What Might Have Been Changes What Will Be

“Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.” (Eze 43:10-11 AV)

This is kind of puzzling in that a building is uses as the means to bring the people of God to repentance.  Even more than that.  It is the blue prints and pattern of a building that cannot be presently built upon the temple mount.  This building is future.  If this building is to be built at all, then the dimensions of the temple mount must change.  This puzzled me.  How can the pattern of a future temple work to the repentance of God’s people?  In verse ten, there is an ‘if’ ‘then’ statement.  If the initial patter of the house moves them to shame, then show them the details.  Show them the function of the temple and not just the outside dimensions and layout. Reading on, one would see that indeed, shame did come.  Ezekiel was able to show them more and more the function of this planned temple.  Again, why?  Why would this revelation work to the shame of a people that never truly appreciated the law to begin with?  Why?

Sometimes, getting a glimpse of what could have been will work to the repentance of the heart.  We may never attain what we could have, but knowing what we’ve missed works to a change of heart to lose less than we might lose. A few years back, I took up the guitar again.  For the second time in my life I played with others.  We played hymns and old-fashioned blue grass style hymns.  It was a bit of fun.  As I watched others, it motivated me to try different things.  So, I bought a mandolin and began to pluck away with it.  Listening to masters play the instrument, this didn’t dissuade me.  It inspired me.  A thought that comes to mind every now and again is a bit of remorse in that if I would have taken up this instrument forty or so years ago, who knows what I might have been able to do today.  That only encourages me to try harder to at least accomplish all that I can today because I wasted so much or yesterday’s opportunities.

The Bible tells us not to compare ourselves against ourselves because that is not wise.  This is true.  Looking at others and assuming that we could have attained what they attained is every single thing is simply not true.  We all live different lives with a different set of circumstances.  Our comparison should not be against others. Our comparison should be against the person of Jesus Christ.  Absolute perfection is our standard.  No one here meets that standard. But Jesus does.  When studying of our Savior, it should inspire us to be what we can be today.  Seeing the standard of absolute perfection, there should be remorse over lost opportunities, failed choices, and rejection of reasonable expectations.  This temple was the blueprint of perfection.  It was what God intended for Israel all along.  Seeing what they lost, they strove harder to keep from loosing more.  That is the point of the plans.  That is the point of God’s word.  To keep us from loosing more.