Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

Today we continue with Ezekiel's vision tour of a new temple design. But instead of the

whole place being empty, today we get to see it being filled, with people and their jobs, and even with Yahweh himself.

But before we jump in, just a reminder that this section of scripture, Ezekiel 40 through 48, is one of the most challenging for commentators.

So take it easy on yourself if you're having a hard time with this. Even Bible scholars find it difficult. And take it easy on me if we happen to disagree on any points. Remember back in chapter 10

when God's presence left the temple on his cherubim chariot and headed east to Babylon?

Today in chapter 43 we see him returning the same way he left, through the eastern gate.

When he sees this, Ezekiel falls on his face in worship,

but then the spirit lifts him up again, as is his way, and takes him from the outer court to the

inner court, where Ezekiel hears God speaking to him from inside the temple. In the layout of the

temple complex, the outer courts are very large, the inner courts are smaller, the holy

place is smaller, and the most holy place, the holy of holies where God's manifest presence

dwells in his most saturated form, is the smallest of all. You may wonder why God's room

is the smallest, why he doesn't get the most square footage. But as we know, he's actually

everywhere, so he does. He's in dimensions we haven't even accessed yet.

So we don't have to worry about him being confined to a 900 square foot space.

And on top of that, there's some meaningful symbolism in this layout.

It corresponds to what we talked about yesterday with the separation of the holy and the common.

We'll talk a little more about that in a few minutes.

When God speaks to Ezekiel, he tells him to do two main things. First, write down all the

dimensions of this temple and then tell the people about it, because it will humble them.

Second, write down all the laws God gives and command the people to obey them. What's interesting

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