November 2, 201 ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON GOD S DIVINE GLORY RETURNS MINISTRY INVOCATION O God: We give thanks to You for the manifold blessings to us. You did not have to bless us but You did. We shall remain eternally grateful. Amen. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW AND UNDERSTAND Ezekiel s vision, given to him by God, revealed to the Israelites that God s calming presence and merciful glory could be felt in sacred places where God can be truly worshipped. THE APPLIED FULL GOSPEL DISTINCTIVE We believe in the indwelling of the Holy Ghost for all believers and that the Holy Ghost verifies and validates the Believer as part of the Body of Christ. TEXT: Background Scripture Ezekiel 1-3:12 Key Verse Ezekiel 3:-5 Lesson Scripture Ezekiel 3:1-12 (NKJV) 3 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. 3 It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. 5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 6 Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me. 7 And He said to me, Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places. 8 When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger. 9 Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever. 10 Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its 1
laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them. 12 This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple. COMMENTARY Like several other visions in Ezekiel, this vision (3:1 5) is followed by an interpretation (3:6 12). As the glory of God filled the tabernacle after its construction at the beginning of Israel s history and as it filled the temple following its construction by Solomon, so Ezekiel was assured in a vision that again God s glory would reside with Israel. As the exiles despaired at the departure of God s glory in Ezekiel s vision, a departure confirmed by the destruction of the temple, so Israel had once before despaired when the Philistines took the ark and Eli and his sons all died. Eli s daughter-in-law named her son Ichabod, which meant no glory. As the ark and the glory were restored when the Davidic covenant was revealed to David and confirmed in the building of the temple so the glory of the Lord would be restored to the new temple in the messianic age when the Davidic covenant would be completely fulfilled. God s glory was manifested as a bright light that signified His Presence. It has been called the shekinah glory, although this term is not used in the Bible. The word shekinah comes from the Hebrew verb which means to rest or to abide. When the temple of Solomon was dedicated, the sanctuary was filled with the glory of God s Presence. The shepherds of Bethlehem also experienced the glory of God at the announcement of the birth of Jesus. In the first vision, when he received his call to the ministry, Ezekiel saw the glory of God emerge from the storm that came from the north. In a later vision, he had seen the glory of God depart from the sanctuary and move to the east gate of the temple area and pause. Then the glory moved from the east gate to the Mount of Olives. From there at some unspecified later time the glory of God disappeared. VISION OF GOD S GLORY (3:1 5) 1 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. 5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 3:1 5 Ezekiel s guide brought him toward the east side of the city where the Mount of Olives lies just across the Kidron Valley from the temple mount. As 2
Ezekiel looked toward the east, where the glory of the Lord had departed in the vision, he saw God s glory return, accompanied by the sound of rushing waters. What he saw also reminded him of his first vision of the glory of God that he had seen by the Kebar River, but it was apparent to Ezekiel that the Lord s coming was not a summons to ministry or a sign of judgment. It was a sign of his covenant love bringing blessings to His people that would never be taken away. Ezekiel s response was the same as in his first encounter with God s glory. He fell on his face, but the Spirit lifted him up and brought him into the inner court (v. 5). As Ezekiel watched, God s glory entered the east gate by which it had departed, continued into the inner court, and then entered the sanctuary (v. 5). INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION (3:6 12) 6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7 He said: Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel will never again defile my holy name neither they nor their kings by their prostitution and the lifeless idols of their kings at their high places. 8 When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the lifeless idols of their kings, and I will live among them forever. 10 Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider the plan, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple its arrangement, its exits and entrances its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. 12 This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy. Such is the law of the temple. 3:6 12 God personally interpreted this vision for Ezekiel, thus adding even more importance to what Ezekiel saw (v. 6). The vision contained the fulfillment of promises that had deep theological significance for the people to whom Ezekiel ministered. God wanted to be sure Ezekiel understood the significance of what he had seen, so he gave him a personal interpretation. God said, This is the place of my throne. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever (v. 7). God promised that His return would be a permanent return (vv. 7, 9). Further, He promised that restored Israel would never again defile God s name or turn to idolatry. The exile indeed was a cure of idolatry and Baal worship. After the Babylonian captivity, Israel never again turned to idols. The reference to idolatry and detestable practices (v. 8) was reminiscent of the scene in 8:1 18, where the prophet witnessed pagan cultic practices being performed inside the temple. God told Ezekiel to describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins (v. 10). The presence of the restored temple with Yahweh in residence was to serve as a reminder of His 3
