Bible reading for weekend Oct 8 -- 10
Oct 8 -- Ezekiel 41 and Psalms 92-93
Oct 9 -- Ezekiel 42 and Psalm 94
Oct 10 -- Ezekiel 43 and Psalms 95-96
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"And he measured the length of the room, twenty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits, across the nave. And he said to me, 'This is the Most Holy Place.'" (Ezekiel 41:4)
THE NEW TEMPLE, INTERIOR AND COURTS (ch 41-42). We are continuing to read of Ezekiel's vision of God's temple. Notice that the most holy place (Holy of Holies) is laid out as a square, just as in the Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple previously, and in the future city, the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:16). There's great attention to measurements and architectural detail, and there are a few differences between this design and the earlier ones.
THE GLORY RETURNS (ch 43). In his vision Ezekiel sees the glory of God, which departed in chapter 11, now returning to the temple. God will not abandon his work -- or his people --but will complete what he has eternally purposed to do. Here's how the Story ends: "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God" (Rev 21:3). Those of us who believe these chapters are describing a future millennial temple will have difficulty in explaining why animal sacrifices would still continue (42:13; 43:18-27). This would be one argument in favor of this temple being symbolic, or perhaps, the sacrifices being symbolic for the work of Christ. Here are Constable's options.
THE BEAUTY OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. The Bible opens with a garden and concludes with a city. For people who love nature that may not seem like a fitting conclusion! But we are shown that the beauty of the new Jerusalem (and the new earth) will be breathtaking. I believe the desire to build visually-pleasing structures is part of the image of God in man. As much as I love natural beauty, I have always been attracted to well-designed architecture. We have enjoyed visiting some of the various homes Frank Lloyd Wright designed, like Fallingwater pictured above. Our God is a master builder (Prov 8:22-31; Heb 3:4). He is not only attentive to persons but also to places: "I go to prepare a place for you," said Jesus to his disciples on the evening before his death (Jn 14:2-3). We were not created to drift about like whispers on the wind, but to be real individuals in real bodies inhabiting a real place, a new world of stunning beauty. We're seeing a bit of that glory as we read these chapters of Ezekiel.
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"The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age..." (Psalm 92:12-14)
BEARING FRUIT, AND THE LORD REIGNS (Ps 92-23)! Read my comments here.
NOT FORSAKEN (Ps 94). And Psalms 95 and 96 here.
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Image credit. My photo of Fallingwater taken with Nikon L810 in 2019 . About this newsletter: I'm Sandy Young, and I post three times a week on my Bible reading, following the Robert Murray M'Cheyne (RMM) two-year reading schedule, as arranged by D. A. Carson. Subscribe for email at Buttondown.email/Sandy. Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. A very helpful resource is the NET Bible with its excellent notes at netbible.org.
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