Wednesday, April 8, 2026

The Table in Ezekiel's Temple (Ezek 41:22)

While revising my commentary on ch. 13 of John's Gospel, I was watching several you-tubes on Ezekiel's Temple, some by scholars who mostly take a symbolic interpretation. I noted that most of the furniture in Solomon's Temple is no longer mentioned in Ezekiel's Temple narrated from Ezek 40-48, all nine chapters at the end of the prophetic book. One furniture that remains and it seems to be located in front of the holiest of holy in the holy place, namely a wooden altar of about 5 feet tall and 3.5 feet square.

It is a small table, only 2 cubits long (one cubit in Ezekiel is 21 inches). It is all made of wood, instead of stone and it is said simply, "this is the table that is before Yahweh" (Ezek 41:21-22). Just one wooden table in the Holy Place and nothing in the Holiest of Holy. What does it mean? As God will fill the Temple with His glory (Ezek 43), it seems that the table is meant for communion and fellowship between the Lord and His priests. 

One notable mention in Ezekiel's Temple is that a prince will enter by the East Gate and sit to eat bread before the Lord (Ezek 44:3). I take this image as most significant from my early days as a Christian, I would sit before the Lord and eat bread before Him in that I read and meditate on His Words daily before breakfast, just a coffee seated at a table like Ezek 41:22, reading God's Word, in communion and fellowship with Him. 

A small table that seats two people, facing one another, only 3.5 feet wide and long. What honour and what glory! God comes to commune with us. In fact, my first song that I wrote is "The greatest thing is our fellowship with the Lord" based on Rev 3:20 where Jesus says, "if anyone opens the door, I will come in and dine with him and him with Me". 

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