set on fire. Everyone in the world would see it. Ezekiel told the Lord that the people thought he was talking in riddles. They didn’t have ears to hear or a heart to interpret his words. Their hearts were closed to revelation but it didn’t matter. One day they would read his words and understand what he was saying and realize it wasn’t so hard to understand, they were just deaf to God’s voice. In Hebrews, explains that Christ became our High Priest when he carried his own blood to heaven when he resurrected. He sprinkled it in the Tabernacle in heaven to not only cover our sins but to purify our consciences from sin. The blood of animals could never do that. God gave Moses the blueprints of the Tabernacle to be built on earth by seeing the one in heaven and scaling it down to earth size. The true Holy of Holies was in heaven. God made a way through the blood of Jesus for all of us to come into his presence and worship Him. Christ will return to bring salvation to the earth. Lord, thank you for the great sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ. It is in him that we live and move and have our being.

Mon.’s Devo - Jesus - Our High Priest

Read: Ezekiel 18:1-19:14; Hebrews 9:1-10; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 27:10 There was a saying in their culture that meant that the children would pay for the sins of the fathers but God was changing that. He said that everyone would die for their own sins. The ones who choose to live righteously and don’t worship idols would live. If the son of a righteous person decides to not walk after the ways of his father and worships idols and sins, he will pay for his own sin. But if a sinful son has a wicked father and decides not to follow after his father’s ways, then that son will be saved. God takes no delight in seeing wicked people die. God desires that all men repent and be saved. If righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start sinning, they will die for their sins and vice versa. The people continuously blamed God for what was happening to them. They said he wasn’t being fair but God said he was, and they were brining it on themselves. God gave Ezekiel a funeral song. Jehoiachin was the first “mother” who laid down among the tribes and raised one of her sons, Jehoahaz to hunt men. He was led away with hooks to Egypt. Then Jehoiakim became the leader and he was also a man-eater who demolished cities until the Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites and Ammonites attacked him. They took him to Babylon where he was put in prison. In verse 10, Israel was the vine planted by the water’s edge. God had brought her to Canaan and given her the best land and prospered her there. She became very great among the nations but the height of her glory, because of her sins, she was cast down. She was transplanted to the wilderness where life would be hard. This happened under Zedekiah’s reign…the last of the kings. Hebrews explains the Tabernacle in the wilderness. In the first room there was a lamp-stand and a table where the shew bread was placed. This room was called the Holy Place. In the next room was the altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant with the cherubim on top. Inside the Ark of the Covenant was a gold jar containing manna and Aaron’s staff that budded showing that he was the High Priest. When the priesthood was in operation like God had designed it, the priests could enter the Holy Place but only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement. As long as the old system stood, the people were not able to go into the Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. This was an illustration pointing to the present time. The sacrifices and gifts of the old system were not able to cleanse the consciences of the people because it was a physical type to be in effect only until a better system could be established. Lord, thank you for being our High Priest who made a way for us to boldly approach the throne of grace.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Riddle

Read: Ezekiel 16:42-17:24; Hebrews 8:1-13; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 27:7-9 There would come a time when God’s judgment on Judah would be over but not before God punished them for the sins of their past. They had done just like their forefathers as far as their sin went. They had outdone the sins of Samaria who had golden calves, fake priests and false prophets. They had outdone the sins of Sodom who were filled with pride, gluttony and laziness and did detestable sins. Judah’s sins made them look righteous in comparison. But, one day, God would restore the fortunes of Sodom, Samaria and Jerusalem. God would reaffirm his covenant with them. God gave Ezekiel a riddle to give the people about an eagle and then explained it to them. It is the story of what just happened to them. Babylon came and took their leaders away to Babylon. The acting king of Judah broke his covenant with Babylon and made one with Egypt against Babylon. God would not let them get away with this. This king, Zedekiah would be captured and brought to Babylon and his best warriors killed in battle. The survivors would be scattered to the four winds. Then God would take a branch and draw many to it. Many would find shelter in its shade. During their time, this person would be Zerubbabel. After the 70 years in captivity, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, Zerubbabel led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360 (Ezra 2 Ezra 2:64), who returned from captivity. In the second year after the Return, he erected an altar and laid the foundation of the temple on the ruins of that which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. He was a descendant of the royal line of David and a type of Christ who would be the ultimate Branch to lead us out of bondage into freedom. Jesus ministers in heaven as our High Priest. His ministry is far superior to the priests here on earth. The new covenant is a much better covenant than the old. Now, God’s laws are written on our hearts and we know what it right and what is wrong and what pleases the Lord. Lord, thank you for writing your Word on our hearts. Help us to live by them and choose them.

