Ezekiel
42
This chapter furnishes a brief account of the priests’
chambers in the outer
court (vs. 1-14), and a detailed measurement of the temple
precincts (vs. 15-20).
The Priests’
Chambers (vs. 1-14)
1 “Then he
brought me forth into the utter court, the way toward the
north: and he brought me into the chamber that
was over against the
separate place, and which was before the building
toward the north.”
The survey of the house having been completed, the seer was
conducted by
his
guide into the outer court (see on ch. 40:17), by the
way toward the north,
i.e. by the inner north
gate (see ibid. v.23) and from the
outer court into
the chamber that was
over against the separate place, and which was
before the building
toward the north. That
this chamber, or these chambers
(לִשְׁכָּה being a collective noun,
though in vs. 4 and 5 it occurs in the plural),
were not the same cells as those
mentioned in ch.40:17, 44, as Havernick
supposes, is apparent
from their situation and use. Those in ibid.
v. 44 were
in the
inner, while these were in the outer; and if the cells spoken of in
ibid. v. 17 were in the outer court, they were also on the
pavement
by
the outer wall, while the chambers now alluded to were “over against,”
or
in front of, the gizrah, or separate place
(see on ibid. v.12), and
“over against,” or in front of,
“the building toward the north.” This
building
erection on the gizrah; Ewald, Kliefoth, Smend, and Currey believe it to
have meant the temple. The question as to which view is correct is
immaterial, since the row of chambers extended in front of parts of
both
buildings. Ewald, as usual, follows the Septuagint , and translates, “brought me
to the fifteen (another Greek text has five) cells;” but of this the Hebrew
contains nothing.
The Outer Court (v. 1)
There was an outer court in the
than the courts nearer to the holy place; to this court Gentiles were
admitted.
- THERE IS AN
OUTER COURT IN ALL RELIGION. There
are
always people who seem to stand midway between the Church and the
world. In some cases they are like Elijah’s contemporaries,
halting between
two opinions (I Kings 18:21). They may be described as like
the scribe
who was “not far from the
certain attraction for religion, they are drawn into association
with public
worship. Others, like the money-changers and cattle-vendors whom
our
Lord disturbed, find it possible
to make worldly profit for themselves by
hanging on to the fringe of religious ordinances.
- THEY WHO ARE IN THE OUTER COURT ENJOY CERTAIN
PRIVILEGES.
These people can see what is going on in the more sacred
interior of the temple. Though they
take no part in the services, they are
able to witness the sacrificial rites. Similarly, there are regular attendants at
Christian
churches who do not enter into the more intimate life of the
community nor enjoy its highest advantages. Yet they have some
privileges. It is something to see the door, if we have not yet
knocked at it.
(Remember Jesus’ words “Behold,
I stand at the door and knock: if any
man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him,
and will
sup with him, and he with me.”
(Revelation 3:20) Knowing the way
ought to be a preparation for entering it. In a professedly Christian
country, where New Testament facts are familiar to most people,
and where few are quite out of the range of potential
religious influences,
privileges are enjoyed which bring a
responsibility not shared by the more
ignorant heathen.
- THEY WHO
ARE IN THE OUTER COURT MISS THE BEST
BLESSING. At
most they have Esau’s blessing, not Jacob’s. Like Balaam
(Numbers 24:17), they see the
Christ, but “not near;” therefore, like that
unhappy prophet of
promise. It is an
aggravation to the torment of Dives that he can see
Lazarus in
Abraham’s bosom. (Luke 16:23) The knowledge of Christian
truth and the sight of Christian grace do not save the souls of
men who
will not yield themselves to Christ in heart and life. We have
to beware
of a common snare. Many are tempted to believe that they are
safe because
they are in some sort of external association with religion. We
need to
understand distinctly that this will not avail. There must be
personal
membership in the kingdom of heaven for all who will enjoy the real
blessings of the kingdom.
- IT IS NOW
POSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN THE OUTER
COURT TO ENTER THE
old, narrow Jewish religion, on the condition that the Gentile
proselyte was
circumcised and became a Jew. It is certainly true of the free,
world-wide
Christian
gospel. None need
linger in the outer court. There is room within
the privileged Church for every
soul on earth, and
a welcome from Christ
for all who will come.
But observe, in conclusion, the distinction between
outer and inner courts in the Christian Church is spiritual, not
visible.
Professed Church-members may be
in the outer court; while those who join
no earthly community, and are regarded by their brethren as
religious
Bohemians, are in the inner court if their hearts and lives are truly
near to
Christ.
