Ezekiel 40:1-4 A New Vision

God gives Ezekiel a new vision that he is to share with the people. It has been 25 years since the exile began. God wants him to see what is to come so he can inspire the people.

This is one vision that I don’t have to ask if God brought Ezekiel physically or spiritually to the place described. Ezekiel tells us that it was “in visions” that God brought him to the land of Israel. Another reason we know it wasn’t in physical form is because what he is about to see hadn’t happened yet.

Ezekiel meets a special man in his vision. His “appearance was like bronze with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand” (verse 3b). I’m curious about this description. Was the man’s coloring like bronze or his clothing? We aren’t told for sure. Probably because the things that he was holding were the most important things about him; other than that, he was sent by God to Ezekiel.

This man is not one of the Heavenly beings Ezekiel had encountered before. He looked like a man. A bronze man but a man never the less. But Ezekiel KNEW to attend fully to his words and ALL that he was about to see. EVERYTHING that he would hear and see was to be shared with his fellow exiles. These words and sights were not given to a scattered bunch of people but to the House of Israel. To a restored people. Not AFTER they were restored but beforehand. To give them a hope and a ‘blueprint’ of what was to be done.

I want to leave us hear, on the cusp of something powerful. Why? Because this is where we are left by our bible scholars who decided to break God’s word into ‘bite size pieces’ for better understanding. Like me, you will (or already have) read ahead and see what Ezekiel saw. I admit that I already did a little math concerning what we will see tomorrow. I didn’t go very far though so I too am waiting to see all that God has to show Ezekiel.

Father God, it’s HARD to stop here, but I feel I truly should. I’m LOVING this sense of anticipation! It’s almost like Christmas Eve. I wonder if it is similar to what Ezekiel felt when he saw the man. When he penned these words, did he intend for his readers to feel this excitement too?

Should I feel this way about my life too? My days are so alike most of the time. Yet, I KNOW You have things in store for me that I have not dreamed of. I want to be willing and excited to go where You lead me. I want to keep a sense of excited anticipation each time we meet. I don’t want our time to EVER get old or boring. There are SO MANY THINGS I have to do today. Spending time with You was and is first on that list. Thank You for filling me with excitement during our time today Father. It is SO worth my time to spend time with You. NEVER let me forget or downplay that!