Ezekiel 43-48
Today the glory of the LORD enters the Temple, not the old, defiled and destroyed temple that the LORD previously abandoned, but this new Temple of Ezekiel’s vision. As we noted yesterday, this new Temple has yet to be realized on this earth. Similarly, it is clear that Israel as a whole has yet to realize the fullness of the LORD’s Covenant of Peace, with Israel dwelling securely in the Promised Land under the Kingship of the Messiah. (Ez. 37:24-28) Because no one can point to an obvious literal fulfillment of these prophecies in history, interpretations of Ezekiel’s vision vary widely. I can’t possibly sort it all out here, but you might want to see this reasonably balanced (and quite readable) overview.
Regardless of how one parses out all the details, a few things should nonetheless be clear:
- The LORD cares about holiness.
- He Himself is holy, and He calls His people to be holy.
- The LORD is not finished with Israel, not in Ezekiel’s day, and not now.
- Various people down through history have asserted that God has permanently rejected Israel in favor of the Church, but one must ignore or seriously twist a tremendous amount of Scripture to come to that conclusion. Sadly, though, large swaths of the Church have fallen prey to such thinking over the years, resulting in terrible antisemitism in the name of Christ, from pogroms of the Middle Ages through the Holocaust and on to today.
- In the face of such long-standing persecution, the fact that Jews continue to exist at all should testify that God still has a plan for Israel.
- The LORD intends life, not just for Israel, but for the whole world.
Okay, I’m way behind on this comment… but clearly God’s continuing attention to and protection of Israel is affirmed by their simple existence today.
Another aspect of God’s character is also clear to me in these descriptions of the temple: He is precise, orderly, and very intentional about His instructions. That includes His direction over our lives, and it behooves us to pay attention to His voice. And it is about being HOLY and set apart. I don’t have enough respect for that, and I think our culture doesn’t either.
I regret that I tend to relax about details and believe my efforts are “good enough” at times. This passage reminds me to pay attention and do my best at all times! As Paul says in Colossians: “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men.” (Colossians 3:23)
Finally, I am blessed and encouraged by Ezekiel 48:35: “… And the name of the city henceforth shall be, The LORD is there.” What a beautiful reminder that God will someday make his home with us again.