Sat.’s Devo - Our High Priest

Read: Ezekiel 14:12-16:41; Hebrews 7:18-28; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 27:4-6 God gave Ezekiel several scenarios of things He might bring to a land: famine, wild animals, war, and an epidemic. Then he says that he will send all four on them and even if Noah, Daniel and Job were living, they would only be able to save themselves. He chose these three people because they were known for their righteousness. They all stood alone against a perverse society of people and friends but refused to turn from God. He compared the people to grapevines that were not useful for making anything. they weren’t even useful for burning. God told Ezekiel to confront the people with their sins. The people of Israel were nothing when God found them and rescued them and called them his own. He made a covenant with them. God cleaned them up and nourished them and gave them great wealth and health. But they took the credit for their prosperity and blessings. They sacrificed their own children to their gods and made prostitutes out of their sons and daughters. They built pagan shrines and altars. Prostitution was on every street and allied with Egypt. The Israelites were worse than prostitutes because they paid their lovers instead of demanding payment. Because of all that, God was going to gather all their allies against them and expose their nakedness and sin to everyone. God would put an end to their prostitution. In Hebrews, God was doing away with the old priesthood because it was weak and useless now. God had a new oath to swear to his people. Now, all his people are priests and we can all offer up sacrifices and gifts to God. Jesus is the High Priest of the new covenant and he lives forever always making intercession for us. Thank you that you always pray for us with perfect love and total understanding of all that is going on in our lives. May your perfect will be performed in our lives today.

Fri.’s Devo - Acting Out the Siege

Read: Ezekiel 12:1-14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 27:3 Ezekiel was told by God to act as a person going through the siege that was coming. He was to pack his bag of only what he would take and dig a hole through the wall and escape at night. When they asked what and why he was doing this, God told him to tell them that this would be them in the near future. He told them that Zedekiah would do this very thing. He would be taken to Babylon but never see it. This was exactly what happened to Zedekiah. He tried to escape through a hole in the wall and was captured and his eyes poked out. He was taken captive to Babylon but he never saw it with his eyes. The false prophets told the people that like all the other prophets, Ezekiel was talking about something that was going to happen in the far future, not to them today. God told him that that it was the time for all prophecies to be fulfilled. God told Ezekiel to speak against the false prophets who made up their own prophecies from their own imaginations. They had been an enemy to their nation and the people by prophesying lies and leading their people to think it was a time of peace when God was proclaiming war. Next, God had Ezekiel prophesy against the women prophetesses. They trapped others with their lies but their lies were going to trap them. Instead of telling the people to repent, they led the people to continue in their sins. Some of the leaders came to Ezekiel to ask him what God was saying. God was tired of telling them what to do when He knew they had no intention of obeying the Lord. God was going to punish the false prophets and the ones who knew the truth and refused to repent. In Hebrews, God explains how Abraham had been given the promise of God that he would be the father of his nation. Then he fought the evil kings of the earth to rescue Lot and won. After the battle, he met Melchizedek, God’s high priest of heaven and gave him a tenth of the spoil. Melchzedek gave Abraham the blessing to add to his promise. He was transferring his priesthood to Abraham which would materialize in Levi, Abraham’s great grandson. When the priesthood changes, then the law must also change to allow it. Moses would bring the law to change the priesthood. Lord, thank you for your promises and your blessings. May we see your glory on the earth.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Glory of The Lord Leaves the Temple

