Tues.’s Devo - Our Eternal High Priest

Read: Ezekiel 12:1-14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 27:3 A message came to Ezekiel while he was in Jerusalem to show him what was going to happen to the people in the city. He was told to pack a bag like he was going into captivity. He brought his baggage outside during the day so they could see him. Then in the evening, he began a long march. He was to dug a hole through the wall and went through it. Then he put the pack on his shoulders and covered his face so he could not see the land he was leaving. *** The next morning, he spoke to the people and told the people that this was a message for King Zedekiah. It was a picture of what he would be doing soon. He would try to escape this way and be captured but never see the land he was taken to. His servants and warriors would be scattered and eventually killed, but a remnant would be taken to Babylon and confess all their sins to them. *** This exact scenario played out. When the leaders heard that Babylonians had come through the wall. Zedekiah and the leaders tried to escape through a hole in the wall. They were captured and his eyes were put out so he went to Babylon but never saw it. *** Ezekiel proclaimed that there would be no more false prophecies of escape for them. God will deal with the false prophets. They followed their imagination and not the Lord. They prophesied false visions and made lying predictions and would be banished from Israel. They would have their names blotted out of Israel’s record books and will never return to the land. They prophesied peace when God was saying, ‘war’. *** God told Ezekiel to expose the women who prophesied from their own imaginations. They ensnared the souls of the people and taught them magic. They prophesied discouraged the righteous that God said would live and promised life to the wicked, encouraging them in their sin. *** They sold magic charms to wear as bracelets for a few handfuls of barley. God would tear these bracelets from their arms and set them free from being their victims. *** Some of the leaders of Israel came to visit Ezekiel to hear what he would say to them. God told him to tell them that they had set up idols in their hearts. They embraced things that would make them fall into sin. God would reject all who do this and then come to the prophet for advice. God would turn against all who do this and make an example of them in a terrible way. They would be eliminated. All the false prophets and those who listen to them will be punished. The will learn not to stray from the Lord. *** In Hebrews, it tells us that Melchizedek was a priest of God from the city of Salem (Peace). Melchizedek met Abraham after he defeated the kings of evil. Melchizedek blessed Abraham and in turn Abraham gave him one tenth of his spoils. Melchizedek was not of this world and had no mother or father on earth. He is an eternal being who served God as a priest. *** Abraham recognized the greatness of Melchizedek when he gave him his tithe. Later, in the law of Moses this became a requirement of the people to give the priests a tenth of their produce. Melchizedek was greater than Abraham because he blessed him and was greater than the priests because he never dies. So if the priesthood was not perfect and eventually died, and had to tithe to someone greater, God needed to establish a different priesthood after the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Aaron or Levi. *** Jesus was coming to be the perfect High Priest forever and he wasn’t from the tribe of Levi, but the tribe of Judah, so the law had to be changed. We will read more about this tomorrow. *** Lord, may we listen to the right report and hear your voice plainly. Thank you for being our High Priest and interceding for us. Salvation belongs to you!