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!