Tues.’s Devo - Ezekiel’s Vision

Read: Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Hebrews 5:1-14; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 26:28

God sent Ezekiel a message that the time had come to judge all their abominations. He gives Ezekiel a picture of what the siege will look like. All who go out of the city to fight will die by the sword and all who stay in the city will die because of famine and pestilence. Their gold and silver will be worthless. They won’t be able to buy food that is not there. Robbers will be everywhere. 

Chapter 8 begins a new series of Ezekiel’s prophecies. He has finished lying on both his sides. It has been six years since Jehoiachin was taken with the elders to Babylon. Through all this, Judah had not repented and returned to the Lord. Ezekiel is sitting with the elders by the river Chedar when he sees a vision of a glorious form which took him by his hair and took him by the spirit to Jerusalem. It led him to the temple where he saw an idol he calls “the image of jealousy.” It was an abomination to God. Then God brought Ezekiel into the court of the Temple and told him to dig a hole through the wall and took him into a room where there were all sorts of evil forms of beasts were on the wall. Seventy men of the elders of Israel were there offering incense to their gods.

Then, Ezekiel was taken through the north gate of the temple and saw women weeping for Tammuz. Next, he was taken to the inner court of the temple and showed 25 men with their backs to the temple and their faces toward the east worshiping the sun. God said that even if they cried to him with a shout, he would not hear them because of their abominations.

Then God shouted to Ezekiel and called forth the executioners of the city who stood before him and six men appeared from the upper gate which faces north. Each had a weapon in their hand and with them was a man in linen with a writing case.

God told the man with the writing case to go and mark the heads of every person who groaned over the abominations that were being committed. These people would be spared. He told the executioners to follow this man. When he had finished his task, they were to go in and kill all who did not have the mark on their foreheads. They were to began with the elders in the temple. Ezekiel cried out as he watched so many slain. He asked the Lord if he was going to destroy all the remnant of Israel. 

God said that their sin was great and the city was full of injustice. He would not have pity on the guilty. The man with the writing case returned to the Lord and said he had finished his job. 

In Hebrews, the writer explains that the job of the high priest was to act on behalf of mankind. He was to offer gifts and sacrifices for their sins. He was qualified because he was also a man who had weaknesses and would judge rightly. His place was given hm by God. 

Christ also was honored by God and given the ministry of being our High Priest. All throughout Jesus’ life, he acted as a high priest as he prayed for the people. He himself had to learn to obey by the suffering he went through. His obedience qualified him to become the source of our eternal salvation for all who would obey him. 

His desire for us is that we grow beyond being a child and needing milk, to becoming a mature Christian who has learned to discern good from evil. 

Lord, may we grow to maturity where we can rightly discern good from evil. May we grow beyond always needing prayer to the ones who offer prayers for others. Thank you, Jesus, that you are our High Priest who is always praying and making intercession on our behalf. 

Mon.’s Devo - God’s Rest -

Read: Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27

After Ezekiel saw the vision of God’s four living creatures, he had not been able to talk for 7 days. At the end of the 7 days, God’s word came to him and told him he was to be a watchman for the house of Israel. He was to say what God told him to say and if he didn’t, their blood would be on his hands. But if he warns the people and they don’t listen, he will live and not be held responsible because he warned them. 

God sent Ezekiel back to the valley where he saw the glory of the Lord and God appeared to him again. He told him to shut himself inside his house and God would bind him with cords. He would not be able to speak until the Lord spoke through him. 

God told Ezekiel to take a brick and label it “Jerusalem.” He was to build siege works against it with a wall and battering rams against it. Then he was also to lie on his left side and place the punishment of Israel upon it. He should lie 390 days which equalled the number of years of their punishment. Then he was to lie on his right side for forty days to stand for the forty years Judah would bear their punishment. God would bind him so he could’t turn from side to side.

Next, he was to take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and emmer and make bread to eat each day while he lay on his left side. He was to measure out what he would need each day. And he was to measure out the water he would need each day. This was to show the people that the day was coming when they would have little food and water. 

Ezekiel was to cut off his hair and his beard with a sharp sword and divide it into three piles. He was to burn one pile in the midst of the city of the model of the siege he had built. He was to take the next third and strike it with the sword all around his brick which stood for Jerusalem. With the last third, he was to scatter to the wind. But before he did this, he was to take a few strands from this last group and bind them in the skirts of his robe. Some of these he was to cast into the fire in the midst of the city.  This was to show what was about to happen to them because they rebelled against the Lord. 

