Commentary - Ezekiel 41:16-26

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Ezekiel's vision, we are given a detailed tour of the interior decorating of the future temple. Now, we must get our bearings straight from the outset. This temple is not one that will be built with literal bricks and mortar in some future millennial dispensation. The New Testament is plain that the Temple of God is the Church, the body of Christ (1 Cor. 3:16, Eph. 2:21). Therefore, what Ezekiel sees is a symbolic representation of the glory, holiness, and fruitfulness of the New Covenant people of God. Every detail, from the paneling to the carvings of cherubim and palm trees, is meant to preach the gospel to us. It is a portrait of the Church in her glorified state, a people made beautiful and holy by the finished work of Jesus Christ. The passage emphasizes the pervasive nature of this glory, covering every surface, and points to the very character of our worship and our God.

The central symbols here are the cherubim and the palm trees. The cherubim are the guardians of holy space, and their presence throughout the temple signifies that the entire house is a Holy of Holies. The palm trees are symbols of righteousness, victory, and fruitfulness. Their interspersion with the cherubim paints a picture of the Church as a fruitful garden-sanctuary, guarded by God's holy angels and flourishing in His presence. The description of the wooden altar as "the table that is before Yahweh" is a critical link, transitioning us from Old Covenant sacrifice to New Covenant communion. This is not a place of bloody atonement, but a place of fellowship and feasting with God. Every detail here is screaming Christology; it is all about Him and the glorious house He is building.

Outline

Context In Ezekiel

These chapters in Ezekiel, from 40 through 48, are the culmination of the prophet's message. After pronouncing judgment on Judah and the surrounding nations, and after the news of Jerusalem's fall, the book turns to a stunning vision of restoration. This is not a mere blueprint for the second temple built by Zerubbabel, which in any case fell far short of these glorious dimensions. Nor is it a literal schematic for a future Jewish temple. Rather, this is a prophetic vision of the age of the Messiah. It is a symbolic depiction of the Church of Jesus Christ, the true temple from which the river of life flows out to heal the nations (Ezek. 47:1-12). This section on the interior details is not tedious architectural jargon; it is a rich, symbolic catechism on the nature of the New Covenant community. It describes the place where God dwells with His people, a place defined not by stone, but by the Spirit.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 16-17 The thresholds, the latticed windows, and the galleries round about their three stories, opposite the threshold, were paneled with wood all around, and from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered), over the entrance, and to the inner house, and on the outside, and on all the wall all around inside and outside, by measurement.

The first thing to notice is the sheer comprehensiveness of the paneling. Everything is covered in wood. This isn't just a decorative touch; it speaks of a complete transformation. The underlying structure is completely overlaid. In the New Covenant, our old selves, our stony hearts, are covered over entirely by the work of Christ. We are paneled, as it were, with the righteousness of another. The fact that it is wood points back to Eden and the Tree of Life, and forward to the cross. Wood speaks of humanity and life. This temple is a living structure. The mention of the windows being covered is also significant. This is not a place that gets its light from the outside world. The glory of God is its light (Rev. 21:23). The knowledge we have here is not the world's wisdom, but revealed wisdom. The source of illumination is internal to the house itself, which is to say, it comes from God who dwells there.

v. 18 It was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces,

Here we get to the heart of the decorative scheme. The entire house is marked by two repeating images: cherubim and palm trees. Cherubim, as we know from Genesis 3, are the guardians of Paradise, the keepers of the way to the tree of life. Their presence all over the temple walls means that the entire temple is now the Holy of Holies. There is no veil separating a holier part from a less holy part. The whole house is the immediate presence of God. This is a picture of the church, where every believer is a priest with direct access to the Father through Christ. Interspersed with these guardians are palm trees. The palm tree in Scripture is an emblem of the righteous man (Ps. 92:12). It is a symbol of victory, fruitfulness, and uprightness. So what do we have? We have a picture of the Church as a fruitful garden sanctuary. It is a place where righteous saints flourish under the watchful protection of God's holy angels. It is Eden restored, and then some.

v. 19 a man’s face toward the palm tree on one side and a young lion’s face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were carved on all the house all around.

The cherubim here have two faces, which is a variation from the four-faced cherubim Ezekiel saw earlier. The two faces are those of a man and a lion. This is not arbitrary. The face of a man represents intelligence, reason, and relationship, it points to man made in the image of God. The face of a lion represents royalty, power, and righteous ferocity. These are the very characteristics of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the perfect Man, the Son of Man, who perfectly images the Father. And He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the King of kings. The cherubim, as guardians of God's presence, reflect the character of the God they serve. And they are looking toward the palm trees, toward the righteous ones. This tells us that the royal power and perfect humanity of Christ are directed toward the care and keeping of His people. His kingship and His incarnation are for us.

v. 20 From the ground to above the entrance cherubim and palm trees were carved, as well as on the wall of the nave.

