“Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan, and they will be ashamed of what they have done. Describe to them all the specifications of the Temple—including its entrances and exits—and everything else about it. Tell them about its decrees and laws. Write down all these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them. And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the basic law of the Temple. [Ezekiel 43.10-12]
Once again, as I read the passages assigned to today's One Year Chronological Bible reading, I found myself focusing on the passage above.
The details found in the rest of today's reading describing the dimensions of the Temple shown to Ezekiel seem insignificant to me. But therein seems to lie a problem...
Considering the unholiness all around us today, holiness is a foreign concept. In fact, most give little thought to the idea of holiness. And yet, in the passage above, the concept of "absolute holiness" is presented. If we cannot process "holiness" in our minds, how will we ever process "absolute holiness?"
Question: Why does holiness seem so far from people today?
Answer: Probably for the same reason God's miraculous power is so far from people today: IDOLATRY.
Whether we understand it or not, idolatry was mentioned in the verses preceding the passage above:
The LORD said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will live here forever among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by honoring the relics of their kings who have died. They put their idol altars right next to mine with only a wall between them and me. They defiled my holy name by such detestable sin, so I consumed them in my anger. Now let them stop worshiping other gods and honoring the relics of their kings, and I will live among them forever. [Ezekiel 43.7-9]
God's "I will live among them forever" statement is contingent upon His people NOT "worshiping other gods and honoring the relics of their kings..."
We are taught, in New Testament times, that God's Temple is now the body of a person who believes in Jesus Christ. We are taught that God lives in us. Where did we ever get the idea that absolute holiness is no longer the basic law of the Temple of our bodies?
If my writing seems scattered, it should. I shudder at the thought of what modern thinking has done to God's requirement for absolute holiness especially as the veil in the Temple was torn at Jesus' crucifixion signaling God's holiness now abiding in His people...
Father, may the words of Ezekiel have meaning to us beyond our carnal thinking. May we have a distinct sense of Your holiness. May we understand that Your presence does not live among idols. May we rightly conclude that our powerless condition today is directly related to our unholy, idolatrous ways. May we find new meaning in Jesus' demand to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. So be it.
