New Construction

Therefore say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone. -- Ezekiel  11:16

When the children of Israel came into the Promised Land they brought with them the tabernacle of Moses, the sanctuary of the Lord.  David desired to build the Lord a permanent dwelling, and Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem.  Toward this temple, the Israelites prayed and to Jerusalem they gathered to celebrate the appointed feast.  This was the habitation of God upon the earth.  Here was the contact point between man and Divinity.  As they sang their songs of ascent, going up toward the temple mount, they could sense the One who inhabited the Most Holy Place within the temple where the golden cherubim stood ever overlooking the Ark of the Covenant. 

Yet, over time, the people of God turned from Him to pursue other interests, other idols.  For chastisement, calamity fell.  They were overrun by enemies, struck by famine and disease and killed by sword and spear or carried into captivity.  In foreign lands, the Jews were cut off from all of the beauties of the temple, from its services and celebrations.  They longed for Jerusalem, but, most of all, they longed for the Presence that dwelt there.  

With no access to the sanctuary, the captives thought there was no way to reach God or experience His pervading peace.  This was not so.  When they could not reach the holy hill of Zion, God came down to them where they were, and He became their sanctuary.  As the chapter concludes, the prophet sees what could hardly be imagined:  Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.  And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city (vv 22-23). 

The city of Jerusalem and the temple itself were doomed to destruction.  The glory of the Lord departed from the Holy of Holies.  The temple was a husk, fit only for the fire.  As long as the glory of God remained behind the veil, the forces of Nebuchadnezzar could not have entered, let alone destroyed His habitation.  The Lord left His shelter to become a Shelter for His scattered people.

Though it was a great catastrophe for the Jews, God’s departure from that man-made dwelling place was another step in the direction of a new kingdom, a New Jerusalem, and a new Temple.  In Christ, this new Tabernacle was seen in great glory.  He is the Chief Cornerstone of a Temple built, not by man, but by the Lord Himself.  It is made not of quarried granite but of living stones like you and me. 

A lot of prophecy experts like to talk about a rebuilt temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  I don’t know whether that will happen or not, but it is not the Temple I am interested in. 

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

 

Another Brick in the Wall

So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” -- Nehemiah 6:3

I am mistaken if I think that God does not know how to get His work done. To me it may look like things are pretty desolate, but I am not aware of the subtle movements, the warp and woof of circumstances that will create the perfect tapestry of the Lord’s intent. Who can project Sunday morning from Friday night apart from revelation?

The Jews were gradually being allowed to return to Judea from their exile in the various provinces of the Persian Empire. One highly placed Jew was Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian king. When Nehemiah learned through his sources the disreputable condition of Jerusalem and its walls, he was allowed a leave of absence to serve as governor of the city for a time in order to begin a restoration.

Walls represent separation. That can be bad – as we are told in Ephesians that Christ has torn down the dividing wall of hostility to make for Himself one people. Yet the Lord also calls us to be separate from the world and to be able to distinguish between the holy and the profane. We need that wall to both protect and define us.

Nehemiah had been successful in his work and was well on his way to raising the walls of his beloved city, but his efforts were not without opposition. There were others in the region that preferred the Jews be vulnerable, who pushed for assimilation. They feared a strong, well-defended city with its own unique identity. The city on the hill was a threat to their desires and intentions, as well as a constant reminder of the presence of God and His favor upon His people.

The defenders of Jerusalem under Nehemiah’s leadership were quickly becoming stronger as the walls and gates went up. The enemy, Sanballat and Geshem, sent a message to Nehemiah requesting a meeting with him in the villages of the Ono Valley. Nehemiah understood right away that outside the walls he would be subject to attack and possible assassination. He rejected the repeated challenges they sent him, choosing instead to remain with the great work of restoration.

As we look out upon the world today we see many challenges, many problems that call to us to leave our walls and go down into the valley. It’s easy to see that vulgar, petty, and trivial things need to be let go while we work on the walls of our New Jerusalem. But we also must be careful of the nobler and more important issues that challenge us. The Lord does call some of us to become involved in politics and governance. He will grant us access to those in authority, just as He did with Nehemiah, but it is always for the purposes of the kingdom. Politics, technology, finance, business, or any other worldly endeavor is never an end, but merely a means to an end. We must be sure the Lord has directed us to those things, and our primary focus must always be the “great work”. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness….

As Jesus said, we are in the world but not of it. Our separation is not physical but of the heart and its intent. Everyday as I go about my business in this world, I can remain safe in the stronghold of Christ, using every trouble as another brick in the wall, every trial as reinforcement of the gates.

Our efforts are likely to be unimpressive in the world’s eyes – even perhaps in our own. Their enemies derided the people of Jerusalem, saying that if a fox ran over their walls, they would fall. What the scorners and mockers fail to perceive or take into account is that the walls are not the issue. It is what they protect. In the heart of the city is a temple wherein the Lord of Glory dwells.

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in His holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not set his mind on what is false,
And who has not sworn deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
(Psalm 24:3-7)