SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/11/2015
6:45 PM
My Worship Time Focus: The inner
Court
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ezekiel 40:28-47; 43:13-17
Message of the
verses: I suppose that this is the
most difficult portion of the Bible that I have had to write about and I feel
very unskilled in reporting on these verses and I will need much help from
different commentators to make any sense at all of what these verses have to
say.
27 The inner court had a gate toward the south; and he
measured from gate to gate toward the south, a hundred cubits. 28 Then he
brought me to the inner court by the south gate; and he measured the south gate
according to those same measurements. 29 Its guardrooms also, its side pillars
and its porches were according to those same measurements. And the gate and its
porches had windows all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits
wide. 30 There were porches all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits
wide. 31 Its porches were toward the outer court; and palm tree ornaments were
on its side pillars, and its stairway had eight steps. 32 He brought me into the inner court toward the
east. And he measured the gate according to those same measurements. 33 Its
guardrooms also, its side pillars and its porches were according to those same
measurements. And the gate and its porches had windows all around; it was fifty
cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34 Its porches were toward the outer
court; and palm tree ornaments were on its side pillars, on each side, and its
stairway had eight steps. 35 Then he
brought me to the north gate; and he measured it according to those same
measurements, 36 with its guardrooms,
its side pillars and its porches. And the gate had windows all around; the
length was fifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits. 37 Its side pillars
were toward the outer court; and palm tree ornaments were on its side pillars
on each side, and its stairway had eight steps. 38 A chamber with its doorway
was by the side pillars at the gates; there they rinse the burnt offering.
“39 In the porch of the gate were two
tables on each side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering, the sin offering
and the guilt offering. 40 On the outer side, as one went up to the gateway
toward the north, were two tables; and on the other side of the porch of the
gate were two tables. 41 Four tables were on each side next to the gate; or,
eight tables on which they slaughter sacrifices. 42 For the burnt offering
there were four tables of hewn stone, a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a
half wide and one cubit high, on which they lay the instruments with which they
slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice. 43 The double hooks, one
handbreadth in length, were installed in the house all around; and on the
tables was the flesh of the offering. 44
From the outside to the inner gate were chambers for the singers in the
inner court, one of which was at the side of the north gate, with its front
toward the south, and one at the side of the south gate facing toward the
north. 45 He said to me, "This is the chamber which faces toward the
south, intended for the priests who keep charge of the temple; 46 but the
chamber which faces toward the north is for the priests who keep charge of the
altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who from the sons of Levi come near to the
LORD to minister to Him." 47 He measured the court, a perfect square, a
hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide; and the altar was in front of
the temple.”
13 "And these are the measurements of the altar by
cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth): the base shall be a cubit
and the width a cubit, and its border on its edge round about one span; and
this shall be the height of the base of the altar. 14 “From the base on the
ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits and the width one cubit; and from
the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits and the width one
cubit. 15 “The altar hearth shall be four cubits; and from the altar hearth
shall extend upwards four horns. 16 “Now the altar hearth shall be twelve
cubits long by twelve wide, square in its four sides. 17 "The ledge shall
be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide in its four sides, the border around
it shall be half a cubit and its base shall be a cubit round about; and its
steps shall face the east."”
I want to put the Youtube web address on this SD to as it
was very helpful for me in better understand this portion of Scripture as well
as verses 5-27 from our last SD on Ezekiel.
The following quote is from Matthew Henry and it
covers verses 27-38: “In these verses we
have a delineation of the inner court. The survey of the outer court ended with
the south side of it. This of the inner court begins with the south side (#Eze
40:27), proceeds to the east (#Eze 40:32), and so to the north (#Eze 40:35);
for here is no gate either of the outer or inner court towards the west. It
should seem that in Solomon’s temple there were gates westward, for we find
porters towards the west, #1Ch 9:24; 26:8. But Josephus says that in the second
temple there was no gate on the west side.
Observe,
“1. These gates into the
inner court were exactly uniform with those into the outer court, the
dimensions the same, the chambers adjoining the same, the galleries or rows
round the court the same, and the very engravings on the posts the same. The
work of grace, and its workings, are the same, for substance, in grown
Christians that they are in young beginners, only that the former have got so
much nearer their perfection. The faith of all the saints is alike precious,
though it be not alike strong. There is a great resemblance between one child
of God and another; for all they are brethren and bear the same image.
“2. The ascent into the
outer court at each gate was by seven steps, but the ascent into the inner court
at each gate was by eight steps. This is expressly taken notice of #Eze
40:31,34,37, to signify that the nearer we approach to God the more we should
rise above this world and the things of it.
The people, who worshipped in the outer court, must rise seven steps
above other people, but the priests, who attended in the inner court, must rise
eight steps above them, must exceed them at least one step more than they
exceed other people.”
Dr Wiersbe wrote the following on this section: “Walking straight across the outer court from
any of the three gates in the outer wall you would come to one of the three
gates leading into the inner court.
Eight steps will take you through the gate (40:31), past the rooms for
guards, and into the inner court. The
walls containing these inner gates will contain chambers for the priests and
for the preparation of offerings. The
inner court is 175 feet square and the altar of sacrifice is placed in the
center of the court (43:13-17).
“The brazen altar in the OT tabernacle was a ‘box’ made
of acacia wood covered with bronze. It
was seven and on-half feet square and four and one-half feet high. About two and one-half feet from the top was
a grating on which the sacrifices were laid and a fire was kept burning. The altar in Solomon’s temple was thirty feet
square and fifteen feet high and was approached on all four sides by steps (2
Chron. 4:1; 1 Kings 8:64). The altar in
the millennial temple will be about twenty feet tall, with a stairway on the
east side. The altar will be tiered,
with the base thirty-eight feet square, the third twenty-four and one-half feet
square, and the top level (the ‘altar hearth’) twenty-one feet square.”
I really do not like making all of these quotes, but it
is the only way I will learn something and hopefully anyone else who reads this
too.
I believe that this temple described here is the millennial
temple and I also believe that there will be sacrifices being made in this
temple which will look back at what Christ did on the cross and all the people
who will live during this 1000 years will understand what Christ did to
purchase their salvation as in the case today all people will have to be saved
in the very same way that people are saved today.
5/11/2015 7:28 PM
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