Ezekiel 42:1-20

There is a time and a place for everything.  The description of the temple given Ezekiel illustrates this truth.  Ezekiel describes the inner court with the chambers for the priests as well as the outer court that separates the temple area from the general public.  There are many questions that arise about this temple that is being described.  It seems to be a description of the millennial temple that is still yet to come.  However, it seems strange that there would be sacrifices offered in a temple after the first coming and the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Perhaps these sacrifices are offered as memorials and serve to remind the people who will be living in a very righteous society that that the wages of sin is death.  These things will be made much clearer when we arrive at that place and time.

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE INNER CHAMPERS: Ezekiel describes once again the three story chambers that are in the inner portion of the temple.  He then moves to the back of those chambers to the area of the priest’s chambers where they would eat their portion of the sacrifices and put on and off their sacred clothing.  There is a place designated for this activity and a separation created for this purpose.  The priests have a sacred duty to perform as they minister before the Lord.  The Lord will make provision for this ministry just as He makes provision for all that He asks men to do.


THE DIVISION OF THE OUTER COURT: The outer court is the wall around the temple area which measures 500 cubits on each side.  The purpose of this outer wall will be to create a division between the area that is dedicated to formal worship and the normal activities of day to day life.  There is a sense in which there is no distinction between the secular and the sacred.  However, there is another sense in which there are places and times set apart for formal worship.  Reverence is quickly becoming a lost part of our culture as we seem to place a high value on everything casual.  I believe we need to find a proper balance on these issues as we strive to live in light of the fact that there is a time and a place for everything. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Paul,   an apostle of Christ Jesus   by command of   God our Savior and of Christ Jesus   our hope, To Timothy,   my true child in the faith:   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The true sign of maturity is multiplication.  Believers, churches, and ministries that do not reproduce are not demonstrating true maturity.  One of the key characteristics we can identify in Paul’s ministry is that he was constantly reproducing godly believers who were faithfully following the Lord.  Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training are the hallmarks of mature ministers and ministries.   THE APOSTLE: Paul was called by God to be an Apostle.  Though Paul converted after the resurrection and assentation of Jesus, he met Jesus in the road to Damascus and was instructed by Jesus in the desert.  Paul considered himself to be the least of the Apostles because he persecuted the church and did not walk with Jesus on earth like the other Apostles.  However, God had
Read more