Ezekiel 41:25–26 (ESV) —
25 And on the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, such as were carved on the walls. And there was a canopy of wood in front of the vestibule outside. 26 And there were narrow windows and palm trees on either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule, the side chambers of the temple, and the canopies.
NOTE: I think what intrigues me the most about the Millennial temple is the use of Palm tree images throughout the building. These were used in Solomon's temple as well (1 Kings 6), but seem even more conspicuous in Ezekiel's description. Cooper writes:
The meaning of the palm tree and its use in the sanctuary is associated with the covenant of peace expressed in 34:25 and 37:26. Elsewhere in Scripture the palm tree symbolized righteousness (Ps 92:12) and longevity (vv. 18–20).
Psalm 92:12 (ESV) — 12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Even today, our picture of palm trees is the idea of an oasis. The trees are high enough to provide shade but not so high as to obscure the landscape. Similarly, in the first psalm, we have the picture of a righteous man.
Psalm 1:3 (ESV) —
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The new temple will exude peace, something few of us truly experience in life today. This is the true rest God promises. We experience a small taste of it as we mature in Christ, but our true rest remains for the time we will experience God's presence.
PONDER:
- We don't really know what heaven will be like, but we get glimpses of peace and righteousness. Life will be as God planned, and not as our sin allowed it to become.
PRAYER: Father, I pray that even now I could experience the peace that surpasses understanding. I pray that I would trust in you as the days unfold. I don't know what the future holds, but I want to live for you and not the things of the world.
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