holiness and their sinfulness. It was to be a visible call to repentance and faith by both its presence and its rituals, laws, and feasts (vv. 10 11). Verses 6 12 not only contain a vision of the fulfillment of the promise of restoration but also present an outline of the theological significance of the temple. Ezekiel s future temple, like Solomon s temple, was to be the center of worship for Israel. Its religious significance was presented by Ezekiel in five important theological statements in vv. 7 12 and present a summary of the theology of the temple. First, the temple was the throne house of God (3:7). The ark enshrined in the most holy place of the temple of Solomon was considered to be the throne of God. When the ark of the covenant was placed there, God was understood to be taking possession of His house of worship and affirming His desire to dwell among His people. A cloud filled Solomon s temple as a sign of God s presence and approval. This cloud was accompanied by the glory of God. The divine name represented the person of God to the Semitic mind. Therefore the name of God was enshrined in the temple. Though the Hebrews understood that God was too great to be contained in an earthly temple, they also knew that in some unique and mystical way God was enthroned in the temple that Solomon built and dedicated to God s glory. As part of the restoration, God promised He would again be the Shepherd of Israel and that He would dwell with them in a unique way. The temple of Ezekiel s vision made that promise a reality by looking to a future day when God would personally dwell again with His people. Second, the temple was a sign of God s election of Israel (3:7). Yahweh had chosen Israel as the people through whom His redemptive purpose would be realized for all humanity. He chose Jerusalem and Zion as the place where His temple was built and where worship was centralized. Because the temple was spared in the invasion of Sennacherib in 701 B.C., its deliverance was viewed as a sign of God s special unfailing protection. This deliverance created the belief that Jerusalem and the temple were inviolable and would always be afforded such protection. This was one reason that Ezekiel s preaching ministry was so unpopular. He predicted the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, which the people had always thought to be impossible. The vision of God s return to the temple was a reconfirming sign of God s determination to keep His promise of the election of Israel and selection of Jerusalem, where His name would be enshrined forever. Third, the temple was a visible sign of the holiness of God (3:7c). Yahweh s name repeatedly had been profaned by Israel s detestable practices. They had profaned the temple by allowing pagan worship to infiltrate its courts. The temple was the center of society. A corrupt temple was the sad witness of a
corrupt nation. Ezekiel saw the millennial temple where God s holiness and name would again be established. He also envisioned a new holiness among the people, suggesting a new order based on the holiness and righteousness of Yahweh, who would reign forever as the monarch of this coming kingdom. Fourth, the temple was a visible witness of God s redemptive love. God promised He would gather Israel from among the nations and return them to their land. After they returned to the land, He promised to cleanse them, give them a new heart, a new spirit, and save them from their uncleanness. The reconstructed temple was to be a confirmation of this promise and a witness to its fulfillment. The permanent presence of God would bring a vivid awareness of sins forgiven and uncleanness removed. The design of the temple with its graduated sections approaching the holy of holies pointed to the Holy God in residence. The perfect law that He endorsed will call His future people, Israel, to serve him again in humility, faith, and repentance (3:10 11). This was, is, and will be the law of the temple (3:12). God s determination to restore Israel, cleanse them, and permanently dwell with them was an affirmation of His redemptive love for them and for all humanity. Fifth, the temple was a physical sign of the new covenant (3:11 12). All the significant covenants of the Old Testament had a visible sign of their confirmation and perpetuity. Adam s covenant was sealed by the sign of the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15). Noah s covenant was sealed by the rainbow (Gen 9:11 13). Circumcision was the seal and sign of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 17:1 1). The Mosaic covenant was sealed by the observance of the Sabbath and by the tabernacle and its laws (Exod 2:1 18; 25:8 10.). David s covenant promise of a permanent dynasty for his descendants was sealed by the temple that his son built for God s glory (2 Sam 7:13 1). Ezekiel and others envisioned a covenant of peace, whose spiritual sign would be the outpouring of the Spirit. The temple, the vision of which unfolded in chaps. 0 2, would be the physical confirmation of the covenant of peace and of the future restoration. The millennial temple will stand as a witness to the immutability of God s covenant of peace with Israel and with all humanity (3:11 12). RELATED DISCUSSION TOPICS CLOSING PRAYER My God: I am grateful to have found You and kept You in the forefront of my being. Bless us continually with Your grace and mercy. They represent bountiful blessings for all of us. Amen. 5