Today's Reading:

Ezekiel 41
Ezekiel 42
Ezekiel 43
Ezekiel 44

God returned from the east. He declared His permanent divine presence at the temple, and the temple is His throne. He demanded purity and separation from the unclean. No more mixing the holy with the common. Ezekiel was told to tell the Israelites every detail of the visions he received so that the people of Israel would be ashamed of their past sins and take the vision seriously. Yet God never told Ezekiel to build the Temple. The plans for the Temple were meant to make a heart change and bring them back to God with hope that He still wanted to live among them.

Why do you think God sometimes gives us a clear picture of His plan without expecting us to build it right away?

 

We finished another book of the major prophets!

 Ezekiel continued the tour of the new temple area with the bronze man and his measuring tools. The tour started with the main hall, the holy place, inside the Temple. This was the largest of the rooms inside the Temple. Ezekiel waited there while the bronze man continued inside the Temple alone to the inner sanctuary called the “Most Holy Place” (Holy of Holies). Because Ezekiel was a priest, he could enter the holy place but not the Most Holy Place. According to the laws in Leviticus 16, only the High Priest was allowed into the Most Holy Place, and even that was only allowed once a year on the “Day of Atonement.”

 The entrances narrowed the farther one moved inward towards the Most Holy Place. There were side chambers on each side of the Temple. It was three stories tall with 30 chambers per floor, for a total of 90 rooms used to store sacred items. The stories were built on top of each other, projecting outward wider with each story. Along the middle were spiral staircases that went up. The structure narrowed as it went up because the side chambers were built into sections of the wall. The base of the temple was wide enough to structurally hold the walls of the chambers so that nothing was fastened to the walls of the Holy of Holies. The space around the Temple was symmetrical. Many of the areas were covered in wood with carved cherubim and palm trees. Each cherub had two faces, not the typical four, because it was a two-dimensional carving, not 3D. The palm tree represents life, fruitfulness, or righteousness. The cherubim guarded the sacred place. There was a wooden altar used as a table that was set before the Lord. It was too small for sacrifices, so it was most likely used for incense or the table of the showbread, with a focus on prayer, not animal sacrifices.

 Going back out the doors towards the north side, there was a block of chambers with galleries that were three stories high. The upper chambers were narrower with each level; there were no pillars, so they sat back farther to create tiers. The entrance to the chambers was on the east side. These were holy chambers used for the priests to eat the offerings and where the offerings were to be stored. It was also where the priests were to change their clothes so as to not to go into public with the sacred garments on. The final measurement of the area was the entire complex, which made a perfect square surrounded by an outer wall to separate the holy from the common. "The final measurement of the complex formed a perfect square, surrounded by an outer wall to separate the holy from the common. In the ancient Hebrew text, “reed” was used, and each side measures 500 reeds, equating to about one mile. Though many modern English translations render it as a smaller 500 cubits.

​The man brought Ezekiel to the east gate where the glory of the God of Israel approached from the east. Ezekiel remembered the glory from his earlier vision when God left in that direction when He was to destroy the city of Jerusalem. Ezekiel was teleported again to the inner court while the glory of the Lord filled the Temple. This completely undid what happened when God had left before, reversing the departure (Ezekiel 10-11).

 This new temple faces east. Worshippers come from the east and move westward: outer court (east), inner court, holy place, Most Holy Place (farthest west, the More West, More Holy). Earlier, God departed by the east gate and stopped at the Mount of Olives before leaving the city (Ezekiel 10–11). Judgment had left, going east. Now in chapter 43, God has come back. His glory comes from the east, the same way He had left. Glory enters the east gate and fills the temple. God does not wait until He is fully west to fill it with His glory. The same presence fills it all. He restores from the east, then heads west. In other words, He comes back, not because they have changed, but to dwell with them again. He claims the smallest room, and yet the entire mountain becomes most holy to the Lord (43:12). Grace moves east to west. God covers it all.

 A long section describes the burnt offerings in great detail. If Christ was the perfect sacrifice and this is no longer required (Hebrews 10:1-18), why is this section here? It was for memorial purposes, similar to how the Lord’s Supper looks back to Christ’s finished work. The section was also used to teach holiness and the cost of approaching a holy God. It could be symbolic of cleansing. There is not a clear answer. Even though Ezekiel was not commanded to build it and it may never have been built this way, it was meant to encourage the exiles and future generations. The return of glory shows that God declares purity, and the altar is sacred. In Ezekiel 44:1, the gate was shut and was to stay that way because the presence of the Lord entered through it, making it sacred there. In John 14:6, the gate/ way is open for all to have access to God through Jesus.

 Only the sons of Zadok were allowed to be near God’s presence. The Levites can serve but must bear the consequences of their past shame and demotion. More rules are given so the priests remain holy: they must wear only linen clothes (no wool) so they do not sweat, they must change clothes before going into the outer court, they must keep their hair trimmed and neat, they may only marry Israelite virgins or a priest’s widow, they must wait an extra seven days and bring a sin offering after touching a dead body, and no foreigners (uncircumcised in heart and flesh) may enter the sanctuary. Those who will not keep God’s ways remain outside of His holiness. Each clan is unclean until they keep the laws of God. God is their chosen inheritance (Numbers 18; Deuteronomy 10). Again, God gives new laws at a time when more were needed, when issues come up.

 

Today's Discussion question:

Why do you think God sometimes gives us a clear picture of His plan without expecting us to build it right away?

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