Wed.’s Devo - Measuring the Temple

Read: Ezekiel 40:28-41:26; James 4:1-17; Psalm 118:19-29; Proverbs 28:3-5 Ezekiel was taken to watch as the man measured the inner courtyard, and the eastern and northern gateways which were the same as the other gateways. He was shown the side rooms with tables for slaughtering the sacrificial animals. *** In the inner courtyard were two rooms facing each other. One faced south and other other faced north. These rooms were where the priests changed their clothes. The inner courtyard was 175’ square. *** Then the man took Ezekiel to the sanctuary where the walls were 3.5’ thick and the entrance was 10.5’wide. The walls were 12.25’ thick and 12.25’ long and 10.5’wide. This sanctuary was the Holy of Holies. The Most Holy Place outside this room was 35’ by 35’ with rooms along the outside wall. Each room was 7’wide. They were built in three levels, with 30 rooms one each side. Each level was wider than the one below with a stairway leading to the different levels. *** The Temple was built on a terrace 10.5’ high with outer walls 8.5’ thick. There was an opening in the middle of the rooms that was 35’square. The doors of the rooms opened into this terrace yard. ** A large building stood on the west facing the Temple. The Temple had a courtyard which measured 175’ all around it. The inner walls of the Temple were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees and the living creatures. It was to make the people feel they were entering into the Garden of Eden. *** In the Most Holy Place was an altar of wood and Ezekiel was told that it was the table that stand in the Lord’s presence. The doors into the Most Holy Place and the Holy of Holies had double swinging doors. Both were decorated with cherubim and palm trees. *** James dealt with their evil desires which led to envy, strife and discontent. He called them adulterers because they wanted things of the world above the things of God. God said he will give much grace to those who are humble and repentant. *** James warned us not to speak evil against each other or to criticize or judge. Instead, we are to obey God’s Word and do what it says. *** Lord, we put our plans in your hands and ask you to guide our every step. May we walk in your ways and please you. May our lips sing of your praise and trust in you.

Tues.’s Devo - Judgement on Israel’s Enemies

Read: Ezekiel 39:1-40:27; James 2:18-3:18; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 28:2 God gave Ezekiel another prophecy about Gog and Magog which are modern day Russia and Iran - the descendants of of Japheth. Their armies would die on the mountain and be fed to the vultures and wild animals. God would rain down fire on them and they would know that God is the Lord. *** Israel would also know that God is their Lord and that he was not going to let any nation shame them anymore. They would go and pick up the weapons of their enemies and use them for fuel for their fires. They would plunder the ones who meant to plunder them. They would bury their bodies in a mass graveyard and callout the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. It will take 7 months to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. They will set up a town near the valley and call it Hamonah which means “horde”. Its purpose will be to gather any skeleton they find afterwards and bring it there. *** God told Ezekiel to call all the birds and wild animals and tell them to gather for a great sacrificial feast. They will come from everywhere to eat the flesh and drink the blood of their enemies. What happened in Ezekiel’s day is a picture of what will happen in the final days. Revelation calls this the Feast of Leviathan. *** God had sent his people into exile because of their sin against him, but he would then turn and destroy their enemies. For his own reputation, God would bring Israel home to live in peace in their own land. They would have accepted responsibility for their past sins and God will then display his holiness among them for all the nations to see. *** During the 25th year of their 70 year captivity, the Lord took him to the land of Israel and set him down on a very high mountain. He told him to pay close attention so he could go back and tell the people everything he saw. *** He saw a wall completely surrounding the Temple area. The man with him had a measuring rod that was ten and a half feet long. He used it to measure the wall which was as thick as the length of the rod and as tall. The man took Ezekiel to the eastern gateway and they climbed the steps to measure the gateway. It was the length of the rod. There were guaed alcoves on each side built into the wall. The alcoves were a rod square. Ever 5 cubits (8 3/4’) there was another alcove. This led to the entry room with was 14 feet across. There were three guard alcoves on each side of the passage way. *** The gateway was 87.5 feet long with windows between the guard alcoves. On the walls were carved palm trees. *** The outer courtyard of the Temple had a stone pavement along the walls and thirty rooms built against the walls, opening onto the pavement. The north wall was just like the one on the east. Seven steps lead from both gateways to the level of the inner courtyard. The distance between the two entrances was 175 feet. *** In James, he explains that faith and works go together. You can’t have one without the other. Abraham showed his faith by obeying what God told him to do. His faith was counted to him as righteousness and he was even called a friend of God. *** Rahab was another who showed her faith by hiding the men who came to spy out Jericho. Her actions saved her life physically and spiritually. *** James goes back to talking about how our words condemn us or our words save us. Our words determine the course of our lives. *** God’s wisdom leads us to live an honorable life of doing good works with humility. It is pure, loving, gentle and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. Those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. *** Lord, may we plant good seed and watch our words, that they honor you and mankind. May we honor the Temple of the Holy Spirit within our hearts.

