There are important spiritual messages to be learned from every
part of Ezekiel's detailed description of a temple that has never been built,
lessons that are vital for every Christian today. These are the focus of the
current series of devotionals: LESSONS FROM EZEKIEL'S TEMPLE. If you have missed
any parts of this series, you can read previously published lessons on-line at
www.scripturalnuggets.org/folder6/lessons_from_ezekiels_temple.htm
.
Lessons From Ezekiel's Temple, Part 10:
The Temple Chambers, Part A:
The Priests' Rooms
Last week, in Lessons from Ezekiel's Temple, Part 9,
we discovered that the only way to come up to God's sinless, holy level is
through Jesus, our steps!
As you read through Ezekiel 40-42, you will quickly note that there are many
references to chambers. There are chambers on the outer walls, there are
sacrificial chambers, there are the side rooms of the temple, and finally,
there are the priests' rooms. Today's lesson looks specifically at the
priests' rooms and the lessons this can teach us for our heart-temples
today.
"Then he said to me, 'The north and south rooms facing the temple
courtyard are the priests' rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord
will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy
offerings - the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings -
for the place is holy. Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they
are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments in
which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other
clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.'" (Ezek
42:13-14 NIV)
In order to understand the significance of these
verses, we must remember that the temple courtyard was very near to the Holy
of Holies, where the presence of God was to be found. As a result, the area
was considered to be Holy, with no public access to anyone but the priests.
The book of Revelation teaches that when we have given our hearts to Christ,
we become priests: "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by
his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his
God and Father" (Rev 1:5-6 NIV). Therefore we, who have been made a
kingdom of priests, are allowed to come this close to the Holy of Holies. We
have access to the very presence of God!
Ezekiel 42:13-14 tells us that the priests' chambers were specifically
designed for two purposes: They were designed to be a place where the
priests could eat the special "most holy" sacrifices, and they were designed
to be the place where the priests could change into their holy garments
before entering the inner court, and then back into their regular clothes
before returning to the temple courtyard.
In the same way, we cannot enter the presence of God as we are. We, too,
must prepare ourselves by eating the "most holy" sacrifice, and by properly
attiring ourselves!
We also have a "most holy" sacrifice at our disposal:
Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Before entering into God's presence, we must
accept that gift.
This idea of holiness is further expressed by the fact that the priests had
to wear special clothing when entering into the presence of the Lord. In
Matt 22, Jesus tells a story of a man who was invited to attend a wedding
feast; only he came without being properly dressed. What happened to him?
"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him
outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth.'" (Matt 22:13 NIV).
And just what are these special clothes? "I will greatly rejoice in the
Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the
garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of
righteousness" (Isa 61:10 AMP)
In other words, each of us has direct access to the
presence of God, to the throne room of God Himself. But only when we've made
Him the Lord and Savior of our lives.
But even for those who have already accepted Jesus into their hearts, there
is a lesson to be learned. The Bible tells us that our sin keeps us from
hearing God's voice: "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to
save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated
you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will
not hear." (Isa 59:1-2) This means that before entering into the
presence of the Lord, we would be wise to confess our sins before Jesus and
repent of our transgressions. In so doing, we will ensure that God will NOT
hide His face from us, but that He will hear us.
One last lesson to be learned: The priests' rooms were "holy", set aside for
use in the work of the Lord. This should serve as an important reminder for
us that we, too, need to have special "rooms" set aside for spending time
with our Lord and Savior. This might be a specific place or places, or a
specific time, or even a specific activity. But in order to build and
maintain the vital relationship that God so longs to have with each of us,
it does require that we spend quiet time with Him! We cannot be fit for
God's work without seeking the Lord in meditation and prayer!
Enough to ponder, but do ponder this: The priests'
rooms in the inner court yard remind us that in order to enter into the
presence of the Lord, we must be pure and holy. We need to confess our sins
and repent of our transgressions, and we need to don anew Jesus' white robe
of righteousness. It also reminds us of the importance of spending quiet
time with our Lord, building that ever important relationship with Him!
Join us next week for another important lesson from the chambers of
Ezekiel's temple, Part 10B: The Sacrificial Rooms.
God bless each of you as you seek to draw closer to Him!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, www.scripturalnuggets.org , with Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org .