Author: Dave M Price

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God’s Temple

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 40-42

Daily Thought

Behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. 4 And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you.” ~Ezekiel 40:3-4

Notice every detail. Because Ezekiel did. As chapter 40 begins and continues for several chapters, Ezekiel is given a vision of God’s plan for his Temple. Every gate, every wall, every room, every table is assigned by God and carefully measured by the reed in his hand. This is the Temple in which God would dwell in the midst of his people. Who would build it, or when, is not mentioned, but the measurements are meticulous. It would be built. 

To the time of Ezekiel, there had been the tabernacle of Moses and the temple of Solomon. Following the exile, there would be a temple rebuilt, and then Herod’s Temple, which stood at the time of Jesus, but was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. Now, one temple remains, but it is not built of stone which does not last: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1Corinthians 6:19-20). I need only note the care to which God commanded Ezekiel to measure the Temple to understand it is me who is being measured.  

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well. ~Psalm 139:13-14

Look in the mirror and see the wonder of one created in the image of God–“in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). O Christian, you are God’s Temple. Notice every detail, because God does. 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” ~Ephesians 2:10

Daily Prayer

Creator God, what an amazing world. Just the idea that I am here amazes me. In the corner of this vast universe, You pay attention to me. And I pay attention to You. Sometimes. How can the Creator of the universe love me so deeply, and I take You for granted all too often. You know the beginning and the end. You set the foundations of the world and write Your story in history. We open Your Word and we find truth to live by and a future to hope for. 

Your church is the future, the body of Christ who will make the mystery of grace known in this world. I stand beside You, God, because You are the author of life and You have the Last Word. What You say happens. I will listen to Your Word, and I will follow it, because Your Word is worthy of my trust. How great is my God.

Amen

Daily Question

What does it mean to you that you are fearfully and wonderfully made by God?

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The Message for a Divided Nation

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 37-39

Daily Thought

Ezekiel is a prophet, and, in one sense, a prophet of doom, Israel’s doom. The united nation of Israel became divided under the poor leadership following the successful reign of Solomon. Godly leadership is essential, Israel was found lacking, and the nation split and would fall, first Israel to the north, and now, at the time of Ezekiel, Judah in the south. God, nevertheless, remains One and true, and in him must be our allegiance and trust. Israel will someday learn again God is not done with them.

Ezekiel has a vision of the future restoration of Israel. They died in judgment, but God will breathe new life into their old dry bones, “Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live” (Ezekiel 37:9). Three thousand years have passed and on Friday, May 14, 1948, the Israeli Declaration of Independence announced that the State of Israel has been formally established on land where, in antiquity, the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah had once been. The nation of Israel is still on the map.

This, however, is not the final chapter. Ezekiel sees another vision of the evil king Gog, born in the land of Magog, ruler over Meshach and Tubal, who will lead an army from the four corners of the earth against Israel (Ezekiel 38:1-6). Gog represents all of Israel’s enemies attempting to crush God’s people; but God is greater than Gog, “On that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, my wrath will be roused in my anger. I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 38:18, 23).

The lesson of history is to trust not in any one nation, but in the one Name, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). The prophet of God is not foremost one of doom, but always one of hope. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). If it is not good yet, God is not done yet.

“And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.” ~Ezekiel 39:7

Daily Prayer

My God, You are the giver of life, both the first time, and then again. You bring us out of the grave, for we are to You the aroma of Christ, the fragrance of life. We have His righteousness.

Thank You for breathing life back in me through Your Holy Spirit. This second time, You are in control, You are on the throne, You are my Lord and Savior. I live my life now in Christ for Your glory and pleasure, taking off the grave clothes and clothing myself in Your love and holiness.

Amen

Daily Question

Which has a greater impact on your life, your citizenship to your country or your citizenship in God’s Kingdom?

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The Good Shepherd

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 34-36

Daily Thought

“Thus says the Lord God: ‘Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?’” ~Ezekiel 34:2

Sheep are dumb. They follow whomever, then wander off and get lost often. It is not a flattering metaphor, but worse are the shepherds who should care for the sheep. Ezekiel condemns the fat leaders of Israel: “You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep” (Ezekiel 34:3). That a nation’s leaders neglect their sheep in pursuit of profit and power was as true then as it is now. 

If you want something done right, do it yourself–and God does–“For thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out’” (Ezekiel 34:11). God’s future is proclaimed for his people, “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd” (Ezekiel 34:23). 