Mon.’s Devo - The Valley of Dry Bones

Read: Ezekiel 37:1-38:23; James 1:19-2:17; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 28:1 God led Ezekiel in the spirit to a valley filled with dry and scattered bones. He asked Ezekiel if the bones could become living people again. Ezekiel told God only He knew that answer. So God told Ezekiel to prophecy to the bones and tell them that God was going to put life and breath into them again. He was going to put flesh and muscles on them and cover them with skin. God’s breath would give them life. So as Ezekiel spoke this, the bones responded by coming together and forming complete skeletons, then forming muscles and flesh but they still had no breath. God told him to tell the winds to come and breathe into the bones, that they might come to life, and they did. They became a great army. *** God told Ezekiel that these bones represented the people of Israel. They were lifeless and had lost hope for their nation. Ezekiel was to tell them that God would bring them back to the land of Israel and when this happens, he will but His Sprit in them and they will live again. Then they would know that He is the Lord. *** Ezekiel was to take a piece of wood and carve the words of Judah and its southern tribes. He was to take another and it was to represent Ephraim and the northern tribes of Israel. God was going to take the two sticks and join them as one nation. They would never again pollute themselves with idols and vile images and rebellion. God will save them and give them one king to rule over them. God would cleanse them and they would be his people and He would be their God. *** David will be their king and shepherd and they will obey his regulations and keep his decrees. They will live for generation after generation and David will be their prince forever. God will make a covenant of peace with them and increase their numbers and put his Temple among them forever. God will live among them and be their God and they will be his people. *** God told Ezekiel to face Gog of the land of Magog. Magog was the prince who ruled the nation of Meshech and Tubal. He was to tell them that God was their enemy and he will lead them out with their armies. Persia, Ethiopia and Libya will join them along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the north. They will come to attack Israel and plunder it. God said that they will cover the land of Israel like a cloud but God’s holiness would be displayed. His fury would shake in the land of Israel and everything alive would feel it. God would come and throw down the mountains and crumble the cliffs. Walls will fall down. They will turn their swords against each other and their armies would die with disease and blood shed. God would rain down hailstones and fire and sulfur like he did on Sodom and Gomorrah. They will know that God is the Lord. *** James tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get anger. He explains that human anger does not produce God’s righteousness. If we look carefully into God’s law it will set us free. We can’t claim to be godly and not control our tongue. Pure and real godliness means we care for the lowly and we refuse to let the world corrupt us. *** We cannot treat the rich more honorably than the poor. We must treat everyone the same and love others as we love ourselves. We will be judged according to how we judged others and we will receive the mercy we have given. By showing mercy, we are living out our faith. *** Lord, we pray your life and breath into the hopeless of our nation. We say that life will come from our brokenness and God’s spirit will revive us again.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Great Love for Israel

