Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Read Ezekiel 46-48

Next week will be our final – “wrap up” – lesson of Ezekiel.

Questions to Consider

1. Review your notes from our last lesson and be reminded of the things that lead into, and set the stage for, this week’s passage.

2. Read chapters 46-48.

Consider lessons 18-19 (links above) alongside today’s passage. Does today’s passage seem to be a “near” prophecy (for Ezekiel’s immediate audience) or a “far” prophecy (for an audience far in the future), or both? Why?

If 46-48 is a “far,” perhaps even an eschatological (end times / eternity) prophecy, what is the significance of the emphasis on the temple, Old Testament style offerings and sacrifices, and land allotment for the twelve tribes? What about Christians and the church?

3. Explain how God’s specificity in chapter 46 about the entrances and exits, and the offerings and sacrifices, points to His specificity about how He is to be worshiped. Is it OK with God if we approach Him in worship in any old way we choose? How does this passage undergird the regulative principle of worship?

4. How does God’s precision in the measurements and the boundaries of chapters 47-48 demonstrate His attributes of precision and perfection in Creation and in the details of our daily lives? What does this attribute tell you about His knowledge, His power, and His authority over all of Creation, including people?

Compare 47:12 with Revelation 22:1-2. What similarities or differences do you see? What do these similarities and/or differences tell you?

5. In 48:11, God makes a special note of “the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did”. How does this reflect God’s attribute of justice – that He knows exactly who has done exactly what and will recompense each person accordingly?

6. Explain why today’s passage might have been a little easier to understand if you lived at the time of Ezekiel and were familiar with the temple’s structure, the sacrificial / offering system, and the geography of Israel. Why do you think God put certain things in the Bible that are difficult for us to understand conclusively? How can this help us to develop humility before God and trust in God?

Homework

Read:

• Who is the prince in Ezekiel 46? at GotQuestions
• The Sacrifices of the Prince at Ligonier
• Ezekiel’s Vision of Israel’s New Boundaries at ESV

Suggested Memory Verse

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Read Ezekiel 43-45

Questions to Consider

1. Review your notes from our last lesson and be reminded of the things that lead into, and set the stage for, this week’s passage.

2. Read chapters 43-45.

Consider last week’s lesson. Does this passage seem to be a “near” prophecy (for Ezekiel’s immediate audience) or a “far” prophecy (for an audience far in the future), or both? Why?

Look up all the cross-references to the book of Revelation. In what ways does this passage in Ezekiel seem similar to the themes in Revelation?

3. Why would it have been meaningful to Ezekiel and the exiles to hear about the glory of the Lord returning to the temple (43:5, 44:4- Hint: use your cross-references.)?

Examine 43:10-11. Why would hearing Ezekiel describe the temple cause Israel to be ashamed of her sin? (10) If Israel was not ashamed of her sin, was Ezekiel to disclose the design, arrangement, etc., of the temple to her? Why? Explain why it is appropriate for God’s people to be ashamed when they have sinned.

4. Who is “the prince”? (44:3- Hint: use your cross-references. Who is “my servant, David“?) Considering that in 45:22, the prince makes a sin offering for both himself and the people, can the prince be Jesus?

How did the Levites sin, and what were the consequences for their sin? (44:9-14). How does this passage demonstrate that, though God forgives repentant sinners, He does not always remove the consequences of our sin?

How were the Levitical priests obedient to the Lord, and what were the consequences for their obedience? (44:15-31). How does this passage demonstrate that God blesses or rewards us when we obey Him?

Explain how God rewards our obedience with the blessings of (44:15-16):

• coming near to Him
• ministering to Him
• standing before Him
• making offerings to Him
• entering His sanctuary
• approaching His table
• keeping His charge

What does it mean for us as Christians that Christ is our inheritance? That Christ is our possession? (44:28) Examine 44:29-45:8a. How does the priests sharing in the offering that is made to God, and the apportioning of the land to the Lord, the priests, and the prince, point ahead to the concept that Christians are joint heirs with Christ?

5. Carefully examine 45:17 and compare the prince providing these offerings to the offerings the Prince of Peace has provided.

Homework

• Read my article Guilt and Shame: Burden or Blessing?

• Think back over a time of obedience or disobedience to God in your life. What were the consequences of your disobedience? The rewards of drawing nearer to God for your obedience? What did you learn from the consequences of your obedience or disobedience? Take some time to thank God for the consequences of disobedience and the blessings of obedience.

Suggested Memory Verse

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Read Ezekiel 40-42

Questions to Consider

1. Review your notes from our last lesson and be reminded of the things that lead into, and set the stage for, this week’s passage.

2. Read chapters 40-42.

3. What is your initial reaction when you read a passage like this one that seems irrelevant or inapplicable to you? Sometimes when we read Bible passages like this – blueprints, genealogies, censuses, inventories, etc. – we approach them with a very “me-centered” attitude. “Why do I need to read this? What am I supposed to get out of this? How is this supposed to apply to my life?” Consider this: is it possible that God didn’t write these passages for you – at least not in the way you might be thinking? That maybe He put these passages in Scripture for another reason? What are your thoughts about that? What could some of those “other reasons” be?

Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Explain how chapters 40-42 could be profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, or training in righteousness. Explain how it could help make the man of God complete or equip him for good works.

4. Using your footnotes and cross references, how long is a “long cubit / a cubit and a handbreadth”? (40:5) Pick a room, feature, or item in this passage for which measurements are given in cubits, and convert the measurements to English (i.e. feet/inches) or metric measurements.

5. Compare this vision of the temple to Ezekiel’s earlier vision of the temple in chapters 8-11 (lessons 5 & 6- links above). What are some similarities and differences you note? Through the comparison and contrast of the first and second visions of the temple, what do you think God might be trying to communicate to His exiled people with this second vision?

6. What can you learn from this passage about the nature and character of God, and His care for His people? Explain how God’s specificity about how His house was to be built points to His specificity about how He is to be worshiped. Is it OK with God if we approach Him in worship in any old way we choose? How does this passage undergird the regulative principle of worship?

7. Since the temple described in chapters 40-42 has never been built, theologians have speculated on when, if, and under what circumstances it might be built in the future. Check out the following resources to study this further:

Ezekiel Sees a New Temple at Ligonier

What is the significance of Ezekiel’s temple? at Got Questions

Ezekiel’s Temple at Grace Community Church

Homework

• Your “And you/they shall know that I am the Lord” list is complete as of our last lesson. The final use of this phrase in the book of Ezekiel is in chapter 39. Review your list. What did you learn about God, His people, etc., from making this list? Why do you think God doesn’t use this phrase in chapters 40-42? For example, something like: “And they shall know that I am the Lord when they see this amazing temple.”?

• If you’re an artistic or architectural type, sketch out one of the rooms, architectural features, items, or decorative features mentioned in this passage. Then do an image search on Google for “Ezekiel’s temple,” “cherubim,” etc., to compare your drawings to other artists’ renderings.

• Read my article God’s Not Like “Whatever, Dude,” About The Way He’s Approached in Worship

Suggested Memory Verse