2 “Before
the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the
breadth was fifty cubits.” With this verse the Authorized and Revised Versions
begin a new sentence, and are in this at one with Smend; but the majority of
expositors place the second verse under the regimen of the verb, “he
brought me,” in v. 1, and
understand the seer to state that he was planted
down before the length (or,
long side) of an hundred cubits, with the
door toward the north, and
the breadth fifty cubits. That is to say, the
building which contained the sacristies, or priests’ chambers, was
a
hundred cubits long and fifty broad. As the building on the
separate place
was
also a hundred cubits long (ch. 41:13), it might seem
as if this
erection ran exactly parallel to that, and this view is taken by
Hengstenberg, Schroder, and Plumptre; but Kliefoth, Keil, and Currey, on
the
authority of ch. 46:19, locate a priests’ kitchen
behind the priests’
chambers towards the west, and reserve for it forty cubits, on the
plausible ground that it would not likely be smaller in size than
the
sacrificial kitchen for the people (see ibid. v. 22). Hence, if the
building under consideration began forty cubits east of the gizrah wall, it
would extend twenty cubits over the end and along the length of
the temple.
3 “Over
against the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, and
over against the pavement which was for the
utter court, was gallery
against gallery in three stories.” Considerable
difficulty attaches to the words
of
this verse. The twenty cubits which were for the
inner court (better, the twenty
which belonged to the inner court) have been taken by Kliefoth to
signify the
watchers’ coils in the inner court, west of the north door
(ch.40:40-46), and by
Plumptre to indicate an inner area of twenty cubits square, round
which the
galleries in three stories ran. Both of these views, however, have
this against
them, that they are purely conjectural, the text (ibid) saying nothing about
twenty cubits in connection with the priests’ chambers, and the
text under review
making no suggestion of an inner area of twenty cubits, but only
of the already
well-known “inner court.”
Hence the opinion of Ewald, Hengstenberg,
Keil,
Schroder, and Currey has most in its
favor, that the “twenty” alongside of
which
the
chamber now alluded to lay, meant the twenty cubits clear space which
surrounded the temple on the south, west, and north sides (see ch. 41:12-14),
and
which could properly be spoken of as “for the inner court,”
rather as “belonging to the inner court,” since it was
practically a
continuation of the same. The
pavement which was for (or, belonged to)
the outer court, was manifestly that already described as running along the
inside of the outer wall (see ch.
40:17). If, as is likely, this pavement was
continued along the north side of the inner court wall, then the
priests’
chambers must have stood upon it, and been over against it on the
east side,
as
Currey explains; but the easier and more natural
supposition is that adopted
by
Keil, that the second “over against” points to that which faced the
chambers on the north, viz. the pavement, as the first marked their
boundary on the south. Gallery
against gallery (see on ch.41:15).
In three stories; or, in the third story
(Revised Version).
Whether these galleries existed in each of three stories of
the building, or
only in the third, cannot be determined. If בַּשְּׁלִשִׁים, “in the thirds” occurs
elsewhere only in Genesis 6:16, to denote the chambers or rooms of the
third story in the ark, as Smend
observes, “the expression might also quite
naturally signify three stories, one above another.”
4 “And
before the chambers was a walk to ten cubits breadth inward,
a way of one cubit; and their doors toward
the north.”
Before
the chambers a walk. Whether this
walk ran along the
longer, i.e. northern, or in front of the eastern side of
the chambers, and
how
it stood related to the way,
which is likewise mentioned in connection
with the chambers, are litigated questions. The Septuagint identifies the
two,
and
understands a way in front of the chambers of ten cubits broad and a
hundred cubits long. Ewald and Keil so far agree with the Septuagint as to
change the one cubit way into a hundred-cubit way; but whereas Ewald
thinks of a passage ten cubits broad and a hundred cubits long,
running
from west to east between two sets of chambers, Keil
speaks of a walk of
ten
cubits broad and a hundred cubits long in front of the cells, extending
into a way of equal breadth and length, leading westward into the inner
court. Havernick’s, Hengstenberg’s, and Kliefoth’s
idea, favored by
Schroder, and probably the best, is that of a walk of ten cubits in
front of
the
cells, and a way of one cubit leading into them from the walk. Dr.
Currey reverses this, and makes a walk of ten cubits leading
inward, and a
way, or kerb, of one cubit in front.
Plumptre agrees that the passage
leading into the chambers was ten cubits broad, but regards the
one cubit
as
denoting the thickness of the wall separating the walk from the interior
of
the chambers.
5 “Now the
upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher
than these, than the lower, and than the
middlemost of the building.”
The rendering of the Revised Version sufficiently explains
this
otherwise obscure verse, “Now the upper chambers were shorter,” or
narrower, “for the galleries took away from these;” literally, did
eat of
them, “more than from the lower and the middlemost in
the building.” In
other words, the chambers rose in terrace form, each of the
upper stories
receding from that below it, as was customary in Babylonian
architecture.
6 “For
they were in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars of
the courts: therefore the building was
straitened more than the
lowest and the middlemost from the ground.” This verse supplies
the
reason for this shortening of the upper stories. The chambers had not pillars
(see on ch.
40:49) as the courts had. Though it is
not otherwise stated,
these appear to have had colonnades like these in the
Herodian (Josephus,
‘Aut.,’ 15. 11. 5) and probably also the Solomonic temple
(Acts 3:11);
and
hence the second and third stories
required to recede in order to
find supports for their respective galleries.
