Day 347 – December 13, 2022

Ezekiel 22, 23

​¹ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “As for you, son of man, will you judge the city of blood? Show her all her lawlessness. ³ You will say, ‘Thus says the Lord and Master: “O city that sheds blood in her midst—her time has come—and that makes inventions against herself, ⁴ so as to defile herself with their blood you shed, you fell away, and in the inventions you made you defiled yourself, and caused your days to draw near; and you have come to the end of your years; ⁵ therefore, I made you a disgrace to the nations and a mockery to all countries near you and those far away from you. They will mock at you, saying, ‘She is abominable and unclean, and great is her lawlessness!’ ⁶ Behold, the leaders of the house conspired together within you, each with his relatives, to shed blood. ⁷ Within you they speak evil of father and mother, and behave unjustly toward the resident alien. Within you they oppress the orphan, and within you, the widow. ⁸ Within you they despise My holy things, and within you they desecrate My Sabbaths. ⁹ Within you men are robbers that shed blood within you, and eat on the mountains within you. They do unholy things in your midst. ¹⁰ Within you they uncover the father’s shame, and within you violate women set apart during their impurity. ¹¹ One man acts lawlessly with his neighbor’s wife; another defiles his daughter-in-law in ungodliness; and within you another violates his sister, his father’s daughter. ¹² Within you they accept gifts so as to shed blood. Within you they receive interest and unjust gains, and by oppression you bring your evil to the full. But you forgot Me,” says the Lord.
¹³ “Therefore, if I strike My hands against the evils you bring to the full—against the things you are doing—and against the bloodshed occurring in your midst, ¹⁴ will your heart endure, will your hands remain strong in the days I deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. ¹⁵ I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you in the countries; and your uncleanness will cease among you. ¹⁶ I shall make the Gentiles the owners of your inheritance. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”
¹⁷ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is mixed before Me—they are altogether mixed—the house is mixed together in the midst of the silver, with bronze, iron, tin, and lead. ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Because all of you are one mixture, therefore, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem, ²⁰ as men gather silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to cast it like metal into a mold. Thus I shall gather you in My wrath, and bring you together and cast you. ²¹ I shall blow on you with the fire of My wrath and cast you in her midst. ²² As silver is cast into a mold in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be cast in her midst. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My anger upon you.’ ”
²³ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²⁴ “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are the land not rained on, neither has rain come upon you in the day of wrath.’ ²⁵ Her leaders are like roaring lions seizing prey, who devour souls by domination and receive honors in wrongdoing; and your widows multiply in your midst. ²⁶ Her priests reject My law and desecrate My holy things. They no longer distinguish between the holy and the profane, nor between the unclean and the clean. They have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am desecrated in their midst. ²⁷ Her rulers in her midst are like wolves seizing their prey, so as to shed blood and exploit others for greed. ²⁸ Her prophets who anoint them will fall because they see worthless and false prophecies, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord,’ but the Lord has not spoken, ²⁹ and because they oppress the people of the land in wrongdoing, commit robbery, oppress the poor and needy, and do not treat the resident alien with upright judgment. ³⁰ So I sought for a man among them who would conduct himself rightly and stand before Me perfectly at all times in the land, so as not to wipe her out completely; but I did not find him. ³¹ Therefore I poured out My anger in the fire of my wrath to finish them, and I recompensed their ways on their heads,” says the Lord and Master.
Two Immoral Sisters
​¹ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother, ³ and they committed fornication in Egypt while still young. Their breasts fell while there, and their virginity was lost. ⁴ Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; they were Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah and Jerusalem is Oholibah.
The Older Sister, Samaria
⁵ “Oholah departed from Me and committed fornication. She gave herself to her lovers, the Assyrians, who drew near to her, ⁶ who were dressed in purple, leaders and commanders, all chosen young men, horsemen riding on horses. ⁷ Thus she committed fornication with them, all of them chosen sons of the Assyrians; and upon whomever she offered herself, with all their inventions, she defiled herself. ⁸ She did not abandon her fornication with Egyptians, for they slept with her in her youth. These men violated her virginity and poured out their fornication upon her. ⁹ Therefore I delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of the Assyrians to whom she offered herself. ¹⁰ They uncovered her shame, took her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and they exacted retribution on her through her daughters.
  The Younger Sister, Jerusalem
¹¹ “Her sister Oholibah saw this, and she indulged in her lusts more corruptly than she, and her fornication more than the fornication of her sister. ¹² She offered herself to the sons of the Assyrians, the leaders and commanders near her, men clothed in purple, horsemen riding on horses, all of them chosen young men. ¹³ I saw both defiled in the same way, ¹⁴ but Oholibah added to her fornication; for she looked at men portrayed on the wall, images of Chaldeans portrayed in color, ¹⁵ girded with embroidered belts around their waists and brightly colored turbans on their heads, the appearance of high rank to all of them, the likeness of the sons of the Chaldeans, their native land. ¹⁶ As soon as her eyes saw them, she offered herself to them and sent messengers to them in the land of the Chaldeans. ¹⁷ Then the sons of Babylon came to her, into the bed of love, and defiled her in her fornication. So she was defiled with them, and her soul fell away because of them. ¹⁸ She revealed her fornication and exposed her shame. So My soul withdrew from her, as My soul withdrew from her sister. ¹⁹ Yes, you multiplied your fornication, so as to call to remembrance the days of your youth, in which you committed fornication in Egypt. ²⁰ For you offered yourself to the Chaldeans, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys, and their members as the members of horses. ²¹ But you did look upon the lawlessness of your youth, the things you did in Egypt in your lodgings, where were the breasts of your youth.
Judgment of the Younger
²² “Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I shall raise up your lovers against you, because of whom your soul fell away, and I shall bring them against you all around— ²³ the sons of Babylon, all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, all the sons of the Assyrians with them, chosen young men, all leaders and commanders, men of high rank and famous men riding on horses. ²⁴ All will come against you from the north—chariots and wheels with a multitude of peoples, with shields and spears—and they will set up a guard against you all around. I shall give judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their judgments. ²⁵ I shall put My jealousy on you, and they will deal with you in great wrath. They will take away your nose and ears, and strike down your remnant with the sword. They will take your sons and daughters, and fire will consume your remnant. ²⁶ They will also strip you of your clothes and take the objects of your boasting. ²⁷ Thus I shall turn back your ungodliness and your fornication from the land of Egypt; and you shall not lift your eyes to them, nor remember Egypt any longer.’
²⁸ “For thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate, because of whom you withdrew your souls. ²⁹ They will deal hatefully with you and take all the fruits of your labor and toil. You will be naked and disgraced, and the shame of your fornication and ungodliness will be revealed. ³⁰ Your fornication caused this to happen to you, in that you acted as a prostitute with the nations and defiled yourself with their inventions. ³¹ You walked in the way of your sister; therefore, I shall put her cup into your hands.’
³² “Thus says the Lord: ‘You shall drink from the deep and large cup of your sister, a cup filled to the brim. ³³ You shall be filled with drunkenness and feebleness, and you shall drink from the cup of destruction, the cup of your sister Samaria; ³⁴ and I will take away her feasts and her new moons. For I have spoken,’ says the Lord. ³⁵ Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Because you forgot Me and cast Me behind your back, therefore, bear the penalty of your ungodliness and prostitution.’ ”
Judgment of Both Sisters
³⁶ Again the Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? You shall declare their lawlessness to them. ³⁷ For they committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their inventions, and passed through the fire the children whom they bore to Me. ³⁸ So long as they did these things to Me, they defiled My sanctuary and desecrated My Sabbaths. ³⁹ For as they were slaughtering their children for their idols, they also entered My sanctuary to desecrate it; for so they did in the midst of My house. ⁴⁰ They also sent for men from afar by way of messengers; and as they were traveling, you washed yourself for them, made up your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry. ⁴¹ You sat on a furnished bed, with a decorated table before it, and they rejoiced over My incense and oil. ⁴² They played harmonious music, and put bracelets on their wrists and a crown of boasting on their heads, to attract the multitude of men coming from the desert. ⁴³ Therefore I asked, ‘Are they not committing adultery and doing the deeds of a prostitute with these? Is she not indulging in prostitution?’ ⁴⁴ Yes, they went in to her as men go in to a prostitute; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, to commit lawlessness. ⁴⁵ But righteous men will take revenge on them after the manner of an adulteress, and after the manner of women who shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.
⁴⁶ “Thus says the Lord: ‘Bring up a multitude against them and give them up to trouble and plunder. ⁴⁷ They will stone them with the stones of a crowd and stab them with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and set their houses on fire. ⁴⁸ Thus I shall turn away ungodliness from the land, and all women will be taught not to imitate their ungodliness. ⁴⁹ Your ungodliness will be recompensed upon you, and you will bear the sins of your inventions. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

