Thoughts for the Day

Then the Lord brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; and I looked, and lo, the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord; and I fell upon my face. The Lord said to me: Mortal, mark well, look closely, and listen attentively to all that I shall tell you concerning all the ordinances of the temple of the Lord and all its laws; and mark well those who may be admitted to the temple and all those who are to be excluded from the sanctuary. Say to the rebellious house, to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: O house of Israel, let there be an end to all your abominations ... You have broken my covenant with all your abominations. And you have not kept charge of my sacred offerings; but you have appointed foreigners to act for you in keeping my charge in my sanctuary.

Thus says the Lord God: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, shall enter my sanctuary. The Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols when Israel went astray, shall bear their punishment. They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple, and serving in the temple ... . They shall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of my sacred offerings, the things that are most sacred. Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, to do all its chores, all that is to be done in it.

But the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister to me; and they shall attend me to offer me the fat and the blood, says the Lord God. It is they who shall enter my sanctuary, it is they who shall approach my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Ezekiel lived in the 6th century BCE. He was born in Jerusalem and his father was a priest, but he was among the thousands deported to Babylon following the conquest of the city by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BCE. He was to deliver messages of judgment and restoration through powerful visions and symbolic actions. Today's words concerning the organisation of the restored Temple come seemingly near the end of his ministry and deal with the ritual associated with the Temple, and who may approach the sanctuary.

We see that God assigns the routine work of the Temple to those from the tribe of Levi who were not priests because they had allowed foreigners and possibly their idols into its precincts. They are not to come near God's sanctuary. But to the Levites who are priests and descendants of Zadok, and who have faithfully followed God's commands, he allows them access to His holy place. Centuries later the priest, Zechariah, would be visited by the Angel Gabriel in the sanctuary of the restored Temple. He was to predict the birth of his son John the Baptist - the forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus.

Today every single Christian has the privilege of coming before the Lord God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We can open our hearts to Him in the silence of our bedroom; or in a time of joyful worship with others in church. We can be penitent at wrong behaviour as we confess our sin; or hopeful as we ask for healing for a loved one or for ourself. Whatever our reason or need we have an invitation to meet with Him at any time, whether our prayers are directed to God as Father, Son, or Holy Spirit - One God in three Persons. He longs for us simply to turn to Him.

Almighty God,
we know You as Father,
as Son,
and as Holy Spirit.
May we turn to You as easily
as we turn to our family or friends,
so that You are the first point of call
when we need to share our joys or woes.
So may our confidence grow that
we learn to listen to You
and not just talk to You.
Amen.