To add to this, Ezekiel told them that because of their abominations, the fathers would eat their sons and the sons would eat their fathers. Those that survived would be scattered to all the winds, He would have no pity for them. All the nations would see their reproach and taunt them. 

God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the mountains of Israel. God would bring the sword against their high places and altars they built for their idols. Their bones would be spread before their gods and the altars would be destroyed. 

A remnant would survive and escape to other nations. They would repent of their sins and return to the Lord. 

In Hebrews, God still offers us the privilege of entering into his rest. It is for those who will believe in the Lord. The writer reminds us that God rested on the seventh day which we are entering the seventh day. We have been on the earth over 6,000 years. He makes it clear that if we don’t have faith, we could miss our rest also. All we have to do is hear his voice and have a soft heart. 

The children of Israel entered the promised land yet they didn’t enter into God’s rest. There is still a rest, a Sabbath, we are waiting to enter into. The Word of God is alive and still active so we still have our promised rest ahead of us. 

Jesus became our High Priest who understands our temptations and weaknesses. He gives us confidence to draw near the throne of grace. 

Lord, we do draw near your throne of grace and need your mercy and help. We trust in you as our High Priest to pray for us and help us. May we strive to enter into your rest. 

Sun.’s Devo - Ezekiel’s Calling

Read: Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 26:24-26

The book of Ezekiel starts in the “thirtieth year”. Thirty years ago began the era of the Babylonian empire. It was also the year that Josiah found the book of the law in the temple and began a national revival to the Lord. It was also Ezekiel’s thirtieth year to be alive. He was contemporary with Jeremiah and Daniel. Jeremiah had prophesied for thirty-four years before Ezekiel, and continued to do so for six or seven years after him. The call of Ezekiel followed the very next year after the communication of Jeremiah's predictions to Babylon (Jer 51:59), and was intended as a sequel to them. Daniel's predictions came mostly later than Ezekiel’s. 

Ezekiel had been a priest in Jerusalem and had left with the first group to Babylon. He continued to lead the nation as a priest to the Lord. He was at the river Chebar when he saw a vision. In the vision he saw the four living creatures from heaven. Each was the same. Their heads had four different faces on its four sides. One was a human face, one an ox face, one an eagle face and the last the face of a lion. They had the wings of the eagle, the feet of the ox, hands like the man and the quickness of the lion. They moved on wheels within wheels which gave them the ability to change directions. The wheels were covered with eyes. Their spirit was in these eyes. They made the sound of an army and the crashing of waves. Over their heads was the likeness of a throne. God sat on this throne in all his glory and brightness. 

When Ezekiel saw all this he fell on his face and heard God speak. He told him to stand up. Ezekiel stood and listened to God’s orders. God was sending him to speak to the people of Israel who God called “a nation of rebels.” He was to speak whatever God told him and not be afraid of them. 

God gave Ezekiel a book and told him to eat it. It was a scroll written on the front and the back. Then he was to go and tell them whatever God said to say. They would not listen to him because they were not willing to listen to the Lord, but he was still to say God’s words. 

God’s spirit lifted Ezekiel up and he heard the sound of an earthquake behind him as the wings of the creatures touched one another. Then Ezekiel was taken back to the exiles at Tel-abib by the Chebar canal. Ezekiel sat silently for seven days before he could speak, he was so overwhelmed by what he had seen and heard. 

In Hebrews, the writer points them to Jesus who was the house that Moses was building. Moses’ assignment was give the people God’s laws and to build all the things in the tabernacle that would point to Jesus. He, like Ezekiel, had to deal with a rebellious people who refused to be faithful to God. Moses still did his job in spite of their stubborn hearts. 

Now, God was appealing to this generation to not be like the one in Moses’ day. The people of Moses’ generation were not able to enter into God’s rest because of their unbelief. They had to die in the wilderness and didn’t get to enter into the land promised them. God does not want us to be like them. He wants us to make it to our place of rest.

Lord, may we not be rebellious and hard-hearted but humble and ever-seeking, always praising You. May we with patience endure trials and suffering knowing that in your perfect timing you will bring us into rest. 

