Ezekiel 40:5-16 New Temple Pt. 1
Just like God gave Moses instructions for the Tabernacle, He is giving Ezekiel instructions for the new Temple. We will get it in parts. Today is pt. 1; East Gate to Outer Court.
I’m going to get out my ‘math hat’ so I can see how big things really were. This Temple has not yet been built and its scale is MUCH larger than the one Solomon built. Speaking of the Temple Solomon made; did God give specific instructions for its dimensions? David had the designs that he passed to his son. Did Solomon ‘improve’ on these designs with all the ornate decorations or were they in the original plans? Did God give the dimensions to David in a dream or place them in his heart? We don’t hear about it at all. Were the original Tabernacle’s dimensions kept and used in this Temple’s design? That would be something to sit down and figure out; but not today. Today, we see what God has for His people to build upon their return.
The bronze man we met in the previous verses had two things in his possession. A linen cord and a measuring reed. These he will use to mark off the dimensions of ALL the parts of the new Temple. The first important piece we need to know is the length of these two instruments. The measuring reed was “six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handsbreadth in length” (verse 5b). My Bible helps tells me that a cubit is about 18 inches or 45 centimeters. A handbreadth is about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters. That makes the measuring rod 10.5 feet in length or 3.15 meters. That is a TALL stick!
When I peeked ahead yesterday and started looking at the numbers for the sizes, I stepped right over the fact that the measuring reed was SIX long cubits in length. It became really apparent when I saw that the rooms were “one reed long and one reed broad” (verse 7b). ONE cubit made them 21 inches each direction. That is when I had to go back and look again at the length of the reed. SIX long cubits per reed is MUCH more workable. But then it makes the walls 10.5 feet THICK and tall. That was one STURDY wall!
I’m no architect and I’m pretty horrible at making accurate drawings. I will look up a schematic diagram from Google. But there is something I notice. There are MANY places where the reed is used to measure and those places are all ONE reed in measure. The rest of the measurements we see in this section are measured in the standard cubit. They range anywhere from one cubit to sixty cubits. The man is VERY specific on the dimensions of everything; except the window size.
I don’t see a measurement on them but there are a LOT of them. What I do see though is the first evidence of decoration. “And on the jambs [of the windows] were palm trees” (verse 16c). This makes me think of the Temple Solomon built and the ornate carvings it had. Palm trees figured very prominently in the design. I don’t know if God was giving the people something pretty or if He had a specific reason for this part of the design. I suppose we will have to wait and see. We will also have to wait and see the length of the cord, for it is not given in our reading today.
One last thing I’m curious about is if Ezekiel had to write all this down, if God impressed it deeply into his heart and mind, or if God had the bronze man give him the written directions in the end. However the directions were passed onto the people, we KNOW that God would make SURE they were given correctly. There would be no difference between what Ezekiel was shown and what the people would eventually build. The fact that God gave instructions for His new Tabernacle was HUGE! It meant that HE was preparing a place of His own to return to with HIS people. These instructions are still part of Israel’s history and future. They have a future to reach for.
Father God, thank You for preparing in advance for my life too. You had things I would need to prepare for too. You didn’t give me the details like You did with Ezekiel but You prepared me just the same. I look back over my life and see the preparations You authored all along the way and I PRAISE You for them! From giving me a creative mind to leading me into the medical field. ALL these things have given me the stepping stones to the life I lead today. Without these stepping stones, I would be lost. Thank You that YOU made the blueprint, even though You didn’t share it with me. I trust YOUR plans.
