Vs.7-9 It is true that Israelites were not subject to servitude like the remnants of other nations.  Neither were they all in the army.  Some were pressed into temple service, while others were merchants and farmers etc. 

The underlying and growing discontent with Solomon was that he taxed everyone for everything.  Merchants, for example, had to cough up part of their proceedings while farmers had to render a portion of their produce.  Running such a magnificent kingdom was expensive and Solomon did not miss any opportunity to finance it. 

Thus, when Rehoboam came to power, there was a petition from Israelites seeking tax relief.  This tax revolt was met with disdain by Rehoboam. 

Jeroboam had been in charge of the work force for the house of Joseph (1Kin 11:28) and obviously had the respect of the workers.  It was to him that the disgruntled workers turned for leadership.

8:14  The seeming incidental comment that things were done according to what David had planned belies the massive amount of work that david had been doing during his life – even though he had been told that he could not build the house! 1Chron 17:4

V.18 Ophir was renowned for its gold.  The actual location of Ophir is uncertain.  Some scholars believe that it was in India; while others suggest it was in the Arabian Peninsula; yet others think it might have been on the East African coast near the Somali Republic.

8:8  In making the Hittites and the other tribes who still remained in the land pay tribute he is neglecting the words of Moses – Deut 7:2. They should hav ebeen destroyed. So Solomon was following in the folly and disobedience seen right from the times of the Judges.

8:17 Solomon traded with the nations in the world to bring the ‘riches of the gentiles’ into Israel. So we see a development from the kingdom of David where external trade is not an aspect that he did to any degree.

8:13 The mention of ‘three times in a year’ simply states that Solomon followed the requirements of the law of Moses – Exo 23:17 – something which seems to have faded out of Israel’s worship after the days of Solomon.

V.1 It took Solomon approximately 13 years to build his own house, and approximately 7 years to build Yahweh’s house (1Kin 7:1; 9:10).

V.4 Tadmor  means The city of palms.  It was known by the Greeks and Romans as Palmyra.

V.5 Beth-horon means House of the hollow and was situated in the territory of Ephraim, north-west of Jerusalem. The Upper Beth-horon and the Nether (lower) Beth-horon were 2 miles (3.22 km) apart.

V.6 Baalath was a town in the territory of Dan.

Vs.17,18 See 1Kin 9:26-28.  Notice the difference in the amount of gold.  One account is not accurate.

8:9 The way that Solomon treated his own people contrasts with the way that an earthly king would behave as warned by Samuel – 1Kin 8:11-17. Thus we are informed that Solomon’s kingdom – at least in its early days, was not like the kingdoms of men.

v.12 "most holy" This superlative, which had been used exclusively of the holy of holies (Exo 26:34) was now to characterize the entire building.

a) In Eze 43:2-4 Ezekiel links the glory of God which fills this new temple with the glory he had seen right at the beginning of his prophecy (see especially Eze 11:22,23). In today’s chapter therefore we are told that although it is Jesus Christ who will be reigning on earth, it is God’s glory which comes into the new temple.  When Jesus rose from the dead, He told the Disciples “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earthâ€�, Matt 28:20. Obviously God’s glory is now so completely in Christ, that in the kingdom Christ will show forth “the glory of the Lordâ€�.
b) The last verse today gives us another wonderful insight in the kingdom age. Eze 43:27 says that the sacrifices will be made on the “eight dayâ€� – that’s a Sunday. Before Christ died the holy day for Jews was Saturday, the Sabbath. But then in the New Testament era Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday, and so His followers, the Christians, worshipped on a Sunday, not a Saturday.  Now we are being told that in the Kingdom the holy day will be the first day of the week, a Sunday.  This of-course was prefigured by the feast of the Firstfruits being on a Sunday (check Lev 23:10,11).

43:7  God had said that He would dwell with Israel when they were in the wilderness Exo 25:8. There had been His house in Shiloh Josh 18:1 His glory had entered Solomon’s temple 2Chron 7:2 . But on each occasion God forsook His dwelling because of the rebelliousness of the people. Ezekiel now speaks of a time when this will never happen again – not because God has changed – it is the people who will change.

Solomon's temple was built on a divine design.  The temple, which was completed by Zerubbabel after the exile, was also built to design.  Perhaps Ezekiel assisted in that design. 

However, the temple that Ezekiel describes in Chs. 40-48 is not that of Zerubbabel.  Zerubbabel's temple was about the same size as Solomon's, but the temple that Ezekiel describes is much larger.  Even Herod's magnificent refurbished temple, which took over 80 years to complete, was smaller than Ezekiel's temple.  Of course, that structure was destroyed in 70 AD.

And so, it is clear, that the temple of Ezekiel's vision is one that will be realized in the kingdom after the return of Jesus. 

43:2 The noise of the glory of God being like ‘many waters’ is echoed in Rev 1:15

43:19  In specifying the way in which the sons of Zadok would approach unto God with a specified animal fits well with the idea that the sons of Zadok are mortal Jews of the line of Zadok officiating in the sanctuary.

