Dave Burnette's Commentary

Ezekiel Chapter 40

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Ezekiel
Date Penned: BC 571
Overview: Messages of Hope (c 33-48)
Theme: Restoring the Worship of God (c 40-48)
Message: A New Temple (v 1-49) 
 
Ezekiel: Chapter 40 Commentary
 

(40:1) The building of the temple conveys a time of complete restoration to the exiles, a time when God would return to his people. The temple was built in 520 to 515 BC and you can find that in Ezra chapters 5 and 6, but it fell short of Ezekiel‘s plan and we found that in Haggai chapter 2 and Zachariah chapter number 4. This version of the temple has been interpreted in four main ways; (1) This is the temple Zerubbabel should have built in 520 to 515 BC and is the actual blueprint Ezekiel intended, but due to his disobedience found in chapter 43 and noncompliance, it was never followed. (2) This is the literal temple to be rebuilt during the millennial reign of Christ. (3) This temple is symbolic of the true worship of God by the Christian Church right now. (4) This temple is symbolic of the future and Eternal reign of God when his presence and blessings fill the earth. Whether the temple is literal or symbolic, it seems clear that this is a vision of God’s final perfect kingdom. This gave hope to the people of Ezekiel’s time who had just seen their nation and its Temple destroyed with no hope of rebuilding it in the near future. The details given in this vision gave the people even more hope that what Ezekiel saw had come from God and would surely come to pass in the future. One argument against the view that Ezekiel‘s temple is a literal building of the future is the sacrifice mentioned in chapter number 40. If the sacrifices were to be reinstated in the last days, then Christ sacrifice would not have been final. The New Testament makes it clear that Christ died once and for all in Romans chapter 6 Hebrews chapter 9 and 10. Our sins have been removed, no further sacrifice is needed. In Ezekiel’s day, however, the only kind of worship that people knew was the only kind that revolves around sacrifices and ceremonies described in Exodus through Deuteronomy. Ezekiel had to explain the new order of worship in terms that people would understand. The next nine chapters tell how the temple is the focal point of everything, showing that the ideal relationship with God is when all of life centers on him. Ezekiel explain God’s dwelling place of words and images that people could understand. God wanted them to see the great splendor he had planned for those who live faithfully. This temple was never built, but it was a vision intended to typify God‘s perfect plan for his people, the centrality of worship, The presence of the Lord, the blessings flowing from it, and the order of worship and duties. Don’t let the details obscure the point of this vision, one day all those who have been saved will enjoy eternal life with him. Let the majesty of his vision lift you and teach you about the Lord God you worship and serve.


(40:2) This vision came to Ezekiel in 573BC in chapters 40-43 and give the Temple’s measurements and then described how it is filled with God’s glory. Because Ezekiel was a priest, he would have been familiar with the furnishings and ceremonies of Solomon’s temple. As in Revelation chapter 11 the command to “measure” defines the areas God has marked out for special use. In all these details, the important point to remember is that God is sovereign.

(40:3,4) Who was this man? He was obviously not a human being, so he was probably an angel described in chapter 9 or one like him. Some say that he may have been Christ himself, because he speaks as God has been speaking to Ezekiel, calling him “Son of Man“.

(49:38-39) The washing of sacrifices was done according to the standards of the preparation established in Leviticus chapter 1. This washing was part of the process presenting an acceptable sacrifice to God.

 


Dave Burnette's Life Application


Busy About the Lords Business

 

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue the Book of Ezekiel with Chapter 40. In our text today we see restoring the worship of God with the new temple. This prophecy is a literal temple is built during the millennial reign of Christ after the rapture. In making application we see the soon coming of Christ, the importance of worship, and how God's Plan is well into motion which should cause us to busy about His business in these last days. How about you? Do you see God's Plan in Action? Let us learn from our text today and the prophecy of Ezekiel who has told us a specifics in God's Plan that are unveiling as we speak which should cause us to busy about the Lord's Business for we are living in the last days before the rapture.

 

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Ezekiel 40

Ezekiel 40

 1In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither.

 2In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.

 3And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.

 4And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.

 5And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.

 6Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad; and the other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad.

 7And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed.

 8He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.

 9Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward.

 10And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.

 11And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.

 12The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.

 13He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door.

 14He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.

 15And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.

 16And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees.

 17Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement.

 18And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.

 19Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward.

 20And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof.

 21And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

 22And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them.

 23And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.

 24After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures.

 25And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

 26And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.

 27And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits.

 28And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;

 29And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.

 30And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.

 31And the arches thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had eight steps.

 32And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures.

 33And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, were according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.

 34And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.

 35And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures;

 36The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

 37And the posts thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.

 38And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.

 39And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.

 40And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables.

 41Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices.

 42And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one cubit high: whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice.

 43And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.

 44And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south: one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.

 45And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house.

 46And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the LORD to minister unto him.

 47So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house.

 48And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.

 49The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, and he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.