[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 13

[preacherdp1961 at gmail.com]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 13

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without
having their motives called into question.

___

DAILY DEVOTION

"Overcome Evil with Good"


Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of
all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all
men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto
wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for
in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of
evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:17-21

While the noted Christian author Stuart Holden was on a tour of Egypt, he
met a soldier who seemed especially devoted to the cause of Christ. Holden
asked him how he had been converted. The sergeant replied, "There was a
private in the same company as myself who had been converted in Malta, and I
gave him a terrible time. I remember one night in particular when it was
very rainy and he came in wet and weary from sentry duty. Yet, as usual, he
still got down on his knees before going to bed. My boots were covered in
mud and I threw them both at him and hit him twice on the head. He kept
kneeling and praying. The next morning when I woke up I found my boots
beautifully cleaned and polished at my bedside. This was his reply to me and
it broke my heart. That day I was brought to repentance."
Paul was falsely accused, beaten, whipped, jailed, and even stoned. Yet he
did not let any of that deter him from faithfully preaching the gospel. He
also did not let it sour his attitude toward others. We would find it very
understandable if Paul washed his hands and quit preaching because people
had treated him so badly. But he recognized that God was in control and that
their need of salvation outweighed his suffering. If our faith in God is as
it should be, nothing others do will lead to anger and vengeance.
No enemy or hardship can drive us to angry vengeance unless we allow it to
do so.

___

DAILY BIBLE READING

Ezekiel 45-48 New King James Version
The Holy District
45 "Moreover, when you divide the land by lot into inheritance, you shall
set apart a district for the Lord, a holy section of the land; its length
shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. It shall
be holy throughout its territory all around. 2 Of this there shall be a
square plot for the sanctuary, five hundred by five hundred rods, with fifty
cubits around it for an open space. 3 So this is the district you shall
measure: twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide; in it shall
be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 4 It shall be a holy section of the
land, belonging to the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come
near to minister to the Lord; it shall be a place for their houses and a
holy place for the sanctuary. 5 An area twenty-five thousand cubits long and
ten thousand wide shall belong to the Levites, the ministers of the
[a]temple; they shall have twenty[b] chambers as a possession.

Properties of the City and the Prince
6 "You shall appoint as the property of the city an area five thousand
cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, adjacent to the district of the
holy section; it shall belong to the whole house of Israel.

7 "The prince shall have a section on one side and the other of the holy
district and the city's property; and bordering on the holy district and the
city's property, extending westward on the west side and eastward on the
east side, the length shall be side by side with one of the tribal portions,
from the west border to the east border. 8 The land shall be his possession
in Israel; and My princes shall no more oppress My people, but they shall
give the rest of the land to the house of Israel, according to their
tribes."

Laws Governing the Prince
9 'Thus says the Lord God: "Enough, O princes of Israel! Remove violence and
plundering, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing My
people," says the Lord God. 10 "You shall have honest scales, an honest
ephah, and an honest bath. 11 The ephah and the bath shall be of the same
measure, so that the bath contains one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah
one-tenth of a homer; their measure shall be according to the homer. 12 The
shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, and
fifteen shekels shall be your mina.

13 "This is the offering which you shall offer: you shall give one-sixth of
an ephah from a homer of wheat, and one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of
barley. 14 The ordinance concerning oil, the bath of oil, is one-tenth of a
bath from a kor. A kor is a homer or ten baths, for ten baths are a homer.
15 And one lamb shall be given from a flock of two hundred, from the rich
pastures of Israel. These shall be for grain offerings, burnt offerings, and
peace offerings, to make atonement for them," says the Lord God. 16 "All the
people of the land shall give this offering for the prince in Israel. 17
Then it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, grain offerings,
and drink offerings, at the feasts, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all
the appointed seasons of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin
offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to
make atonement for the house of Israel."

Keeping the Feasts
18 'Thus says the Lord God: "In the first month, on the first day of the
month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and cleanse the
sanctuary. 19 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering
and put it on the doorposts of the [c]temple, on the four corners of the
ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the gate of the inner court. 20
And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who has
sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for
the temple.

21 "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall
observe the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be
eaten. 22 And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all
the people of the land a bull for a sin offering. 23 On the seven days of
the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the Lord, seven bulls and
seven rams without blemish, daily for seven days, and a kid of the goats
daily for a sin offering. 24 And he shall prepare a grain offering of one
ephah for each bull and one ephah for each ram, together with a hin of oil
for each ephah.

25 "In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast,
he shall do likewise for seven days, according to the sin offering, the
burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil."

