Skip to main content

Ezekiel 46:11-12 Daily, weekly and monthly communion celebration - Day 286

Good morning beloved in the Lord,

As I was writing this devotional this morning, I started to think about how Paul addresses believers as "saints".  In Christ, this is who we are.  We have absolute confidence in the sufficiency of Christ's work on the cross.  Our relationship or communion with God is assured.  The activities in the new temple give us a picture of this.

Blessings,

Jeff

Observations:

Sacrifices at Sabbaths and new moons will continue to be celebrated in the new temple.

The prince is at the center of these frequent sacrifices. The priests offer the sacrifices but the prince is the one who provides the animals, grain and oil.

These sacrifices are not related to atoning for sin.  So their continuation after the crucifixion is not as problematic.  However, I think it is interesting that Sabbath and new moon observations were one of the failures in pre and post-exile Judah.  Failure to keep the fourth commandment by trading appears in many of the prophets.

ESV Study Bible note: These access points to the holy and the Holy One, in Ezekiel's thinking, are laden with significance for the communal life of sustained communion with God. Ezekiel 46:1.  In the new temple, communion with God is still regulated in that the people and the prince come and to in a very specific manner.

Implications

Once the covering of sin, propitiation, satisfaction of God's wrath against sin is dealt with, the communion with God becomes a joyful and obedient celebration.  As Hebrews tells us, In the tabernacle and Solomon's temple the blood of animals could not purge the conscience.  Lack of assurance that God was actually satisfied by these earlier sacrifices makes communion with Him difficult.  Once salvation is secured by the blood of Christ, there is nothing I can do that makes God love me any more or any less.  And diligent celebration is the appropriate response.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Revelation 22:3-5 Final and eternal restoration - Day 365

Dear saints in the Lord, Congratulations!  You made it.  We have been through much turmoil in the last year ('20-'21).  But God is faithful to His promises.  I trust that you have been blessed in your reading and have drawn closer to God.   Since we didn't get the blog up and running at the beginning of the challenge, I am going to go back and post entries to cover that first month or so.   Blessings, Jeff Nothing accursed in the city of God, the new Jerusalem.  The presence of sin will be gone.  I am working on memorizing Westminster Shorter Catechism and currently on question 82.  Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God but does daily break them in thought, word and deed. I think our passage today points to the truth of this question.  Do you notice how this answer is not exactly the same as the question. "Any man" bec...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Chronicles 35:23-26 Lament for the last good king - Day 364

Good morning fellow exiles and pilgrims, One more day of devotions.  We are indeed exiles and pilgrims in this world as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  The 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks can serve as a reminder that this world is not our home. Blessings, Jeff The lamentations for Josiah written by Jeremiah.  However, the book of Lamentations does not include any reference to Josiah as they are focused on the fall of Jerusalem.  While these lost lamentations were "made the rule" there are only 4 more kings and none of them were good like Josiah and none died in Jerusalem.  The phrase "to this day" generally refers to the time of the author (post exile).  Taken together, it may be that these laments were for the last good king and during the exile the people were longing for the next good king. Zerubbabel in a way was the next good king as temple and Jerusalem were rebuilt. But Jesus truly was the next king and He...
Post a Comment
Read more

Malachi 2:10-12 Here we go again!! Day 363

Good afternoon friends, As we draw to the end of the Old Testament, we see that Judah has rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem, but they are following in the footsteps of faithless fathers and not in the footsteps of Abraham and ultimately God.  The exile was a low point, but now a new low is about to happen.  The prophetic voice has once again become warning and not encouraging. Faithful reading and preaching of the word is all that keeps us from losing our way.  May we be faithful in our generation. Blessings, Jeff I am sure I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.  The section summary, chapter and verse are not in the original language.  They are all rather modern inventions to help us.  For example, the section title here is "Judah profaned the Covenant".  That is OK as far as it goes, but which Covenant?  So let's take a look. Observations Starts with 3 questions but who is asking the questions and to whom are they addre...
Post a Comment
Read more