Eze.42:1-20, Be Holy & be separate

Eze.42:1-20, Be Holy & be separate

 The book of Ezekiel often feels difficult and unfamiliar to read. It is filled with splendid visions, strange metaphors, and repeated messages of destruction and judgment. Yet, it contains God's earnest yearning for His people. Chapter 42 is part of the temple vision. God showed Ezekiel a new temple while he was in exile. At the time, the temple for the Israelites was in ruins, and their faith was shaken to its core. To them, the temple vision was not simply a blueprint, but a message of restoration and hope. "God is still with us, even in exile." Restoration will come to the homeland, which was devastated by the burning of the city of Jerusalem and the temple. God will dwell among us again." (The Lord is there!)
 Today, we will focus on the special rooms for the priests in the temple. What were the purposes of these rooms? Vs 13-14, “13.He said to me, ‘The rooms on the north and south, in front of the inner court, on the right and left, are the holy chambers. There the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy things. There they will deposit the most holy things—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering—because it is a holy place. 14.When a priest comes out of the sanctuary, he shall not go straight into the outer court, because the priest’s garments are holy. He shall leave his ministering garments in the chambers and put on other garments before he goes out into the court of the people.” It speaks of three things: 1) the place where the priests eat the holy offerings. 2) the place where the offerings are stored. 3) the place where the priests change into their sacred garments.
 But why did God show these rooms to Ezekiel? It wasn't simply to pique his curiosity about the rooms, but to teach him how to live a holy life. Through today's passage, let's examine what God desires for the holy temple and our distinct lives.

1. Live holy, live separate from the world (1–14)
 The first part introduces rooms for the priests. These were the priestly rooms, located on the north and south sides of the temple, where the holy offerings were stored, the priests ate the food, and changed into their sacrificial garments. In other words, they were rooms for preparing for holy work. The word "holy"(kadosh) is emphasized eight times in vs 13 and 14. The important point here is that the people were not permitted to enter these rooms. Only the priests could enter, and there they prepared for the sin offering. What does this teach us? Can you explain? "Holiness" doesn't just happen. It must be set apart to belong to God. All believers are called to be "a royal priesthood"(1Peter2:9). Therefore, we who believe in Jesus are now priests who serve God. Therefore, there must be distinct areas in our lives as well. 1) Set aside your time. This means keeping the Sabbath day holy. Set aside a time for prayer every day. 2) Set aside your material possessions. This means setting aside what should be given to God. Offer tithes, and during every Sunday service, present your offering before God, not empty-handed. Ex.23:15, "Keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out from Egypt. Do not appear before me empty-handed." 3) Set your life apart. We must live as God's people, without compromising with the world.
 All the saints, is our life of faith too intertwined with the world? Have we lost our sense of distinction, thinking, "Everyone else does it this way, so it's okay?" The priest's quarters that Ezekiel saw ask us, "What are you setting apart for God?"

2. Preparation and order are necessary before God's presence(15-20).

The man of God measures the length, width, and walls of the temple. Vs 15ff measure the entire temple, measuring 500 cubits from east to west, north to south. Furthermore, the temple and its surroundings are clearly separated by a wall. Why does God insist on this measuring process? He shows us that the temple wall is not simply a wall, but a boundary that separates the sacred from the profane. V. 20: "He measured the temple all around. The court was five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide. The wall was to separate the sacred from the profane." This shows that God is not a God of disorder, but of order. God's presence is not a place where one can just walk in and out. Preparation is essential, and order must be maintained. The same is true of our worship today. How prepared do we come to worship? Do we come with a purified heart? Do we come with repentance for not living according to the Word of God during the past week? Do we come prepared with hearts of praise&gratitude to offer before God? Many times, we enter the sanctuary without any preparation. We simply sit out of habit, sing hymns,&listen to the Word. However, God meticulously measures the temple,&He equally measures our hearts. "Is your heart prepared?" He asks.

3. Jesus Completes –

We ourselves are the temple. With the coming of Jesus, the meaning of the temple has been completely renewed. Now, the temple is not a building made of stone, but we ourselves, in whom the Holy Spirit dwells(1 Cor.3:16). This is how the priestly chamber that Ezekiel saw is fulfilled within us. Our hearts are the holy chambers. Our thoughts, words, and actions are the instruments of the temple. Our entire lives are the temple where God dwells. Therefore, we must ask: Is my heart prepared as a holy chamber? Is my life a temple where the Holy Spirit can comfortably reside? Is my daily life like a holy sacrifice offered to God? It shouldn't be a temporary appearance of holiness on Sundays; our lives from Monday to Saturday must become a temple offered to God. If we shout "Amen" in the church, lose our temper at home, and live dishonestly at work, we have lost the meaning of the temple. Beloved, God speaks to us today: "You are my temple. Therefore, keep your lives holy." This is the conclusion. This passage is not a simple blueprint. It reveals the majesty of God's holiness and presence. God speaks three words to us today: 1) Live holy and distinct from the world. 2) God's presence requires preparation and order. 3) The temple of today is ourselves. Each of us is a temple. God measures our hearts and lives. Are our homes, workplaces, relationships, and worship prepared holy before God? May our lives today become temples that God will delight in, and may we be established as holy saints, set apart and prepared. I pray in the name of the Lord. Application questions: What areas of my life have I set aside for God (time, material possessions, relationships, words, etc.)? What preparations do I make not only for Sunday worship but also for my daily life? If God measures my heart and life, is there a clear distinction between holiness and profaneness? Am I demonstrating to others, in my home and at work, how I live as God's temple?

 These are the lessons.
First, the vision of the priests' quarters and the inner courtyard of the temple demonstrates the importance of the temple and the restoration of holiness as God's covenant people. It demonstrates how important it is. The priests' chamber is a distinct, holy space where priests wear holy robes and prepare to serve God. This speaks to the distinct appearance and attitude of service of the saints, spiritual priests in Christ. We, the saints, are spiritual priests who are clothed in Jesus Christ and practice faith and love (1 Peter 2:5, 9).

Second, Ezekiel's vision of measuring the length of the wall dividing the priests' chamber and the inside and outside of the temple symbolically represents the kingdom of God and the world, believers and non-believers, and holy and secular lives. Today, the saints, as holy spiritual priests in Christ, must always wear the holy robes of faith, strive for a pure and holy life, and live with an attitude of service to God. We must observe the Sabbath day. We must restore holiness during worship. We must offer holy prayers. All acts, including giving offerings and evangelism, are not means to receive more blessings, but are distinct signs that reveal ourselves as saved children of God. These distinct acts are the spiritual divide between believers and non-believers. It can be considered a wall.

Third, priests are those prepared to serve God. Therefore, they are provided with everything—food, clothing, and use—according to the ordinances established by God. This teaches us that Christians, as spiritual priests, must always live with gratitude for salvation and a prepared attitude toward serving God. Christians must live within the spiritual wall of a holy life, distinct from the world, and serve God. Therefore, while living in the world, they must live distinct from it. Even in Revelation, the last book of the Bible, we are called to live holy lives in the end times. The Apostle John, through the lens of perfection in Christ, calls us to live holy lives by distinguishing between the sacred and the profane. I bless you to live as spiritual walls, as holy priests of God. Amen.