Sat.’s Devo - The Spirit Leaves the Temple

Read: Ezekiel 10:1-11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105:26-36; Proverbs 27:1-2 Ezekiel was in Babylon with the first exiles, but God would come and transport him back to Jerusalem to find out what was going on there so he could report it back to the exiles in Babylon. *** The four living creatures appeared at the south end of the Temple in their chariots of wheels. The man in linen appeared with them. He took and stood beside on the the creatures and took live coals from the fire burning between their wheels. *** The glory moved from the entrance of the Temple and hovered above the cherubim. They flew with the glory to the east gate of the Lord’s Temple. *** The Spirit took Ezekiel to the east gateway of the Lord’s Temple and showed him the 24 prominent men of the city which included Jaazaniah, and Pelatiah. They were planning the evil council they would give the people. They told the people that it was a good time to build houses because the city of Jerusalem was safe like an iron pot. But God told Ezekiel to say that God knew about the people they had murdered in the city; the streets were full of them. This city was an iron pot alright, but the pieces of meat were the victims of their injustice. They would be dragged from this pot and the war they so greatly feared would come upon them and drive them out of Jerusalem and hand them over to foreigners. Judgment would be carried out on them. *** While Ezekiel was saying this, Pelatiah fell dead. Ezekiel cried out to the Lord and asked if he was going to kill everyone. *** God told Ezekiel what the people left were saying. They were saying that he and his relatives and all the people who were in exile were far away from the Lord and now He had given them the land. God told Ezekiel to tell them that it was the Lord who scattered them and He would be a sanctuary for them during their time in exile. God would gather them back from the nation they had been scattered and give them the land of Israel once again. *** When they return, they will remove every trace of their detestable false idols. God would give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. He would take away their stoney, stubborn hearts and give them a tender responsive heart. They would obey God’s decrees and regulations. *** Then the glory of the Lord left the city and stopped above the mountain to the east. God carried Ezekiel back to Babylon where he told the exiles everything he had experienced in Jerusalem. *** Hebrews tells us that if a person experiences new birth in Christ and then turns away from him and rejects him as their Lord, they can not be reborn again. That would be like nailing Christ to the cross again and he died once for our salvation. Once a field bears thorns and thistles, the only thing you can do with it is to burn the field with fire. *** But the teacher doesn’t think that is what will happen to his listeners. He is confident that they/we are meant for better things - the things that come with salvation. God will not forget how hard we worked for him and how we have loved other believers and still do. As long as we have hope, we will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead we will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of our faith and endurance. *** We will inherit God’s promises because of our faith and endurance. God promised Abraham that he would bless them and multiply them beyond number and Abraham waited until he received what God promised. God bound himself with this oath and his promise and it is impossible for God to lie. *** This hope we have leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus went there ahead of us and is our High Priest. *** Lord, thank you that your promise still stands for Israel. It will soon be a city full of your people, not people who call themselves Jews but are not. It will be filled with your glory and you will give them a new heart. Thank you that what you do for Israel, you do for America. We pray a new heart to be given America to love and obey your commands.