Ezekiel 42:15 - Meaning and Application

Now that we have watched the measuring of this symbolic temple, we are shown how far the holy ground around it stretches. That ground is measured too, and it turns out to cover a very large area.

First, look at its size. It reached 500 reeds in every direction (Ezekiel 42:16-19). Since each reed was a little more than three and a half yards, that came to about an English mile on each side. Because the ground was square, its full boundary was more than four miles around. These wide outer spaces, like the grounds around a great building, point to the wide reach of the church in gospel times, when all nations would be taught and the kingdoms of the world would become Christ's kingdoms. God would make room in his courts for the many Gentiles, the non-Jewish nations, who would come in, as Isaiah foretold (Isaiah 49:18; Isaiah 60:4). This has already begun as Gentiles have joined the church, and it will be seen more fully when the full number of the Gentiles comes in and all Israel is saved.

Second, consider why the ground was made so large. It was meant to create separation by placing a great distance between the sanctuary and what was common. That is why a wall surrounded it, to keep out those who were unclean and to set apart the sacred from the ordinary. We should learn from this that there must be a clear difference between common things and holy things, between God's name and other names, his day and other days, his book and other books, and his appointed worship and other practices. There should also be a real distance between our worldly actions and our religious ones, so that we always approach God's worship with a serious pause.