7 “And the
wall that was without over against the chambers, toward
the utter court on the forepart of the
chambers, the length thereof
was fifty cubits.” The wall; or, fence — the Hebrew term being not חֹמָה,
as
in ch. 40:5, or קִיר, as in ch. 41:5, both of which
signify the wall of a city
or
a building, but גָדֵר (or גֶדֶר, as in v. 10), which means a fence or hedge,
as
in ch. 13:5 — without,
over against — or, by
the side of (Revised Version)
— the chambers, toward the outer court, cannot have been a rampart along
the
north side of the chambers, since this was a hundred cubits long, but
must have been a wall upon the side of the chambers (east or west) fencing
off
the outer court from the passage which led down by the side of the
chambers. That this fence was on the east side is rendered
probable by
the
circumstance that the sacrificial kitchen lay upon the west (see ch.46:19-20),
and
by the statements which follow here in vs. 8 and 9. The fence was
doubtless intended to screen the side windows of the lower chambers from
public gaze, since these were to be occupied as robing
and disrobing rooms
for
the priests who should officiate in the temple (see v. 14; and ch.
44:19).
8 “For the
length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty
cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an
hundred cubits.”
According to the statement contained in this verse, the chambers that were
in the outer court, i.e. the chambers whose windows looked into the outer
court, projected fifty cubits into the outer court; i.e.
this was their breadth or
depth from north to south; whereas those before the temple were an hundred
cubits; i.e. the chambers whose windows fronted the
temple, were a hundred
cubits from east to west.
9 “And
from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as
one goeth into them
from the utter court.” The chambers were approached
by
an entry (in the text the entry, this being a well-known and recognized part
of
the structure) which ran along the east side of the building, and led from the
outer to the temple
court. As this (the outer) court was higher than
that
(the temple), and could only
be reached by steps, “the entry” is
represented as
lying under the chambers. It was manifestly this “entry” that was
screened by
the
fence mentioned in v. 7.
10 “The
chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward
the east, over against the separate place, and
over against the building.
11 And the
way before them was like the appearance of the chambers
which were toward the north, as long as they,
and as broad as they:
and all their goings out were both according
to their fashions, and
according to their doors. 12 And
according to the doors of the chambers
that were toward the south was a door in the
head of the way, even the
way directly before the wall toward the east,
as one entereth into them.”
A similar suite of chambers, corresponding in every detail,
is
depicted as having stood upon the south side of the temple and in front
of
the gizrah. The only question among interpreters is
whether v. 10
relates to the north or south suite, or to an east suite. Schroder and Currey
see
in v. 10 a repetition, from another point of view, of what has already
been stated about the north chambers, viz. that, viewed from the outer
court, they appeared in the thickness or breadth of the wall (v.
7) and
(lengthwise) over against the
separate place and the buildings, i.e. the
gizrah and the temple. Ewald, Smend, and Keil decide that v. 10
forms
part of the description of a south set of chambers only; but in order to
make this good they alter the text by substituting הַדָּרום, “the south,” for
הַקָּדִים, “the east.” Plumptre agrees with Kliefoth and Hengstenberg in
holding that two similar sets of chambers are described, one on
the east
side and one on the south side of the inner court wall. The principal
objection to this is the fact that only two suites, the north and
the south,
are
referred to by the guide in vs. 13 and 14.
13 “Then
said he unto me, The north chambers and the south
chambers, which are before the separate place, they
be holy
chambers, where the priests that approach unto the
LORD shall eat
the most holy things: there shall they lay the
most holy things, and
the meat offering, and the sin offering, and
the trespass offering; for the
place is holy.
14 When the priests enter therein, then
shall they not go
out of the holy place into the utter court,
but there they shall lay their
garments wherein they minister; for they are holy;
and shall put on other
garments, and shall approach to those things which
are for the people.”
These state the uses of the chambers just described, and
now
named holy chambers, to denote
their separation and dedication to
sacred purposes. Those purposes, again, are defined as two. The
chambers
were to serve as dining-halls and robing rooms for
the priests when they
officiated in the temple. The
most holy things; literally, the
holy of the
holies (compare ch. 41:4; 43:12; 45:3; 48:12; Leviticus 2:3; 6:17, 25, 29;
7:1, 6; 10:12, 17; 14:13; 24:9; 27:28; Numbers 18:9),
signified
those portions of the different sacrificial offerings which were
to be eaten
by
the priests as the servants and representatives of Jehovah (see Keil’s
‘Biblische Archaologie,’
1. § 46) or of the people (see Kurtz’s ‘ Sacrificial
Worship of the Old Testament,’ p. 240,
were appointed to be eaten in the holy place beside the altar (Leviticus
10:12-13; Numbers
18:10); in Ezekiel’s temple, a special quarter in the
near vicinity of the house should be reserved for this purpose. There those
portions of the sacrifices that could be eaten were to be consumed;
as e.g.
the
flesh of the sin and trespass offerings, and the meal of the meat
offering; but as these could not be at once used, they were to be
deposited
there until they were prepared for eating, the flesh by being
boiled and the
meal by being mixed with oil. The obvious intention of this was to convey
an idea of the special sanctity of the worship in which the
priests were
engaged; and just for
this reason also they were required to array
themselves in other garments
(Leviticus 16:23) when they entered on
their priestly functions. The putting on and off of these holy
clothes took
place in the chambers now referred to.
