Eat This Book
Read Proverbs Chapter 12
Ezekiel 43
1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
4 And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of theLord filled the house.
6 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
7 And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.
8 In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.
9 Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
10 Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
11 And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
12 This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
13 And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar.
14 And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit.
15 So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns.
16 And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof.
17 And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east.
18 And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord God; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.
19 And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord God, a young bullock for a sin offering.
20 And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it.
21 Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary.
22 And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock.
23 When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.
24 And thou shalt offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the Lord.
25 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.
26 Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.
27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God.
The POFW Daily Bible Reading 
I believe we have established that numbers are important to God. I believe the last few chapters have proved that order and precision are also important to the Lord. So, what is a measure? A synonym for a measure is indicator but in some cases it is not a valid synonym. In the business world, sometimes, there is a large difference. Measures and indicators are fundamentally different. So, what is the difference?
To answer that, let us step in with some plain English – forget the jargon…
– An indicator indicates something.
– A measure measures something.
So a carpenter wants to know that a table is 6 foot by 3 foot. That is a measure. There is a standard foot out there and we can all agree how long it is. Restaurant owners want to know that a table will seat six people. That is an indicator. It indicates its size, but does NOT measure it.
So, how does this apply to the children of God? As we learned last night, there are indicators to the wellbeing of one’s spiritual health; generally that cannot be measured. As Pastor shed light on, the lack of someone to submit to their spiritual leader is an indicator of some “thing” that is out of place or miss-aligned. If our lives were plotted on a grid, identifying the miss-alignment would be easy. However, that is not the case. We must regard the indicators to determine how we measure up to where we are supposed to be in Christ.
Great analogy and connection to GODLY principals.
26 Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.
Soon we will begin the new year with a 7 days fast. The word “purge” has many meanings A primitive root; to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel:—appease, make (an) atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, to pitch, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile (-liation).
purge verb, purged, purg·ing, noun
verb (used with object)
1.to rid of whatever is impure or undesirable; cleanse; purify.
2.to rid, clear, or free (usually followed by of or from ): to purge a political party of disloyal members.
3.to clear of imputed guilt or ritual uncleanliness.
4.to clear away or wipe out legally (an offense, accusation, etc.) by atonement or other suitable action.
5.to remove by cleansing or purifying (often followed by away, off, or out).
Beginning the year with a 7 days fast purges our bodies of all the junk, overeating from the holidays, cleaning the digestive system of impurities. The benefits of a fast:
rest the digestive system
allow for cleansing and detoxification of the body
create a break in eating patterns, while shining a spotlight on them
promote greater mental clarity
cleanse and heal “stuck” emotional patterns (makes you deal with your most inner feelings that you been hiding in your closet)
lead to a feeling of physical lightness, increasing energy level
promote an inner stillness, enhancing spiritual connection
In Ezekiel they speak of purging a physical altar through sacrifices, today we purge our Holy Ghost altar and temple which is our bodies through fasting and prayer; consecrating ourselves as Holy people separate from the indulges of the world. Holy and committed to God. So as we embark in our 7 days fast this year, lets do it with JOY, dedication, and lots of prayer for what is the use to fast without prayer then we are only cleansing our bodies and not our souls.
Stand beside me Jesus
6 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
Rev 4:8
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
He has always been there waiting. Do you know the man Christ Jesus?
My prayer today is that he would stand beside me in my goings and my comings. Stand beside me in my triumphs and my defeats. Stand beside me in all things, because without him I’m in trouble.
Stand beside me Jesus
10 Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
11 And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
Everything had to be done in order, from the showing Of the plans to the building to the sacrifices. The people had to be obedient to God and fallow his plans, it was all a process that everyone had to go through. Much like the plans for the alter God had plans for our lives but we have to decide if we’re going to go by his order and plans or if we’re going to be disobedient. Partial obedience is still disobedience. If they decided to fallow some of the plans but put in Twitter own a
* their own ideas I don’t think the Lord would have blessed it
9 Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
It’s Gods desire to forgive us, dwell in us, to be our God and we His people. It’s His desire that we first come to Him but anytime we fall away He wants us back. It’s in His loving mercy that He makes a way for us to be saved even when we mess up. It’s our shame, which is the other side of the coin of pride, from condemnation that keeps us from making our way back to God. If we humble ourselves, and set aside the sins in our lives, and repent, then God will dwell amongst us.
