Tag Archives: Ezekiel 42

Daily Bible Study

September 11, 2024 Bible Study — God Has Said That He Will Dwell in Our Hearts, Yet All Too Often We Still Let Sin Dwell There With Him

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

Every year when I come to this passage I struggle with what to write.  Ezekiel goes into a detailed description of the measurements of the rebuilt temple he saw in his vision.  As I read that my eyes start to glaze over and before I get to the end of chapter 42 I’m reading the words but not really comprehending them.  Today, I really made an effort to re-engage my brain when I got to the place where the man guiding Ezekiel told him about the room where the priests would eat the most holy offerings.  There he tells Ezekiel that the priests must change out of the garments they wear while ministering in the temple before going out among the common people.   I never really took notice of that before because it is not that different from the instructions Moses gave Aaron and his sons regarding the garments they wore in the Tabernacle.  However, I took note of it today and saw that Ezekiel was emphasizing that restatement of the commandment from Moses in order to highlight the way in which the people of Jerusalem had failed to keep the temple and its surrounds holy.  Ezekiel writes about how the people of Jerusalem had practiced their detestable practices right next to the temple, in areas which should have been kept holy in order to prevent contamination of the temple.  To what degree do we allow ourselves to practice detestable practices with but a wall in our minds between them and the holy place where God dwells within us?

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

Daily Bible Study

September 11, 2023 Bible Study — Do Not Commit Idolatry on the Other Side of the Wall From the Glory of God

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

Perhaps if I was an architect or a civil engineer I would get more out of Ezekiel’s description of the new temple in his vision.  However, considering that Paul writes that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, we should pay attention to what Ezekiel says about how the Israelites had defiled God’s name in the original temple.  He writes about how the Israelites had performed idolatrous rituals in the old temple with just a wall separating these evil activities from where God’s glory resided.  After all, if our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, then any sins we commit are next to the glory of God.

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

Daily Bible Study

Sept 11, 2022 Bible Study — Separating The Common From The Holy

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.

Daily Bible Study

September 11, 2021 Bible Study — God’s Glory Returns To The Temple

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

Today’s passage continues Ezekiel’s description of his vision of the restored Temple.  I have never really received any spiritual insights from such detailed descriptions.  However, in chapter 43 Ezekiel describes his vision of God’s glory returning to the Temple.  Unlike his previous visions of God’s glory, he does not go into a detailed description.  This time Ezekiel merely tells us that what he saw was like his first vision when God called him to be a prophet and like his vision of God’s glory leaving Jerusalem when God ordered its destruction.  I am unsure if this prophecy was completely fulfilled when the Holy Spirit entered into Jesus’ disciples at Pentecost, or if there is yet another fulfillment of it in physical Jerusalem.

When the Holy Spirit entered into Jesus’s disciples gathered in the upper room at Pentecost, it was entering into the Church, which was the Temple which Jesus had built.  This is really rather significant.  Each and every one of us is part of God’s Temple.  Which means that God’s glory resides within us.  Therefore, when we sin, we are doing the sort of thing which Ezekiel condemned in his visions regarding the destruction of Jerusalem.  When we sin, we are offering sacrifices to idols in the presence of God.

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

Daily Bible Study

September 11, 2020 Bible Study The Glory of the Lord Enters the New Temple

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

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So here we are on day 8 of the 20 days that I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary for 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

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

In an earlier passage Ezekiel described the glory of the Lord leaving the Temple in a vision in which he saw people performing idol worship in the Temple.  In today’s passage, he describes the measurements of the Temple which he sees in a vision.  In the middle of that description he sees the glory of the Lord enter this new Temple.  In Ezekiel’s vision God tells him that the description of the Temple which he saw in this vision will cause the Israelites to be ashamed of their sins.  This suggests to me that there is some significance to the measurements and other details which Ezekiel relates concerning the Temple he saw, but I have never been able to decipher what that significance is.

Daily Bible Study

September 11, 2019 Bible Study — God’s Glory Will Return To His Temple

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

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

Every year now for awhile I have read Ezekiel’s detailed description of the Temple in his vision.  After all of that time I still fail to find a message in the passage for us today.  That is not quite true.  When Ezekiel describes to return of God’s glory to the Temple, in a way it mirrors his vision of God’s glory leaving the Temple.  Under the new covenant which God entered into us through Jesus, our bodies are now His Temple.  If we partake in idolatry, in worshiping anything other than God, His presence will depart from us.  However, this passage reminds us that if we clean out our hearts of all things which compete with God for our love, He will return to us and fill us with His love and grace.

Daily Bible Study

September 11, 2018 Bible Study — The Entire Mountain On Which the Temple Is Built Is To Be Holy

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

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

    At the end of yesterday’s passage Ezekiel began describing the dimensions of the new Temple which would be built after the Exiles returned to Jerusalem. It is not clear to me if this was meant to describe the Temple which was built after Cyrus ordered that the Jews be allowed to rebuild Jerusalem or one to be built in the time period when Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning Gog and Magog was fulfilled (or perhaps just figuratively). I am not really sure what purpose this detailed description serves. However, part way through the description Ezekiel describes God’s glory entering the new Temple. This is clearly in direct contrast to Ezekiel’s earlier description of God’s glory leaving the Temple. Which suggests that at least part of this description is written to contrast with his vision of the corruption and idolatry which was going on in the Temple before the fall of Jerusalem.

    In the description of God’s glory entering the new Temple we are given a little more information about the reason for Ezekiel’s detailed description of that Temple. The entire Temple mount is to be holy. In light of the fact that the New Testament tells us that our bodies are now the Temple of God, this sheds some light on what is expected of us. God has called us to be holy in all aspects of our lives. I think we pay too little attention to this because of our awareness of God’s forgiveness. As a Church today, we seem to put too much emphasis on God’s love and forgiveness. I find a real paradox in this, because our current overemphasis on God’s love and forgiveness is a reaction to an overemphasis by earlier generations on God’s judgment. On the one hand, overemphasizing God’s judgment leads us to focus too much on the mistakes (sins) we have committed in the past. On the other hand, overemphasizing God’s love and forgiveness leads us to not resist temptation sufficiently. We cannot change what we have done in the past, so it is important to accept that God will forgive us. However, that does not mean it is OK to repeat those actions.
    I want to note that there is also a theme in the New Testament that the Church is God’s Temple as well. While it may seem contrary to the idea that our bodies are God’s Temple to say this, that is not truly the case. The Church is composed of all of those who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. As such, it is a Temple composed of many individual Temples. Therefore, the Church also should be entirely holy.

Daily Bible Study

September 11, 2017 Bible Study — The Temple In the Restored Jerusalem

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

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

    In today’s passage Ezekiel continues with giving a description, including detailed dimensions, of the Temple he saw in his vision. In his vision this was the Temple which would be built after God restored the people of Israel. Every time I read this passage I find myself wondering what the significance of these dimensions is. What does it matter how thick the walls are? Or how many rooms line the outside of the Temple? The most meaningful part of the passage for me is Ezekiel’s description of the glory of the Lord returning to the Temple. It is a sort of reverse of his earlier vision of the glory of the Lord leaving the Temple. God tells Ezekiel that when this Temple is built, the people of Israel will never again worship other gods but will faithfully keep God’s commands. That makes me wonder if this is purely metaphorical. However, the detailed description of the Temple suggests that it is not metaphorical. Perhaps one of these years the Holy Spirit will give me greater insight into this passage.