Sun.’s Devo - The Siege

Read: Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27 Ezekiel had sat silent for seven days because the vision the Lord gave him was so disturbing and holy. At the end of the seven days, the Lord spoke and told him that he was a watchman for Israel and if he didn’t warn the people of their sin and what was coming, then God would hold him personally responsible for their deaths. He was not responsible for whether they listened or heeded his advise, only for telling them the truth. *** Ezekiel was tied with ropes where he couldn’t leave his house and made where he could only say what God said to say. He was then told to set up a replica of the city of Jerusalem and the siege. He was to act out the siege, then lie on his left side looking at the siege for 390 days which stood of each year Israel sinned and then on his right side for 40 days to represent the years Judah sinned. *** He was to ration out his food and cook it over dung to show that there was no wood to make a fire. His water was also rationed by the drop. *** Next, he was to shave his head and divide the hair into three parts. He was to place a third of the hair in the middle of his map of Jerusalem where he would burn it. Then he was to scatter a third across the map and chop it with his sword to represent the ones who would be killed in the war. The last third he was to scatter to the wind, keeping a small bit of the hair and tying it in his robe. He was to take some of the small bit and throw it to the fire. All of Israel would be destroyed through this fire. *** God said he had placed Israel as the center of the nations and he had rebelled and become more wicked that the nations around her. God was now her enemy. He gave an explanation to what he had Ezekiel do. A third if the people would die in the city from famine and disease, a third would be killed outside the walls, and a third would be scattered throughout the earth. They would be a warning to other nations of how the Lord punishes a nation when he is angry with it. It would be destroyed with famine, wild animals, disease and war. Only a small remnant would survive and in their exile, they would remember the Lord and repent of their sins, They would be sorry for their sins and know that there is only one God - the Lord. *** In Hebrews, God is offering his people his place of rest. It takes faith to enter into it. How do we enter this rest? We hear his voice and obey. We hold firmly to Jesus who calms the storm with his voice and is the Word that became flesh and blood. The Word in us is just as alive as it was in Jesus when he walked the world so we can walk in his example, doing what He did. Jesus is now our high priest who we can go to and receive grace to help us when we need it. *** Lord, we see it, but help our unbelief. Help us to enter into the rest you have prepared for us. We give you all our weaknesses, fears and doubts. May we walk in your Spirit with boldness and power.