The Manner of Worship
46 'Thus says the Lord God: "The gateway of the inner court that faces
toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it
shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened. 2 The
prince shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway from the outside,
and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and
his peace offerings. He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he
shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. 3 Likewise the
people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the
Lord on the Sabbaths and the New Moons. 4 The burnt offering that the prince
offers to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish,
and a ram without blemish; 5 and the grain offering shall be one ephah for a
ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, [d]as much as he wants to give,
as well as a hin of oil with every ephah. 6 On the day of the New Moon it
shall be a young bull without blemish, six lambs, and a ram; they shall be
without blemish. 7 He shall prepare a grain offering of an ephah for a bull,
an ephah for a ram, [e]as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin
of oil with every ephah. 8 When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of
the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.

9 "But when the people of the land come before the Lord on the appointed
feast days, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out
by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall
go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate
through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate. 10 The
prince shall then be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and
when they go out, he shall go out. 11 At the festivals and the appointed
feast days the grain offering shall be an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a
ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every
ephah.

12 "Now when the prince makes a voluntary burnt offering or voluntary peace
offering to the Lord, the gate that faces toward the east shall then be
opened for him; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace
offerings as he did on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he
goes out the gate shall be shut.

13 "You shall daily make a burnt offering to the Lord of a lamb of the first
year without blemish; you shall prepare it [f]every morning. 14 And you
shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah,
and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering
is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the Lord. 15 Thus they
shall prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, as a regular burnt
offering every morning."

The Prince and Inheritance Laws
16 'Thus says the Lord God: "If the prince gives a gift of some of his
inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their
possession by inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift of some of his
inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of
liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance
shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs. 18 Moreover the prince
shall not take any of the people's inheritance by evicting them from their
property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own
property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property." ' "

How the Offerings Were Prepared
19 Now he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the
gate, into the holy chambers of the priests which face toward the north; and
there a place was situated at their extreme western end. 20 And he said to
me, "This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering
and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, so that
they do not bring them out into the outer court to sanctify the people."

21 Then he brought me out into the outer court and caused me to pass by the
four corners of the court; and in fact, in every corner of the court there
was another court. 22 In the four corners of the court were enclosed courts,
forty cubits long and thirty wide; all four corners were the same size. 23
There was a row of building stones all around in them, all around the four
of them; and [g]cooking hearths were made under the rows of stones all
around. 24 And he said to me, "These are the [h]kitchens where the ministers
of the [i]temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people."

The Healing Waters and Trees
47 Then he brought me back to the door of the [j]temple; and there was
water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for
the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the
right side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He brought me out by way of
the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that
faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.

3 And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he
measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the
water came up to my ankles. 4 Again he measured one thousand and brought me
through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one
thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. 5 Again he
measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the
water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be
crossed. 6 He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought
me and returned me to the bank of the river.

7 When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees
on one side and the other. 8 Then he said to me: "This water flows toward
the eastern region, goes down into the [k]valley, and enters the sea. When
it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. 9 And it shall be that every
living thing that moves, wherever [l]the rivers go, will live. There will be
a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will
be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. 10 It shall be
that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be
places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the
fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. 11 But its swamps and marshes will
not be healed; they will be given over to salt. 12 Along the bank of the
river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food;
their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear
fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit
will be for food, and their leaves for medicine."[m]

Borders of the Land
13 Thus says the Lord God: "These are the borders by which you shall divide
the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall
have two portions. 14 You shall inherit it equally with one another; for I
raised My hand in an oath to give it to your fathers, and this land shall
fall to you as your inheritance.

15 "This shall be the border of the land on the north: from the Great Sea,
by the road to Hethlon, as one goes to Zedad, 16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim
(which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazar
Hatticon (which is on the border of Hauran). 17 Thus the boundary shall be
from the Sea to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus; and as for the north,
northward, it is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.

18 "On the east side you shall mark out the border from between Hauran and
Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan, and
along the eastern side of the sea. This is the east side.

19 "The south side, toward the [n]South, shall be from Tamar to the waters
of [o]Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. This is the south
side, toward the South.

20 "The west side shall be the Great Sea, from the southern boundary until
one comes to a point opposite Hamath. This is the west side.

21 "Thus you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes
of Israel. 22 It shall be that you will divide it by lot as an inheritance
for yourselves, and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear
children among you. They shall be to you as native-born among the children
of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of
Israel. 23 And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there
you shall give him his inheritance," says the Lord God.

