Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 41-43.

My lovely wife married me 22 years ago on the 23rd of this month.  So I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary every day from now until then.

Happy Anniversary, Darling!

In today’s passage Ezekiel gives a detailed description of the Temple he saw in his vision of the restored Jerusalem.  Every time I read this I wonder if the description is intended to be purely symbolic, or if it was a model the people of Israel were supposed to follow.  However, today I was struck by the focus on separating the holy from the common.  The description contains special rooms where the priestly share of the sacrifices was to be stored, cooked, and eaten within the holy portion of this temple.  The priests were to wear special garments while they were within the holy portion of the temple, changing into other clothing before they went out among the common people.  Today’s entire passage seems to emphasize the importance of marking a separation between the holy and the ordinary.  For the first time I start to see a connection between this passage and how God wants us to live.  But I do not quite know how to reconcile that separation and what I believe about Jesus bringing us into the presence of God without the need for priestly intermediaries aside from Himself.  Still, I praise God for finally showing me how this passage speaks to us today, even though I do not yet understand that message.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.