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!