Ezekiel 40-48

Fourteen years have passed since the destruction of Jerusalem.  

In a vision, Ezekiel is taken from his home among the exiles back to the land of Israel.  He is placed on top of a mountain.  He sees the new temple, including its interior design, altar, rooms for the priests, and utensils.  He is provided the dimensions for all of these.  He is also instructed on what land in Israel should be allocated for each tribe of the twelve tribes of Israel and which gates of the city should be specifically named after the twelve tribes of Israel.

All these details span nine chapters.  It feels a lot like reading Leviticus with the depth details about the Holy of Holies.  

This all begs the question of why.  The original temple is destroyed.  The people of the southern kingdom are scattered in Babylon, Egypt, or around Israel.  The 10 tribes of the northern kingdom have disappeared into history.  Likewise, the people have records of what Solomon did for the original temple, why is all this necessary?

Some of this is addressed in Ezekiel 43:10.  Ezekiel is given all these specific details about a new temple in order to shame the people.  Still, that itself feels strange because the people are already ashamed as they experienced a national disgrace.  Lamentations and Psalm 137 showcase their sorrow and regret about the events that happened.  The people do not need further shame.

My guess is that this would have actually encouraged the people in exile.  It would remind them of the promises that they would return from exile and the temple would be rebuilt.  It would also remind them of their Jewish identity and encourage them to maintain it.  It also shows that even after their disgrace, God will give them another chance.  

Further, the inclusion of the northern tribes in all the details is interesting.  It shows that God has not forgotten them and has a role for them in the new temple.  But whether or not descendants of the other ten tribes returned, they would probably have done so without specific knowledge of their Hebrew ancestry.