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.