Except David, the King, is long dead and gone. Ezekiel could only be speaking of another. 

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” ~Matthew 21:9

This Son of David is Jesus, and it is he of whom Ezekiel spoke. Hosanna means save us and Jesus would do just that. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). The sheep would, at last, have a good shepherd watching over them. 

Daily Prayer

Oh Lord, You are my Shepherd, the good Shepherd who rescues me from slaughter of my own making. I am prone to wander, and You are forever watchful. You prod me and nudge me, and sometimes You just have to pick me up and set me aright. Thank You for caring for me more than I care for myself.

God, may I learn Your ways. May I pick up Your staff, as well, and guide others toward the good Shepherd. May I be ever watchful and care enough to sacrifice myself for the sake of Your sheep.

Amen

Daily Question

Why do people put leaders in place who are bad for them?

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The Performance

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 31-33

Daily Thought

“If the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned…” ~Ezekiel 33:6 

Ezekiel was that watchman for the house of Israel, with the duty to speak what God has spoken. The people have a duty, as well–to listen and respond. “And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain” (Ezekiel 33:31). The people failed at their duty.

It was Rickey’s first time in Big Church. He watched everything his dad did and copied him. When Dad stood, he stood. When Dad sang, he sang. When Dad put a bill in the offering, he gave a quarter he’d brought from his bank. When Dad opened the Bible, he pulled his out of his pocket. 

The service ended, at last, and now for the weekly review on the drive home in the family van. “Sermon was pretty good today. Got lost in the middle.” “Music was okay, except for the last song. That was bad.” “I liked the solo.”

“All in all,” chimed in Rickey, “you gotta admit, Dad, it was a pretty good show for a dollar.” He’d watched everything. 

“You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t act on it!” ~Ezekiel 33:32

The church is to gather on Sundays, not as an audience, but as actors prepared to perform, to listen to God and respond with a grand offering of worship and willingness.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, everyday You give me a gift. A new day. May I open it each morning with anticipation, use it with joy, and thank You when I lay down at the end. May my life be a wonderful offering to You.

I pray that Sundays will not be the day of worship, but the weekly culmination of 7 days of worship.

Amen

Daily Question

What are some examples in your life that you listen to God?

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The Concert of Creation

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 28-30

Daily Thought

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.” ~Psalm 19:1-4

Creation is dazzling and delightful, grand and good, loudly and clearly trumpeting the splendor of God. You cannot miss it.

Yet somehow we do.  

Instead, we worship idols. We worship things. We worship ourselves. Presented with the concert of creation declaring the majesty of the Creator, we pick up a mirror and admire ourselves, and Ezekiel calls out the prince of Tyre as a most egregious example. “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor,” accuses Ezekiel (Ezekiel 28:17). 

This was the sin of Tyre; it is the ruin of all who exchange the Creator for the created. Our sin is our self obsession. The worship of idols is the worship of self, for they are made in our image. 

Say to the prince of Tyre, “Thus says the Lord God:
‘Because your heart is proud,
and you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,’
yet you are but a man, and no god.’” ~Ezekiel 28:1

The prophet’s purpose is to correct us, to remind us again and again what creation speaks everyday, “Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 28:23, 24, 26; 29:9, 16, 21; 30:8, 19, 26). These are an echo of the first words of the Bible, “In the beginning God” (Genesis 1:1), and once should have been enough. There is but one God, and it is not me.

Daily Prayer

God, I love You and praise You, and my praise comes first from hearing it in Your creation. The beauty and majesty, the order and truth that is seen in the heavens and the earth make known that there is God. It is You who deserves my allegiance, my trust, my life.

May my life display sacrifice and love toward You. My actions will sing Your praise before my voice does. You are my God; may I live a life that backs it up.

Amen

Daily Question

Why do people worship idols instead of the very real God?

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The Tide Came In

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 25-27

Daily Thought

God now prophecies, not against Judah, but against the nations surrounding her, for they took pleasure in her pain, yet shared her guilt. The climactic judgment is against Tyre, for she prided herself most of all. 

“O Tyre, you have said,
‘I am perfect in beauty.’
Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
your builders made perfect your beauty.” ~Ezekiel 27:3-4

There is a story told of the wisdom of King Canute of England. When entering a room, the flattery began. “Your highness, there is nothing you cannot do,” sang one. “Great Canute, you are the monarch of all,” fawned another. “Nothing in this world dares to disobey you.  The world bows before you, and gives you honor.” 