2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
iLove to eat the Word
I was reading some more about this future temple that Ezekiel speaks of and thought the following article was interesting. One thing we can be sure of…when we see a temple being built in Israel in the not to distant future, we can be sure that the end of this present age is near…Oh yeah, Israel has the blueprint of this temple already drawn up and are attempting to sign a peace agreement with the Muslims so they can build this temple.
For reasons of architecture, topology and theology, it would appear that Ezekiel’s vision of the temple concerned the future, not any past or contemporary edifice. Architecturally, the dimensions provided in chapters 40-48 do not correspond to any of the pre- or post-exilic temples — Solomon’s, Zerubbabel’s, nor even Herod’s. Furthermore, the overall design is markedly different from those of the historical temples. Topologically, Ezekiel’s temple features a river flowing eastward from the threshold of the temple out to the Jordan Valley (47:1ff), whereas no river flowed from, through, or even past the temples of Biblical times. Also, the surrounding geography described by Ezekiel is different from that of Israel today or at any point in the past. Great changes have taken place, consistent with the topological alterations associated with the Lord’s second coming (Is. 40:4, Zech. 14:4ff.). Theologically, the mode of worship and priestly service followed in Ezekiel’s temple, though it parallels that of the Mosaic economy in numerous details, has never been carried out by Israel at any time in the past. The situation described in the land is an idyllic theocracy never before experienced by the nation. Most significantly, this temple contains the glory of God (43:2-5). Jewish rabbis agree that the glory of God departed from Solomon’s temple just before it was destroyed, and that neither Zerubbabel’s temple nor Herod’s expansion ever contained such glory before the destruction of 70 A.D. Therefore, if the glory of God will return as Ezekiel prophesied, it must be to some other, future temple.
In yesterday’s chapter we had the separation from the profane place. Now today we have passed the separation and arrived at the Holy Place. God has a process for everything. Once the separation took place, immediately the glory of the Lord entered.
Too many times we are asking for the glory of the Lord to fill the temple but there has never been a sacrifice of repentance, a separation from the carnal. We must take the time to cleanse ourselves through repentance and put away things of the world so that the glory of God can come and we can experience time in His presence, surrounded by His glory.
HALLELUJAH!!!
4 And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
YES LORD!!! HOW IS OUR GATE? I can almost compare the gate to the heart.
How is our heart??? Are they clean vessels??? Of honor or dishonor??? Does the GLORY OF THE LORD DWELL IN US??? CAN HE FREELY COME AND DINE WITH US??? ARE THERE HINDRANCES???
LORD LET MY ENTIRE BEING BE PLEASING BEFORE THEE!!! I LOVE YOU JESUS!!! HALELUJAH!!!
27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God.
It takes time. We see here that it took a week to purify the alter. Thank God, that we do not have to do this. We must prepare ourselves as a living sacrifice unto God. Giving Him our first fruits of our time, talent, and tresure. He deserves the very best. And yet He loves us. Broken vessels, but willing to be used be the Creator. Thank you Jesus for what you did on Calvary for my sin.
The NLT version reads it this way:
Ezekiel 43:12 And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the basic law of the Temple.
From reading this chapter and the las few, I can seen another way of God’s love. How He describes every specific detail of this new temple. There is a description of how they are to purge the sin by live sacrifice. Seems to fit right in with our upcoming 7 day consecration fast. No bullocks, or lambs, or he goats, but our flesh will die. Daily another sacrifice another day. Our prayers pleading that precious Blood of the Lamb of God will cover our sacrifice. Cleansing us. Preparing us. We too are to enter into a new temple. And in His love says, no more idol worship, no more sin, no more defiling of His Name. Think about How God is getting ready to give us this new temple were He plans to dwell and bless His people with His presence. There He wants to show Himself, His wonder, His power…the basic law, absolute Holiness! It is our choice and duty to come into repentance, search our hearts for any walls…are the gates open? May the King of Glory come in? Let’s get ready for this feast through a fast.
