August 3, 2026 - Ezekiel 40-43

In a very precise manner, Ezekiel is shown the temple.  The measurements and details of the various rooms are given.  The temple was an amazing structure.  But chapters 40-42, with all their grand and amazing pictures of the temple and its furnishings, are nothing without chapter 43.  Without chapter 43, which tells how the glory of the Lord filled the temple, it is nothing more than a building.  A grand building at that, but still only a building.  And it’s not only that the glory of the Lord fills the temple, but that the Lord has come down and dwelt amongst his people (43:7).  The same with the church, today.  All over the globe are amazing, wondrous cathedrals and church buildings, some of the most awe-inspiring and beautiful structures ever built.  These buildings are admired, photographed, and are must-see attractions for tourists.  These buildings are referred to as “churches,” but they’re not really churches, are they?  The church is comprised of people, of believers, who gather in those buildings.  And what makes these gatherings so special?  It is, like the temple of the OT, that the Lord has come down and dwells among his people.  Happy and blessed are the people who gather together and who have the Lord as their God and who obey him and live for him.

Sweet is the solemn voice that calls,

The Christian to the house of prayer;

I love to stand within its walls,

For You, O Lord, are present there.

I love to tread the hallowed courts,

Where two or three for worship meet;

For there Christ Himself resorts,

And makes the little fold complete.

‘Tis sweet to raise the common song,

To join in holy praise and love;

And imitate the blessed throng,

That mingle hearts and songs above.   -- Henry Francis Lyte (1834)