Congregation Bible Study (30 min.): Rr ch. 14 paras. 1-7 and video.
"This is the law of the temple"
MAIN IDEA: The Vision of the Temple: Practical Lessons for Ezekiel's Day and What It Means for Us Today
ANALYSIS OF THE VIDEO AND ANSWERS TO THE PARAGRAPHS
The previous chapter we reviewed what the vision of Ezekiel's temple meant for the captive Jews in Babylon, in this chapter we will see some specific lessons that the vision transmitted to the Jews and thus we will understand the important message that the vision has for us today and in the future.
Let's read together the thematic text Ezekiel 43 verse 12, "This is the law of the temple, all the land around the top of the mountain is most holy, yes, this is the law of the temple"
As you study the chapter "This is the Law of the Temple," try to answer these questions, What practical lessons from the vision of the temple might the exiled Jews draw? Why do we say that the vision also has to do with us? After seeing the outline of Ezekiel's temple vision, what lessons do you plan to put into practice in your worship?
The temple of the vision of Ezekiel, reminds us that Jehovah is the great instructor, through these detailed descriptions Jehovah teaches us everything we need to know about the worship that he approves although the morality of this world goes downhill, let us remember that the Jehovah's high moral standards do not change he expected the Israelites to give him pure worship and he expects the same from us today.
1, 2. a) What did we learn in the previous chapter about Ezekiel's vision of the temple?
What we learned in the previous chapter is that the temple Ezekiel saw was not the great spiritual temple that the Apostle Paul spoke of centuries later.
We also learned that the reason why Jehovah emphasized this important idea and repeated the expression twice in a row: “This is the law of the temple”, he did so because the objective of that vision was to teach the people the value of the norms of God for pure worship. For if the people were obedient and followed these standards, they could once again have a good relationship with Jehovah.
1, 2. b) What two things will we discuss in this chapter?
In this Chapter we will discuss lessons and the significance of this vision of the temple for us. We will first see what specific lessons the exiles should have learned about Jehovah's standards for pure worship. With this clear, we will see what the vision means for us now that we live in such a difficult time of these last days.
Lessons that vision taught in the past
3. Why could the scene of the vision have made the people ashamed of their behavior?
When the people saw the house of God raised up, that is, elevated to the important and glorious position it deserves, the kind-hearted Jews were sure to be ashamed of their behavior.
ADDITIONAL COMMENT
Let us remember that this vision had very striking features, for example what the Prophet wrote in Isaiah chapter 2: 2 where the high mountain is mentioned. It is likely that the people will associate the setting of Ezekiel's vision with the encouraging prophecy of restoration that Isaiah wrote, which taught them that pure worship would be exalted, held high, would be above all else, since they had not been doing their part, because for centuries they allowed pure worship to be degraded, contaminated and abandoned, that is why possibly the Jews were ashamed of their wrongdoing.
4, 5. What lesson did the exiled Jews perhaps learn about the massive gates of the temple?
The doors and guard rooms of the temple's vision make the lesson very clear: don't let that outrage happen again! To enter the house of God, one must respect his high standards. Only in this way does Jehovah approve of the worship of his people.
6, 7. (a) What message did Jehovah convey to his people with the image of the outer wall of the temple? (See note).
In this way, Jehovah was pointing out a contrast to the way his people had treated his holy house in the past: “They put their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts next to my doorposts - with only a wall between them and me — thus polluting my holy name with the detestable things they did ”(Ezek. 43: 8). In ancient Jerusalem, there was only one wall that separated the temple from the rest of the city.
6, 7. b) How had the Israelites treated Jehovah's house? (See note).
When people strayed from Jehovah's righteous standards, they brought their impurity and idolatry right next to Jehovah's house, something totally unacceptable.
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