Oct 29, 2016
EZEKIEL 32-33:
Again, as seen in the messages to Tyre and to
Egypt, God was not just speaking to one king or about one kingdom,
but was also speaking against the kingdom/city of Man or the world
system under the rulership of Satan.
In yesterday’s reading we again heard of the righteous Branch, a shoot growing from David’s root. And we heard these famous words which I give here from the NLT:
2 And the Spirit of the LORD
will rest on him—
the
Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and
might,
the Spirit of
knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 He will delight in obeying the
LORD.
He will not judge
by appearance
nor make a
decision based on hearsay.
4 He will give justice to the
poor
and make fair
decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his
word,
and one breath from
his mouth will destroy the wicked.
5 He will wear righteousness like a
belt
and truth like an
undergarment.
In yesterday’s reading, the writer of Hebrews showed many similarities between Melchizedek and Christ, including that they are kings of righteousness and peace, they live forever, and are higher in position and better than Abraham and Moses. Christ is also better than the Levitical priests because he received his priesthood by an oath from God and because he holds his office as priest forever. These things are amazingly confirmed by that prophetic verse in Psalm 110. And very significantly, Jesus thus being our High Priest signifies a change in the Law— something that the original Jewish audience would have found surprising and controversial. Note how skillfully the writer wove in that controversial topic— which he brings to a conclusion in today’s chapter.