This verse simply reiterates the pervasive nature of this pattern. From floor to ceiling, inside and out, this is the reality. There is no part of the life of the Church that is not under the guardianship of Christ the King (the cherubim) and that is not intended for fruitful righteousness (the palm trees). This is what it means to have "all of Christ for all of life." There are no neutral spaces, no undecorated walls in the house of God. Every square inch is claimed for His glory and dedicated to the theme of redemption.

v. 21 The doorposts of the nave were square; as for the front of the sanctuary, the appearance of one doorpost was like that of the other.

The square doorposts suggest stability, solidity, and righteousness. In Scripture, that which is square or cubic often represents divine perfection and order, like the New Jerusalem. The entrance into God's presence is not flimsy or ill-defined. The way has been established, made solid and secure by Christ. The symmetry mentioned, "the appearance of one doorpost was like that of the other", tells us that God's way of salvation is consistent and without contradiction. There is one way in, and it is the same for all. There is no separate entrance for the Jew or the Gentile, the rich or the poor. The ground is level at the foot of the cross, and the doorposts are square.

v. 22 The altar was of wood, three cubits high and its length two cubits; its corners, its base, and its sides were of wood. And he said to me, “This is the table that is before Yahweh.”

This is a verse of immense theological importance. We see an altar, but it is made entirely of wood. There is no mention of bronze or stone, and no mention of bloody sacrifice. This is not the brazen altar of atonement. Furthermore, the angel explicitly redefines it. He does not say, "This is the altar of burnt offering." He says, "This is the table that is before Yahweh." This is a monumental shift. The central piece of furniture has been transformed from a place of death to a place of life, from a place of sacrifice to a place of fellowship. This is the Lord's Table. This is a picture of New Covenant worship, where we come not to offer sacrifices for sin, for Christ has done that once for all, but to feast with God in communion. The wood, again, points to the humanity of Christ, through whom we have this fellowship.

v. 23-24 The nave and the sanctuary each had a double door. Each of the doors had two leaves, two swinging leaves; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other.

The double doors speak of a wide and generous access. These are not narrow, restrictive entrances. The way into God's presence has been thrown open wide. The two swinging leaves on each door further emphasize this. This is not a gate that is grudgingly opened a crack. It swings open freely. This is the gospel invitation. "Come, all you who are weary and heavy-laden." The doors to the nave (the holy place) and the sanctuary (the most holy place) are the same, reinforcing the point made earlier: in Christ, the veil is torn, and the entire house is open to the people of God.

v. 25-26 Also there were carved on them, on the doors of the nave, cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls; and there was a canopy of wood over the front of the porch outside. There were latticed windows and palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the porch; thus were the side chambers of the house and the canopies.

The theme continues right onto the doors themselves. The way in is marked by the same reality as the inside. To enter the Church is to come under the lordship of the Man/Lion and to be called to the life of the palm tree. There is no bait and switch. The gospel presented at the door is the life lived within. The wooden canopy over the porch is a picture of a welcoming shelter. It is a covering, an invitation to come in out of the elements and find rest. It is Christ's yoke, which is easy. The final mention of latticed windows and palm trees on the sides of the porch shows that the fruitfulness and life of the house extend even to its external structures. The Church is to be a place of life and beauty, not just for those inside, but as a testimony to the world looking on.

Application

So what do we do with all this ancient architecture? First, we must recognize that we are the temple Ezekiel saw. When we gather for worship, we are assembling as living stones being built into this glorious house. Our worship should therefore reflect this reality. It should be ordered, beautiful, and centered on communion with God at His table.

Second, we must embrace the identity that is carved on our walls. We are the palm trees. We are called to live righteous, upright, and fruitful lives. And we do so under the watchful care of our King, the Lord Jesus, who is both our kinsman (the man) and our sovereign (the lion). We are not our own; we have been bought with a price and incorporated into a structure that is holy to the Lord from top to bottom.

Finally, we see the nature of our central act of worship. We do not approach a bloody altar to appease an angry God. We are invited to a wooden table to feast with our reconciled Father. The central act of the old covenant was sacrifice; the central act of the new is a meal. This changes everything. It means our relationship with God is not one of fearful appeasement but of joyful communion. This is the table before the Lord, and He invites us to come and dine.