Mon.’s Devo - The Buildings and the Altar

Read: Ezekiel 42:1-43:27; James 5:1-20; Psalm 119:1-16; Proverbs 28:6-7 Ezekiel was shown the buildings of the Temple. They were constructed to make a huge square with the courtyard in the middle where the altar stood. Three stories of buildings outlined the inner courtyard. Each side consisted of rooms with a hallway in the middle and rooms on both sides of the hallway. The inner rooms were used by the priests to eat the sacrifices and store the grain, sin and guilt offerings. Before the priests left their duties, they had to take off their holy clothes and put on other clothes to meet the public. Ezekiel was then taken to the east gateway where he heard the Lord coming like the roar of rushing waters and the whole landscape shone with his glory. Ezekiel fell flat on the ground and the glory of the Lord entered into the eastern gateway. This was the sound when the Holy Spirit came into his Church by way of the disciples in the book of Acts on the Day of Pentecost. The basic law of the Temple was complete holiness. God had exact measurements for everything about his Temple. The altar was huge. It measured 21 feet square and was 7 feet tall. Its hearth was another 7 feet tall. I don’t pretend to understand all of this but it is a mystery that God will reveal more and more as the time gets closer to the end. Since this is a futuristic Temple, it is not lookin forward to Jesus sacrifice but commemorating it. It seems that these rituals are to be done to remember what Christ did for us. James condemned the rich who got their money by extortion and murder. They will have a day of reckoning where they will face the consequences of their sins. James encourages the saints to have patience and remember Job. In all his suffering, he waited and trusted in the Lord. God blessed his end with kindness and mercy and he will do the same for us. God has an answer for everything we are going through and it all boils down to trust and faith in our creator. Our prayers are powerfully effective. God uses our prayers to speak what he wants proclaimed on the earth. When we pray God’s prayers we are participating with God to bring his kingdom in heaven down to earth. Lord, we pray down peace in our nations, deliverance from evil and the evil one and freedom from tyrannical leaders who want nothing good for us. We declare your righteousness in our government and in our courts. May your kingdom come!