While Ezekiel was still in Babylonian captivity with the rest of his brethren, God gave him a vision of the house of the Lord (Ezekiel 43:3-7). The prophet was then to “describe the temple to the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 43:10) so they could rebuild it.
However, something had to happen before the house of God could be rebuilt. They first needed to be “ashamed of their iniquities” (Ezekiel 43:10). After all, they were in captivity because of the “abominations which they [had] committed” (Ezekiel 43:8). God was gracious enough to restore them to their homeland, but they needed to recognize their sin and commit to putting it behind them. If they would do this, then Ezekiel could “make known to them the design of the house” and deliver the plans to them (Ezekiel 43:11).
There is a parallel for us today. God is willing to forgive us of our sins and welcome us back into fellowship with Him. Yet we need to turn away from our sin and not continue in it. We need to recognize that it is shameful to violate God’s law and not arrogantly disregard His instructions as the rest of the world does.
So we must be ashamed of our sin. He has given His word so we can be freed from the bondage of sin and enjoy fellowship with Him. Yet if we want to enjoy the blessings found in His presence, we must follow the pattern He has given us in His word.