God's Blueprint for Worship: The Outer Court
Introduction: More Than Bricks and Mortar
When we come to the fortieth chapter of Ezekiel, we are entering what many consider to be one of the most difficult sections of all Scripture. The prophet, having been shown the departure of God's glory from the first temple due to Israel's rampant idolatry, is now given a vision of a new temple, described in meticulous, and for some, bewildering, detail. For generations, interpreters have debated what to do with this temple. Is it a literal blueprint for a third temple to be built in Jerusalem? Is it a description of a millennial temple? The short answer is no. To read it that way is to misread the entire Bible. It is to read the Old Testament without New Testament glasses, which is to read it in the dark.
The apostle Paul tells us that we, the church, are the temple of the living God (1 Cor. 3:16). Peter says we are living stones being built into a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5). The Lord Jesus Himself identified His body as the true temple (John 2:19-21). And the book of Revelation shows us that the New Jerusalem, which is the Bride of Christ, the Church, is the fulfillment of this vision. Therefore, we must understand that Ezekiel's temple is a magnificent, symbolic vision of the Christian church. It is not about a physical building, but about the spiritual reality of God's people, redeemed by Christ, indwelt by the Spirit. It is a blueprint for the life and worship of the New Covenant community.
This is not an excuse to spiritualize away the details. Far from it. The details are freighted with meaning. Every cubit, every gate, every chamber is teaching us something about the nature of the Church and our worship. God is a God of order, not of chaos. He is a divine architect, and His house has a structure. Our worship is not a free-for-all, a casual get-together. It is a structured, covenantal conversation with the living God. And the architecture of this visionary temple reveals the grammar of that conversation. As we are brought into the outer court, we are being shown the first principles of what it means to be the people of God, gathered for worship.
The Text
Then he brought me into the outer court, and behold, there were chambers and a pavement made for the court all around; thirty chambers faced the pavement. The pavement (that is, the lower pavement) was by the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates. Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gate to the front of the exterior of the inner court, one hundred cubits on the east and on the north.
(Ezekiel 40:17-19 LSB)
Entering the Assembly (v. 17a)
The first movement in our text is the entrance into a specific, defined space.
"Then he brought me into the outer court..." (Ezekiel 40:17a)
Ezekiel is led by his angelic guide out of the gatehouse and into the outer court. This is the first and most accessible area of the temple proper. In the old economy of worship, this was the place for the people. It was a place of gathering, of assembly. This architectural feature teaches us a foundational truth about our faith: it is not a private, individualistic affair. It is corporate. God saves individuals, but He saves them into a body, a people, an assembly. The Greek word for church, ekklesia, means "the called-out assembly."
This corresponds to the first movement in our own worship, which we call the Call to Worship. God summons us. He calls us out of the world and into His holy presence, into His courts. "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!" (Ps. 100:4). Worship is not something we initiate. It is a response to a divine summons. When the minister stands and calls us to worship in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, he is doing what this angelic guide did for Ezekiel. He is bringing us into the outer court. This act defines the space and the time as holy. We are no longer in the common world; we are in the courtyard of the great King.
Chambers of Service, Pavement of Unity (v. 17b-18)
Once inside the court, Ezekiel sees two prominent features: chambers and a pavement.
"...and behold, there were chambers and a pavement made for the court all around; thirty chambers faced the pavement. The pavement (that is, the lower pavement) was by the side of the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates." (Ezekiel 40:17b-18)
Let us take these in turn. First, there are thirty chambers. In the old temple, chambers like these were used for all the practical business of worship. They were for the priests to prepare, for storing tithes and offerings, for the various tools and instruments of the sacrificial system. They represent the work and service of the church. A church is not just a weekly audience; it is a workshop. It is a place of ministry, of service, of deacons and elders and teachers and helpers all doing their part. These chambers lining the court tell us that the gathered church is an equipped and organized church, prepared for service.
And there are thirty of them. Numbers in Scripture are rarely accidental. The number thirty is often associated with the beginning of mature service. Joseph was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh and began to rule (Gen. 41:46). Priests began their official ministry at thirty (Num. 4:3). David began his reign at thirty (2 Sam. 5:4). And our Lord Jesus began His public ministry when He was about thirty years of age (Luke 3:23). These thirty chambers signify a church that is mature, ready for its work, and fully equipped for the ministry God has given it.
These chambers are built upon a pavement. This pavement, we are told, is a lower pavement, running alongside the gates. A pavement is a foundation. It is a unified, solid surface made of many individual stones fitted together. This is a beautiful picture of the unity of the church. We are "living stones" being built up into a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5). The pavement represents our shared foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the common ground upon which we all stand. We are one body, one faith, one baptism. This pavement, this shared foundation, is what makes the corporate life and work of the church possible. The chambers of diverse service rest upon the pavement of unified faith.
The Measure of Holiness (v. 19)
Finally, a measurement is taken that defines the space and reveals its character.
"Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gate to the front of the exterior of the inner court, one hundred cubits on the east and on the north." (Ezekiel 40:19)
The distance across the outer court, from the entrance gate to the gate of the inner court, is one hundred cubits. This measurement is significant. It defines the space of the people's assembly, but it also establishes a separation. There is a clear distinction between the outer court and the inner court, which was reserved for the priests. This architectural separation teaches the holiness of God. Not just anyone could barge into the immediate presence of God. There is an order, a progression. This is what our covenant renewal worship reflects. We enter the outer court through the Call to Worship. We then stop at the threshold, as it were, to deal with our sin through Confession of Sin, before we can proceed further into consecration and communion.
The measurement of one hundred cubits is also symbolic. One hundred is ten times ten. Ten is the number of covenantal order, represented in the Ten Commandments. Ten times ten signifies a fullness or completeness of that order. This space, the church, is a divinely ordered community. It is not a random collection of individuals. It has a structure, a government, and a discipline, all established by the Word of God. The measuring reed of the angel is the Word of God, and it is this Word that defines the boundaries, the practices, and the life of the church. We do not get to make it up as we go along. We must conform to the pattern God has given us.
Conclusion: Our Place in God's House
So what does this ancient vision of courts, chambers, and cubits have to do with us today? Everything. It reminds us that our life together as a church is not a human invention but a divine design. We are part of a structured, ordered, and holy reality.
We are brought into the outer court by God's gracious call. We are not here by accident. He summoned us out of the world to be His people. Once gathered, we stand together on the solid pavement of the one true apostolic faith, confessed down through the ages. We are united in Christ.
From that unified foundation, we are called to the work of ministry. Each of us has a role to play in the service of the church, represented by those thirty chambers. We are a mature body, equipped by the Spirit for every good work. We are not here to be passive spectators but active participants in the business of the kingdom.
And all of this life together is measured and defined by the Word of God. There is a holy order to it all. There is a progression, a movement from the outer court of our initial gathering toward the inner court of deeper communion with God. This is the pattern of our worship each Lord's Day, and it is the pattern of our entire Christian life. We are being built together into a holy temple in the Lord, a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. And this temple, this church, is the place from which the healing river of the gospel flows out to the entire world. Let us therefore love the church, submit to her order, and give ourselves to her work, for she is nothing less than the house of the living God.