The history of the Old Testament is a long, tumultuous story about God’s glory dwelling on Earth. “I will be your God and you will be my people,” he repeatedly told them after the exodus—and so he was. Even though the Israelites failed him over and over again, his glory dwelled in the temple in Jerusalem, and he blessed and prospered them. But Ezekiel lived when that era was coming to an end. Israel’s unfaithfulness was growing like a virus. So right before Israel fell into Babylonian captivity, Ezekiel was shown a vision of God’s glory officially leaving the temple in which he had dwelled for centuries. The day when the Lord abandoned them to the mess of their own making was a tragic day indeed.
Ezekiel’s prophecy was meant to be a startling wake-up call for Jewish leaders that had been taking God’s presence for granted. Praise God he dwelled with them, but that was by no means a given! They were in no position to pretend like they deserved his blessings! Naturally they got comfortable. They shut off their consciences and went lax on worshiping the Lord with all their heart and started bringing idolatrous abominations into God’s house. They made compromises on faithfulness. (Surely this kind of thing never happens today, does it?) But make no mistake: half-faithfulness is full rebellion. When God’s people slip idly into passive rebellion against God, they have no excuse for being surprised when God doesn’t stick around.
But like all Old Testament prophecies, this one anticipates a future day when everything wrong is made right. The glory of the Lord may have left the temple, but one day an everlasting temple would be built in which God’s glory would dwell intimately with us forever. The story of God’s presence on Earth reaches its exhilarating climax! His glory returned, and his name was Jesus; and it persists in the world even today, and its name is the church. You, church, are the extension of God’s glorious presence on Earth. You are the temple in which God dwells, and his glory is here to stay. Only this time he has washed us clean and made us new creations, so that we may worship him with full faithfulness! If Ezekiel’s prophecies mean anything for us, it’s this: God is here. So be good caretakers of his temple.
