October 23

In Ezekiel 4–6, God commands Ezekiel to perform symbolic acts that represent the coming judgment on Israel and Jerusalem. Each act—lying on his side for hundreds of days, rationing food, and burning hair—was a vivid picture of the people’s sin and the consequences of their rebellion. Through it all, God’s message is clear: He is holy, and He will not be mocked. His judgment is not cruel, but righteous—it comes from a heart that longs for His people to turn back to Him.

Psalm 82 echoes this theme of divine justice. God stands in the assembly and rebukes unjust rulers who fail to defend the weak and the poor. The psalm ends with a cry: Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are Your inheritance. God’s holiness is inseparable from His justice. He calls His people—and especially those with influence—to live rightly, showing His character through righteousness and mercy.

In John 2, we see Jesus’ zeal for His Father’s house. When He finds the temple filled with money changers, He drives them out, declaring, Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace! His actions were not impulsive but righteous, fueled by devotion to God’s holiness. Jesus reveals that the true temple of God is not a building but His own body—and through Him, we are made living temples of His Spirit.

Together, these passages remind us that God’s holiness demands both reverence and response. He is not indifferent to sin or injustice. Like Ezekiel, we are called to take His Word seriously; like the psalmist, to long for His justice; and like Jesus, to live with zeal for His glory.

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