Read the Bible in a Year (12SEP19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, September 12’s Bible reading is Ezekiel 40-42.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, September 13’s Bible reading is Ezekiel 43-45. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

EZEKIEL MOMENT – (12SEP19) “In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city. He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand” (Ezekiel 40:2-3). In this vision, Ezekiel sees the construction of a new temple and its layout. Bible scholars have debated rather this would be the measurements of a new temple that has not yet been built, or symbolic in nature. Ezekiel was in exile along with the other Israelites, and the other temple had been destroyed by the time he had this vision. Nevertheless, this vision was of importance because the Lord wanted Ezekiel to tell Israel what he had seen. Regardless of if the measurements were literal or symbolic, this was a vision of hope for Israel. The Lord promised to restore them as a people after their time of captivity, and they would be able to go back to their land. The temple was one of the things that would be rebuilt, so this was a vision of hope for their future which centered around the Lord.  

We too have a hope for our future. We know that one day, we will have a better place than what we have seen here on earth. The greatest mansion on earth cannot compare to what the Lord has in store for us. The Bible says:  ^“However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ the things God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The things that God has in store for us is beyond whatever we could possibly imagine. Yet, we have the promise and can take hold of it whenever we feel challenged living this life. Jesus gave these comforting words to His disciples and we too can take claim of them: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going” (John 14:1-4). Just as God gave Ezekiel a vision of hope for Israel’s future, Jesus gave us hope for ours as well. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (12SEP19) “All the walls were decorated with carvings of cherubim, each with two faces, and there was a carving of a palm tree between each of the cherubim. One face—that of a man—looked toward the palm tree on one side. The other face—that of a young lion—looked toward the palm tree on the other side. The figures were carved all along the inside of the Temple, from the floor to the top of the walls, including the outer wall of the sanctuary” (Ezekiel 41:18-20). Ezekiel had been shown the engravings on the walls of the new sanctuary. He saw that there were palm trees alternating with Cherubim that had the face of a man and lion. The plan God made regarding His people pointed them to the future Messiah, who would reign for all eternity, which was shown through the temple engravings in Ezekiel’s vision.

The face of the man on the Cherubim represents the humanity of Christ in the work that He was to do on the cross. “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (John 1:14). The face of the lion also on the Cherubim symbolizes Jesus as the Lion of Judah who will come back to reign with power and great glory. “But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, ‘Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals’” (Revelation 5:5). The palm tree that alternated with the Cherubim on the sanctuary’s wall was a symbol of joy and victory which we receive as the children of God in the body of Christ. “The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, ‘Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!’” (John 12:12-13). The week prior to Jesus going to the cross, He rode through the city on a donkey where people laid their cloaks and palm branches before Him. This was an act of humility of laying everything they were before the King. We too are to lay everything before the Lord because we are not of our own but are His.

Since there is no longer any need for an earthly temple because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we should be mindful that in every aspect of our lives we are to embody who He is. Therefore, we can take comfort in knowing that because we are part of the body of Christ, we represent Him as the Lion who allowed us to be victorious over sin, the Man whom we serve in all humility, and the Palm Tree that signifies the joy that’s unspeakable in Him. Will you continue to be an ambassador for Christ? Something to ponder….

EZEKIEL MOMENT – (12SEP19) “When the priests leave the sanctuary, they must not go directly to the outer courtyard. They must first take off the clothes they wore while ministering, because these clothes are holy. They must put on other clothes before entering the parts of the building complex open to the public” (Ezekiel 42:14). In Ezekiel’s vision, he was shown the priests’ rooms where they would perform their duties for the Lord’s holy offerings. God gave instructions that the priests were to never wear their service garments outside in the presence of the people because their garments were holy. The priests had to change their garments prior to interacting with the people for the holy could not be mixed with that which wasn’t. The Bible says: “So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it…to separate the holy from the common” (Ezekiel 42:20).

As followers of Christ, we have also had to change our garments. We took off the garments of sin and put on the robe of righteousness. The Bible says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Once we accepted Jesus into our hearts, we left the old clothes that were full of filth from our sinful lives of lying, stealing, cheating, fornication, idolatry, debauchery and more, so that we could put on new robes to align our lives in His newness. We cannot call ourselves followers of Christ should  we live in opposition to Him. The Bible says: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). When we have a new mindset, our whole life will change and we will not crave the things that we used to give in to, or at least, if the devil brings it to mind, we know how to resist. We should want our robes to stay pure so that when Jesus returns, He will find His bride without spot or wrinkle. The Bible says: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Something to ponder….