Division of the Land
48 "Now these are the names of the tribes: From the northern border along
the road to Hethlon at the entrance of Hamath, to Hazar Enan, the border of
Damascus northward, in the direction of Hamath, there shall be one section
for Dan from its east to its west side; 2 by the border of Dan, from the
east side to the west, one section for Asher; 3 by the border of Asher, from
the east side to the west, one section for Naphtali; 4 by the border of
Naphtali, from the east side to the west, one section for Manasseh; 5 by the
border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, one section for Ephraim;
6 by the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, one section for
Reuben; 7 by the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west, one
section for Judah; 8 by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west,
shall be the district which you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits
in width, and in length the same as one of the other portions, from the east
side to the west, with the sanctuary in the center.

9 "The district that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be twenty-five
thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. 10 To these-to the
priests-the holy district shall belong: on the north twenty-five thousand
cubits in length, on the west ten thousand in width, on the east ten
thousand in width, and on the south twenty-five thousand in length. The
sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the center. 11 It shall be for the priests
of the sons of Zadok, who are sanctified, who have kept My charge, who did
not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went
astray. 12 And this district of land that is set apart shall be to them a
thing most holy by the border of the Levites.

13 "Opposite the border of the priests, the Levites shall have an area
twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; its entire
length shall be twenty-five thousand and its width ten thousand. 14 And they
shall not sell or exchange any of it; they may not alienate this best part
of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.

15 "The five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the
twenty-five thousand, shall be for general use by the city, for dwellings
and common-land; and the city shall be in the center. 16 These shall be its
measurements: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits, the south
side four thousand five hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred,
and the west side four thousand five hundred. 17 The common-land of the city
shall be: to the north two hundred and fifty cubits, to the south two
hundred and fifty, to the east two hundred and fifty, and to the west two
hundred and fifty. 18 The rest of the length, alongside the district of the
holy section, shall be ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand to
the west. It shall be adjacent to the district of the holy section, and its
produce shall be food for the workers of the city. 19 The workers of the
city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. 20 The entire
district shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand
cubits, foursquare. You shall set apart the holy district with the property
of the city.

21 "The rest shall belong to the prince, on one side and on the other of the
holy district and of the city's property, next to the twenty-five thousand
cubits of the holy district as far as the eastern border, and westward next
to the twenty-five thousand as far as the western border, adjacent to the
tribal portions; it shall belong to the prince. It shall be the holy
district, and the sanctuary of the [p]temple shall be in the center. 22
Moreover, apart from the possession of the Levites and the possession of the
city which are in the midst of what belongs to the prince, the area between
the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall belong to the prince.

23 "As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side to the west, Benjamin
shall have one section; 24 by the border of Benjamin, from the east side to
the west, Simeon shall have one section; 25 by the border of Simeon, from
the east side to the west, Issachar shall have one section; 26 by the border
of Issachar, from the east side to the west, Zebulun shall have one section;
27 by the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, Gad shall have
one section; 28 by the border of Gad, on the south side, toward the
[q]South, the border shall be from Tamar to the waters of [r]Meribah by
Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. 29 This is the land which you
shall divide by lot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these
are their portions," says the Lord God.

The Gates of the City and Its Name
30 "These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four
thousand five hundred cubits 31 (the gates of the city shall be named after
the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one
gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi; 32 on the east side, four thousand
five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for
Benjamin, and one gate for Dan; 33 on the south side, measuring four
thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for
Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun; 34 on the west side, four thousand five
hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher,
and one gate for Naphtali. 35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand
cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE[s] LORD IS
THERE."

Footnotes
Ezekiel 45:5 Lit. house
Ezekiel 45:5 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX a possession, cities of dwelling
Ezekiel 45:19 Lit. house
Ezekiel 46:5 Lit. the gift of his hand
Ezekiel 46:7 Lit. as much as his hand can reach
Ezekiel 46:13 Lit. morning by morning
Ezekiel 46:23 Lit. boiling places
Ezekiel 46:24 Lit. house of those who boil
Ezekiel 46:24 Lit. house
Ezekiel 47:1 Lit. house
Ezekiel 47:8 Or Arabah, the Jordan Valley
Ezekiel 47:9 Lit. two rivers
Ezekiel 47:12 Or healing
Ezekiel 47:19 Heb. Negev
Ezekiel 47:19 Lit. Strife
Ezekiel 48:21 Lit. house
Ezekiel 48:28 Heb. Negev
Ezekiel 48:28 Lit. Strife
Ezekiel 48:35 Heb. YHWH Shammah