Holy Places (v. 13)
In a Protestant reaction against the superstition that
attaches magical
sanctity to certain sites, we have perhaps lost hold of the truths
of which
that superstition was a perversion.
- THERE IS A SANCTITY
OF ASSOCIATION. We may own to a
revulsion for a man who would botanize on
his mother’s grave. Every
Englishman must feel a thrill of
national pride when he visits the field of
that has raised him above his humble origin, it is but natural that he should
look back to the cottage home of his childhood with tender
affection as to
the most sacred shrine on earth. It may be from
superstition, or it may be
from sentiment; but whichever be the cause, it is surely no
strange thing to
confess that the house of God
in which a man has worshipped for years
gathers to itself a peculiar consecration. There his burdened soul has been
cheered; there the light has pierced his darkness; there he has
sat side by
side with the loved and lost, and if the place that once knew
them now
knows them no more, does not the
very sense of change and the very pain
of the vacancy add a new sacredness to the place, while dear memories of a
beautiful past cling to its very walls and drape them with a sweet,
sad sanctity?
- THERE IS A SANCTITY
OF USE. The sacred chambers were to be
used by the priests, and in them sacrificial meals were to be
eaten. Thus the
sanctity of sacred usage was to be attached to these rooms. The
commonest thing becomes holy when it is consecrated to a holy
purpose.
The shop may be a temple, the
counter an altar, and the wares sacrifices,
when the business is carried on for the glory of God in quiet
obedience to
His will of righteousness. Thus
the very bells on the horses may have
“Holiness to the
Lord” inscribed upon them (Zechariah
14:20). It is in this
direction that we should move when we would abolish too narrow
distinctions between the secular and the sacred. We should lose the
distinction,
not by making religion earthly, but by making earth religious;
not by
desecrating the spiritual functions, but by consecrating things of the
outer
world. (The purpose of Christianity is to sanctify the secular – CY – 2017)
- THERE IS A SANCTITY
OF LIFE. This is the only true sanctity.
The other forms of sanctity are
its reflections and results. True holiness
resides in the heart, and there alone. That is the holy place in
which the
holy man dwells. The
presence of the priest sanctifies the temple-chambers.
But it is not the “linen ephod” or any badge of office
that makes the true
priest. Every man who
has habitual access to the presence of God is a true
priest of God. He who walks with God treads holy ground. A halo of
sanctity surrounds the heavenly life. Whether this life be spent in a temple
court, a hermit’s cell, a Christian home, or in the hard, fierce world, it is
encircled with holiness, and it weaves about it its own sacred
tabernacle.
Sacerdotal Sanctity (vs. 13-14)
If the Jews were a peculiar, a consecrated, a holy people,
it may be said
that their sanctity was concentrated in the temple — the building which
was
“holiness
unto the Lord,” and in the holy priesthood, set apart for the
ministrations of the sanctuary. The angel who showed Ezekiel the temple
of vision laid great stress upon this characteristic of
the marvelous and
symmetrical building.
- CEREMONIAL HOLINESS. This is exhibited as affecting:
Ø The priests, who were set apart from the rest of the people. How should
they be clean who bear the vessels of the
Lord!
Ø Their residences. During the period of their officiating in the temple
services
and sacrifices, they had their dwelling in certain chambers within
the
precincts, and these chambers were deemed holy places,
Ø Their food.
They are said to “eat the most holy things;” i.e. there were
certain
regulations as to food which were prescribed for them that had no
reference
to the people generally.
Ø Their garments. The priests were provided with raiment which they
were
required to wear when ministering before the Lord. Holy functions
necessitated holy vestments.
Ø Their offerings. As the reader of this passage is reminded, it was the
duty of
the priests to present meal offerings, sin offering, and guilt
offerings.
As these were offered upon the holy altar to the holy God, they
themselves
were holy. It thus appears that everything connected with the
position,
the life, the ministrations, of the priests was marked by
ceremonial
sanctity.
- THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CEREMONIAL
HOLINESS.
What was the purpose of all the
arrangements described in this and other
passages of Old Testament Scripture? Why was this artificial separation
introduced into the religion and life of the Hebrew people? A
complete
answer to these questions is perhaps not possible. But it is
evident that it
was intended to convey to
Ø A conception of the holy nature of God. Very different was the
character
claimed for Himself by Jehovah from the character attributed to
the deities
of the heathen nations around. Whilst these deities were
disfigured by selfishness, cruelty, and lust, Jehovah’s attributes were
righteousness, holiness, and benevolence. Everything connected with the
worship
of God, as practiced in the temple at
convey to
men’s minds the idea of God’s infinite
and spotless holiness.