Psalm 134:13–21

¹³ O Lord, Your name abides forever,
O Lord, Your memorial unto generation and generation.
¹⁴ For the Lord will judge His people,
And He shall comfort His servants.
¹⁵ The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
The works of men’s hands;
¹⁶ They have a mouth, but they shall not speak;
They have eyes, but they shall not see;
¹⁷ They have ears, but they shall not hear;
They have noses, but they shall not smell;
They have hands, but they shall not feel;
They have feet, but they shall not walk;
They have no sound in their throat;
For neither is there breath in their mouth.
¹⁸ May those who made them become like them,
And all who trust in them.
¹⁹ O house of Israel, bless the Lord;
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord;
  ²⁰ O house of Levi, bless the Lord;
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
²¹ Blessed be the Lord out of Zion,
He who dwells in Jerusalem.

Proverbs 28:26–30

²⁶ He who casts off his father or mother and thinks he does not sin,
He is the accomplice of an ungodly man.
²⁷ A greedy man judges rashly,
But he who trusts in the Lord shall be careful.
²⁸ He who trusts in an arrogant heart, such a man is without discernment,
But he who walks in wisdom, such a man shall be saved.
²⁹ He who gives to the poor shall not be in want,
But he who turns away his eye from them shall be in much distress.
³⁰ The righteous lament in the places of the ungodly,
But in their destruction the righteous shall be increased.

Revelation 3

​¹ “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,
‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
² “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
³ “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
⁴ “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
⁵ “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
⁶ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
The Faithful Church
⁷ “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,
‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”:
⁸ “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
⁹ “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
¹⁰ “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
¹¹ “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
¹² “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
  ¹³ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
The Lukewarm Church
¹⁴ “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
¹⁵ “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
¹⁶ “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
¹⁷ “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
¹⁸ “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
¹⁹ “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
²⁰ “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
²¹ “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
²² “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”