Read: Ezekiel 10:1-11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 27:1-2 In Ezekiel’s vision he saw the throne of God. The Lord spoke to the man in linen clothing and told him to take some of the burning coals from beneath the cherubim. He took the coals through the door on the south end of the Temple and when he did the glory of the Lord rose above the cherubim and went over to the door of the Temple. The courtyard glowed with the glory and the sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard outside the courtyard. The four living creatures he had seen before with the wheels were there. They ushered the glory of the Lord out of the entrance of the Temple to the east gate. At the eastern gate were 25 of the prominent men of the city. The Spirit told Ezekiel that they were planning evil against the city. They were telling the people to build houses because they were safe inside the walls of Jerusalem. They weren’t safe. The Spirit of the Lord told Ezekiel to tell them that He knew every thought that came into their minds and how many they had murdered. They would soon be dragged from this city and see war. They would be carried to foreigners and land slaughtered. God was pronouncing judgment on the city. While Ezekiel was saying this to the elders, one of them fell dead. His name was Benaiah which means “God’s way of escape.” God was saying that his way of escape was dead. God told Ezekiel that the people left in Jerusalem were saying that he and his family who were in exile were now gone and they could have their land, but God said that they would come back and have their land restored to them. When they return God will remove every trace of idols and He will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit in their hearts. They will have tender hearts toward him. The glory of the Lord left the city and stopped above the mountain to the east. Then the Spirit of God took Ezekiel back to Babylonia to the people in exile where he lived. In Hebrews, the writer wants to take his readers past the elementary things of the gospel and talk about the more mature things. The first is that it is impossible to bring someone back to repentance if they have once been enlightened with the truth and chose to turn away. This goes against many people’s doctrine but this is what the Bible says. Once a person has rejected Christ and only God knows a person’s heart, repentance then is like nailing Jesus to the cross again. He compares it to a field that bears thorns and thistles. The farmer will condemn it to burning. The writer made it clear to the ones he was talking to that he didn’t think this applied to them because they were meant for better things, the things that come with salvation. Abraham was our example who believed what God said about having seed that would cover the earth and waited patiently for God to bring it about. God had given Abraham both a promise and an oath and he has given us the same thing. We have the promise and the oath of a place that Jesus has gone ahead of us to prepare for us. We have so many other promises like the Lord will never leave us or forsake us. Lord, thank you for your promises to us that you will perform in your timing.

Wed.’s Devo - The Lord's Mark

Read: Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Hebrews 5:1-14; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 26:28 Ezekiel told them that everything that Jeremiah and the other prophets was near to happening. Their sin had reached its full measure and it was time for God to act. He met with the leaders of Judah in his home when God took him in a vision to see all the idol worship that was being done in secret. The was taken by an angel to the gate near the altar and shown a pagan altar. Then he was taken to the Temple courtyard and taken through a hole in the wall to show him the wicked things the priests were doing in their secret places. They were burning incense to idols. Next he was taken to the north gate of the Lord’s Temple and shown the women worshipping Tammuz. Lastly he was taken to the inner courtyard of the Lord’s Temple and shone twenty-five of the men who were worshipping idols facing the east. The glory of the Lord rose up from between the cherubim in the Holy of Holies and moved to the entrance of the Temple. This was God’s glory leaving the Temple. The Lord called forth other angels and told them to go and mark the foreheads of all the people who mourned the idolatry of the nation. The men were to march through the city killing everyone without the mark. This was God’s mark like the mark on the doorposts during Moses’ time. They began their judgment with the 70 elders. The sins of the people without God’s mark were judged. When the men from God had done everything they were told to do they reported back to God that it was done. In Hebrews, God explains that Jesus became our High Priest. He represents us to God and offers gifts to God and sacrifices that cover our sins. No on can decide on their own to become a high priest. They must be chosen by God. God chose Jesus to be our High Priest. When Jesus was here he cried out to God to save us from death and God heard him and qualified Jesus to be our source of eternal salvation. God has spiritual food to give the mature, those who have trained themselves to know the difference between right and wrong. Lord, thank you for hearing the prayers of Jesus on our behalf. Thank you for saving us for death. May we be among the mature that have trained ourselves to know the difference between right and wrong.

