Details That Give Hope

INTRO

The passage for today, Ezekiel 40—41, is somewhat like preaching through a phone book. At first glance these verses are strictly the dimensions of the temple, so it may seem as though it will be very difficult to get something relevant, helpful, or insightful out of it. But I want to set it up with this question: If you could be transported to a moment in biblical history—you could see it, hear it, and experience it—what would that moment be? We can think of moments like watching the walls of Jericho fall down or Elijah taking on the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Or maybe consider the last place or moment you’d want to be transported back into biblical history. Moments like Daniel in the lions’ den before he’s released or the horrible experiences during the exile. The setting and context of Scripture is so important for us to understand the message of the Scripture itself. In the chapters today, it is necessary to understand the setting involved to understand the passage.

Abraham’s blessing was connected to the land he was in (Genesis 12:1-3). When Abraham left the land, bad things happened. In the Joseph story, his family left the land during a famine, and that became a bad thing. The moment that I would like to have seen was when the people left Pharaoh and Egypt behind. What a celebration that must have been.

While they were in the wilderness, God set up a place where He could dwell with them—the tabernacle. This was the center of the Hebrew life. It had order and symmetry to it. Three of the twelve tribes were set up on each side of the tabernacle. Inside was the ark, the loaves of bread, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. Solomon built the first temple, and if you compare illustrations of the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple, you’ll see how alike they were. Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. The temple was the center of Jewish life too, and with its destruction the Jews in exile had no hope left. They wondered if there was nothing left for them. It is at this moment in history that Ezekiel presented God’s instructions for building the new temple.

TEACHING

Ezekiel 40:1-4: Ezekiel framed his next vision with a specific date of when God spoke these instructions and took him to see the new temple (v. 1). The more details that are provided, the more the message can be trusted. God placed Ezekiel on top of a high mountain so he could look down and see the details of the new temple (v. 2). From above, it looked like a city. Ezekiel was given a tour by a man whose appearance was like bronze and who had measuring tools in his hands. The man told Ezekiel to see with his eyes and hear with his ears, paying close attention, so he could report everything he saw to the people (vv. 3-4).

Ezekiel 40:5—41:26: Ezekiel’s temple is best understood if you find a picture of it online (Google “Ezekiel’s temple”) and look at the picture as you listen. A wall completely surrounded the temple area (v. 5). The man then measured the wall and the threshold of the eastern gate (v. 6). God’s plan was extremely specific in every detail. Notice the similarities of Ezekiel’s temple to Solomon’s temple. You can see how the temple includes the holy place and the Holy of Holies. You can see the altar. It lines up with what God told them to do when they built the tabernacle. The difficult question to answer about Ezekiel’s temple is where is it or where will it be? It could be that seeing this temple was a vision of hope. This temple could be a picture of Herod’s temple that was built during the days of Ezra, and was around in Jesus’ time. If that was the case, it would have been encouraging to the exiles. Plus, Herod’s temple was a place of prophecy when the temple veil was ripped from the top to the bottom at the time of Jesus’ death. However, there are some problems with this view. This temple is larger in size and grander in details that Herod’s temple was. So many see this as a future temple, even future for us, that is still to be built. How does that help us?

There is hope here if it is the millennial temple that will be instituted for Jesus’ return. This can encourage us because there are really dark days ahead of us as the people of God. But we can look ahead to Christ’s victory. So, there is incredible hope in this temple and in the prophecy of what is to come.

There are three specific places we’ve seen in the tabernacle and the temples:

• The Courtyard: The largest area in all of them was the courtyard. There were inner and outer courts; and the courts of the Gentiles, the women, and the men. People were getting together, and life was taking place in the courtyard.
• The Altar: Since Jesus has already died for us, why would there be an altar? In fact, it’s presence is one of the main reason people struggle with this being the millennial temple because there would be no need for more sacrifices. However even though Jesus has died for me, I’m still constantly laying things down on the altar—my first and my best, without blemish. If you want peace in your life, you keep giving Jesus your first and your best every day.
• The Most Holy Place: Think of it as the very throne—the presence—of God. Only the chief priest could go into the Most Holy Place once a year. It was reserved for God. If something in your life has gotten into the Most Holy Place and it’s not God, you’ll know. You’ll be stressed and anxious about it, because it shouldn’t be there. Your job, reputation, and money don’t belong there.

In the Most Holy Place are candles and showbread. Christ said He was the light of the world and the bread of life. Both of these were placed symbolically in the temple—symbols of His life within the tabernacle and the temples.

CLOSING

We are starting to see the picture of the Church being the temple, we are His temple and that He resides within us. The Church is his presence in the world right now. People are gathering in the 'courtyards' and laying things on the 'altar.' This is the history that gives us hope if we walk in the promise. God's presence was near to His people then and His presence is with us today.