Daily Devotional For Saturday, September 5, 2026

Good morning Southside! Our daily devotional for today comes from Ezekiel 44. Take a moment to click on this link to read it or use your Bible to read it. We are going to focus on Ezekiel 44:10, “And the men of the tribe of Levi who abandoned Me when Israel strayed away from Me to worship idols must bear the consequences of their unfaithfulness” (NLT). The whole chapter focuses on restoring worship in the Temple and who is allowed to lead it and why. This whole chapter sits in the context of the Levi’s failing to be obedient to the Lord and the limitations God put on them for their sin in allowing and encouraging God’s people to worship idols.

So, what does Ezekiel 44 have to do with us today? The deeper context of this passage is that at some point in Israel’s rebellion against the Lord, they brought in foreigners who were uncircumcised in heart and in flesh and allowed them to serve in the Lord’ Temple (Ezek. 44:7). On top of that the Levites had failed to keep charge of God’s holy items in the temple and instead, appointed others to do this (Ezek. 44:8). Why had the Levites done this? They had chosen to chase and worship idols such as Baal and engage in infanticide (Ezek. 44:10). The priest who had descended from Zadok had stayed true to the Lord and was honored by God for their relentless obedience to Him. 

These priests of Zadok were rewarded and that tells me, all of us should have the same kind of relentless obedience to the Lord also. We must remember what 1 Peter 2:5 tells us as Christians. As believers, we are called to a life of purity, holiness, godliness and righteousness. When everyone runs away from obedience to God, we are to run towards God in obedience. So what can we learn from this? How does this apply to us today? I have added my own thoughts to the thoughts of Old Testament scholar Landon Dowden to show us how this applies to us today:

1. God initiates. It was God who reached out to us first to repent. It was God who saved us. It is God who calls us into obedience today. Salvation starts and is sustained by the Lord. This is the point of Romans 5:8 and Isaiah 53:6. God was the one who had initiated the call to Abraham to be the father of a great nation (Gen. 12:1-3). God initiated in reaching out to us with His love, not the other way (1 John 4:10).
2. God instructs us how to live. God has given us His Word, His Holy Spirit and each other to hold us accountable. God tells us this in His word (Ps. 119:11; Ps. 119:9-16; Ps. 119:33-40; Matt. 18:15-17; & 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
3. God is holy (Lev. 19:2; 1 Sam. 2:2; Ps. 99:9; and Rev. 4:8). The Levites were supposed to be holy as God is holy, but instead, they chose to adulterate themselves with idols. We are called to be holy also. Why? Because God is holy. We cannot approach God on our terms, but only on His. We are called to be holy also. 
4. God is gracious. God had already provided a way for His people to repent of their sin and to worship Him (Ezek. 43:13-27). God’s altar was the centerpiece in the worship service and it was not to be contaminated. Today, our hearts are the altars and we are to keep it from contamination as well (Heb. 13:15). Our God is gracious (Ex. 34:6; Ps. 103:8; & 1 Pet. 5:10). This means we will not attempt to take advantage of God’s grace to us.
5. God is sufficient. As we read through the book of Ezekiel, especially  Ezekiel 40-48, as we read Ezekiel 47, there is an interesting verse. It is Ezekiel 47:9, “There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows” (NLT). I’ve been to the Dead Sea. I have floated in the Dead Sea. It is called this for a reason. Nothing can sufficiently live in it due to its salt and alkalinity content. 
6. God is to be worshiped on His terms. This is the whole point of Ezekiel 45-46. This reminds us that worship is not a passive experience or act. We are to be actively praising, worshipping and committing our lives to the Lord in our worship of Him. 
7. God is sovereign. God can divide the land because He owns it. It is His. God is going to provide a place He promised for His people. They will not have to fight for it, work for it, or purchase it. All that God’s people will have to do is receive the land He is giving them. We see this in Ezekiel 47:13-48:35” (Source; Landon Dowden, Exalting Jesus In Ezekiel).

Reflection Assignment: As you read over these 7 ways this text applies to us today, which one do you need to focus on more now? Why did you select this one and how will you know that you are honoring God with your choice?

Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, (20) for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Lord, may the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be pleasing to You O Lord” (Ps. 19:14, NLT). Lord, I want my life to please You, honor You, worship You and be obedient to You. Please help me to do this for Your glory. Please help me find in my own temple what is displeasing to You and then remove it. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly