Today’s Readings: Ezekiel 45-46; John 19
When the people of the land come together to worship the Eternal at the regularly scheduled feasts, all those who come in through the north gate are to go out through the south gate, and all those who come in through the south gate are to go out through the north gate. They will exit the temple through the opposite gate so they continue to move straight ahead. During these feasts, the prince will walk with everyone else, entering and exiting at the same time and in the same way as the commoners.
I ran across these two verses I just never remembered reading before. I know I have, but I just don’t remember them. Ezekiel is one of those books I don’t spend enormous amounts of time in, but you’d think after reading it more than 35 times, I’d remember it. But I don’t. When I them for the first time today, they really struck me for a couple of reasons.
I’ll start with the last part of verse ten first. The prince will walk with everyone else, entering and exiting at the same time and in the same way as the commoners. A remarkable verse to remind us that He made us all. No one is more important than another in His eyes. Our station in life, more often than not, comes as a result of our birth. We had no choice into which home we were born. God put us with the parent He chose, not us. We came to life in the country He decided, not us. So God directed the prince remember he serves the people he governs. He walks in the temple with everyone else.
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Second, I noticed in the ninth verse people who enter by the north gate leave by the south gate and those who enter by the south gate leave by the north gate. The verse says “so they continue to move straight ahead.” Jesus talks about walking a straight path rather than a crooked one. He talked about the difference between the straight and narrow path that few walk and the broad, crooked path that so many take to their destruction. The pattern of entering and exiting the temple served as a constant reminder to God’s people they were to walk a straight path.
The third thing I saw in the verse is that people enter from both the north and south gates. As they moved to the opposite gate, they necessarily met people coming in from the other direction. You see, God expects us to mingle with each other. He expects us to care about each other. He expects us to spend time with each other. His plan meant you met about half the people in the temple while you there. Coming in and going out of different gates you passed by a large crowd of worshipers. God gave every opportunity for His people to interact and share each others joys and burdens.
Do you do the same when you enter and exit your place of worship? It’s a good habit to start!
Join me next time, won’t you?
Richard
Walk with Me 