And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.” Ezekiel 40:4

Ezekiel 40-48 is one of the most puzzling portions of scripture in the whole Bible. Opinions vary widely about the exact interpretation of these chapters. How are we to read such sections of the Bible and what applications can we make?

The first thing we must settle ourselves on is the fact that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God and profitable…” With this in mind, we dare not dismiss what is difficult as being unimportant.

There is a lesson to be learned from these chapters, complete with seemingly tedious details that are admittedly removed from our everyday lives. Contrary to the popular idiom, “the devil is in the details,” God is the One who is in the details. That God is so concerned with the details of this temple—which does not appear to have ever been built—how much more interested is He in the detail of the lives of His beloved people? And since the details given in Ezekiel 40-48 are largely about a temple (a place of worship), how much is God interested in the details of our worship? Let us rest in His detailed care for us, and let us extend ourselves in worship of Him.