Scripture Passage and Lesson Focus: Ezekiel 43:1-12
Ezekiel, a prophet who came from a line of priests, was among the first exiles of Judea taken captive to Babylon by the forces of Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BCE. There he received his call to be a prophet by means of an extraordinary vision that words could not adequately describe (Ezekiel 1:1-3:21). In the vision, Ezekiel swallows a scroll symbolizing God’s word that tastes as sweet as honey but which contains words of “lamentation, mourning and woe.”
Ezekiel is called by God to prophesy to the rebellious house of Israel. The prophetic book that bears his name begins with oracles of judgment against Judah. They are followed by prophesies against foreign nations. In chapter 33 the focus changes to promises of restoration. This heavily edited book concludes with a vision of a restored people of God and a purified temple. Throughout the book, Ezekiel is repeatedly caught up in visionary spiritual experiences that transport him back and forth between Babylon and Jerusalem.
In 573 BCE, 25 years after his exile in Babylon began, Ezekiel has a vision in which “the hand of the Lord” brought him to Jerusalem. There, a man whose appearance “shone like bronze” leads him through the restored temple. Ezekiel describes the dimensions of its walls, its rooms and their decorations.
Ezekiel 43:1-5 — God’s glory in the temple
Our passage begins with Ezekiel being led by his guide back to the east gate of the temple where his visionary tour of the temple began. There, Ezekiel sees a vision of God’s glorious presence coming from the east. It is described anthropomorphically (in human terms) as “the sound of mighty waters” and it fills the whole earth with light. The Hebrew word for God’s glorious presence is kabod. That kabod is described more fully in chapter 1, where Ezekiel records his first vision of God and his call to be a prophet. God’s kabod is mysterious and far beyond any human capacity to understand. Therefore some ancient Jewish sages said that this book should not be read by anyone under the age of 30, lest such a profound mystery be misinterpreted.
The vision of God’s presence that Ezekiel sees is just like the one he described in the first chapter of the book when he received his call to be a prophet. Ezekiel’s experience is called a theophany, an experience of the presence of God. Such a powerful experience causes Ezekiel to fall prostrate before God. But the spirit of God lifts him up and brings him into the inner court of the temple. There God’s glory fills the temple.
Ezekiel 43:6-9 — God’s holy abode
Ezekiel hears the voice of God coming from within the temple. God announces that the temple is to be God’s holy abode. Anthropomorphically the temple is called God’s throne and God’s footstool, for that is what the overly literal translation “place for the soles of my feet” means.
The ceremonial purity of the temple will be protected by forbidding Israel’s kings from idolatrous worship and burial within the temple precincts. Ezekiel refers to a previous time when the royal palace was too close to the temple and sinful practices there (“abominations”) defiled the temple. Such evils led to the downfall of Judah.
Ezekiel 43:10-12 – Obey temple law
Ezekiel’s priestly identity shapes his emphasis on the centrality of the temple for the future of Israel. If the people understand the importance of the temple — its structure according to God’s law that shapes it and governs Israel’s worship — they will be ashamed of their past wickedness. Now the temple has a law (torah) alongside the Law of Moses. Israel will become a priestly theocracy. A new understanding of the temple and its rituals is spelled out in the subsequent chapters of Ezekiel’s prophecy. The role of the Zadokite priesthood, the Levites, and the requirements for maintaining the ceremonial purity of the temple are described in detail.
For discussion
What does the word “holy” mean to you? Would we be more faithful if we had a stronger sense of God’s holiness in our lives? A Marc Chagall stained glass window in the Union Chapel of Pocanto Hills, New York, depicts Ezekiel near what may be a burning bush and reaching heavenward for a scroll. Do you think Ezekiel is a new Moses by providing a description of the temple’s law? Have you ever experienced a strong sense of the presence of God or God’s glory? When and where?
JAMES A. BRASHLER is professor emeritus of Bible at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.
