Wed.’s Devo - God’s Holy Judgments

Read: Ezekiel 31:1-32:32; Hebrews 12:14-29; Psalm 113:1-114:8; Procures 27:18-20 In the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity God gave a message to the Pharaoh of Egypt. The Pharaoh of Egypt was compared to the tallest tree - meaning that he was the most powerful king on the earth at the time. But, that was about to change. He had become so proud and arrogant because of his position. He would be destroyed because of his wickedness. *** The next year, Ezekiel gave the Pharaoh of Egypt another message. He compared him to a sea monster that was going to be caught in God’s net. His downfall would disturb the hearts of many when they saw it. It will put the fear of God in their hearts. God would send the army of Babylon against Egypt and destroy it completely, shattering its pride. *** Fourteen days later, Ezekiel told the Pharaoh that he was being sent to the hell, which was the world of the dead. It was a subterranean retreat which included inmates and the accessories. I would think that the accessories were chains, cells, and instruments of torture. The ones who struck terror in the hearts of people everywhere would be slaughtered by the sword and sent to their eternal torture. This was the fate of Meschech, Tubal, Edom, all the princes of the north and the Sidonians. When Pharaoh arrived in Sheol, he would take comfort in the fact that he is not the only one there. (What a comfort!) *** How different in comparison was the description in Hebrews of Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. When God’s saints gather there, it will be a joyful gathering with countless thousands of angels. All of God’s children whose names are written in the book of life will be there. We will meet with the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect. Jesus and God will be there. *** This will not be like the meeting they had at Mt. Sinai with Moses and the children of Israel. They were shaking in fear of God and afraid of dying. Even Moses was terrified and trembling. Our meeting with God will not be like that; it will be wonderful and joyful. *** God is shaking the heavens and the earth right now, but we are of his kingdom that can not be shaken. Our response is thankfulness and worship with holy fear and awe. *** Lord, we thank you that you are a consuming fire that will burn up all your enemies. We thank you that we are your children safe in the refuge of your arms. May we live holy lives by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tues.’s Devo - Jesus, Our Champion

Read: Ezekiel 29:1-30:26; Hebrews 11:32-12:13; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 27:17 In the tenth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity God sent Ezekiel a message against the Pharaoh of Egypt. God likened him to a great sea monster that lurked in the streams of the Nile. God would put hooks in his jaws and drag him out on the land with fish sticking to his scales. He and all his fishes would be left in the wilderness to die, unburied. They would be food for the wild animals because when Israel trusted in her, she failed them. *** The land of Egypt would become a barren wasteland for forty years. The Egyptians would be scattered to distant lands. At the end of the forty years, God would bring its people back and restore its prosperity, but Egypt will remain a minor kingdom. It will never be great enough to rise against its neighbors. Israel would never put their hope in it again. *** God had used Nebuchadnezzar and his army of Babylon to defeat Tyre yet they hadn’t gotten any plunder from her. All of her wealth went into the sea. So, God would pay her with Egypt’s wealth. *** God would restore the wealth of Israel and then the people of Israel would respect Ezekiel and see that he heard from the Lord. *** In Hebrews, the writer lists others that had great faith that turned their weaknesses to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Then he told of others that were tortured because they refused to turn from God in order to be set free. They believed in a life in the resurrection which would be better. They endured tremendous pain and suffering which made them great in God’s eyes. They never received all God had promised them but their mantle was passed on to the nest generation. *** These people are in our crowd of witnesses. So let us strip off everything that keeps us from continuing their race and keep our eyes on Jesus, our Champion. He is the one who perfects our faith. He endured the pain of the cross because of the joy he knew awaited him. He was our example to follow. *** He reminded them of Proverbs 3:11-12 where God speaks to us as his children and tells us not to give up when we are disciplined because God disciplines those he loves. We should rejoice that he is our Father because fathers discipline and punish the children because they love them. *** God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. It is not enjoyable at the time but it reaps a harvest of right living which brings peace. So, set a goal and get back up. God will strengthen you. *** Lord, thank you for your encouragement to continue the walk of faith. May we be strengthened by your Holy Spirit.

