Ezekiel’s Vision, Its Important Message for Me
Ezekiel’s vision was received in the hot, dusty city of Babylon. This was not where he wanted to be.
Ezekiel was born into the priestly tribe of Aaron. As a descendant of Aaron, he had the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies. This was in the magnificent Temple of Solomon. He wanted to light the candlestick and burn the incense in the Holiest place on earth.
Moses’ law was the foundation of Ezekiel’s education from childhood. They trained him in all the ritual sacrifices. He envisioned a life of service in the temple, like his father before him. He had waited patiently, knowing priests did not serve in the temple until they were 30 years old.
Before Ezekiel turned 30, with tears of anguish, he joined the 10,000 captives hauled off to Babylon in 598 BC. His tenderest hopes had slipped from his grasp somewhere along the 1,600-mile march to Babylon. Now he and his family were living among heathens. The people of Babylon did not know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Babylonians did not appreciate the Lord’s tender mercies to Israel. They failed to recognize how God had brought them out of captivity in Egypt.
Now Ezekiel was 30. The rock of reality had dashed all his hopes. Serving in the magnificent Temple of Solomon was something he would never do. He would never perform sacrifices to the Lord. The priestly temple garments would never clothe him.
To learn more about Solomon’s Temple, see: Solomon’s Temple
See my post: https://christiansearcher.com/israelites-enslaved-in-egypt-5-reasons-why/
Ezekiel’s Vision
Ezekiel’s heart must have ached, his soul troubled. He had planned his whole life to serve the Lord in Solomon’s temple. Now that dream was gone. He likely took his dilemma to the Lord, crying out in agony, “Lord, why me? I would have served you faithfully. I would’ve been a good priest.”
The Lord comforted Ezekiel with several visions. In one of Ezekiel’s visions, he saw God sitting on a throne in the temple. The throne of God floated on a platform with wheels. Four unique animals were present, one on each corner of the platform. The platform rose, carrying the Lord out of the temple toward the east.
My thoughts are that Ezekiel’s vision was the Lord’s way of reassuring Ezekiel. The first vision symbolically revealed that God was no longer present in the Jerusalem temple. The Lord had moved east to be with his people in Babylon.
Another of Ezekiel’s visions showed him the destruction of Jerusalem and the demolition and burning of the Temple. Ezekiel understood this. Even if he had remained in Jerusalem, he would never have served as a priest in the temple of Solomon.
In another of Ezekiel’s visions, he saw the future temple to be built in the last days in all its glory. As a special privilege, he was allowed to measure the millennial temple. With Ezekiel’s measurements, the Jews are planning to build a new temple someday where the original temple once stood.
God had a new plan for Ezekiel. The new plan was for him to serve the Lord in Babylon.
Ezekiel’s Important Message for Me
Ezekiel’s vision is correct. The Lord’s message to me is to serve Him where I am. I don’t need to go anywhere else. I can help my neighbors and share the gospel. God doesn’t ask me to do magnificent things. It is often the small things that make the biggest difference.
There are people I can serve here and now, even in our modern Babylon. I can share the love of Christ. I can become the disciple Jesus wants me to become. I can follow God’s plan for me.
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