Book of Ezekiel: Chapter 40
Entering into the last eight chapters of Ezekiel, we are now getting blueprints for the final Temple of worship to be built. In chapter 40, Ezekiel is transported (many years after the fall of Jerusalem) to Israel. Here he witnesses a vision that details the beginning plans for the new Temple.
These plans are measured out in painstaking detail. Using a measuring rod, a man is seen laying out measurements for many parts of the new Temple: the gateways, the courtyards, and the sacrificing rooms. Judging by the amount of detail described in this chapter, it can be envisioned that this Temple will be an amazing structure.
In the previous two chapters, we learned about an evil entity named Gog that will attack in a final showdown with God’s chosen people. This battle is intended to be a final battle that God’s people will win. In a similar fashion, the vision of the Temple being built is meant to be the final Temple.
But if this Temple were to be final, and it hasn’t yet been built, then why is there a room for sacrifices? If Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, then why should the future Temple of worship have such a space? Many scholars feel that the inclusion of a sacrifice room in this prophecy was more contextual than anything. Those originally hearing this prophecy, namely Israelites circa 500 B. C. , only knew of worship through the act of sacrificing. It would be difficult for that audience to comprehend this message without including it.
Key Verses:
“In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month—in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city—on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me and he took me there. In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city.” ~ Ezekiel 40:1-2
Question to ponder:
- How can you find ways to sacrifice your comfort in order to worship God even more?
