Saturday
Ezekiel is in captivity when God shows him the new Temple. We are now taken on a tour of the New Temple.
The Temple will be the center of worship for the Israelites when they return from captivity, so building the temple will be an extremely important step in reestablishing the relationship between God and His people. We are introduced to “the man” who guides Ezekiel through the details of the reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem. It will be essentially the same as Solomon’s Temple that was destroyed by the Babylonians. Chapter 40 describes the gates, and the inner and outer courts of the temple. We are given the measurements of the rooms on either side of the gateway. Rooms that will be used by the priests who keep watch over those who enter the Temple. Rooms that will be constructed for preparing the sacrifices and Temple maintenance, rooms for the priests in charge of the altar. The man took Ezekiel on a detailed tour of the inner courtyard and then he entered into the sanctuary of the Temple. Only the heavenly guide went beyond the sanctuary into the inner room, into the Holy of Holies, (41:3-4) You may have noticed thought that the Ark of the Covenant is not mentioned here. I wonder if this is because the Ark was taken by the Babylonians (or some other enemy) and was not returned?? As a priest Ezekiel is allowed to enter the outer sanctuary, but he does not go into the Holy of Holies. After the Exile, a priest is selected to enter into the Holy of Holies only once a year, that was on the day of atonement. (When we get to the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, this fact will be significant to their story. Luke 1:8). Back to the vision. The Temple is divided into three parts—the portico, the outer sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies.
What a joy it would have been for Ezekiel to be given this vision. This is an assurance to Ezekiel after hearing so many disheartening prophecies and seeing so many terrible visons, to finally see one that shows restoration, rebuilding, and acknowledges God reestablishing His presence again in the lives of His Chosen people. That is what the Temple would represent to the Israelites. We may not be shown a Temple to confirm our reconciliation/restoration with God, but we have been shown a cross. And the cross represents the same reconciliation/restoration for us. God has a plan for His creation, His children. He will not leave us or forsake us, we just need to stay in obedience with God’s desire for our life.
Sharing the story
Pastor Kathy