Read: Ezekiel 35:36:38; James 1:1-18; Psalm 116:1-19; Proverbs 27:23-27 Edom was considered one of Israel’s greatest rivals. They represent all the nations who hate Israel. They rejoiced when Israel fell and now they will fall and not recover. They will be punished for all their acts of anger, envy and hatred. When God gets finished with them they will know that God heard every evil word they spoke against Israel. Now, the whole earth will rejoice at their fall. *** Ezekiel was given a very encouraging word to the mountains of Israel. They had been been attacked from every direction and their land taken as plunder. Ezekiel was told to prophecy to the mountains and hills of Israel that they would produce heavy crops of fruit for the people who will be coming home. God promised to increase their population and rebuild their cities. They will become even more prosperous than they were before. *** The nation accused Israel of being a nation who devoured its people of their children, but that would never happen again. They had defiled their land with their evil life-style… with murder and idolatry, so God scattered them and punished them for their evil ways. The people of other nations said that God couldn’t keep them safe in their own land, bringing reproach on God’s name. So, God would bring them back to protect his name and show them how holy his name is. *** God will baptize them in holiness and give them a new heart and put a new spirit in them so that they will follow his decrees and obey him. They will be God’s people, and he will be their God. They will experience Gods’ blessing and prosperity. They will be repentant of their past. Their wasteland will be like the Garden of Eden. Everyone will know that the Lord is God. *** James writes his letter to the twelve tribes scattered across the world. He tells us that when troubles and tests come our way, we are to have great joy because it will help us grow in endurance. When our endurance is mature, we will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. *** When we need wisdom, all we have to do is ask, and God will give it to us. Our faith is what keeps us stable. We cannot have one foot in the world, and one in Christ. We must be totally devoted to Christ and his agenda. Our only boast is in Christ. *** God will bless the ones who patiently endure testing and temptation crowning them with life. When we are being tempted, it is never God who is doing it. We are tempted from our own desires which try to entice us away from God. The enemy’s goal is to draw us into sin that will lead to death. God is good and his gifts are good. He never changes. He chose to give us life and reminds us that we are his prized possessions. *** Lord, may our lives bring honor to You alone. Thank you for wisdom and testings and faith. May it produce righteous fruit in us.

Sat.’s Devo - The Watchmen

Read: Ezekiel 33:1-34:31; Hebrews 13:1-25; Psalm 115:1-18; Proverbs 27: 21-22 A watchman was a person that was to watch for enemies armies that might come to attack the city. He was to watch and when he saw them coming, sound the warning to let the people know so they could prepare. Then it was the responsibility of the people to respond. If the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t respond, then he is held responsible for the fall of the whole city. *** In that same way, God made Ezekiel a watchman over the people of Israel. He was to warn them of what God was telling them and then it was up to them to respond accordingly. If he didn’t warn them, their lives would be on his hands. If he warned them and they did nothing, it was their own fault. *** God gave Ezekiel a message to tell the people to repent and stay on the right path. They would be held responsible for the state the Lord finds them in at the time. Their past good deeds would not save them if they were found living in sin. *** Ezekiel received news that Jerusalem had fallen. The people had been saying that since God had given Abraham the land of Israel, it was still theirs. But God said that since they lived in such sin and idolatry, they didn’t deserve to have the land. God was sending the sword and wild animals to kill them. *** God informed Ezekiel of how the people came to him to be entertained with his words, but they had no intention of repenting. They won’t be entertained when what he said comes to past. *** God had a word of rebuke to the shepherds who made sure they had all then needed, but didn’t share or take care of their flocks who looked to them for help. They took advantage of their position and preyed on their own people. God was holding them responsible and would take away their right to be their shepherd. God will rescue his flock himself and give them good pasture and tend to their needs. He will give them justice. God will judge them individually. He will make a covenant of peace with them and drive the danger away. God will shower his people with blessings, safety, and abundant harvests. They will no longer live in fear. They will know that the Lord is their God and their Shepherd. *** In Hebrews, God tells us to love one another and show kindness to strangers; some of them may be angels. We are to have compassion on those in prison whether it is physical or mental, or spiritual. *** We are to honor our marriage vows, not love money, and follow the example of our godly mentors. *** Jesus died outside the city gates to make us holy, so we must fellowship with him and bear the disgrace he bore because we will one day share in his glory. *** As children of God, we are generous and caring and want to live honorably in all we do. God will equip us with what we need to do his will. *** Lord may you produce in us every good thing that is pleasing to you. All glory to You forever and ever!