Mon.’s Devo - By Faith

Read: Ezekiel 27:1-28:26; Hebrews 11:17-31; Psalm 111:1-10: Proverbs 27:15-16 God sent his message to Tyre in a funeral song. Tyre means “to distress”. Tyre had been the mighty gateway to the sea and the center of the trading world. It was international city decked in the finest the nations had to offer. God likens Tyre to a great ocean liner laden with wares from everywhere. Its leaders were the oarsmen that sailed her into the stormy sea. They wrecked her in the heart of the sea and lost everyone on board. The cites by the sea that saw her sink wept over her bitterly and mourned. They were appalled at her outcome. God said she would exist no more. *** A message was sent to the prince of Tyre. He was so filled with pride that he claimed himself to be a god. His wisdom made him rich and his riches made him proud. He thought he was wise as a god, but God would bring a foreign army upon them. They would defile his splendor and bring him down to the pit. He would die in the heart of the sea, pierced with many wounds. *** Another message was sent to the king of Tyre who was the embodiment of Lucifer. God takes us back to the Garden of Eden where we see how beautiful Lucifer was when God made him. God ordained and anointed him as the mighty angelic guardian. He had access to God’s holy mountain and walked among the stones of fire. He was blameless until evil was found in him. He, like Tyre was filled with pride because of his beauty. His wisdom was corrupted by his love of splendor. God threw him to the ground and exposed him in the eyes of other kings. He defiled his sanctuaries with his many sins and traded dishonestly. His own sins were heaped on top of him. All who knew him were appalled at his fate. He had come to a terrible end and would exist no more. *** Next, God gave a message against the city of Sidon. Sidon means “hunting”. God would send a plague against them and attack it from all sides. The people would lie slaughtered within their walls. Then everyone would know that God is the Lord of Lords. *** Of Israel, God said that she would again live in her own land. God would gather them from the distant lands where they had been scattered and bring them safely to Israel. They would once again build homes and plant vineyards. *** In Hebrews we continue looking at the Hall of Faith. Abraham had so much faith God would do what he promised, he was willing to give his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. He fully believed that if God had to raise Isaac from the dead, he would just to fulfill his promise to him. Isaac passed down that blessing to Jacob and Esau. It was Jacob’s faith that allowed him to bless each of Joseph’s sons before he died. Joseph believed God, and by faith told his people to take his bones back to the land God had promised them. *** When the parents of Moses saw the anointing on Moses as a baby, they defied the king’s order and hid him. God honored that and Moses grew up in Pharoah’s household but never forgot his roots. He refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter and chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead. Moses’ faith led him out of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He left Egypt with his eyes on the Lord. He commanded the people to keep the Passover and sprinkle the blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would to kill their firstborn sons. By faith, they marched right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But, when the Egyptians followed, they were drowned by the sea. *** It was faith that the people marched around Jericho and the walls fell down. And it was Rahab’s faith that saved her and her household from destruction. *** Lord, may it be said of us that it was by our faith that we endured the times we are in. May our faith bring glory to your name.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Roll Calls