Sat.’s Devo - Our Hope is in our High Priest

Read: Lamentations 4:1-5:22; Hebrews 2:1-18; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 26:23

Jeremiah gives us a sad picture of the priesthood. What was supposed to be precious (the gold) has changed and is filthy. The holy stones which represent the different tribes worn in the breastplate of the High Priest have lost their value and are nothing more than earthen pots. The people have lost all dignity, honor and worth. The wild animals are more humane than them. No one has pity for the children and babies. They have lost everything and their punishment is worse that Sodom and Gomorrah. They were gone in a moment, but their pain goes on and on. 

Their priests were once righteous, but became so sinful they didn’t even resemble the priests God chose. It would have been better to have died in the battle than suffer living in the siege. The women have boiled and eaten their own children. 

The very foundation of the people has been shaken through God’s wrath because the leaders and kings refused to believe in him. They didn’t believe anyone would ever penetrate their walls. 

The prophets and priests shed innocent blood and that blood was on their hands. They were the ones who needed to call “Unclean” wherever they walked. 

They kept waiting for some nation like Egypt to come and help them, but no one was coming. The same fate would come to Edom. They had to watch their nation become ravished and plundered with no hope. 

In the end, it is God who reigns forever and his throne will never be destroyed or overthrown. Jeremiah prays that God will one day restore and renew them. 

In Hebrews, even the angels were punished for their rebellion and so it will be for us if we rebel against God. God gave this world to man and not to angels. Jesus came as a man and put everything in this world under his feet. He conquered sin, death and hell, yet we don’t see the result of this yet. 

Jesus went to glory to bring us there one day. He did this through all he suffered. He had to be made a man to be our high priest since the high priest had to be a man who could understand the weakness of man and pray effectively for them. Jesus did this and is now our High Priest. He can intercede for us in our weaknesses and help us overcome them.

Lord, thank you for becoming a man and enduring the pain and shame and persecution for us. Thank your for your death and your resurrection. Thank you that you intercede for us in our weaknesses and make us strong because you live in us and through us. May you be strong today in your people.

Fri.’s Devo - God’s Day of Judgment on Jerusalem

Read: Lamentations 2:20-3:66; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 26:21-22

 Jeremiah sees women eating their own children to stay alive, priests being killed in the sanctuary and young men and women dead in the streets from the sword. Not one person in Jerusalem is not touched by what is going on. 

Jeremiah sees all this and is devastated. He is almost hopeless till he remembers that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases and his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning which gives him cause to praise God for his faithfulness.  He knows he has to wait for the Lord who will come with salvation in his timing. God will not stay mad forever. His love is greater than his wrath. God is just and when he is finished punishing man for his sin, he will revive him. 

Jeremiah calls the people to repent for this sins and confess them to the Lord. He prays for his own life and the Lord told him not to fear. Jeremiah sees that God has judged him and is taking care of him in the midst of terrible judgement on Judah. Many leaders in Jerusalem wanted Jeremiah killed, but God preserved his life and saved him.

Hebrews is believed to have been written by Paul, but no one really knows. It is so deep and full of mysteries that I wonder if it wasn’t written by one of the men who walked with Jesus after his resurrection on the way to Emmaus. In the Old Testament, God used his prophets to talk to the people, but when Jesus came, he spoke God’s words. He was the word of God. He showed us God’s nature and how the universe is created and held by God’s word. When he gave his life to cleanse us he took his rightful seat in heaven on the right hand of God. 

God announced Jesus as his son. He told all the angels to worship his arrival. His kingdom would be one of righteousness and not wickedness and he would be anointed with the oil of gladness. He laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning and the heavens are the work of his hands. The heavens and the earth will one day wear out and have to be renewed and he will do this also. But, he will never wear out or need to be changed. He will reign forever and his enemies will be put under his power. All this power was given to Jesus and not the angels. They are spirits sent to minister to those chosen to inherit salvation. 

Lord, thank you for your great plan. Thank you for angels that minister to us and help us. Thank you that we are living to see you put your enemies under your feet. Thank you for your steadfast love that never ceases or comes to an end. And may we trust in your mercies that are new every morning.

