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| Offerings from the back of a truck in our historic hometown of Burnsville, NC -- near Mt. Celo Church |
My Meditations on Today's Readings
(Ellipses are mine and are used for contemplation.)
Key Words
– Emptiness: futile vision, false
divination, lies, nonsense; Peace:
saying peace when there is no peace, Then you shall know that I am the Lord God
x 5, pray for the peace of Jerusalem, the king of Salem (Jerusalem), the king
of peace, a better hope through which we draw near to God, sacrifice once and
for all, The Son who has been perfected forever
A False Peace –
Ezekiel 13 and 14 (Facts: What It
Says – Summarized)
Reason for Anger – Against the
Men: “Woe to the false prophets
who claim to speak for God and His Word…but…”follow their own spirits,…have
not stood in the gaps to build up a wall for Israel to sand in battle on the day of the LORD,…have envisioned
futility…false divination….they have
seduced My people saying, ‘peace’ when there is no peace…the LORD has
not sent them.” Punishment:
“My hand will be against them…they
will not be in the assembly of My people…nor be written in the record of the
house of Israel…nor shall they enter the land of Israel.” Result: “Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” Against
the Women: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils
for the heads of people…of every size…to
hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of
My people, and keep yourselves alive?
Will you profane Me for barley
and bread…killing people who should not die…keeping people alive who should not
live…by your lying…to My people…who listen to lies?” Punishment: “I
am against your magic charms…by which…you hunt souls there…like birds. I will…tear them from your arms…and let the
souls go…the souls you hunt like birds.
I will tear off your veils…and deliver My people…and they shall no
longer be as prey in your hand. “ Result: “Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” Against Some of
the Elders: “These men have…set
up their idols in their hearts…and put before them that which causes them to
stumble. Should I let Myself be inquired
of by them…at all? “ Punishment:
“I will answer him by Myself. I will set my face against that man…and make
him a sign and a proverb…and I will cut him off from the midst of My people.” Result: “Then
you shall know that I am the LORD.” Against
a Sinful Land: “When a land sins
against Me…by persistent unfaithfulness…I will stretch out My hand against it…I
will cut off its supply of bread…send famine on it,…cut off man and beast from
it. Even if…Noah, Daniel and Job were in
it…they would deliver only themselves….by their righteousness, says he LORD.” Principle: God’s Word will be fulfilled – the blessings,
the promises, the curses. “For the vision is yet for an
appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry,
wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." Habakkuk 2:3
A Prayer for Peace…for
Jerusalem –
Psalm 122:6 – 9 (Facts: What It Says
– Summarized) “Pray for…the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper…who love you. Peace…be within your walls….prosperity…within
your palaces…for the sake of…my brethren and companions. I will now say, ‘Peace….be within you.” Because of…the house of the LORD our God….I will seek your good.” Principle: The peace… of Jerusalem…is God…is Christ
Jesus. The blessing of the Jewish nation
one day acknowledging Jesus Christ as Messiah will usher in the Second
Coming. Because of our tie to the Jewish
nation…in Christ…we pray for
their good and their peace. Their peace
in Christ will bring about the fulfillment of our own in God’s Kingdom Plan.
(Jews as the Chosen People – Deut. 7:6-8; Gentiles blessed through the Jews
(Genesis 12) Jews accepting Christ in the end time (Zechariah
12:10). Jeremiah 33:8, Ezekiel
11:17, and Romans 11:26.) http://www.gotquestions.org/Jews-saved.html
The King of Peace – Hebrews 7 (Facts: What It Says – Summarized)
Jesus is our High Priest –
“according
to the order of Melchizedek: which translated means: ‘king of righteousness, king of Salem
(Jerusalem), king of peace’. a priest forever, with
no beginning and no end, to whom even Abraham gave a tenth part of all, The
sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to…receive…tithes
from the people according to the law, but he whose genealogy is not derived
from them…received tithes…from Abraham (from whose loins the Levites came)…and blessed
him who had the promises. Therefore…if
perfection were through the Levitical priesthood…what need was there that
another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be
called…according to the order of Aaron?" FOR..the priesthood being changed…of necessity…there is also a change of law. Our Lord arose from Judah…in
the likeness of Melchizedek…not according to the law of a fleshly commandment…but
according to the power…of an endless life.
For He testifies; He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “You are a
priest…forever…according to the order of Melchizedek….The LORD has sworn and
will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of
Melchizedek.” FOR…on the one hand
there is an annulling…of the former commandment…because of its weakness…and
unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect.
On the
other hand…there is the bringing in…of a better hope…through which…we draw near
to God. Also there were many
priests…because they were prevented by death…from continuing. BUT HE…because He continues…forever…has an
unchangeable priesthood. THEREFORE…He is able to save…to the
uttermost…those who come to God…through Him…since…He always lives…to make
intercession for them." The
Eternal Consequence for Us – “For such a High Priest
was fitting for us…holy, harmless, undelfied, separate from sinners – who does not need daily, as those high
priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the
people’s, for this He did once for all…when He offered up Himself.” “For
the law…appoints as high priest men who have weakness…but the word of the
oath…which came after the law…appoints the
Son…who has been perfected forever.” Principle: In Christ,
we are made righteous before God; He took on our sins; we take on His
righteousness. “For
Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the
Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18
My Lessons and Applications: What
a different perspective the Bible has on peace than what the world tells us! The empty words of politicians, of
advertising, of so much of philosophy, psychology, sociology, of materialism,
bring us no peace, no satisfaction, no help. Only God – in Jesus Christ - can bring
peace…can be peace…to the human soul. He
is God’s Word made flesh. “He
was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not
know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to
those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1: 10-14
“Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the
Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.”
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