January 11, 2012
25 years after Ezekiel and his group of God's people were in captivity; and 14 years after the fall of Jerusalem and the rest of God's people were taken captive—God gave Ezekiel a vision. In this vision God took Ezekiel back to the land of Israel and put him on a high mountain. He saw a man who told him, "Look with your eyes and hear with your ears. Pay attention to all that I will show you, because that is why you have been brought here. Tell the people of Israel all that you see." (Ezekiel 40:4) Then the man showed Ezekiel the temple and taking a measuring stick, measured all the rooms and walls. Pay attention! I'm showing you this for a reason. You are to tell others what you have seen.
I am struck by several things:
I'm sure the people thought God would never destroy what He built. I'm sure they thought they were "safe." After all, they were God's people. How else can you explain their actions and their refusal to surrender? They deliberately and continually defied God, His laws, and His commands. They defiled God's Temple by worshiping their own gods in the very place God resided. God warned them again and again. A few chose to obey, but many chose disobedience. And God, true to His word, destroyed His Temple.
Praise God the story doesn't end there. God shows Ezekiel a rebuilt temple. The Glory of the LORD left the temple before it fell to Babylon. But God had a plan—and the Temple would be rebuilt. And God had a further plan as well. His son Jesus was to be the Christ. When Jesus died, the 60' tall and 30' wide curtain that separated the people from the Holy of Holies was instantly torn from top to bottom and we are welcome to enter into Gods presence at anytime and anywhere. Jesus became the offering for our sins. God removed the barrier. We can choose to accept Him as our Savior. We can choose to obey His laws and commands. Or, like many of the Israelites before, we can choose to reject God's teachings and commands. The choice is ours. God forces no one.
The choice is ours— but only God has the authority to determine the judgment we receive for those choices.
Next Entry: Ezekiel 43:1 – 48:35
25 years after Ezekiel and his group of God's people were in captivity; and 14 years after the fall of Jerusalem and the rest of God's people were taken captive—God gave Ezekiel a vision. In this vision God took Ezekiel back to the land of Israel and put him on a high mountain. He saw a man who told him, "Look with your eyes and hear with your ears. Pay attention to all that I will show you, because that is why you have been brought here. Tell the people of Israel all that you see." (Ezekiel 40:4) Then the man showed Ezekiel the temple and taking a measuring stick, measured all the rooms and walls. Pay attention! I'm showing you this for a reason. You are to tell others what you have seen.
I am struck by several things:
- God is precise—down to the smallest details
- Nothing is left to "happenstance"
- God personally designed HIS Temple—the place where HIS Glory would reside
- He gave specific directions on how to build it to Solomon
- He used people to build it
- He had the people invest not only their time, but also their "things"
- They gave their valuable things (I Chronicles 29:6-9)
- The people understood that everything belonged to God and comes from God
- They understood they were giving to God what he had given to them (I Chronicles 29:10-20)
- They praised God for who He was
- They praised God for the opportunity to serve Him
- God's glory filled the temple
I'm sure the people thought God would never destroy what He built. I'm sure they thought they were "safe." After all, they were God's people. How else can you explain their actions and their refusal to surrender? They deliberately and continually defied God, His laws, and His commands. They defiled God's Temple by worshiping their own gods in the very place God resided. God warned them again and again. A few chose to obey, but many chose disobedience. And God, true to His word, destroyed His Temple.
Praise God the story doesn't end there. God shows Ezekiel a rebuilt temple. The Glory of the LORD left the temple before it fell to Babylon. But God had a plan—and the Temple would be rebuilt. And God had a further plan as well. His son Jesus was to be the Christ. When Jesus died, the 60' tall and 30' wide curtain that separated the people from the Holy of Holies was instantly torn from top to bottom and we are welcome to enter into Gods presence at anytime and anywhere. Jesus became the offering for our sins. God removed the barrier. We can choose to accept Him as our Savior. We can choose to obey His laws and commands. Or, like many of the Israelites before, we can choose to reject God's teachings and commands. The choice is ours. God forces no one.
The choice is ours— but only God has the authority to determine the judgment we receive for those choices.
Next Entry: Ezekiel 43:1 – 48:35
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