Last week, in Lessons from Ezekiel’s Temple, Part 9, we discovered that the only way to come up to God’s sinless, holy level is through Jesus, our steps!
As you read through Ezekiel 40-42, you will quickly note that there are many references to chambers. There are chambers on the outer walls, there are sacrificial chambers, there are the side rooms of the temple, and finally, there are the priests’ rooms. Today’s lesson looks specifically at the priests’ rooms and the lessons this can teach us for our heart-temples today.
“Then he said to me, ‘The north and south rooms facing the temple courtyard are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings – the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings – for the place is holy. Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.'” (Ezek 42:13-14 NIV)
In order to understand the significance of these verses, we must remember that the temple courtyard was very near to the Holy of Holies, where the presence of God was to be found. As a result, the area was considered to be Holy, with no public access to anyone but the priests. The book of Revelation teaches that when we have given our hearts to Christ, we become priests: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father” (Rev 1:5-6 NIV). Therefore we, who have been made a kingdom of priests, are allowed to come this close to the Holy of Holies. We have access to the very presence of God!
Ezekiel 42:13-14 tells us that the priests’ chambers were specifically designed for two purposes: They were designed to be a place where the priests could eat the special “most holy” sacrifices, and they were designed to be the place where the priests could change into their holy garments before entering the inner court, and then back into their regular clothes before returning to the temple courtyard.
In the same way, we cannot enter the presence of God as we are. We, too, must prepare ourselves by eating the “most holy” sacrifice, and by properly attiring ourselves!
We also have a “most holy” sacrifice at our disposal: Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Before entering into God’s presence, we must accept that gift.
This idea of holiness is further expressed by the fact that the priests had to wear special clothing when entering into the presence of the Lord. In Matt 22, Jesus tells a story of a man who was invited to attend a wedding feast; only he came without being properly dressed. What happened to him? “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'” (Matt 22:13 NIV).
And just what are these special clothes? “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness“ (Isa 61:10 AMP)
In other words, each of us has direct access to the presence of God, to the throne room of God Himself. But only when we’ve made Him the Lord and Savior of our lives.
But even for those who have already accepted Jesus into their hearts, there is a lesson to be learned. The Bible tells us that our sin keeps us from hearing God’s voice: “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.“ (Isa 59:1-2) This means that before entering into the presence of the Lord, we would be wise to confess our sins before Jesus and repent of our transgressions. In so doing, we will ensure that God will NOT hide His face from us, but that He will hear us.
One last lesson to be learned: The priests’ rooms were “holy”, set aside for use in the work of the Lord. This should serve as an important reminder for us that we, too, need to have special “rooms” set aside for spending time with our Lord and Savior. This might be a specific place or places, or a specific time, or even a specific activity. But in order to build and maintain the vital relationship that God so longs to have with each of us, it does require that we spend quiet time with Him! We cannot be fit for God’s work without seeking the Lord in meditation and prayer!
Enough to ponder, but do ponder this: The priests’ rooms in the inner court yard remind us that in order to enter into the presence of the Lord, we must be pure and holy. We need to confess our sins and repent of our transgressions, and we need to don anew Jesus’ white robe of righteousness. It also reminds us of the importance of spending quiet time with our Lord, building that ever important relationship with Him!
Join us next week for another important lesson from the chambers of Ezekiel’s temple, Part 10B: The Sacrificial Rooms.
God bless each of you as you seek to draw closer to Him!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, www.scripturalnuggets.org , with Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org .
(To access the entire “Lessons From Ezekiel’s Temple” mini-series, please click here.)