And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall. He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.” – Ezekiel 41:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 8, 2017): Ezekiel 41

There are places that you cannot go, no matter how much you are willing to pay. Admittedly, some of them I don’t care about, but there are a few prohibited places that I wish I could visit. I would love to be able to wander in the Vatican Archives. Most of the documents in the archive are available by request, but the archives itself is off limits. The Archives themselves are estimated to contain over 80 km in shelving (over 50 miles), but they are shelves that I will never be able to see and wander through.

Area 51 is off-limits to curious sightseers. As a Science Fiction buff, Area 51 is the holy grail of places to visit. But the government of the United States barely recognizes that the site exists, increasing the mystery of the place. Warning signs posted around the area warn that deadly force can be used against trespassers. Area 51 is thought to house secret weapons development and mysterious experimental aircraft.   So Science Fiction fans are left to wander the perimeter of the base, located not far from Las Vegas, and dream about what it is that the unseen air force base might hold.

Mecca has always interested me, but the city is closed to non-Muslims. As a result, all that I will ever know of the city is what I see in pictures shared on the internet.

If the Temple were still standing in Jerusalem, it would also contain places that would be off-limits to people like me. The Temple had several areas that were selectively off limits to various groups of individuals. The outermost place was the Court of Gentiles, the only place that I could enter as a non-Jew. Next, the Court of Women was the stopping place for Jewish women. Next, the Court of Men was the area where Jewish men could go for their worship. The Temple proper was the domain of the priests and the Levites as they performed their duties on behalf of the Nation of Israel.

But the area that was most off limits in the Temple was the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place. The Holy of Holies was a place that only the reigning High Priest could enter, and he could only enter it once a year, on the Day of Atonement.

What is amazing about this passage is that even in his vision of this Temple that has never been built and appears to be more metaphorical than anything else, the Most Holy Place seems to be a place that is off limits to Ezekiel. The measuring man in the vision enters into the Holy of Holies and then brings the measurements back to Ezekiel. But for Ezekiel, this Most Holy Place is still off limits – even in his dream.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 42