Ø A conception of the holy character of acceptable worship. Concerning
idolatrous
worship, we know that it was distinguished by routine
and
superstition, and in some
cases by impurity. Religious rites among the
heathen
are usually corrupt, or else mechanical and spiritually valueless. On
the
contrary, the worship of the true Hebrew, as is evident to the attentive
reader of
the Book of Psalms and of the prophets, was a sincere, holy, and
spiritual worship. It was well understood that no other worship could be
acceptable to the holy and heart-searching KING OF
KINGS! And the
arrangements described in this passage of the Book of Ezekiel were
evidently
adapted to produce and to deepen this impression.
Ø A conception of the holy services of obedience and praise. Sacrifices
were
enjoined and required of the pious Hebrew; but sacrifices were not
the only
or the chief services to be presented by the devout worshipper. In
connection
with these, and beyond these, were the offerings which God
ever
delights to accept from His own people — spiritual offerings of
devotion and of active services. And if these are distinguished by one
characteristic above another, that characteristic is TRUE HOLINESS!.
Separation and Society (vs. 4-14)
What did those “chambers” mean, of which we read so
much in this vision?
Their immediate use, as intimated to the prophet, is given
in the thirteenth
and
fourteenth verses. They were for the personal accommodation of the
priests; that they might there, in a place which was nowise
profane but
thoroughly holy, eat that part of the sacrifices which fell to their
share; and
that they might there robe and unrobe, so as to
serve in sacred vestments
and
mingle with the people in ordinary dress. Their object, therefore, was
to
maintain the separateness or sanctity of
the priests. It has been
suggested that they also answered this general purpose by
constituting
places for sacred retirement and devotion; possibly for the
accommodation
of
those who, like Anna the prophetess, “departed not from the temple,
night or day” (Luke
2:37). Those who were to minister in the temple
were to be provided with rooms which were separated from the commerce
and
the strife of the outer world, where there would be nothing to
contaminate or interrupt. But what meant the “walk of ten cubits breadth”
(v. 4)? Was not this for society, as the chambers were for
separation?
Matthew Henry suggests that these “walks of five yards
broad were for
those that had lodgings in the chambers, that there they might
meet for
conversation, might walk and talk together for their mutual
edification,
might communicate their knowledge and experiences; for,” he adds
with
characteristic good sense, “we are not to spend all our time between the
church and the chamber.” We learn:
- THE DUTY AND THE PRIVILEGE OF
SEPARATION.
Ø That which is obligatory and constant; viz. to be separate in spirit and in
sympathy
from sin; to stand apart, in spirit, from all that is in any way
unchristian.
Ø That which is obligatory and frequent; viz. to separate ourselves much
and
generally from the society of the sinful. Jesus Christ was thus “separate
from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). It is the sacred duty of
most good men,
and of
all the young, to
keep aloof from the vicious and profane; to
decline the
society, and firmly to refuse the friendship, of those who
fear not
God and whose conduct is unprincipled and deleterious
(causing harm or damage in an unexpected and subtle
way).
Ø That which is wise and occasional; viz. to retire into the seclusion of the
quiet
chamber, where there is no
disturbing voice to prevent our close
communion with the Father and Savior of our
spirits.
- THE SERVICE OF SOCIETY. There are truths to be learned and
there are influences to be gained in solitude which cannot be
secured in
society; but, on the other hand, there is a service which only
society can
render us:
Ø to meet men and to know them as they are
living their daily life
of
toil and struggle;
Ø to come into close contact with their
difficulties, their doubts, their joys,
and
their sorrows;
Ø to exchange ideas with them;
Ø to learn what their experience and their
wisdom have to teach us, and
Ø to convey to them what we ourselves have
learned in the solitary place;
to
be in the world, and still above it;
this is not only the true triumph of Christian principle,
it is the fair and
open opportunity of Christian
usefulness.
Holy Garments (v. 14)
The priests were to keep their holy garments in their holy
chambers,
wearing them in the sacred offices of the temple, and exchanging
them for
their common clothing before mixing with the people. This
regulation was
a
necessary part of the Old Testament ceremonial, with its suggestions of
separateness and external holiness. But it was susceptible of abuse, and
some of the modern reproductions of it are certainly far from being
commendable.
- THE ANCIENT SIGNIFICANCE OF HOLY
GARMENTS.
Ø The necessity of holiness in all worship. God must be worshipped with
clean
hands and a pure heart — “ in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm
96:9).
The old heathenish divorce of religion from
morality could not be
permitted
under the Jewish economy. All that was most formal and
external
was intended to keep before the minds of the worshippers a clear
perception
of God’s horror of sin, and a vivid presentation of His supreme
love for
righteousness.
Ø The experience of holiness by
individual men. Not
only were the
chambers
in which the priests ate the sacrificial meals to be holy, but even
the
garments worn by the priests were also to be sacred. The sanctity
attaches
to the person. The very
bodies of Christian people are temples
of
the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:19).