The king answered. “In that case, bring me my chair, and we will go down to the sea.  Put it right at the water’s edge.”

“Sea,” cried Canute, “I command you to come no further! Waves, stop your rolling!  Surf, stop your pounding! Do not dare touch my feet!” He waited a moment, quietly, and a tiny wave rushed up the sand and lapped at his feet.  Another wave swept forward and curled around the king’s feet. The tide came in, just as tides always do. The water rose higher and higher. It came up around the king’s chair, and wet not only his feet, but also his robe.

“Well, my friends,” Canute said, “it seems I do not have quite so much power as you would have me believe. My men, there is only one King who is all-powerful; and it is he who rules the sea, and holds the ocean in the hollow of his hand. It is he whom you ought to praise and serve above all others.”

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves” (Ezekiel 26:3). Tyre, a seafaring port on the coast of Phoenicia, boasted of her ship building and sea trade. But a ship serves the sea and the sea serves at the pleasure of God.

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” ~Mark 4:39, 41

Daily Prayer

God, You are God and I am not. That’s one of the smartest things I can say. “I did it my way,” one of the dumbest. I am not in charge and the universe does not revolve around me. Sometimes I act like it does. I am sorry.

Almighty God, You are the center of my universe, my King of kings, my Lord and Savior. To live for Your pleasure is to live life to its fullest because it is what I was created to do.

Amen

Daily Question

Is it okay to be proud of your accomplishments? Why or why not?

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Loving Good

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 23-24

Daily Thought

Ezekiel writes of sisters, “Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem” (Ezekiel 23:4); Samaria, the capital of Israel, and Jerusalem of Judah. During the reign of Rehoboam, the Hebrew nation split in half, into two sisters. “To your tents, O Israel!” (1Kings 12:16), cried the older sister as she broke with Judah. Oholah means “her tent,” and Israel began worshipping idols and set up her own temple and priesthood. Oholibah means “my tent is in her,” and God’s temple remained in Jerusalem, but she was no more faithful than her big sister.

Confused yet? The names make this difficult to follow, but here is what happened: “Oholah (Israel) played the whore” (Ezekiel 23:5), and the consequences were terrible. “Her sister Oholibah (Judah) saw this (both the whoring and the consequences), and she became more corrupt than her sister in her lust and in her whoring, which was worse than that of her sister” (Ezekiel 23:11). 

It is baffling! Why doesn’t Oholibah learn from the mistakes of her sister and choose to do what is right?

At youth events, speakers often share with teenagers how bad they had been when they were young teenagers, and the consequences of their badness. “If the kids hear what I went through,” they reason, “they won’t make the same mistakes.” The speakers are usually wrong. What teenagers hear is if someone speaking up front at a youth event did bad things then they could do bad things, too. They ignore the consequences. 

Why? It is not that hard to figure out. It is because they like bad. We like bad.

Oholah liked bad, and Oholibah watched the bad things Oholah did and the bad things that happened and went ahead and did bad anyway. Because they wanted to.

God created this world and called it good. We chose to do things our way and it has gone bad ever since. Consequences be damned, we like bad. 

We will love good again when we love God again.

Daily Prayer

My God, I did not love good, but was delighted with my own way, until You came along and showed me a better way. You loved me and brought me back into a relationship with You, and I found what I needed, my great God and Savior.

Thank You for the righteousness of Your Son Jesus Christ, which became my righteousness when I gave my life to Him. By Your grace, through faith, I can live again displaying Your goodness, serving others with the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. May I, at all times, stand for Your Kingdom and Your righteousness.

Amen

Daily Question

Do people do bad things because they love to do bad things? If so, why do we love bad? If not, then why do we do bad things?

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Standing in the Gap

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 21-22

Daily Thought

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries.’” ~Ezekiel 21:1-2 

Ezekiel has spoken God’s word to Israel, words of warning unheeded, and now it is time to act. “You have despised the rod, my son, with everything of wood. So the sword is given to be polished, that it may be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished to be given into the hand of the slayer” (Ezekiel 21:10-11). The rod is God’s discipline, made of wood like a shepherd’s crook, meant to guide sheep along the right path. But these sheep are lost, they have despised the shepherd, and now the sword.

There was one last word of hope, “‘I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done,’ declares the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 22:30-31). The last word of hope, but none was found to stand in the gap between God and the people.

Hope is lost, but the story is not over. God will restore Israel, raising her from the dead (see Ezekiel 37), but still missing is the one who will stand in the gap. 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ~John 1:14

None could stand so One was sent, Jesus Christ, who “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). 

