Wed.’s Devo - The New Temple

Read: Ezekiel 39:1-40:27; James 2:18-3:18; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 28:2 Ezekiel was told to speak a word against Gog, Meshech and Tubal which are believed to be modern day Russia, Libya and Iran. They would come against Israel, but God would turn their plans on them and defeat them. The people of Israel would pick up their wooden weapons and use them as fuel for their fires for the next seven years. *** There would be a mass graveyard for all the words of Gog in the Valley of Travelers which would now be called the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. *** Seven months later teams of men would go out looking for skeletons to bury in the Valley. *** God told Ezekiel to call the birds and wild animals to come to a great feast where they will eat the flesh of the men lying in the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. This is how they will cleanse the land. *** Then the nations will know that God sent his people into exile because of their sins, but has now come to redeem them. *** Ezekiel was in their 25th year of captivity when the Lord came and took him in the Spirit to Israel on a very high mountain. He could see a city in the south and as he got nearer he could see a man with a face that shone standing beside a gate. The man held a linen measuring cord and a measuring rod in his hand. He told Ezekiel to pay attention to everything he saw, then go back and tell the people. *** He was taken into the city through the gateway and measured everything. He climbed steps and saw where the guards would stand. He was taken into the inner part through a passageway on the east side of the building which was supported by columns. This structure faced the Temple. The entrance way was over 43 feet wide and over 87 feet long, just to give us some perspective of how massive this place was. There was a huge square courtyard which measured 175 x 175 feet with a passageway on the north side and the south side were just like the one on the east side. The gateway on the south side had seven steps leading out of it. *** In James, he explained that faith and works go together and you can’t separate them. Abraham demonstrated this principle. He had faith that God would raise Isaac from the dead so he strapped him to the altar. God counted his faith as righteousness. Rahab showed her faith by hiding the spies and showing them a way of escape. She had faith that they would keep their word and save her and her family. *** James explained why not all of us should be teachers because we teach with our mouths which are hard to tame. One wrong teaching can spread and cause a lot of dissension and problems. *** Keeping your heart pure will help control what you say with your mouth. Keeping your heart from jealousy and selfish ambition will cultivate God’s wisdom in your life. And, being a peacemaker will reap a harvest of righteousness. *** Lord, help us to desire a pure heart and to be a peacemaker. May we think before we speak and listen to your Spirit and obey.