SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 40
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Then he measured the court: It was square—a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple. [Ezekiel 40:47]
Oh no, more boring, detailed instructions about the temple… brings me back to when we read chapter after chapter on the building of the tabernacle (Exodus 25ff).
To be honest, this did not inspire me, and it is only because I know the meaning behind the temple that I can get something out it.
The temple and the altar, and all that relates to them, are symbols.
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence [Hebrews 9:24].

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. [Matthew 23:16-21]
Jesus rebukes the religious leaders for paying more attention to the physical features of the temple than the spiritual meaning behind them – the one who dwells in it!
The physical temple was a copy of the heavenly temple – the ‘place’ where we meet with God personally.
The exact dimensions were God’s way of communicating the perfection of the heavenly temple: “a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” [Hebrews 8:5].
The physical altar symbolizes the amazing grace of God when we meet Him in His holy presence, for He provides the sacrifice to cover our shame and guilt.
Through Jesus’ sacrificial death, we are forgiven and welcomed to stand before God.

Symbols are helpful pointers, or signs, that show us where to direct our attention.
It doesn’t matter how beautiful or impressive the sign that points to the Grand Canyon is, it cannot compare the the Grand Canyon itself.
Do we get sidetracked by the symbols: folding our hands to pray, singing songs, building impressive sanctuaries, pulpits, stained glass windows, ornate crosses, holy days, religious leaders, spiritual disciplines, and so on?
All these can help direct us to God, but if they are all that we see, we miss the point.
The point is God, and Jesus Christ, and our ability to enter His presence and relate with Him through His amazing love and mercy.

PRAYER:
Lord, help me not get stuck on being ‘religious’, help me to relate to You, and to experience You through all that I see and do and experience.