The Restored Hope of a Temple Continued
Vision of Restoration (Ezekiel 40-48)
The Temple Fills with Glory (1-9)
After measuring the foursquare circumference of the city, the man shining like the sunset brought Ezekiel back to the eastern gate. It was from this very spot, at the old Temple, Solomon’s Temple, where years earlier Ezekiel had witnessed the departure of Yahweh’s glory from the Temple and thus from Israel. The prophet who had witnessed Yahweh leaving was to witness Yahweh’s return to this prophetic, spiritually figurative Temple.
Yahweh returned to the sound of many waters, maybe choruses of worship, the earth itself glowing with sunrise glory (1-2).
This vision of Yahweh returning to His Temple reminded him of the vision of the living creature he saw at the Chebar Canal in chapter one. There he saw a different vision of the Temple with God’s people as four living creatures with four faces, and so on.
This vision also reminded him of the vision he had seen as Yahweh departed from the Temple in chapters 8-11, when Yahweh came to destroy the city.
Here in chapter 43, Ezekiel is watching the glory of Yahweh, the presence of God, return to His people, the Temple. The “creature” of God’s people in chapter one is being restored to hope and presence (1:5-14).
As Ezekiel watched, he was driven to fall on his face (3).
As the glory entered, it continued on into the Temple until the glory came to fill the inner foursquare room of the inner sanctuary. The Spirit lifted Ezekiel up to witness the entire event (4-5).
Then, there in the foursquare room, in the inner sanctuary, the glowing angelic being told Ezekiel that this was the very spot where (6):
the throne of Yahweh would set down on Earth
Yahweh would place the soles of His feet, making His enemies His footstool (Psalm 110:1; Luke 20:41-44)
He would dwell with His people
What Ezekiel was being shown was the eternal dwelling place of Yahweh, His “Eternal Temple.” This was not just some dead building being measured out and shown to Ezekiel; it represented God’s eternal living abode on Earth.
In this new Temple, all “harlotry and idolatry would end.” The term “dead bodies” here literally means “monuments.” This all refers to the defiling of Yahweh by making Him out to be a common god, worshiping the monuments of men erected as their gods. This kind of idolatry would never happen again in the Temple that God would build (7).
In the king’s palace in Jerusalem, right next to the Temple, Israel would build monuments, shrines, and sacred spots to worship their dead. Just a mere wall separated the holy Temple from their dens of idolatry. There, they would engage in all kinds of immoral worship practices, bringing Yahweh to anger. The anger of Yahweh led him to leave the city to let them face their own destruction (8).
Once idolatry was gone, once the worship of their legends ended, once their paying the world of sensual gratification with the currency of their own souls was over, then Yahweh would return to the “Eternal, Spiritual Temple,” which He had designed for dwelling with His people. This was His very body He promised in John 2:19-20. There, Yahweh would dwell with His people forever (9).
The Purpose of the Vision (10-12)
Then Yahweh, through the angel, gave Ezekiel the purpose for this overly specific vision of the Temple. Ezekiel was given the vision so he could describe the structure in detail so that Israel could once and for all see what real worship looked like. Israel then could be ashamed of their iniquities and come to repentance.
Much of the detail of all Ezekiel was saying would be lost on our generation, but Ezekiel’s priestly relatives would drink it in with full comprehension.
As they were being shown the true worship pattern of the Temple, they should have blushed in reflecting on what they had actually done to and in Jerusalem. They were to “measure the plan,” that is, weigh the spiritual significance of the structure and what should have been taking place in the structure (10).
If these priestly relatives of Ezekiel did repent of what had been done in Jerusalem, then and only then could further vision be given in the chapters to come. Only then could Ezekiel give them the statutes for:
Consecrating the Altar (43:18-27)
Admittance into the Temple (44:1-9)
Priests of the Temple (44:10-31)
Economics in the Temple (45:9-14)
Ordinances for the Prince (45:13-16)
Worship System Associated with the Feasts (45:17-46:15)
Preparation of Offerings (46:19-24)
Only then could Ezekiel share with those priestly relatives the law governing this Temple, so they could begin to carry out the true spiritual nature of life with Yahweh (11).
This new Temple had one law: the entire mountain on which the Temple structure stood was “the Most Holy Place” (12). This is why Ezekiel had just measured the circumference of the whole Temple area and discovered it was foursquare in measurement, just like the Most Holy Place in the inner sanctuary. The entire structure was the dwelling place of Yahweh’s glory.
The Temple Altar (13-17)
Ezekiel waits until this moment to give the description of the altar. This was one of two key features of the Temple. Around this feature, the entire worship experience hinged. The activity here would determine the destiny of those in relationship with Yahweh.
This altar was a four-tier altar, of which we are given no indication of the material of which it is built. The steps of the altar were to face the east. This was similar to the altar found in Solomon's Temple. It was three feet taller and twenty-one feet square (13-17).
To gather a sense of all its measurements, refer to the two sketches provided below.
Consecration of the Altar (18-27)
Ezekiel moved from vision to prophesying. The word of Yahweh would come to him from this point forward regarding how worship should be governed in this future spiritual Temple. Ezekiel would be quoting the very words of Yahweh in this portion of the text, as He reveals how the Temple would be kept holy and as a place to revere and worship Yahweh.
Ezekiel begins by detailing the description of the altar consecration, meaning how Yahweh would set apart the altar to be used for His sacred purpose.
The altar was built to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings by the people, but before those offerings could be offered, the altar needed to be consecrated to Yahweh.
The consecration ceremony required seven days—seven being the number of complete or perfect consecration.
