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.