Thurs.’s Devo - Lamentations

Read: Lamentations 1:1-2:19; Philemon 1-25; Psalm 101:1-8; Proverbs 26:20

The Book of Lamentations was probably written by Jeremiah who was known for his lamentations over Jerusalem and Israel. The Israelites had become very entitled. They thought that since they were “God’s chosen people” nothing bad would happen to them. They obviously didn’t read his laws and especially the ones that cursed those who didn’t obey them. They had declined so deep into sin and idolatry and refused to hear the warnings of the prophets who begged them to repent and turn back to God. The Book of Lamentations was written during the time when Nebuchadnezzar was besieging Jerusalem and the people were starving. It contrasts the time of prosperity to this time of hopelessness and chaos. 

Jeremiah gives a gut-trenching description of the streets and what was going on. It is heart-breaking, but he reminds them that this is the day that God announced would happen and it is their fault. God has become their enemy and is fighting against them. It is very hard for Jeremiah to watch all this happen even though he told them it would.

Today we read Paul’s letter to Philemon. Philemon was a wealthy slave owner who became a Christian under Paul’s ministry. Philemon lived in Colosse and had a slave named Onesimus. He either damaged some of Philemon’s property or stole something from him and fled to Rome. In Rome, he met Paul and was converted to Christ. He was very useful to Paul and Paul came to love him as a brother. When he found out his story, he felt it was right to send Onesimus back home to face his owner. 

Paul urges Philemon to do the right thing and treat Onesimus as a fellow brother in the faith. He even says that he will pay any debt Onesimus owes him. Paul is confident that Philemon will do the right thing concerning Onesimus and tells him he will be coming to stay soon.  

Lord, may we treat one another in the body of Christ like our brother and sister. May we not live like the world and hold on to grudges like the world does. May we accept the grace that God has given to us and extend it to others. 

Wed.’s Devo - Jeremiah’s Book

Read: Jeremiah 51:54-52:34; Titus 3:1-15; Psalm 100:1-5; Proverbs 26:18-19

When the first group of exiles were taken to Babylon, Jeremiah wrote down a word in a book. He gave it to the quartermaster Seraiah and told him to read it when he got to Babylon. Then he was to tie a rock around the book and throw it into the midst of the Euphrates River. In the book he wrote the downfall of Babylon. All her building and her great wall would be burned with fire and Babylon would be leveled to the ground. Like his book, Babylon would sink to rise no more. 

Zedekiah was Judah’s last king. He came to power at the age of 21 and reigned 11 years. He rebelled against the Lord and the Lord cast him out of his presence. Then he rebelled against the king of Babylon and they came to besiege Jerusalem in his 9th year as king. After two years the wall was finally breached and Zedekiah and his men fled to Arubah. They were captured and brought to face the king of Babylon in Riblah where Zedekiah had to watch all his sons killed and then they took out his eyes. He was bound in chains and taken to Babylon. 

The army of Babylon entered into Jerusalem and carried the  rest of the people, 4,600 of them, away to Babylon leaving a small remnant of the poorest people to take care of the vineyards and the fields.

They took the bronze pillars of the Temple, and all the vessels of bronze. They took the gold and the silver and the basin used for the priest to wash.

After thirty-seven years of exile, Evil-merodach became the king of Baylon. He brought Jehoiachin out of prison and was very king to him. He gave him new clothes and had him dine with him at his table and even gave him an allowance for his daily needs until he died. 

Why would God show Jehoiachin such favor? These are my thoughts: Jehoiachin was only eight years old when he became king of Judah and only reigned 100 days. He was the last direct heir to the throne of Judah. I think God had compassion on him because he was too young to make decisions for himself and he was a direct descendant of David. He was probably around 48 years old when he was finally treated more like a king than a prisoner. God is a just God. 

In Titus, Paul reminds them to treat those in authority with respect. Paul told them to remember how they were before God saved them and have patience with those who have not been saved yet. They were to avoid controversial conversations that would end in arguments. They were to warn those who stirred up division and if they continued more than twice they were to have nothing to do with them. 

Paul was always looking after those who labored with him. He wants them to send Zenas and Apollos on their way but to make sure they have everything they needed. He desired the people to learn how to use their time and effort to do good works and things that bear fruit.

Lord, may we be wise investors in your kingdom. May we support those who are on the front lines with our resources and our prayers. Thank your for our own testimony of grace and mercy. May our lives matter in your kingdom.