Read: Ezekiel 24:1-26:21; Hebrews 11:1-16; Pslam 11-:1-7; Proverbs 27:14 It was the 10th day of the 10th month of the 9th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity. God told Ezekiel to write down that date because if was the very day that the king of Babylon would begin attacking Jerusalem. He was to give the exiles the news in an illustration. *** He was to put meat in a pot and boil the meat over intensely hot flames. The meat was to still have the bones in it. Then he was to tell them that the cooking pot represented Jerusalem. The meat was the people and none was to be treated any different than the other. Since they had slashed babies on the rocks for all to see, their bodies would be slashed on the rocks. God called Jerusalem a city of murderers. *** After he had cooked the meat and taken out the pieces he was to bury the bones. Then he was to set the empty pot on the coals and heat it even hotter to burn out the filth but it would be hopeless, just as their sin was. *** God told Ezekiel that he was going to take away his dearest treasure and he was not to openly grieve her death. The next day, his wife died. This would be a sign to them of what was about to happen to them. He was about to take away their joy and glory and their deepest treasure, Jerusalem. He would take away their posterity with it, just as Ezekiel’s posterity was taken from him. *** Then God began his roll call of the nations. Ammon would be destroyed with her capital city, Rabbah because she cheered when God’s Temple was defiled, mocked Israel when she was desolated and laughed at Judah when she went into exile. Her land would be turned into a pasture for camels, sheep and goats. Ammon would no longer be a nation. *** Moab said that Judah was just like all the other nations so the would be handed over to nomads from the east. *** Philistia would be wiped out because they took out revenge upon Judah. ***Tyre rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem because their competition was now gone and they would have a monopoly on the trade. God would destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down its towers. Tyre was an island that had been made a great city. God would strip away its soil and leave it a rock for fishermen to spread their nets. God would bring the army of Babylon against it to first destroy its mainland villages then destroy the island with battering rams. *** Tyre’s riches would be taken and its treasures would be dumped into the sea. It would never be rebuilt. *** In Hebrew, we have a definition of faith. Faith in the Greek is “pistis” which means persuasion, credence, moral conviction of the truthfulness of God, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation. Another definition is assurance. Hebrews says that it is the substance of the things we hope for and the evidence of the things we cannot see. *** God gives us a roll call of the people of the Old Testament that were remembered for their faith. Abel expressed his faith in his offering he gave to the Lord. He was a picture of Jesus who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice. It cost Abel his life also. *** Enoch was translated to heaven by passing death which is the last enemy that Christ will destroy. (1 Co. 15:25-26) *** Noah was told to prepare an ark which would save his family. Another word for “ark” is “box” which was a picture of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant held the Word and the presence of God and his mercy seat. Noah’s ark was a picture of all of this. It saved his family from the wrath of God on sin. *** Abraham as well as Isaac and Jacob were given a land they didn’t know as an inheritance, just like we have been promised in heaven and on earth. *** Sarah who was barren was given the promise that she would have a child. A whole nation came from her and Abraham’s faith. *** All of these people died before what they saw their promise manifested on the earth. Their promised lived on and did manifest on the earth. They saw it from a distance, by faith and rejoiced in it. They lived as strangers on the earth knowing that God had a better plan for them in heaven. *** Lord, may we have the faith that is counted as righteousness and pleases you. Thank you for the people who have gone before us as examples of faith. Thank you most of all for the life of Jesus who was our greatest example of faith.

Fri.’s Devo - Israel’s Sins and God’s Plan of Redemption

Read: Ezekiel 21:1-22:31; Hebrews 10:1-17; Psalm 108:1-13; Proverbs 27:12 God told Ezekiel to turn and face Jerusalem and prophecy against her. He did this while he was in Babylon. The Lord said he was unsheathing his sword to destroy the people in Jerusalem. He would not bring his sword back to its sheath until it was finished. *** Ezekiel was to groan before the people with a broken heart. When they asked why he was groaning, he was to tell them it was over the terrifying news he had heart from the Lord. God’s sword was being sharpened and polished for the executions. *** Ezekiel was told to make a map and trace two routes for the army of Babylon to follow. One road would have a fork in it with one road going to Ammon and the other to Judah and Jerusalem. The king of Babylon was standing at that fork and was having his magicians do omens to decide which way to turn. To the right is Jerusalem and that is the road they will take even though Jerusalem thought they had a treaty with Babylon to not attack them. *** The army of Babylon would also go to the left to Ammon. God gave Ezekiel a message for them also. They would be destroyed. Their prophets had given them false visions also. It was their final day of recounting and their memory would be lost to history. *** In Chapter 22, God turns back to Jerusalem to explain everything they had done to deserve God’s anger. It began with murder which was associated with their idol worship. All the leaders were bent on murder. They had total disrespect for parents, foreigners, orphans and widows. They despised the things God called holy and loved their idols instead. The sexual perversion was despicable. They hired murderers, loan racketeers and extortioners everywhere. They didn’t consider the Lord in any of their dealings but they would now. God would make himself know to him in his judgment. He called them worthless slag that would not make it in the fire. *** The people had had their land and their possessions taken by ruthless leaders. They had taken their men leaving many widows. The priests had violated God’s instructions and defiled his holy things. They made no distinction between the holy and the profane. They disregarded what God called holy and their prophets covered up for them by lying and giving false visions. *** God had looked for someone to rebuild the wall of righteousness to guard the land but found no one. So they would reap the full penalty for all their sins. *** Hebrews tells us that the old covenant was a dim preview of the new things God had for us in his new covenant. It would bring perfect cleansing to the one who came for forgiveness of their sins. God would write his laws on their hearts. *** Lord, thank your for the new covenant. Thank you that you have written your words on our hearts that we won’t sin against you.