Ø
The renewal of holiness in every act of
worship. It is necessary to see
that we
are in a fit condition to approach God. It is not sufficient that we
were once
pardoned and cleansed. Unhappily,
fresh
defilement is
repeatedly contracted. It is therefore necessary that renewed cleansing
should be
received. This was suggested by Christ’s washing his disciples’
feet (John
13:4-10). By Christ we can be fitted for entering the
presence
of God.
·
THE COMMON ABUSE OF HOLY GARMENTS.
Ø In distinction of persons. The priest in his robes appeared as a more
holy
man than
the common worshipper in his every-day dress. This was
inevitable
under the old Jewish system, but it should not be permitted in the
present
day. Yet what is called “the cloth”
is often supposed to carry a
certain
sanctity, and clerical attire is thought by the superstitious to mark a
spiritual
separateness. But no such separateness exists in the Christian
Church, all the members of which constitute “an holy
priesthood”
(I Peter 2:5).
Ø By observing seasons. The priests wore their holy garments for
a time,
and then
laid them aside and assumed their ordinary apparel. Some people
put on their
religion as they put on their Sunday clothes. They are saints at
church, and sinners in the world; holy on Sunday, and
profane on the
weekdays. This is all delusive. No man can live two honest lives. Religion
claims our whole being and time. For the true Christian all days are
sacred
to
Christ’s service.
Ø With mere external profession. The holiness resides only in the garment;
the
religion is nothing better than a clothing — it is no inspiration. Such
religion,
like that of the Pharisees who cleansed the outside of the cup and
platter,
is hypocrisy.
The
The seer’s guide, having completed his measurement of the
house with its
courts, proceeds to measure its encompassing wall, for this
purpose conducting
the
prophet out by the east gate, and measuring, first the east, next the north,
thirdly the south, and lastly the west wall, each five hundred
reeds in length,
or
three thousand cubits, so that the entire area of the quadrangle amounted
to
3000 × 3000 = 9,000,000 square cubits, equivalent to 2,250,000 square yards.
15 “Now
when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he
brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is
toward the
east, and measured it round about.” The inner house was not the temple
as
distinguished from its courts, but the temple with its courts, which lay
within the wall about to be measured.
16 “He
measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds,
with the measuring reed round about. 17 He
measured the north side, five
hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round
about. 18 He
measured the
south side, five hundred reeds, with the
measuring reed. 19
He turned about
to the west side, and measured five hundred
reeds with the measuring reed.”
Five
hundred reeds. Ewald, Hitzig, and Smend, with others,
following the Septuagint, regard this wall as that of the outer
court, and change
the
“reeds” into “cubits;” but the majority of expositors adhere to the text,
and
understand the wall to be that of a great quadrangle which
encompassed the whole structure, or the outer court and all within.
The Symmetry of the Sanctuary (vs. 15-19)
The measurements which are in this part of Ezekiel’s
prophecies given with
such abundance and such minuteness are intended
primarily to convey the
impression that the temple which was seen in vision was a building
of
perfect beauty, harmony, and
completeness. But the material
building was
a
figure of a spiritual edifice, and the material qualities ascribed to it were
significant of moral attributes of the profoundest interest. And the
structure, made without hands, yet possessing every quality that can
command admiration and reverence, is none other than the Church of
the
living God.
- THE SYMMETRY OF THE CHURCH FOLLOWS
FROM ITS
BEING PLANNED BY GOD’S
WISDOM. The tabernacle was
constructed according to the pattern shown by God to Moses in the
mount.
The plan and details of
Solomon’s temple are attributed to Divine
inspiration. And the
the temple, with its Divine foundation, its ample precincts,
its spiritual
sacrifices, its accepted worshippers. All
the productions of the Divine mind
ARE PERFECT! When God looks upon His
works He pronounces them
to be “very good” (Genesis 1:31) Upon the Church, as upon what possesses
a higher interest and value than aught material, Divine
wisdom has expended
all its resources. And the perfectly symmetrical product is
just what might be
expected. In God s mind the spiritual temple is faultlessly
perfect; and the
actual Church is destined to realize the glorious ideal.
- THE SYMMETRY OF THE CHURCH RESULTS
FROM ITS
CONSTRUCTION UPON THE
MODEL OF CHRIST HIMSELF. The
humanity of the Lord Jesus was the
from earth He left His representative in the Church which He
redeemed and
sanctified, and which He appointed to continue in His stead unto the
end of
time. The temple of His body was succeeded by the spiritual
temple, built
up of loyal and living souls. If Christ contained within Himself,
if Christ
exhibited in His life, every moral perfection, it is manifest that
the Church,
which is his body, must perpetuate the spiritual excellences
which existed
in Himself.
