In Ezekiel 46, God sets down the rules for public
worship for both prince and people. God says the east gate of the inner court
will remain closed during the work-week, but will be opened on Sabbath days and
new moons (vs 1-7). He also lays out in details how the worshippers should move
to keep orderliness: whoever came in at the north gate should go out at the
south gate, and whoever came in at the south gate should go out at the north
gate (vs 7-10). God then gives specific instructions on the animal sacrifices
and other offerings (vs 11-24).
God commands that a daily sacrifice be presented to
Him every morning: “Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt offering unto the LORD
of a lamb of the first year without blemish: thou shalt prepare it every
morning” (vs 3).
The daily sacrifice symbolizes the eating of the Word
of God every day. For a person to live a godly life, he must continually feast
upon the Word of God. And, this spiritual feasting must be a daily habit and
not once a week.
The reason why many are weak in faith is because they
have not been feasting on the word of God on a daily basis. They know they need
to eat three hot meals daily to grow physically healthy but they do not think
they need a daily spiritual meal to grow spiritually. For many, their one and
only spiritual meal is served only on Sunday mornings. It is no wonder they are
not growing spiritually!
Just like we need physical food for physical strength,
we need spiritual food for spiritual strength. The Bible describes itself as
spiritual food using terms like water, milk, bread, and meat as food for our
spiritual lives:“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the
word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Our Lord says: “Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Are you taking your spiritual milk and bread
daily?
If you were a commander of an army, would you send
your soldiers into battle who have not eaten for a month? You won’t! Why?
Because you know they won’t be fit for fighting. Likewise, we are fighting a
spiritual battle against “principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”
(Ephesians 6:12). The forces of evil are strong and therefore we need to feed
ourselves to have the strength to accomplish the tasks ahead of us.
The reason many fall into the devil’s temptations is
because they are weak spiritually; they ignore the many Scriptures that tell
them the need to grow and mature spiritually (Hebrews 6:1; 2 Peter 3:18;
Ephesians 4:14-15).
Brethren, YOU WILL NEVER GROW UNLESS YOU DESIRE TO
GROW! You’re not going to have much success in winning the spiritual battles
you face if you are starving yourself to death. That’s why we need to feed on
the Word of God daily.
Parents, you are ever concerned if your child has
taken his lunch while he is in school. You are always asking him if he has taken
his lunch whenever he comes home. Have you asked if he has taken his spiritual
lunch? “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he
will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
The daily offering of the Jews represents their daily
devotion to God. It is the first thing they did every morning. What about us?
We have enjoyed greater blessings in this new dispensation. Where is our daily
devotion to God?
Jimmy Lau
Psa
119:97 Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
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