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Rebuke and His Promised Salvation

Read: Ezekiel 20:1-49; Hebrews 9:11-28; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 27:11 In the seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s exile to Babylon, some of the leaders of Israel came to Ezekiel and asked him to give them a Word from the Lord. *** God was incensed by this request. He refused to answer them and told Ezekiel to list their sins and why God wasn’t going to answer them. He told them to remind them of how God chose to reveal himself to the descendants of Jacob in Egypt. He promised to be their God and bring them out of Egypt to a land that was plentiful and good. He told them to get rid of their false idols they had in Egypt, but they wouldn’t. *** For God’s name sake, he still delivered them from Egypt and brought them out and gave them his laws at Mt. Sinai. He told them of the Sabbath and how to honor and please him. But the people refused to obey. He killed them in the wilderness but allowed their children to continue for his name’s sake. *** God warned their children to put away their false gods and worship him alone. They refused to do that and rebelled also. God wanted to get rid of all of them but for his name’s sake he scattered them instead. *** They even gave their first born as sacrifices to these gods. This was such a slap in God’s face since he had protected their first born when he killed the first born of Egypt. Now they were willingly giving their first born to their gods. *** They wanted to serve other gods like the nations around them but God would not let them be blessed by doing so. He would rule over them with an iron fist and in anger and power, he would bring them back. He would take them into the wilderness and judge them there just like he did to the children coming out of Egypt. There, he would purge them of all those who rebel and revolt against him. They would never return to Israel. *** One day Israel would worship him on God’s holy mountain. They would come back with humility and repentance and hate the evil they had done and honor the name of God. *** God told Ezekiel to turn and face the south and speak against the brush lands of the Negev. He was to tell them that God would set them on fire and everything would be burned. *** After hearing all this, the people said that Ezekiel talked in riddles. They did not have ears to hear. *** In Hebrews we read that when Christ died, he took his blood into heaven’s Tabernacle, into the Most Holy Place and secured our redemption forever sprinkling his blood on the mercy seat of heaven. *** Christ’s blood set us free from the penalty of sins and purifies our consciences from sin so that we can boldly worship God with clean hands. *** A will does not go into effect until the person is dead which is why under the old covenant they had to kill something as a picture of what Jesus would do for us once and for all. What they did in the Old Testament was a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do in the New. Jesus died to take away our sins but he will come again to bring us deliverance and health to all who are waiting for him.

Wed.’s Devo - The Old Covenant

Read: Ezekiel 18:1-19:14; Hebrews 9:1-10; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 27:10 God asked the people why they said that the children would reap the sins of their father. He gave them the case of a bad father who defiled God’s laws and then had a son who saw his father’s life-style and decided to change. He obeyed God’s laws. He would not pay for his father’s sins. His father would pay for his own sins. The son would be rewarded for his righteous living. *** God’s word to Israel was to repent and turn from their sins so God wouldn’t have to judge them for their rebellion. God didn’t want them to die but to live. *** God gave Ezekiel a funeral song to sing to the princes or kings of Israel. In the song Judah was the mother lion who had two sons. Jehoahaz was the youngest who became a strong lion but became a man-eater. He was trapped in their pit and led away with hooks to Egypt. Jehoiakim was the second of her cubs who she taught to be strong and he also became a man-eater. He tore down cities and made the people tremble and fear because of his power. He was attacked by the Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites and Ammonites. They captured him and put him in a pit and dragged him in a cage to Babylon. *** Judah, the mother, had once been a prosperous place full of fruit and wealth but it was transplanted to the wilderness and burned with fire. Thus ended the funeral song. *** Hebrews described the first covenant with its tabernacle. The first room, called the Holy Place had a shewbread table, a menorah and the altar of incense. Only the priest could go in that room. The next room, called the Holy of Holies had the ark of the covenant covered with two angels who spread the wings over the mercy seat. Only the High Priest could enter that room and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement when he atoned for the sins of the people. This was a temporary way of worship until the new covenant could be brought in. The first could not cleanse the conscience of the people of their sins but a better system would. *** Thank you Lord, that that new system came to affect when Jesus died and rose from the grave. He ushered us into his new system of government and worship. Thank you that our consciences can be cleansed from sin and we can walk in righteousness and have abundant life on earth and eternal life in heaven.