- THE
SYMMETRY OF THE CHURCH IS WROUGHT BY THE
INSPIRATION AND GOVERNMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. There is
a Divine presence in the Church, which, so far from being merely passive,
is vital, energetic, and transforming. Who has not admired the action of
certain physical and vital principles which produce the marvelous
symmetry
of crystals, and the yet more marvelous symmetry of every
form of
vegetable and animal life? What
takes place in the natural kingdom
(I recommend Fantastic Trip on You Tube – CY – 2017) is
transcended by what occurs in
the spiritual realm, although these
results
are not in the same way apparent to the senses of the
observer, and appeal
rather to his spiritual discernment and susceptibilities. But the
provision for
the growth and prosperity of Christ’s Church, the provision
for ministers
and officers, for cooperation and sympathy in Church worship
and Church
work, all tell of a Spirit
informing, inspiring, and directing the whole, and
producing a result of marvelous and admirable harmony and spiritual
beauty. (I Corinthians 12:4-12; Ephesians 4:11-13).
- THE SYMMETRY OF THE CHURCH WILL REACH ITS FULL
AND PERFECT DEVELOPMENT IN THE HEAVENLY STATE.
Who call read this portion of
Ezekiel’s prophecies, and the corresponding
chapters from the Book of the Revelation, without forming the
conviction
that, however this world may be the scene of the Church’s
discipline, the
scene of the Church’s maturity is elsewhere, is above? The
heavenly temple
is, in glory anti beauty, faintly imaged by the Church
militant on earth.
Yonder all imperfections shall be removed, all deficiencies shall be
supplied, all holy tendencies shall be fully developed, all promise
shall be
fulfilled. There the city
and the temple are one; for of the heavenly
of it.” (Revelation 21:22)
20 “He
measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five
hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to
make a separation
between the sanctuary and the profane place.” To make a separation
between the sanctuary and
the profane. In these words the
prophet indicates
the
purpose designed to be served by this particular wall; and although it
may
be
said the outer court divided between the “sanctuary,” or that
which was holy,
and
the “profane,” or that which was common, yet a more decided
separation
would assuredly be made by extending in the way described the
precincts
of
the house. The objections usually offered to the view which regards the
present measurements as those of a larger quadrangle encompassing
the
outer court, are not sufficient to make that view impossible.
- It is said that the “sanctuary”
always refers to the house as contrasted
with its courts, especially with the outer court, and that in
this sense it
should here be taken; but the rendering, “that which is holy,”
shows how
the idea of special sanctity might easily be extended to the
whole structure,
including courts as well as house (see Psalm 114:2; Daniel 9:20).
- It is urged that there is
no other instance in which the measurements are
represented as having been taken by “reeds” in the plural;
but a glance at
chps. 45:1,
etc., and 48:16, will show that this is incorrect.
- It is represented that in
the center of such a huge quadrangle the house,
with its courts and gates, would wear an insignificant
appearance; but,
while this might have been so had the area been crowded with
other
buildings, it is rather likely that in the midst of so large a
vacant space the
temple and its courts stand out with increased clearness, if not
with
augmented size.
- It is added that the
summit of
construction of such a vast quadrangle; and it is answered that this
shows
the temple was an ideal house, never meant to be built upon
the literal Moriah.
The Size and Strength of the Kingdom (vs.
15-20)
“The particularity with which these measurements are given
shows the
importance attached by the prophet to the external dimensions... The
compass assigned to the sacred buildings exceeded the limits of
all ancient
ideal character of the whole description” (Fairbairn).
The fulfillment is
found in the glorious magnitude of the
temple was designed to be the type. We look, then, at:
- THE SIZE OF THE KINGDOM. The
vast dimensions; it requires a heavenly messenger to compute
it.
Ø It is inclusive of all classes and characters. It is not confined to rich or
poor, or
to those who have “neither poverty nor riches;” it is not intended
for the
learned any more than for the unlearned; it is the home of those
who have been
devout and upright all their days, and it offers an asylum to
those who have wandered away into the
darkness and fallen into the depths
of sin.
Ø It is unlimited by race. The Jew at first imagined that the kingdom was
for him
only; but it was not long before the providence and the grace of
God
demonstrated that the
Gentile world;
and missionary labors have proved that there is no climate
beneath the sun where the seeds of Christian
truth will not spring up and
bear flower and fruit.
Ø It is extended through all time. Twenty centuries have come and gone
since
John declared that the kingdom was “at hand,” and, so far from there
being any
signs of completion, there is more active and successful
evangelization than at any previous period of Church history. The prophet
might
well see a large space measured when the area of the kingdom was
in
question.
- THE STRENGTH OF THE KINGDOM. This temple is a perfect
square, five hundred reeds on every side. “Buildings which are
four-square
are the most stable, firm, and lasting.” The
strong, and nothing can withstand it, because:
Ø It rests on the basis of Divine truth.
Not “cunningly devised
fables,” but
well-established facts, are the foundation on which the fair, spiritual edifice
is
resting — the facts of the
Incarnation, of the works of beneficent power
wrought,
of the words of truth and grace spoken, of the resurrection from
the
dead accomplished by Jesus Christ; the facts of the apostolic ministry,
of the
opposition offered to the gospel and of its steady, spiritual, glorious
triumph
over it.
