Fri.’s Devo - The New Covenant

Read: Ezekiel 16:42-17:24; Hebrews 8:1-13; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 27:7-9 God has to repay Jerusalem for her sins. Samaria was bad enough, filling her land with idols; she was compared to Sodom. Her sins were pride, gluttony and laziness and that she did nothing to help the poor with were right outside her door. But, one day her fortunes would be restored. *** Judah and Jerusalem did even worse than Samaria. She added lewdness to her sins. She broke her covenant with God, but one day God would reaffirm his covenant with her and cover her shame and forgive her. *** God gave Ezekiel a riddle about an eagle who came and lopped off the top of a cedar tree and carried it away and placed it beside a river, there the vine grew and prospered. Then another great eagle came and the vine sent its roots to get water from him. The Lord asked if its roots would prosper. The answer was “No.” It would be easily pulled up and transplanted. Then the Lord explained what the riddle meant. *** The first eagle was Babylon who came and took Jehoiachin to Babylon. The next great eagle was Egypt. Zedekiah went to Egypt to pay for their protection against the Babylonians. Zedekiah had also made a treaty with Babylon, but broke it when he thought he had Egypt’s backing. The Babylonians came and easily plucked them out of Jerusalem and Egypt didn’t come to their rescue. *** The greatest covenant Zedekiah broke was the one with the Lord. He would be taken and tried for treason in Babylon. *** God had a great plan for his people. He would send the Messiah to be the branch that would give shelter to all the trees. He would bring a new covenant better than the old one. *** Hebrews talks about this very covenant. The system of worship here on earth is only a copy of what is going on in heaven. That is the real altar. When Jesus died, he mediated a new and better covenant with God for us. In this new covenant God writes his laws on our hearts and minds. We instinctively know that we belong to God. He forgives our sins. The old covenant is out-dated and will soon disappear. *** Lord, thank you for securing us a better covenant. Thank your for writing your laws on our hearts that we might not sin against you.

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Amazing Grace

Read: Ezekiel 14:12-16:41; Hebrews 7:18-28; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 27:4-6 God gave Ezekiel several scenarios of decisions he would do to punish a nation because of their sin. He would cut off their food supply, send wild animals to devour them, send enemy armies against them, or send an epidemic into their land. Even the most righteous men like Noah, Daniel and Job could not stop his hand. They might be saved, but they would not be able to save anyone else. *** Then God compared the wood of a grapevine to the wood of a tree. Grapevines are useless for anything but burning very quickly. Wood from trees can be made into furniture, houses, etc., and burns slowly. He compared Judah to grapevines - useless for anything but the fire. *** Then God told the story of how he found them as a baby and nourished them into mature adults. God blessed them and they became rich and powerful, only to throw it away on prostitution and wickedness. Their “friends” from Egypt, Assyria and Philistia would destroy them and rob them of their treasures. They will destroy all their idols and leave them naked. Thus, God will stop their prostitution. *** Hebrews tells us again that the law never made anyone perfect. He calls it weak and useless. We now have a better covenant and a new system. Jesus is the one who guarantees this new covenant. Jesus is not like the priests of the old covenant who died - Jesus lives forever. And, he lives to intercede for us! He is holy and blameless. He does not need to make atonement for himself and the people everyday like they did under the old system. He is the perfect High Priest forever. *** Lord, thank you for being our faithful and perfect High Priest, Thank you for your many prayers for us. Thank you that you pour out your grace on us and equip us to do your work. May your name be magnified in the earth, today.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Word is Eternal

Read: Ezekiel 12:1-14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 27:3 God reassured Ezekiel that he knew what he was up against. The people refused to hear truth, but he was still sent to tell them so they would not be able to say that no one had warned them. *** God told Ezekiel to pack, in broad daylight as if he was going into exile. Then, he was to leave that night, dig a hole through the wall, climb through it, and walk away with his pack on his back. He was given a word to King Zedekiah that this would soon happen to them. Zedekiah will be taken to Babylon though he will never see it. (His eyes were gouged out before he got there.) Most of the people would die, but a remnant would survive so they could confess their sin to their captors. Then they would know that the Lord is God. *** The people didn’t believe the prophesies because they never saw them manifested, but God was going to change that. It was time for all those prophecies to be fulfilled. God would not delay any longer. *** Ezekiel was to prophesy against the false prophets who made up their words. They would be banished from the community and their names blotted out of the records. They would not return to the land. They prophesied ‘peace’ when God was saying ‘destruction.’ *** God told Ezekiel to prophecy against the women who spread the use of amulets and magic. Their lies caused people to die who should have lived and promised life to those who should die. God would rescue their victims. *** God exposed those who set up idols in their hearts but then went to the prophet of God and asked for a message. God would give them the message they deserve. *** Hebrews tells us about Melchizedek, God’s High Priest. Genesis 14 gives us the account of a war between 9 kings of the earth. Lot lived in Sodom which was involved in the war and he was carried off. Abram took his men and went and rescued Lot along with the people of Sodom. God gave Abram the victory and he carried away much treasure. Melchizedek met Abram on his way home and brought him some bread and wine and blessed Abram. Abram, in return gave him a tenth of all the spoils of war he had gotten. *** Melchizedek is not like human priest who die, but he is eternal. Every priest who lived after Abram was blessed by what he did because they were his seed. What we do affects our seed to come. We can pass down blessings or curses - it is our decision. *** The priesthood of Levi could not attain perfection, so God needed to change it. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah and Jesus was like Melchizedek - eternal. This was to show us that it is not the physical that is required but the spiritual. We are all priests if we are changed spiritually. Because of Christ, we are all priests from the order of Melchizedek. *** Lord, may we act, pray and live like your priests. May we hear your voice today and respond

