Wed.’s Devo - God’s Judgment

Read: Ezekiel 14:12-16:41; Hebrews 7:18-28; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 27:4-6 God gave Ezekiel a scenario of a nation that sinned against him and God was determined to judge them either by cutting off their food supply or sending wild animals to kill them, or by war, or an epidemic. Even if the three most righteous people who have ever lived - Noah, Daniel, and Job - lived in that country, God would only save them. *** Then God asked Ezekiel how a grapevine compares to a tree. The wood from a vine is only good for fuel for fire but a tree is good for furniture and so many other purposes. The people of Jerusalem were like the wood of the grapevine - they were good for nothing but fire. If they don’t burn in the first fire, they will fall into another. *** God gave Ezekiel another message. He took Israel from nothing and made them into a great nation. He blessed them with riches and honor and gave them the best land. He gave them chance after chance to turn to him and do good, but they always chose evil. They took God’s glory for themselves and thought they had made themselves great. They worshipped worthless idols and sacrificed their own children to these idols. They committed fornication with every false god of other nations they could find. ***Because they did this, God was going to give them to the nations they worshiped and wanted to be like. They would destroy all their idols and strip them of their wealth. They would kill them in war and humiliate them in front of their women. God would stop their tribute being paid to other nations to protect them. *** The teacher in Hebrew continues to explain that the old priesthood was weak because it wasn’t able to make anything perfect or sinless. Jesus brought us the new and better covenant. Jesus as our high priest lives forever to intercede for us. He is holy and blameless and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices first for himself because he already did that when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. *** The law appointed priests who were not perfect, but then God appointed Jesus to be our perfect High Priest forever. *** Thank you that we live under the new covenant and have a perfect High Priest to intercede for us. We pray for our nation and the nations of the world that you would have grace and mercy. We are looking to you as the Savior and the Lord of Heaven’s Armies to defeat our enemies and give us back our nation.