LIFE-STUDY OF EZEKIEL
Message 20
THE OUTER AND INNER COURTS
WEEK 9 - FRIDAY
Scripture Reading: Ezek. 40:17-47; 46:21-22
Read and pray: “Jesus therefore said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst.” (John 6:35)
THE OUTER AND INNER COURTS
In the previous message, we covered many of the details related to the gates. They are divided into four sections: the outer court, the passage, the outer court, and the porch. Each gate has six cubits of height and ten cubits of width. Six is the number of the Lord’s humanity, by which He fulfilled all the requirements of the Ten Commandments. This indicates that the number six fulfills the number ten; that is, the man Jesus fulfills the Ten Commandments.
As we have pointed out, the dimensions of the guard chambers correspond to the dimensions of the cross section of the wall of six cubits by six. This indicates that, for us, the guard chambers are Christ Himself as God mingling with man.
The passage, having the number eight, indicates a new beginning in resurrection. The porch, the final section of the gate, has the numbers two, six, and eight, indicating that the Lord as a man is in full resurrection.
All the numbers used in Ezekiel, with respect to the building of God, are very significant. The numbers three, five, and multiples of five are used frequently. For example, the extensive use is of the number thirty, which typifies the Triune God in resurrection bearing the full responsibility.
When Ezekiel saw the visions in chapter one, he was thirty years of age. There are thirty supporting pillars, thirty chambers in the outer court, and thirty side chambers around the temple. In Ezekiel, the number thirty indicates both maturity, which is able to bear something, and also the enjoyment and expression of Christ.
The palm trees on the columns represent victory and eternal power. Because the columns must bear the weight of the roof and support the entire building, they need to be in victory and be eternal. Christ is the column that supports and bears the building of God with a victorious, eternal life.
We also saw that the gate has thirty windows to let in light and air. These windows are covered with a lattice or screen to keep negative things out. All this is precisely the work of the life-giving Spirit: He brings in the light and the air, but continually keeps the negative things out.
In this message, we will continue to see that in the temple in Ezekiel there are two courts: the outer court and the inner court. We will first consider what the outer court is and then the inner court.
THE OUTER COURT
If we want to enter into the temple, which Ezekiel saw in his vision, we must first go up the seven steps and then pass through the spacious gate. This would bring us into the outer court of the temple.
The Pavement
The first thing we need to pay attention to in the outer court is the pavement. There is pavement around the wall on the three sides of the outer court—on the east, south, and north.
The Chambers
There are six different sections, or areas, of pavement, and in each section there are five chambers. This means that there are thirty chambers. Here, the number thirty is composed of five times six.
In addition to the thirty chambers on the pavement, there are four small courts, one at each corner of the outer court. These four courts at the four corners are places for boiling the sacrifices.
In modern terms, these are kitchens, places for cooking food. These kitchens are used not by the priests, but by the people. Considering that the priests eat in the inner court, the people eat in the outer court.
Outside of these kitchens, these places for cooking, there are some chambers. These chambers are for eating, just as in our homes, the space connected to the kitchen is the dining room, a place to eat the meal prepared in the kitchen.
In Ezekiel, the chambers connected to the kitchens are dining rooms for the people to enjoy the sacrifices. This indicates that these chambers are places to enjoy Christ. From this we can see that the main thing in the outer court is the enjoyment of Christ as the offerings and sacrifices.
After passing through the gate, we arrive at the outer court and enter into the chambers to eat, to enjoy, Christ, who is the reality of all the offerings.
Ezekiel tells us that these chambers for eating are built upon the pavement (40:17). In ancient times, the pavement of a court was made with stones. This indicates that whenever we are about to enjoy Christ, we need to be on a pavement made of stones. The stone pavement separates us from the dust of the earth. Otherwise, our feet would be on the ground. As believers in Christ, we have the pavement of stones that separates us from the dirt.
Although we are still on the earth and in the world, we are separated from every kind of dirt. Originally, as the old creation, we were clay, being the same as the earth in nature. We came out of the earth, and we were one with the earth.
But when we were saved, converted, and regenerated, we became stones, which are for the pavement. Now, if we intend to enjoy Christ, we need to be on the stones of our regeneration.
However, in their daily situation, many genuine Christians do not remain on these stones. After work, they participate in certain entertainments and worldly activities. They are genuine Christians, but they have their feet in the dirt; they do not have a stone pavement under their feet.
With us in the church life in the Lord’s recovery, our situation should be very different. When we come home after a day of work or school, we may rest or have dinner. Then we exercise our spirit to call on the Lord, to meet together to enjoy the Lord.
This indicates that we are standing on a stone pavement. Furthermore, in our experience, the pavement on which we stand becomes a place, a “chamber,” for us to enjoy Christ.
Many of us can testify that day by day we are in the chambers enjoying Christ. This is especially true on the Lord’s Day. By contacting the Lord early in the morning, we place our feet on the stones and prepare ourselves to enter into the chambers. Then, in the meetings of the church, we can enjoy Christ by eating Him.
🌿Enjoy more:
Hymn: Assurance and Joy of Salvation - "Satisfied with Christ"
https://hinario.org/detail.php?tab=1&mainmp3=admin/Uploaded-mp3-Files/0325.1.voz_piano.mp3&id=392
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