Tues.’s Devo - The Glory Leaves the Temple

Read: Ezekiel 10:1-11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 27:1-2 We read yesterday where the Lord came down and showed Ezekiel all the evil spiritual adultery that was going on in the Temple. Now, God was sending his four living creatures to cleanse the Temple before he took his Spirit from it. It was just like Jesus did when he walked the earth. He cleansed the Temple of the sellers on Passover. When they asked him what kind of sign were they showing him by doing this and Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” In the same way, the cherubim took coals from the living creatures and scattered them around the city then they took the glory from the Temple because they were going to destroy it. *** God took Ezekiel in the Spirit to where the 24 elders were meeting and planning to tell the people that the city was like an iron pot and they were safe inside the city. They should plan to build houses because all would be well with them. God said that the people were like pieces of meat in their pot. They were victims of their evil schemes but God would soon drive these false teachers out of Jerusalem and judge them. *** While Ezekiel was telling them this, one of the evil ones fell dead. Ezekiel fell on his face asking if God was going to kill them all. *** God revealed to Ezekiel that there was an evil plan to take all the land of those carried off into exile since they weren’t there to claim it. God said he would bring them back to claim their land and they would have a heart to know and worship him. But those who long for their idols would be punished severely. Then the glory of the Lord left the city and stopped above the mountain to the east. The Spirit carried Ezekiel back to Babylon where he know lived. *** In Hebrews, the writer is wanting them to grow beyond salvation and the basic truths of the Word and be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. He encouraged them to keep loving others and not to become spiritually dull or indifferent, but to endure in their faith. *** There is no other name as powerful as the name of God. He used his own name to promise Abraham his inheritance. Because we know God cannot lie, everything he promised to Abraham is now ours as children of God. Everything he said will be done. *** Jesus is now our High Priest and he has gone through the curtain to God’s Holy of Holies and he leads us there with him. *** Lord, may we move on to maturity and be your hands and feet in the earth. May your Spirit and glory rest on your people.

Mon.’s Devo - The Vision

Read: Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Hebrews 5:1-14; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 26:28 Ezekiel was shown it was over for them. Their sins had brought them to the point of no return. God was turning his face from them and would punish then for their sins. Their wickedness and pride had come to fullness and none of them would survive. No one twisted by sin would recover their losses. They will not be able to buy themselves out of this. War was coming outside the walls and famine and disease within. *** During the sixth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity while Zedekiah was king, the leaders of Judah had come to Ezekiel’s home. God took Ezekiel into a trance. A man from God took him by the hair and transported him to Jerusalem. He was taken to the north gate of the inner courtyard off the Temple where there was a large idol standing near the altar of God. Ezekiel had seen this same idol in the valley. God said this made him very jealous. *** Next, God showed him a secret doorway through the wall. All along the walls were engravings of detestable creatures and idols that the people of Israel worshipped. Seventy priest with incense burners stood with Jaazaniah in the center. They thought the Lord couldn’t see them down there. *** Ezekiel was then taken to the north side of the altar and there were women weeping for Tammuz. From there, he was taken to the inner court between the entry room and the bronze altar where about 25 men were bowing to the east to worship the sun. *** All of these things were why God was responding in fury. Even if they cried for mercy, God will not hear. *** God called the men that would come and destroy the nation. Six men appeared carrying deadly weapons. With them came a man dressed in linen who carried a writer’s case. They all went and stood beside the altar. The man with the writer’s case case was sent to walk through the city of Jerusalem and mark the foreheads of the ones who weeped for the sins of the city. The six men were then sent to kill all who were not marked. They began with the 70 leaders. When Ezekiel saw this he fell on his face crying out for the people. God told him that the whole land was full of murder and injustice. He would have no pity. *** In Hebrews, the writer explains that the high priest is chosen to represent the people because, being human himself, he understands their weaknesses. He is called by God to this position just like Aaron and Jesus was. *** Jesus prayed and interceded for us when he walked the earth and God heard his prayers for us. Jesus learned to obey just like we do - through sufferings. Jesus was the perfect high priest and became our salvation. God appointed him to be the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, God’s High Priest in heaven. *** God wanted to tell them so much more but they were not able to understand since they hadn’t matured to eat the solid meat of God’s Word. *** Lord, may we mature to eat the solid meat of your Word. May we weep for what makes you weep and rejoice for what makes you rejoice. May we bring salvation to those we meet today.