43:3 ‘and I fell upon my face’ is an appropriate response for anyone seeing the glories of the kingdom. Ezekiel, so to speak, was in the kingdom and showed his response to that blessing. May we be in such a position when Christ returns. Doubtless this will be our response.

FILLED WITH GOD'S GLORY

If our bodies are the temple of the Living God, then we need to aim for achieving similar things to what is described about the temples in the Scriptures. One of the most important similarities we can ever have is to be filled with the glory of God.

After Ezekiel's tour of the temple to come, he finally saw the temple filled with the glory of the LORD. He describes it like this: "The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple." (Eze 43:4-8)

For God's glory to fill anything, the temple or our bodies, they must be fit to be filled with God's glory. The temple will be made to God's design. It will be given every attention to detail that it needs. God will be pleased to fill it with his glory. In the same way, to be filled with the glory of the LORD we need to be living in the way God designed us to live - in holiness, purity and love. And just as the temple will be perfect in its smallest detail, so we need to pay attention to every small detail of the way we live our lives so that they are fit for God to fill with his glory.

Let's live in such a way that we are filled with God's glory and that it shines from us for all to see.

V.4 The main entrance to the temple faces east. The reason is the light comes from that direction in the morning.  That light is representative of Jesus who is the morning star (Venus) which is visible in the eastern sky before sunrise (Rev 22:16).

Jesus is also called the Sun of righteousness which shows that He fills the day with the brightness of His being (Mal 4:2).  When Jesus is revealed to the world, the wicked will be destroyed with the brightness of his coming (2Thess 2:8) (KJV).

V.12 The whole of the mountain plateau on which the temple stands is sacred.

V.16 The altar surface is approximately 18 feet (5.5 m) x 18 feet (5.5 m).  Compare the size of this altar to the one described in 2 Chronicles 4 (see my note on Oct.14^th.)

V.17 The stairs to the altar face east like the main entrance to the temple.

Cyrus's temple

When reading Ezekiel's temple vision, I think we probably fit into two categories. Some think more of a future physical fulfilment of this temple. Some think more about the spiritual lessons derived from it. But v9-11 give a far different picture, because in v11 God commands Ezekiel:

"If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple... that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances and perform them"

So the temple plans delivered to Ezekiel were meant to be built after the 70 years captivity, and the associated way of worshipping God was to be performed from then on. It was neither spiritual or future, but meant to be a present reality. Cyrus's proclamation in Ezra 1 should be seen as the start of the attempt to carry out these plans. But the success of this was dependant on their repentance (note: "If they are ashamed"). Which was also contained in God's promise:

"this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever... no more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name" (v7).

But because Israel didn't really repent after the captivity, and the priests did defile God's Holy Name (v7 cp. Neh 13) God didn't allow this promise to be fulfilled. We are still waiting.

43:2 The return of the glory of God is a reversal of what Ezekiel saw – Eze 10:18 - so we see a time of glory being ushered in. A wonderful promise for those in exile in Babylon. It also speaks to us of the time when God will dwell with men.

9:40-41 The Pharisees were actually 'blind' as they were unable to see that Jesus was the Messiah despite having seen all the miracles that he had performed. However because they claimed to have understanding they were responsible for their situation. They would be judged according to their own assessment of themselves. They were, in fact, unteachable through their arrogance. Is this a lesson for us?

10:16 In saying that the sheep 'shall hear my voice' Jesus is quoting Psalm 95:7. This Psalm reminds Israel how they fell in the wilderness even though they had been delivered from Egypt. Very appropriate when we realise that he is calling for commitment close to the time of his death. Some would have continued with him for most if not all of his ministry and were liable to fall away just as Jesus effected the real work of redemption through his death and resurrection.

ch 9 - Continuing the theme seen the first time we read John this year the blind man was healed in contrast to the leaders who were blind. The detail is interesting :6 'anointed' literally is 'daubed' or 'spread'. Israel, In Isaiah's day (Isaiah 44:18) had their eyes shut because they had bee 'shut' - Hebrew 'daubed'.

10:25 So again, as we have commented twice before, we see that Jesus shows his utter dependence on his Father.

9:1-7 Jesus had just left the temple and encountered the man blind from birth. The Lord could have healed the man on the spot. Instead, He put a clay solution on his eyes and sent him to wash in the pool of Siloam.

The clay was significant of man's decaying constitution that could only be overcome by baptism (washing) through faith.

But the Pool of Siloam was not near the temple. It was situated to the south in the Lower City. This meant that the blind man would have to negotiate the narrow, busy streets half-way across town. That would indeed be a journey of faith. After successfully being guided to his journey's end he would be able to see perfectly.

We were blind from birth and doomed because of our disposition in Adam. Yet through belief, baptism, and a faithful walk, under guidance, we may yet be able to see perfectly in the Kingdom (1Cor 13:12).

Jesus goes on to talk about the same thing in Luke 15. The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost man, are the same as the salt that has lost it's saltiness, or the man who had sinned. The message of Jesus is that though men would cast this out, he on the other hand would restore it and make it salty. He would be the good shepherd, and the loving father in the parables. He demonstrated this exact thing in John 9v 35 "and when he had found him". Jesus searched for that lost man, found him, and showed him the way to restoration, which was by faith in the Christ (v35-39).

