Daily Devotions · August 28
Reading for August 28
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Ezekiel 1–3 · Revelation 2
Ezekiel 1–3 · Revelation 2, Berean Standard Bible
Ezekiel 1
In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the River Kebar, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— 3 the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him. 4 I looked and saw a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire was a gleam like amber, 5 and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form, 6 but each had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, gleaming like polished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four living creatures had faces and wings, 9 and their wings were touching one another. They did not turn as they moved; each one went straight ahead. 10 The form of their faces was that of a man, and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and also the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread upward; each had two wings touching the wings of the creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. 12 Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they moved. 13 In the midst of the living creatures was the appearance of glowing coals of fire, or of torches. Fire moved back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures were darting back and forth as quickly as flashes of lightning. 15 When I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 The workmanship of the wheels looked like the gleam of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. Their workmanship looked like a wheel within a wheel. 17 As they moved, they went in any of the four directions, without pivoting as they moved. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. 19 So as the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise alongside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, the wheels moved; when the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose alongside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of an awesome expanse, gleaming like crystal. 23 And under the expanse, their wings stretched out toward one another. Each one also had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood still with their wings lowered. 26 Above the expanse over their heads was the likeness of a throne with the appearance of sapphire, and on the throne high above was a figure like that of a man. 27 From what seemed to be His waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire within it all around. And from what seemed to be His waist down, I saw what looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded Him. 28 The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.
Ezekiel 2
“Son of man,” He said to me, “stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2 And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. 3 “Son of man,” He said to me, “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me. To this very day they and their fathers have rebelled against Me. 4 They are obstinate and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ 5 And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house. 7 But speak My words to them, whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll, 10 which He unrolled before me. And written on the front and back of it were words of lamentation, mourning, and woe.
Ezekiel 3
“Son of man,” He said to me, “eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll. 3 “Son of man,” He said to me, “eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. 5 For you are not being sent to a people of unfamiliar speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to the many peoples of unfamiliar speech and difficult language whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel will be unwilling to listen to you, since they are unwilling to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted. 8 Behold, I will make your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 I will make your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or dismayed at their presence, even though they are a rebellious house.” 10 “Son of man,” He added, “listen carefully to all the words I speak to you, and take them to heart. 11 Go to your people, the exiles; speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ whether they listen or refuse to listen.” 12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me: “Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His dwelling place!” 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another and the sound of the wheels beside them, a great rumbling sound. 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me. 15 I came to the exiles at Tel-abib who dwelt by the River Kebar. And for seven days I sat where they sat and remained there among them, overwhelmed. 16 At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me. 18 If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood. 19 But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself. 20 Now if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die in his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. And I will hold you responsible for his blood. 21 But if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he heeded your warning, and you will have saved yourself.” 22 And there the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will speak with you.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD was present there, like the glory I had seen by the River Kebar, and I fell facedown. 24 Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet. He spoke with me and said, “Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes, and you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.
Revelation 2
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. 3 Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name. 4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. 5 Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God. 8 To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life. 9 I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death. 12 To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits, yet you hold fast to My name. You did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of My faithful witness Antipas, who was killed among you where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. 15 In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it. 18 To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze. 19 I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latest deeds are greater than your first. 20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. 22 Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. 23 Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you 25 than to hold fast to what you have until I come. 26 And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. 27 He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain.
How to SOAP
Grab a journal and a pen. Read the chapters above and watch for the verse that stops you. Then take it through four steps.
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Scripture
Write out the verse that stood out to you.
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Observation
What is it saying? Who is speaking, and to whom?
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Application
What does it mean for your life today? Be specific.
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Prayer
Talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you live it.
Your SOAP journal
Write your SOAP here. Tap any verse in the reading to add it to Scripture. Your journal saves on this device only, so no one else sees it.
Added to your journal. Go to journal
Why daily devotions?
Devotions are time set aside each day to read God's Word and let Him speak. The point isn't checking off chapters. It's meeting with Him.
Ten or fifteen minutes is enough to start. Pick a time and a place and keep the appointment. Mornings work well for a lot of us, before the phone and the day start talking.
Missed a day? Don't start over. Read today's chapters and keep going.