prophet Ezekiel – Page 2

Ezekiel 43:13-27 – Sacrificial Lamb

Read Ezekiel 43:13-27

Ezekiel’s audience may not have been particularly familiar with the altar and sacrifice expectations God’s law had prescribed. Living in a foreign country without their temple would have made it difficult to keep up their obedience in that way.

However, we know that the returnees took reinstating the sacrificial requirements very seriously and building an altar was of utmost importance, even before the temple was rebuilt. The altar Ezekiel describes here is quite magnificent. Continue reading “Ezekiel 43:13-27 – Sacrificial Lamb”

Ezekiel 42:1-20 – Holy Rooms

Read Ezekiel 42:1-20

Oh to be an architect and be able to make sense of all these details. Being able to picture these divine plans coming to life would be magnificent. One measurement I can almost picture is the perimeter of 875 feet. This is 291 yards, so nearly three football fields! That’s a lot of real estate to cover.

Ezekiel’s guided tour is coming to an end as this reading is the last of our temple dimensions. The vision will continue to give Ezekiel purposeful instructions, but for now we see the distinction between what is holy and what is not. A separation exists between the priests and everyone else. Even the priests have a time when they are recognized as holy and an expectation of what they must be doing. Continue reading “Ezekiel 42:1-20 – Holy Rooms”

Ezekiel 41:1-26 – Even Palm Trees

Read Ezekiel 41:1-26

I have always loved palm trees. Growing up in Iowa I didn’t see many unless I was on a trip to a tropical paradise. I must admit I was a bit surprised to see that palm trees were specifically part of this vision of God’s new temple. He must like them, too! God loves all of his creation, but not all trees are singled out to adorn the walls and inner sanctuary.

More and more details are revealed in this reading, but it was the palm trees that spoke to me. What would be the significance? Again, we can marvel at how God thought of everything to help his people succeed at worshipping him, all the way down to the palm tree decorations. Continue reading “Ezekiel 41:1-26 – Even Palm Trees”

Ezekiel 40:38-49 – God’s Temple Vision Part 2

Read Ezekiel 40:38-49

We’re given more dimensions for God’s vision of the new temple. These measurements are accompanied by descriptions of what will take place within each space. I’m reminded of a building project my husband and I were part of in one of our churches. Sometimes a space would be designed with an exact purpose in mind, like the worship center, for example. While my area of children’s ministry was a huge room with lots of storage, a stage, and an open space for the imagination to fill.

God was giving us his purposes for some of the areas in the temple, like the rooms for sacrifices and the priests. But what about the huge inner courtyard? It was a little over half a football field square. What sorts of things would happen there do you think? Continue reading “Ezekiel 40:38-49 – God’s Temple Vision Part 2”

Ezekiel 40:1-37 – What Do You See?

Read Ezekiel 40:1-37

First and foremost, we need to remember this is a vision God gave to Ezekiel for a purpose. These are God’s designs for a temple that has not yet been built! The first thing I notice other than this is another vision where Ezekiel is transported to a new location, was that it was twenty-five years into his captivity. That is a long time. Ezekiel’s ministry is apparently alive and well.

God was clear that this message was meant for the people of Israel. Yet, we know that the temple rebuilt by the Israelites returning to Jerusalem led by Ezra years later did not match these criteria. I find that a bit curious. But God’s plans are always perfect, so the second temple was apparently not meant to be constructed from this temple’s design. Continue reading “Ezekiel 40:1-37 – What Do You See?”