Sun.’s Devo - The Siege

Read: Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27 Ezekiel had sat silent for seven days because the vision the Lord gave him was so disturbing and holy. At the end of the seven days, the Lord spoke and told him that he was a watchman for Israel and if he didn’t warn the people of their sin and what was coming, then God would hold him personally responsible for their deaths. He was not responsible for whether they listened or heeded his advise, only for telling them the truth. *** Ezekiel was tied with ropes where he couldn’t leave his house and made where he could only say what God said to say. He was then told to set up a replica of the city of Jerusalem and the siege. He was to act out the siege, then lie on his left side looking at the siege for 390 days which stood of each year Israel sinned and then on his right side for 40 days to represent the years Judah sinned. *** He was to ration out his food and cook it over dung to show that there was no wood to make a fire. His water was also rationed by the drop. *** Next, he was to shave his head and divide the hair into three parts. He was to place a third of the hair in the middle of his map of Jerusalem where he would burn it. Then he was to scatter a third across the map and chop it with his sword to represent the ones who would be killed in the war. The last third he was to scatter to the wind, keeping a small bit of the hair and tying it in his robe. He was to take some of the small bit and throw it to the fire. All of Israel would be destroyed through this fire. *** God said he had placed Israel as the center of the nations and he had rebelled and become more wicked that the nations around her. God was now her enemy. He gave an explanation to what he had Ezekiel do. A third if the people would die in the city from famine and disease, a third would be killed outside the walls, and a third would be scattered throughout the earth. They would be a warning to other nations of how the Lord punishes a nation when he is angry with it. It would be destroyed with famine, wild animals, disease and war. Only a small remnant would survive and in their exile, they would remember the Lord and repent of their sins, They would be sorry for their sins and know that there is only one God - the Lord. *** In Hebrews, God is offering his people his place of rest. It takes faith to enter into it. How do we enter this rest? We hear his voice and obey. We hold firmly to Jesus who calms the storm with his voice and is the Word that became flesh and blood. The Word in us is just as alive as it was in Jesus when he walked the world so we can walk in his example, doing what He did. Jesus is now our high priest who we can go to and receive grace to help us when we need it. *** Lord, we see it, but help our unbelief. Help us to enter into the rest you have prepared for us. We give you all our weaknesses, fears and doubts. May we walk in your Spirit with boldness and power.

Sat.’s Devo - Ezekiel

Read: Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 26:24-26 Ezekiel was 30 when he was taken into exile with the king, Jehoiakim. Ezekiel is believed to be a priest from the tribe of Levi. He began prophesying during the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s reign. He was a very charismatic prophet. He prophesied to a demoralized remnant of God’s people pointing out their personal responsibility. But, with it he brought the hope of a new nation built on grace. *** He opens his book with a vision he saw of a great storm coming from the north. Four living beings came out of a cloud that appeared human, but they had four faces and four wings. Their legs had feet that looked like calves hooves. They had hands under their wings. Their four faces were of a man, a lion on the right side, an ox on the left and an eagle in the back. Their out-stretched wings touched one another and another pair of wings covered their body. They moved according to the spirit, darting around like flashes of lightning. When they landed on the ground, wheels came down like a plane and the wheels had other wheels perpendicular to them that allowed the creatures to go in any direction. The wheels were covered in eyes. The spirit of the creatures was in the wheels. There was a crystal surface above them which spoke. Above this surface was a blue throne with a man seated on the throne. He was glowing in glory with all the colors. He told Ezekiel to stand because he wanted to speak to him. *** God told Ezekiel he was sending him to speak to the rebellious nation of Israel. They would not receive his message but he must still speak it. He was given a scroll with funeral songs and words of sorrow and doom written on it. Ezekiel was told to eat the scroll, let it become a part of him, then regurgitate it to the people. God had made Ezekiel as hard as the people so he could endure their rejection. *** When the vision left, Ezekiel was overwhelmed and couldn’t speak for seven days. *** In Hebrew’s, God told the writer to meditate on the life of Jesus. He was faithful like Moses, but was worthy of more praise than him. Moses was compared to the building where Jesus was compared to the builder. Jesus was God’s builder. What Moses did was to illustrate what God would reveal later. We are the house that they were building. It is our job to stay humble and faithful till the end. We are not to be like the children of Israel who were rebellious and refused to obey the Lord. We have a chance to get it right and enter into his rest. *** Lord, may we remain faithful to you and your plan on the earth. May we enter into your rest as temples of your glory. May your kingdom come to earth like it did in Ezekiel’s vision.