Psalm 24:7-10 Open up, ancient gates!Open up, ancient doors,and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory?The Lord, strong and mighty;the Lord, invincible in battle. Open up, ancient gates!Open up, ancient doors,and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory?The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—he is the King of glory.
10 “Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan,
11 and they will be ashamed of what they have done. Describe to them all the specifications of the Temple—including its entrances and exits—and everything else about it. Tell them about its decrees and laws. Write down all these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them. (NLT)
HOUSE RULES
12 This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
This passage supports very strongly the Bible Study from Wednesday Night, 12/11/13. GOD has HOUSE RULES. As an adolescent, I considered HOUSE RULES to be dumb and unnecessary. As a parent I considered HOUSE RULES as a means of protection and safety. As a Pastor, I consider HOUSE RULES as a necessity and requirement for eternity.
My prayer today is that we all find the value and importance of HOUSE RULES, this is what GOD used in RESTORING ISRAEL. I thank GOD that I grew up in a house with some do’s and don’ts, I thank GOD that I raised children in a house with some do’s and don’ts, I thank GOD I serve in a Church with some do’s and don’ts.
We are wise to recognize that the do’s and don’ts of our Heavenly Father’s house that are in place to protect us and honor HIM.
HOUSE RULES
iRepent of all wrong
iPraise JESUS for who HE IS
iPray every day for wisdom, direction and counsel
iWork for the spreading of HIS gospel
iGive selflessly to BLESS others through HIS house
iReap the FAVOR and BLESSING of GOD
In this scripture, you can observe that Spirit of God, is the Resurection Power, and he raised him up, and he brought him to the inner court, and beheld the glory of the Lord. “WOW”…………..”IMAGINE”……………….
5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of theLord filled the house.
________________________________________________________
Jesus Christ is the Lamb without blemish, who became sin, who knew no sin, he became the curse for us. We are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God, and he cleansed all our sins. Saved by grace, unless any man should boast. All have sinned, and fallen short of God’s Glory.
23 When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.
24 And thou shalt offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the Lord.
All though burnt offerings are no longer required, but we are called to be salt to this earth. “An Irretant”……..Salt Irretates an unbeliever or cures a wound.
“Keep your Place”………………………………………..
Radiant Glory
2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
Ezekiel’s vision reaches its high point with the glory of God returning to this new temple. Ezekiel had previously recorded seeing the glory of God leave the temple (Eze 10:18). Now, from the same direction, the east, the glory of God returns (Eze 10:19, 11:23; 43:1) Thoughout the Scriptures the words used to describe God’s glory are consistently words of brightness and light (EX 24:17; Lev 9:23-24; 2 Ch 7:3; Eze 10:4; Lk 2:9; 2 Co 4:6; Rev 21:11,23).
10 Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
10-11 “Son of man, tell the people of Israel all about the Temple so they’ll be dismayed by their wayward lives. Get them to go over the layout. That will bring them up short. Show them the whole plan of the Temple, its ins and outs, the proportions, the regulations, and the laws. Draw a picture so they can see the design and meaning and live by its design and intent.MSG
As Ezekiel had a vision of filling the temple with people, that is the same vision our Pastor has if filling the church with lost souls and winning them to God. Its time we catch on to our Pastor’s vision and win souls. You never know when someone is hurting and just wants to talk to you and be a friend.
The process is important to God, I’ve learned. Through the process He can shuffle out the ones who are not ready and move forward the ones that are ready. The process of becoming like Him isn’t always fun and it hurts. However, if it’s going to get me closer to God than I’m not quitting!
Lord you have given me power and strength for everything and in return I’m to do your work and sometimes I’m disobedient lord I love you and thank you for forgiving me even before I ask and helping me when I’m down putting me together when I’m broken and changing me into a somebody lord I love you so much thank you daddy
2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
26 Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.