Tues.’s Devo - God’s Rest

Read: Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27 God gave Ezekiel the instructions of a watchman on the wall. A watchman on the wall is a prophet for the nations. God would tell him what was coming and if he didn’t tell it immediately, then the responsibility of what happened would be on his head. But if he gave the warning then he was free and the people were responsible for what they did with the warning. God took Ezekiel to a valley and came in his glory like he had at the River Kebar. Ezekiel fell on his face and the Spirit set him up on his feet. He told him to go home and shut himself in. He was to tie himself with ropes so he couldn’t leave his house. He was only to speak when God gave him something to say. Ezekiel’s next assignment was to take a clay brick and draw a map of Jerusalem on it. He was to build a wall around it and show it under siege. He was to take an iron griddle and place it between him and the city and turn toward the city and demonstrate how hard the siege would be. He was to lie on his left side for 390 days to show that Israel had sinned that many years. Then he was turn on the right side for 40 days for the years they had sinned against the Lord. As he laid looking at the map he was to prophecy her destruction. God would tie him in ropes so he would not be able to move. God told him to make a special kind of bread to sustain him through his 390 days and to ration it out and eat it at a designated time every day. This would show them how they would have their food rationed. Ezekiel was to cook the bread over his own dung but when Ezekiel protested, God let him use cow dung. Next, he was to take a sharp sword and use it as a razor to shave his head and bear. He was to weigh his hair and divided it into 3 parts. A third was to be placed in the middle of the map where when he had acted out the siege, he was to burn. The next third was to be scattered across the map and then chopped up with a sword and burned. The last third was to be scattered to the wind. This would be an illustration of what was going to happen to Jerusalem. Israel was God’s children and because they had chosen to worship idols, God would punish them worse than any other nation. They would end up eating their own children and the children would eat their own parents. They would end up a mockery to the other nations. There were seven mountains around Jerusalem and God told Ezekiel to prophecy against them. They had all become places of idol worship and pagan rituals and God was going to destroy them all. Only a few of the people would escape the war, famine and disease. God promises us a place of rest. This place of rest is a physical place in heaven but it is also a spiritual place right here on earth that we can enter into. God had chosen a rest for the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt, but they failed to enter into it. They all died in the wilderness because of their unbelief. We must do our best to enter into that rest. The word of God is alive and powerful. It divides between the sourish things and the spiritual. Everything is exposed before God. He sees everything. He understands all our weaknesses because he faced everything we are going through and he did it without sinning. We can ask him to empower us to do the same. Lord help us to face our trials with your grace and wisdom. We earnestly desire to enter into your rest.

Mon.’s Devo - Ezekiel’s Mission

Read: Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 26:24-26 Jeremiah prophesied thirty-four years before Ezekiel, and continued to do so for six or seven years after him. The call of Ezekiel followed the very next year after Jeremiah's predictions of all the evil that would come to Babylon. Ezekiel was divinely intended as a sequel to them. Daniel's predictions are mostly later than Ezekiel's but his wisdom had become famous in the early part of Ezekiel's ministry. Ezekiel and Daniel were a lot alike in the visions they saw. Ezekiel didn’t give a message against his enemies but for the people of Israel to turn to God. Ezekiel was a priest like his father Buzi and his name means “God will strengthen; God will prevail.” He opens with “the thirtieth year.” Thirty years from then Josiah had found a copy of the book of the Law in the Temple and restoration began in the land. From that time, the people were held accountable for their sins because they had the law on how they were supposed to live before God as his people. It could also mean that Ezekiel was born that year also. In Ezekiel’s first vision he sees a great storm coming from the north. From inside a huge cloud came four living beings that looked human except they each had four faces and four wings. They had legs but their feet had hooves of a calf. Under each of there wings were human hands. Each being had four faces and a set of wings for each face. The faces were of a man which faced forward, a lion which faced east, an ox which faced west, and an eagle which faced back. They moved in the direction of the spirit. Each face had a wheel assigned to it with another wheel inside that wheel in a criss-cross manner. They moved in the direction they faced as the spirit moved them. Above them was the crystal canopy of heaven. Above this surface sat a blue throne and on the throne sat the Almighty God in all his glory and splendor. He told Ezekiel to stand up because he had fell to the ground when he saw God. God told Ezekiel that he was sending him to the rebellious nation of Israel. It was not Ezekiel’s responsibility to get the to change but just to tell them God’s messages so they would know that there was a prophet among them. He gave Ezekiel a scroll and told him to eat it. It was filled with funeral songs, words of sorrow and pronouncements of doom. As he ate it, God told him it would fill him with the words he was to speak. He would make Ezekiel as hard headed as they were only his stubborn mind would be set on God and his word. He would be steadfast and unmoveable for God. Ezekiel had been sitting at the Kedar River with the exiles when God took him to heaven and now he was brought back. He was so overwhelmed by what he had seen that he was unable to speak for a week. In Hebrews, we see that Jesus was a type of Moses or vice versa. Mose was in charge of bringing God’s people out of bondage and into their promised land. Jesus’ assignment was the same. Moses brought them physically out of bondage into freedom but Jesus came to spiritually do the same thing. Moses was in charge of the house of Israel but Jesus is in charge of all of God’s house, Jewish and Gentile. We are part of God’s house if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ. He warned them not to be rebellious like the people before them were. Their hearts were unbelieving and they turned from God to follow evil instead. Their unbelief caused them not to be able to enter into rest. Lord, may we have hearts that are soft and turn toward You. May we hear your voice and eat your Word and live it.