We no longer need fear the sword, because the One who will stand in the gap has been found.

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” ~1John 2:1-2

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You and lift up Your Name. All that You do is wonderful and marvelous. All of creation reflects the artistry of my Creator. Because of Jesus Christ, I am now a citizen of heaven. May I live here on earth with the mindset of eternity. May I live a life that reflects Your kingdom. I serve You, God, which means I serve everyone. May I be one who stands in the gap beside Your Son and bring others to You.

Amen

Daily Question

Is there any other hope in this world beside Jesus? Why or why not?

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More Than Justice

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 18-20

Daily Thought

Justice is matter-of-fact: “the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4), or if “he is righteous; he shall surely live” (Ezekiel 18:9). Plain and simple, and just. 

This is a problem, however–a problem for us. 

The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one. ~Psalm 14:2-3

Do we really want justice? Ezekiel began listing Israel’s sins, “defiles his neighbor’s wife, oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, lends at interest, and takes profit” (Ezekiel 18:11-13). He could keep going, and he is listing our sins, as well.

God saw Israel’s sin and ruled rightly, “I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them” (Ezekiel 20:8, 13, 21), yet, time and again, God gave mercy, “I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name” (Ezekiel 20:22). When Moses asked God his name, God told him, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). God defines justice but justice does not define God. God is who he is, and while he is just, he is far beyond. When God looks down from heaven and sees our sin, justice is due, but God came down from heaven and, for the sake of his name, brought more than justice, and that is the Gospel, that is Jesus, that is “the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

In Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, Jean Valjean took shelter in the Bishop’s home. He also took the silver. When he was caught by the Constable, Valjean was returned to the Bishop for justice. “He claimed that you gave the silver to him,” mocked the Constable. “Yes, of course I gave him the silverware,” replied the Bishop. “Thank you for bringing him back. Release him.” Then turning to Valjean, the Bishop handed him more, “You forgot the candlesticks, Jean Valjean. They are worth 2,000 francs. Why did you leave them?”

“You shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.” ~Ezekiel 20:44

The Bishop glared with terrifying love, “Jean Valjean, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver I’ve bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred. Now I give you back to God.” More than justice, this is mercy. This is love.

Daily Prayer

My Lord, my God, You have shown a love unimaginable. You bought me with Your love, a love that sacrificed what is most precious to You. You made Your Son sin, not sin of His own doing, but my sin and the world’s sin. He bore it all, sin and the just consequence. He died, separated and forsaken by You, because You cannot look upon sin. But sin could not hold Him, and He rose again, the first of more to come, of which I am one, I will be raised again to eternity.

I am Yours, God, bought fully by the blood of Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. I welcome the rain of justice upon me because I have the reign of Jesus over me. I am, therefore, a living sacrifice to You, showing the world Your good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Amen

Daily Question

Which do you prefer to receive: justice or mercy? Which do you prefer to give: justice or mercy?

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Beauty

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 16-17

Daily Thought

A joke: two outlaw gunfighters, Pete and Tom, brothers and bad men, were notorious in the Old West. Tom, alas, was slow on the draw and killed. Pete cautioned the preacher if he did not call Tom a saint at his burial, the preacher would be next in the grave. So, when giving the eulogy, the preacher detailed the bad life Tom had lived, but concluded, “compared to his wicked brother Pete, Tom was a saint.”

“As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed” (Ezekiel 16:48, 51). According to God, Israel was Pete, Sodom and Samaria were Tom, and Israel made them look good by comparison.

God reminded Israel, you had it good! “You were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen” (Ezekiel 16:13). You were married to the King of kings–“I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God and you became mine” (Ezekiel 16:8), but Israel loved her beauty more than the one who made her beautiful–“You trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his” (Ezekiel 16:15). 

Our trouble begins when what God thinks of us is not enough and we seek the second opinion of others. Israel sought the company of creation rather than the Creator, and beauty became a whore.

Daily Prayer

My God, may You always receive the glory. In all of creation and in everything I do. Yours is the Name above all names.

What is astounding is I am not only part of Your family, but I am a co-heir with Your Son, Jesus Christ. Not only am I clothed in His righteousness, but I share His eternal treasure. Thank You, Father, because when I make You first, I discover all my dreams and desires are fulfilled. My greatest joy comes in Your glory.

Amen

Daily Question

What is God’s opinion of you? How important is that to you?