27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God.
The chapter opens with a revelation of God’s glory and the way from which it came. The earth shined with his glory. If there is any glory found in us it comes from The Lord of glory!
As we approach our annual consecration, remember that God has plans to shine through us to a darken world.
5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of theLord filled the house.
When God’s glory fills the house, you know it by the shift in the atmosphere. There is a change and it can be felt all around. Everything that is contrary to God will have to flee.
25 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.
26 Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.
Repentance and seperation is a seven days in a week thing.
And we complain about coming to church?
25 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.
26 Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.
27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God.
We really do have it easy. All we have to do is repent and love God. He gives us His Spirit so that we can overcome sin. Daily prayer and relationship is all he wants. We don’t have to travel to the temple and prepare sacrifices all week. We can communicate with God at any place and at any time.
5 Then the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner court; and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple. 6 And I heard the Lord speaking to me from within the Temple (the man who had been measuring was still standing beside me).
7 And the Lord said to me:
“Son of dust, this is the place of my throne and my footstool, where I shall remain, living among the people of Israel forever. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer through the adulterous worship of other gods or by worshiping the totem poles erected by their kings. 8 They built their idol temples beside mine, with only a wall between, and worshiped their idols. Because they sullied my holy name by such wickedness, I consumed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away their idols and the totem poles[b] erected by their kings, and I will live among them forever.
10 “Son of dust, describe the Temple I have shown you to the people of Israel. Tell them its appearance and its plan so they will be ashamed of all their sins. 11 And if they are truly ashamed of what they have done, then explain to them the details of its construction—its doors and entrances—and everything about it. Write out all the directions and the rules for them to keep. 12 And this is the basic law of the Temple: Holiness! The entire top of the hill where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the primary law concerning it. TLB
Are we really keeping his statues? Are we really doing what God wants. In order to answer that question we mist examine our lives to see if we are really in the will of God.
Building An Altar
18 And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord God; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.
Genesis 4:3-5
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
I am reminded of the tale of two altars, one built pleasing to God, the other pleasing to the flesh. A sacrifice is an offering, which means God can choose to accept or reject it. Just because we build altar doesn’t mean God is pleased; we must build after His pattern and desire.
This means going beyond the obvious of trying to please the flesh and still pacify God with going through religious motions, it means seeking the personal altar God desires for our life. The altar God desires for someone else might be wrong for us and vice versa. When we seek God, we can begin to get free of expectations other than His and fall in line with His vision for our lives. He made us individuals for a reason and desires to use us each differently after the unique pattern He established for our lives. The true altar of sacrifice and surrender for us is found in our individual relationship with God, one built not just for God but with His help.
2 Corinthians 10:12 NLT
Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
This chapter illustrates order. The children of Israel required order; “Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever”. Although animal sacrifice is no longer required today because of the blood of the Jesus, order is still required. What a mighty God we serve! May the good Lord Bless you all in Jesus name, Ame
I did do this on the 12th but forgot to copy it from my notes
The glory of God and the altar
The purpose of sacrifice was not to kill animals. The purpose was two-fold. First without the shedding of blood is no remission/forgiveness of sin. Second taking the animal’s life was meant to hurt the sinner more than the animal.
True sacrifice hurts. True sacrifice is giving up something of value for something of greater value. Yet when there is true sacrifice the glory shows up!
Elijah poured water during a drought, and offered an ox on the altar. The glory of God came down like a bolt of lighting and fire!
Solomon killed 1000 animals in sacrifice, and the glory of The Lord filled the temple so thick they couldn’t go in there.
Ten days prior to Pentecost men and women journeyed into an upper room, and sacrificed their time to pray, and wait. The Lord answered with the gift of the Holy Ghost!
Jesus died on the cross, and now we have access to eternal life!
Real sacrifice leads to experiencing the glory of God!
I believe it is directly related to the fact that when we do this it brings our flesh under subjection, and submission to God. We please God because we are then not in the flesh, but in the spirit.
2. And, behold, the glory of the God of Is’-ra-el came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. The Glory of the LORD