Ezekiel · chapter 43 of 48
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Ezekiel 43 is the climax of the temple vision. The glory of the God of Israel returns from the east, with a sound like many waters, and enters the temple by the east gate. A voice declares that this place is God's throne, where he will dwell among Israel forever. Then the altar and the sacrifices of its seven-day consecration are described.
In chapters 8 to 11, Ezekiel had seen the glory of God leave the temple in Jerusalem toward the east. Now, in chapter 43, that glory returns by the same road. It is the most important point of the whole vision: what makes a temple sacred is not its measurements but God's presence, and everything before prepared for this moment.
The guide takes Ezekiel to the gate that faces east, and there he sees the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. Its voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with its glory. The vision was like the one he had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the one he saw by the Chebar River, and Ezekiel falls on his face. The glory of the Lord enters the temple by the gate that faces east. The Spirit lifts him up and brings him into the inner court, and he sees that the glory of the Lord fills the temple.
From the temple the Lord speaks to him while the man stands beside him. He says that this is the place of his throne and the soles of his feet, where he will dwell among the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer defile his holy name by idolatry or by the dead bodies of their kings set by his threshold. Ezekiel is to describe to Israel the temple, with its design and its rules, so that they will be ashamed of their sins.
The rest of the chapter describes the measurements of the altar, with its base, its steps and its four horns. Then instructions are given for consecrating it: seven days of sacrifices with a bull, a male goat and a ram, and the offerings of the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok. From the eighth day on, the Lord will accept them.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The glory of the God of Israel comes from the east with a sound like many waters, and the earth shines. Having seen it depart, Ezekiel now sees it return: God does not abandon his people forever.
The Spirit lifts Ezekiel and brings him into the inner court, where the glory of the Lord fills the temple. It is the fulfillment of the hope of the whole book: God returns and dwells among his own again.
The Lord declares that this place is his throne, where he will dwell among the people of Israel forever. The condition is that they no longer defile his name with idolatry, and the promise shows that God wants to live with his people.
From the eighth day on, the priests will offer the sacrifices on the altar, and the Lord says he will accept them. The consecration of the altar opens the possibility of a continuing relationship with God through offering.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: From the east. — Ezekiel 43:2
Answer: The sound of many waters. — Ezekiel 43:2
Answer: He falls on his face. — Ezekiel 43:3
Answer: That it is the place of his throne and the soles of his feet, where he will dwell among Israel forever. — Ezekiel 43:7
Answer: So that they will be ashamed of their sins. — Ezekiel 43:10
Answer: Seven days of sacrifices, and from the eighth day the Lord accepts them. — Ezekiel 43:25-27
This chapter answers the deepest question of a people in exile: will God return? The answer is yes. For those who feel far from God because of sin, pain or silence, Ezekiel 43 affirms that his glory can return. In a small group each person can name a place in their life where they need God to dwell again.
It also warns that God's presence is not to be managed. He asks for a people who do not defile his name. For Christians, the New Testament teaches that the Spirit dwells in believers and in the church, and that calls us to live in a way worthy of that presence.
Ezekiel 43 shows God's glory returning to dwell in the temple and the consecrated altar. Chapter 44 turns to the closed east gate, the service of the Levites and the rules for the priests.
In Ezekiel 10 and 11 the glory had left the temple toward the east before Jerusalem fell. That it returns by the same road means the exile and the abandonment are not final. For Christian readers, God's presence with his people is fulfilled fully in Jesus, of whom John says he dwelt among us.
It probably refers to the practice of burying kings or erecting funeral monuments near the temple, or to the worship of dead kings or idols beside it. The expression points to a defilement of the holy place. The text says this will not happen again, and it underlines the purity God requires for his presence.