Fri.’s Devo - To The Pit

Read: Ezekiel 31:1-32:32; Hebrews 12:14-29; Psalm 113:1-114:8; Proverbs 27: 18-20 God had a message for proud Egypt and compared her to Assyria which was once like a cedar of Lebanon. Egypt had grown prosperous and mighty. All the great nations stood in its shadow and could not rival it. But, Egypt became proud and arrogant so it would be attacked by a foreign nation. All of its people were doomed to die and go to the pit. *** Ezekiel describes Assyria’s trip to the pit also. All the nations shook with fear when they fell. Egypt would lie there with all the other nations that God judged. *** On the first day of the 12th month of the 12th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity God spoke to Ezekiel a word for the Pharaoh of Egypt. He had thought of himself like a lion but God saw him as a sea monster. He would be caught in a net and the whole world would feast on his capture. When God blots out his life, the whole sky would be filled with darkness. His fall would cause other nations to fear for their lives. Egypt would fall to the Babylonians. *** Fourteen days later God gave Ezekiel another message. He told him to weep for Egypt and the other nations because God was about to send them to the pit. All the nations will lie in the pit together for their violent crimes. *** In Hebrews, the writer warns us not to live unholy lives because it will not go well for those who do. He spoke of the fear that Moses felt when he met God on Mt. Sinai. One day we will meet the Lord, and the assembly of God’s firstborn children whose names are written in the book, and Jesus, the one who mediated for us a better convent and to the blood which speaks of forgiveness instead of vengeance. *** We must live in the fear of the Lord because the ones who refused to listen to Moses did not escape. We too must fear God’s shaking. If we remain in Christ, we will be unshakable. *** Lord, we trust your plan for the earth and the kingdoms of the world. We pray your guidance and wisdom to all who rule in righteousness and integrity. Help those in positions of power know what to do to fight evil and restore peace to our earth.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Fall of Egypt

Read: Ezekiel 29:1-30:26; Hebrews 11:32-12:13; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 27:17 On the 12th day of the 10th month of the 10th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity to Babylon God have Ezekiel this message to Egypt. This was almost exactly one year from the time God told Ezekiel that Babylon was going to begin its attack against Jerusalem (Ezekiel 24:1,2). *** God called Egypt a great monster that lurked in the Nile. God was going to drag its people with hooks from their land and leave them stranded in the wilderness to die. Israel had come to her for help but Egypt had only hurt them. Egypt would remain uninhabited for forty years and its survivors scattered throughout the earth. At the end of the forty years, God would bring the Egyptians home again and restore their prosperity. But, Egypt would remain a minor kingdom and never rise above its neighbors. Israel would not depend upon Egypt’s help again. What happened to Egypt would be a reminder of how foolish it was for Israel to depend on Egypt in the first place, when The Sovereign Lord was their God. *** Nebuchadnezzar would carry off the wealth of Egypt to pay his army. It would be their reward for working for the Lord. Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia and all Arabia will hear of Egypt’s destruction and be horrified. They will be destroyed too. *** Two months later, God gave Ezekiel another prophecy about Egypt, confirming the first one. Egypt’s Pharaoh would fall to Babylon’s king. Egyptians would be scattered throughout the earth and they would know that God is Lord. *** In Hebrews we read of the ones who did great miracles and saw great victories and those who died a martyr’s death and never saw all the things they had been promised because we must complete them. They are now a great crowd in heaven that witness our race to finish what was begun in their lifetime. *** Jesus endured the cross because he knew what it would do for us in the future. His joy would come from seeing us benefit from his death and suffering. *** The writer reminds us of Jesus’ encouraging words that he disciplines those he loves. In other words, he will lovingly help us walk the walk that Jesus walked. When he disciplines us it is always for our good even if it doesn’t feel good at the time. After disciplining us, he encourages us to get back up and begin again with God’s strength. *** Lord, may we welcome your discipline in our lives and remember all you have done for us. May we continue the race that others have started with victory, passing the baton to those who come behind us. Thank you that You are the prize at the end.