This episode is an acting out of the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost man. Jesus highlights this by saying in v39 exactly that which he had said about the parables. The lost son had understood the parable. The blind man knew he was a sinner, and was the one who understood the gospel. The Pharisees who believed they had no sin (I think we can assume this from v34) didn't understand. They were the son who remained with his father, or the sheep who were in the pen. They said "we see", therefore their sin remained (v41).

ch 10 A shepherd risks his life to protect the sheep from being taken (v11). If the shepherd is already dead, and it was because he was protecting the sheep (v15), then logically the thing he was fighting must be gone, or else he was not a very good shepherd. What I mean to say is this; the battle is over, and there are no more wild animals. The shepherd has already died in protecting us sheep. This means that there is nothing more for him to fight (Romans 8v1). Our only fight now is for us to follow on behind him, as he leads us in and out. If we do this, sin has no more hold on us.

9:33 In saying 'If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.' The man who was born blind is simply restating what Nicodemus said (John 3:2)

10:39Jesus is seen in John to be in danger a number of time.(John 7:30,44, 8:59) where his enemies wanted either to capture or kill him.

9:17 We see here a spiritual developement within the man that had been born blind at this point. When first asked how his eyes were opened, he answered that he knew him not(Christ), (V.12) Now, when asked the third time, he answers that Jesus was a prophet. For God had revealed himself to him through Jesus. Another thing we must not discount,is the fact that this would have taken a lot of courage. An example for all.

10:11-14 Jesus talks about two classes of leaders: shepherds and hirelings.  The shepherd puts the needs of his sheep first; a hireling seeks his own welfare first.  Such was the difference between the first king (the people's choice) Saul, and the second king (God's choice) David.  David, of course, foreshadowed the Lord Jesus. 

We should consider of which class we are.  Do we put the needs of our brethren first, or are they secondary?  This consideration is important on both an individual level and an ecclesial leadership level.  Shepherds are the only acceptable leaders to the Lord.

9:16 The division caused by Jesus’ healing is what the gospel is all about. It causes division – or at least it should – between those who see Jesus as Messiah and those who do not. It should not cause division between them who do see Jesus as Messiah.

10:37  In claiming, by implication, that he was doing ‘the works of his Father’ he was doing no more than the Pharisees would have claimed – or at lest should have been doing. It was the fact that Jesus’ actions condemned them because they were not doing God’s will that caused them to hate Jesus.

10:16 Jesus' first obligation was to save His people Israel (Matt 15:24).  He makes it clear, though, that His mission was to eventually include the Gentiles also.

10:41 John was revered as a prophet even though he never performed a single miracle (John 21:25).  Jesus underscored His credibility by performing miracles and yet many would not accept Him (John 14:11). 

FOUR DIFFERENT REACTIONS TO JESUS

1. The neighbours revealed surprise and skepticism (v.8)

2. Some Pharisees showed disbelief and prejudice (v.16)

3. The parents believed but kept quiet for fear of excommunication (v.20-21)

4. The healed man showed consistent and growing faith (A champion for the Lord)

"Where there is no vision, the people perish" Prov 29:18

Vision is the world's most desperate need. There are no hopeless situations, only people who think hopelessly. Heb 12:2

9:11-12 That the man did not know who Jesus was highlights the fact that Jesus did not perform miracles to elevate himself in the yes of the people.

9:5 In speaking of himself as ‘the light of the world’ Jesus s returning to a point he has already made – John 8:12. But it is not just Jesus who is the light of the world. We are, likewise to be lights – Matt 5:14. It is not good enough looking to Jesus and to sit back and relax. He is our example. We must imitate him.

9:5 In speaking of himself as ‘the light of the world’ Jesus s returning to a point he has already made – John 8:12. But it is not just Jesus who is the light of the world. We are, likewise to be lights – Matt 5:14. It is not good enough looking to Jesus and to sit back and relax. He is our example. We must imitate him.

9:3 Jesus dispels the Jewish notion that infirmities were the result of sin (9:34). 

10:20 Jesus’ detractors said that he had a devil (KJV), or more correctly a demon (ESV).  Being possessed by a demon was attributed to those having a mental incapacity.  In Jesus’ case, he was thought to be insane.

10:22 The Feast of Dedication (ESV), which we know today as Hanukkah, was introduced by Judas Maccabeus to commemorate the cleansing of the temple after Antiochus Epiphanes (215 BC-164 BC) had defiled it.

Judas Maccabeus led a successful revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes from 167 BC-160 BC. It was in 165 BC that Judas established the feast in December of that year.  The feast ran for eight days.

9:11 The reaction of the Pharisees to the man who had been cured of his blindness is an awful parable of the nation of Israel. They could ‘see’ but were blind in that they could not ‘see’ their Messiah. The man had been bind but now recognised Jesus as a prophet. –Isa 6:9-10