Sat.’s Devo - The Power of the Blood

Read: Ezekiel 20:1-49; Hebrews 9:11-28; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 27:11 Seven years after Jehoiachin had been captured, some of the leaders of Israel came to Ezekiel to ask for a message from the Lord. The Lord told him to tell them, “how dare you come to ask me for a message? I will tell you nothing.” Then God told Ezekiel to list their sins. When God brought them out of Egypt, he told them to get rid of their vile images and Egyptian idols because He was the Lord. But they wouldn’t listen and they rebelled and wouldn’t give up their Egyptian gods. God didn’t destroy them in Egypt for his own name sake. He brought them out and then gave then his laws and regulations. *** The people rebelled and refused to obey his laws. They violated his Sabbath days. God threatened to destroy them all in the wilderness, but to protect his name, he held back his fury. He warned their children not to follow the idolatry of their parents but they too rebelled and refused to keep God’s decrees and obey the Lord. *** So, God scattered them among all the nations because they wound’t obey his regulations. God gave them over to their sins He allowed them to give their firstborn children to their gods, when in Egypt he had saved their firstborn children from the death angel. God redeemed the first born to be his, not Molech’s. They engaged in all sorts of idolatry and pagan rituals. Now, will he allow them to come to him for a message? No, he would tell them nothing. *** They said they wanted to be like the nations all around them, but that would never happen. God would rule them with an iron fist in anger and awesome power. God would purge all who rebelled and revolted against him, but they would never enter the land of Israel again. *** God told then to go ahead and worship their idols but one day they will obey him and stop bringing shame on his name by worshiping idols. They will one day worship him on his holy mountain and He will accept them. He will bring them back from exile and accept their worship. The world will watch as God displays his holiness through the nation of Israel. They will regret the way they treated the Lord and repent. They will know that He is the Lord and honor his name. *** God told Ezekiel to turn and face the south and speak against the brush lands of the Negev. He was to tell them that the Lord was going to set them on fire. Everyone in the world would see that the Lord had set this place on fire. *** Ezekiel complained to the Lord that the people were saying he was speaking in riddles. *** Jesus Christ has now become the High Priest over all the "the good things to come," Hebrews 10:1; "better promises," (Hebrews 8:6; the "eternal inheritance," Hebrews 9:15; 1Pe 1:4; the "things hoped for," Hebrews 11:1). He has entered the Tabernacle in heaven with his own blood and secured our redemption forever. *** Under the old testament, the blood of goats and bulls could cleanse the people’s bodies from impurity, so how much more can the blood of Christ purify our consciences from sin, allowing us to worship God. Christ’s blood set us free from the penalty of the sins they committed under the first covenant. *** He explains that a will can only go into effect when the person who gave it dies. The first covenant went into effect with the death of animals. Under Moses’ law everything was cleansed with blood. Since the Tabernacle was a copy of the real things in heaven, the Tabernacle in heaven had to be cleansed by blood. Jesus cleansed heaven with his blood once and for all. He will come again to bring salvation to all who are waiting for him. *** Lord, thank you for being such a perfect and loving God. Thank you for redeeming us from sin and giving us a heart to know you and love you. We patiently await your coming. May we be busy doing your will as we wait.