They were to give to the High Priest, Zadok, a bull from the herd. The priest was to slaughter it and then put the blood of the bull on the horns, the ledge, and the rim of the altar. In this way, they made the altar totally separated and complete as a place of “atonement” or forgiveness and cleansing (18-20).
They were then to take the bull they had slaughtered for its blood and burn it outside the Temple area, outside the walls of the Temple (21).
On the second day, they were to take one male goat without blemish, one bull from the herd without blemish, and one ram from the flock without blemish (22-23). They were all to be presented to Yahweh for His approval. These were not the people’s sacrifice; these were Yahweh’s sacrifice. They were to be sprinkled with salt (a sign of covenant) and offered as burnt offerings (24).
For seven days, they were to offer those three animals (25). For seven days, those animals would make atonement, cleanse, and consecrate the altar (26).
All of these sacrifices were intended to point to Christ, who died on the altar of human wickedness, political vice, and religious corruption. All were consecrated by Yahweh, so when others to come suffered the same way, it would be in and for Yahweh's purpose. The carcass of the bull taken outside the Temple was reminiscent of Jesus being crucified outside the city, both for those outsiders to those in power.
From the eighth day on, the altar would be ready for the people to use to present their burnt offerings and their peace offerings (27).
Summary
Recommended Scripture Reading:
Exodus 19:5-6
Revelation 1:5-6; 5:9-10
Isaiah 61:5-6
There is so much material here in this chapter that it boggles the mind. I will seek to keep it brief.
Yahweh designed His Temple to be the place where He wants to live with His people. It is the place from where he wants to win and conquer for His people. It is the place of his throne; the inner foursquare sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. This relates to the devoted hearts of His followers. Yahweh seeks to make our spirit our “closet,” His dwelling place. Ezekiel’s Temple teaches us that His throne is destined to be in the Temple of our inner secret hearts.
Ezekiel’s Temple teaches us that the worship of Yahweh will destroy every monument of idolatry, every image of human glorification and exaltation. It will destroy the image in our minds of how great women or men can be apart from Yahweh.
When we see the true worship pattern designed by Yahweh, reflected in the vision of Ezekiel’s Temple, it will make us blush with shame as we ponder how idols have taken our true and wholehearted affection from Yahweh.
There is one Temple law; the entire Temple area is a place where Yahweh’s glory and presence dwell. We are His living stones (1 Peter 2:4-7); we have been fashioned into walls. As walls, we do not keep people out of the Temple but direct people to the door or gate tower of the Temple, Jesus (John 10:7). Only through Jesus can anyone enter the presence of God to be made into the king-priest He has destined us to be (Revelation 1:6). Once in the Temple outer courtyard, people will be greeted by priests directing them to the Door or Gate to the Inner Court. Yes, the metaphor changes from stones we become and serve also as priests. The Door again is Jesus, for no one can come to Yahweh who hasn't passed through the Inner Court, and no one can enter the Inner Court apart from Jesus. There in the Inner Court, we come to an altar which was set apart by Yahweh to be used for sacrifice. The same earth Jesus was crucified on, the same religious system, political system, and sin system, the same altar that killed Jesus will be used to kill everyone coming to Yahweh. On the altar, souls coming to Yahweh will deny themselves in Jesus as Jesus denied Himself. On the altar, souls coming to Yahweh will die to themselves, taking up their cross as Jesus did. All this dying and denying is consecrated, given to God already through Jesus, who died there first. Once dead, those coming to Yahweh will enter the Most Holy Place with all those who have given their full allegiance to Christ. There in the closet, in the secret place, Yahweh will sit upon His throne. There in the Most Holy Place of our consecrated spirit, Yahweh will rule until He has made every one of our enemies a footstool.
Yahweh offered sin offerings for us to bring forgiveness into our lives. The blood of Jesus forgives all sins; there is no longer a need for a sin offering, for Jesus was the perfect seven-day sin offering. There is, however, still a need for burnt offerings and peace offerings. In a burnt offering, one gives their full allegiance, their total self to Yahweh (Romans 12:1). In a peace offering, one gives their total attachment or total relationship to Yahweh (Hebrews 13:15).
Parental Proverbs (1:8-9:18)
Tenth Discourse: “A Sex Story” (7:1-23)
Solomon now launches into a story about a young man and an adulterous woman, emphasizing how easily a young man lacking devotion to wisdom is taken from an innocent street corner and turned into a plaything for a cougar (8).
The teaching begins with the usual appeal to internalize wisdom (1-5) and to keep her as prized as one's own eyesight (2). Wisdom is to be treated like a sister, a picture of being completely appropriate (4).
We find a youth, on some evening, passing by without intent for sex and lacking wisdom in his heart (6-9). Someone else's wife, dressed like a prostitute, meets him. She is loud and does not abide inactivity, ever searching for a stimulant (10-12). She flaunts affection (13), religion (14), and the subtle lie that he is the one for whom she has been longing (15). She tempts him with quantity, quality, and intensity of lovemaking; “she will be unimaginable” (16-18). She guarantees him there will be no reprisal, for their affair will be completely discreet (19-20). She seduces him with her words until she captures his whole soul (21).
First, he follows her with his mind—she “persuades him” (21). Then, with his body—she “compels him” (21). Next, with his conscience, as all resistance is gone—“all at once he follows her.” Finally, he follows her and is caught like an animal until “an arrow pierces ‘his liver,’” and he has now opened his life to disease (22-23).
Eleventh Discourse: “A Sex Warning” (7:24-27)
Here Solomon writes with urgency: “Listen attentively” (24); be on guard against the ways of seduction (25), for the path of immorality is destruction leading to death (26-27).