Ø It meets the deep and abiding needs of our humanity. Beneath all skies,
under all
conditions, through all changes and circumstances, after all
political
and social revolutions, man wants the same things to be truly and
profoundly
satisfied. He wants:
o
a
Divine Father of his
spirit;
o
a
salvation from sin;
o
a
refuge in time of
trouble;
o
a
source of elevation
in all the meanness and littleness of earthly
life; and,
o
a hope
in death.
Ø This the gospel of Christ IS ALWAYS offering him. To hungering, toiling,
sorrowing,
burdened humanity Jesus Christ is ever saying, “Come unto me…
I
will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Ø It relies on the Divine power and presence. “All power is given to me in
heaven and in earth; go ye, therefore, and teach all nations… lo,
I am with
you always,” etc. (Matthew 28:18-20). In the presence, the sympathetic
and active presence, of the all-powerful
Redeemer we have the strongest
assurance that
the kingdom will extend and prevail; it is strong
in its
PRESENT
and
MIGHTY LORD!
Separation
between the Holy and the Common (v. 20)
The walls described by the prophet served another purpose
than the most
obvious one of enclosing a space and supporting a roof. They had a
symbolical meaning. They were walls of separation. The several
portions of
the
temple were invested with varying degrees of holiness, and in this
arrangement there was no doubt a Divine significance and intention.
There
were parts reserved for Israelites, parts reserved for the priests, and one
part into which the high priest alone was permitted to enter. In this way
separation was effected between the more
and the less holy, and between
the holy and the common.
- SUCH SEPARATION WAS APPOINTED BY DIVINE
WISDOM. It
was not, as similar arrangements in heathen temples may have
been, a
device of human ingenuity and a provision of human and sacerdotal
policy.
It was part of the Divine intention of which the whole was the outworking
and expression.
- SUCH SEPARATION WAS INTENDED FOR HUMAN
INSTRUCTION.
The Israelites needed to be taught the elements of
religious knowledge, and to be trained in rudimentary religious life.
The
means adopted to this end were in harmony with their condition,
and with
the stage of intellectual and spiritual development which they
had, reached.
A wall of separation was
certainly something very visible, tangible, and
unmistakable; they who looked upon it, and who by it were prevented
from
approaching some sacred spot, were thereby taught most precious truths
as
to the character of the God to whose honor the temple was
reared, as to
the nature of His laws and His worship, as to the conditions
of acceptance
with Him. Discrimination between the good and the wicked, the
exclusion
of the latter and the admission of the former into Divine
favor, — such
were moral lessons which the provisions connected with the
temple
precincts were admirably fitted to impress upon the minds of a rude and
rebellious people.
- THE LESSONS OF SUCH SEPARATION WERE
OFTEN
CORRUPTED BY HUMAN PREJUDICE AND UNSPIRITUALITY.
The tendency of human nature is
to rest in the symbol instead of passing on
to that which is symbolized, to mistake the shadow for the
substance. The
material was designed to lead to the spiritual; but the importance which
properly belonged only to the spiritual was sometimes attributed to the
material. This was so not only with
reference to the case before us, but
with reference to all the provisions of a similar and
symbolical nature which
existed in connection with the temple and its worship. And
Christians must
not imagine themselves free from a similar liability to error.
Even in our
spiritual dispensation the same mistake is committed, and church
buildings
and sacraments are sometimes substituted for the great
spiritual realities
which they represent.
- THERE IS A SENSE IN WHICH SUCH SEPARATION WAS
TEMPORARY, AND HAS BEEN ABOLISHED BY CHRISTIANITY.
One great work of
our Divine Savior was to break down the middle wall of
partition that fenced off Jews from Gentiles, and to make of two “one
new
humanity” (Ephesians
2:14-16). It was a first lesson of
Christianity that men
should give up calling any man or any thing “common or unclean.” (Acts
10:15) The change was brought about, not by leveling things sacred, but by
raising things secular, and by steeping
everything in a Divine light, pure
and lustrous. All Christians
are admitted into the true
in the sacred priesthood; all are welcomed to fellowship with
Heaven.
- THERE IS A SENSE IN WHICH SUCH SEPARATION ENDURES,
INASMUCH AS GOD EVER
ENCOMPASSES AND ENCLOSES HIS
PEOPLE WITHIN WALLS OF LIVING HOLINESS. He delights to
include, but takes no pleasure in exclusion. Into the heavenly city, which is
a temple, there enters not anything unclean or common. (Revelation 21:27)
From such contamination the
blessed and glorified are forever preserved.
There is around the citizens of
the heavenly
the heavenly temple, a wall which preserves them forever from
all molestation
and from every incursion of evil. But within there is
no distinction; there is
one heart, one service, and one song.
"Excerpted text Copyright AGES
Library, LLC. All
rights reserved.
Materials are reproduced by
permission."
This material can be found at:
http://www.adultbibleclass.com
If this exposition is helpful, please share
with others.