I always find it so amazing when we can look back in the Old Testament and see New Testament principles and lifestyles laid out for us. It is such a reminder of how God is constant, He is trustworthy, He never changes, He is always the same.
I was reading in Ezekiel 43 and this portion of scripture and truth from His Word just jumped out at me. I wanted to share it with you. As I mention Scripture, go and read it for yourself, allow the Holy Spirit to open these things up to you also.
Read through Ezekiel 43 first, then let’s go back together and pull apart these specific truths.
In this portion of Scripture, Ezekiel is seeing a vision of the temple of the Lord. Remember, this is Old Testament, but we are applying New Testament knowledge to it.
Ezekiel 43:6-9
Here they are speaking of a literal temple. But that’s not what this means for us.
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” 1 Corinthians 3:16
We are the temple of the Lord. We carry the presence of the Holy Spirit.
In verses 7-9 God tells them that He will no longer put up with them living in harlotry, defiling His name with their worldy kings and worldly ideals (high places). When we “set their threshhold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed.” When we live next door to the world, when we live with one foot in the world and one foot in the Word. When we keep things walled off and have one “box” for our Christian life and one “box” (or door) for our wordly life. God is calling us out and calling this sin. He won’t put up with it any longer. Verse 9 is a plea from a loving Father to a prodigal son, “let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.”
Despite all the things the Israelites have done, despite all the things I’ve done, despite all the things you’ve done, the many walls and rooms and how close we’ve gotten to the world… He still wants us and offers us His presence, offers to dwell with us, abide with us, forever.
Ezekiel 43:10
Describe the temple that they may be ashamed. That’s what this blog is doing, that’s what your pastor does, thats what the Holy Spirit does when you hear or see a Scripture relating or calling out exactly what you’re doing or going through.
Ezekiel 43:11 “and IF they are ashamed of all that they have done…”
IF they are ashamed…
No, we shouldn’t live in shame and condemnation. But shame and condemnation should be there. There has to be an acknowledgement of sin, acknowledgement of guilt and shame. Otherwise, what are you free from? What are you forgiven for? What’s the point?
If they are ashamed, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement.
Once we have acknowledged our sin, our shame, once we are ashemed of what we have done, then we can recognize His saving.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18
If we haven’t acknowledged our sin, if we are not ashamed of the way we are living, then the things of the Lord are not being revealed. Once we acknowledge this, once we are ashamed, once we recognize our guilt and human condition, then He makes known to us the design of the temple (read verse 11), all its ordinances, forms, and laws (read the Bible, live by the 10 commandments, pray, seek Him, sit under godly teaching).
Ezekiel 43:11-12
It says to “write it down”, it’s been written, read the Word. Do you want to know what God is saying about a situation? Read the Bible. It’s been written so that we can “keep its WHOLE design, and ALL its ordinances” not part of it, not some of it, not what makes us happy and feel good. ALL of it. AND perform them. When Jesus commands us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” That doens’t mean memorize that verse. It means GO and do it. When Jesus says to love our neighbor, it doesn’t mean sit and gossip about them, it means to actually love them. When Jesus says to care for the orphan and the widow, that doesn’t mean to feel bad for kids that are in the system and need adopting, it means open your home and care for the orphan and widow.
Ezekiel 43:18-27
This portion of scripture is where God is telling Ezekiel what to tell the priests about concecrating the alter. He talks about an offering for sin, a bull “without blemish”, making atonement and cleansing. Sound familiar?
Because of Jesus we are washed.
Because of Jesus we have the amazing privilege of having the Spirit of the Living God dwelling on the inside of us. It is our choice whether we will acknowledge our guilt and be ashamed of when we mess up and come to Him and repent. Or if we will let pride sit and grow in our hearts.
In Ezekiel 43:27, after God talks about all the consecration, He says “I will accept you says the Lord God.” He accepts us. Because of how much He loves us He sent His only Son to die for us (John 3:16).
No one likes to hear that we are sinners, no one likes to hear that they’re not perfect and need to come closer to Jesus. But what an honor that God wants us, desires us, dwells inside us. Don’t we want to purify our hearts, cleanse our minds, and make room for His Holy, Perfect Presence?