EZEKIEL CHAPTERS 43 - 45

EZEKIEL CHAPTERS 43 - 45

Introduction

The three chapters that we will look at today involve the vision of the glory of God filling the temple, the introduction of the prince and then the dividing of the land into portions for the sanctuary, the priests and the tribes of Israel. The primary descriptions of these three chapters will be describing the worship of the millennial temple.

Ezekiel 43:1-5 (NLT) - ¹ After this, the man brought me back around to the east gateway.
² Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel appeared from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory. ³ This vision was just like the others I had seen, first by the Kebar River and then when he came to destroy Jerusalem. I fell face down on the ground. ⁴ And the glory of the Lord came into the Temple through the east gateway. ⁵ Then the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple.

The Shekinah Glory, the uncreated light that rested above the mercy-seat in the tabernacle of Moses and the temple of Solomon and that had risen slowly and left the temple by the eastern gate was now returning. It has gone east toward the Mount of Olives and now was returning from the same Mount. So magnificence was this light that the entire sky shone with its greatness. When Jesus came to Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago the Shekinah Glory wasn’t with Him, because He came as a man. In Ezekiel’s vision the building, and its surrounding area, had been described, and now the coming of the Shekinah Glory was to show God’s acceptance of His temple. One of the descriptions I liked of the Shekinah Glory was “simply the atmospheric clothing of the Theopheny.” A voice like the sound of many, mighty, rushing waters filled the earth and His radiance lit up the landscape. This mighty sound was indicative of both power and majesty. It is only this Glory that can make a building the “House of God.” Ezekiel was taken by the Spirit from the western side of the temple (outside the wall) to the eastern gate to see the Glory arrive. Then he was transported back to the inner court to witness the house being filled with God’s Glory.

Ezekiel has considerable influence on the book of Revelation. Compare Ezekiel chapter 1 with Revelation 4; Ezekiel chapter 26-28 with Revelation 18; Ezekiel chapters 38-39 with Revelation 19:19-21; and Ezekiel 40-43 with Revelation 11:1-2.

In the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple the Glory of God was enthroned upon the mercy seat which was atop the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies. In the millennial temple there isn’t an ark or mercy seat, so the Glory of God filled the entire temple. Remember there isn’t a veil, therefore the presence of the Lord is not kept from the people. Zechariah 6:9-13 states that Jesus will reign as both King and Priest.

Ezekiel 43:6-9 (NLT) - ⁶ And I heard someone speaking to me from within the Temple, while the man who had been measuring stood beside me. ⁷ The Lord said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will live here forever among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by honoring the relics of their kings who have died. ⁸ They put their idol altars right next to mine with only a wall between them and me. They defiled my holy name by such detestable sin, so I consumed them in my anger. ⁹ Now let them stop worshiping other gods and honoring the relics of their kings, and I will live among them forever.

H. A. Ironside in his “Expository Notes on Ezekiel the Prophet” states, “When the glory returns it will not be a question of whether the people themselves are deserving of blessing, but it will be a manifestation of the grace of God as set forth in the new covenant.”

The mention of dead kings can be treated by two ways. One is that of the prior kings and their idols (dead idols) defiling the sanctuary with those kings dying in their iniquities. The other is that of the graves of the Israelite kings was next to the sanctuary. Verse 9 confirms the latter view. 2 Kings 21:18, 26 tells us of Manasseh dying and being buried in his garden. The scripture tells of fourteen of Judah’s kings that died and were buried in their royal sepulchers on the southeast hill in the city of Jerusalem, where the temple and palace were located.

Throughout the Bible, death, which comes through man’s sin, is seen as defiling.

Ezekiel 43:10-12 (NLT) - ¹⁰ “Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan, ¹¹ and they will be ashamed of what they have done. Describe to them all the specifications of the Temple—including its entrances and exits—and everything else about it. Tell them about its decrees and laws. Write down all these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them. ¹² And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the basic law of the Temple.

The admonition in Ezekiel 43:10-12 is found again in Ezekiel 44:4-8. We are reminded that people who visit “holy places” ought to be ‘holy people.” Ezekiel is to (1) describe the house of Israel so that the people will be ashamed of their iniquities (2) if they are ashamed then he is to tell them the plan of the house, its structure, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes and that they are to do them. The entire area of the temple was to be sacred ground.

Verse 12 states that the law of the house is holiness. Holiness in the Old Testament lends itself to being separate, or cut off, from the things that are of the world; being separate unto Yahweh and being committed to the things that He has established. We, of the New Covenant, are called to be separate unto the Lord and our lives are to reflect that devotion to His Way. Where in the Old Testament it was an outward separation the New brings it into the arena of the heart. We are to have a clean heart, thus a holy heart, one separated from the things of this world.

Ezekiel 43:13-17 (NLT) - ¹³ “These are the measurements of the altar: There is a gutter all around the altar 21 inches deep and 21 inches wide, with a curb 9 inches wide around its edge. And this is the height of the altar: ¹⁴ From the gutter the altar rises 3 1/2 feet to a lower ledge that surrounds the altar and is 21 inches wide. From the lower ledge the altar rises 7 feet to the upper ledge that is also 21 inches wide. ¹⁵ The top of the altar, the hearth, rises another 7 feet higher, with a horn rising up from each of the four corners. ¹⁶ The top of the altar is square, measuring 21 feet by 21 feet. ¹⁷ The upper ledge also forms a square, measuring 24 1/2 feet by 24 1/2 feet, with a 21-inch gutter and a 10 1/2-inch curb all around the edge. There are steps going up the east side of the altar.”

The altar that we encounter here is the altar of sacrifice and it speaks to the work of the cross. We need to remember some things concerning the Old Testament sacrifices: (1) they were never effective, because they had to be done over and over again; (2) they were meant to be expiratory, that is, care for the penalty of sin; (3) they were never to be anything other than symbolic of the Lord Jesus giving His life for sin; (4) they never took away sin. Therefore, now in the millennium with the work of the cross having been accomplished we see these sacrifices as memorials. This altar has steps leading up to it, where the Old Testament altar was forbidden to have steps (Exodus 20:26).

Ezekiel 43:18-27 (NLT) - ¹⁸ Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for the burning of offerings and the sprinkling of blood when the altar is built. ¹⁹ At that time, the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who minister before me, are to be given a young bull for a sin offering, says the Sovereign Lord. ²⁰ You will take some of its blood and smear it on the four horns of the altar, the four corners of the upper ledge, and the curb that runs around that ledge. This will cleanse and make atonement for the altar. ²¹ Then take the young bull for the sin offering and burn it at the appointed place outside the Temple area. ²² “On the second day, sacrifice as a sin offering a young male goat that has no physical defects. Then cleanse and make atonement for the altar again, just as you did with the young bull. ²³ When you have finished the cleansing ceremony, offer another young bull that has no defects and a perfect ram from the flock. ²⁴ You are to present them to the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering to the Lord. ²⁵ “Every day for seven days a male goat, a young bull, and a ram from the flock will be sacrificed as a sin offering. None of these animals may have physical defects of any kind. ²⁶ Do this each day for seven days to cleanse and make atonement for the altar, thus setting it apart for holy use. ²⁷ On the eighth day, and on each day afterward, the priests will sacrifice on the altar the burnt offerings and peace offerings of the people. Then I will accept you. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

The burnt offering speaks of Christ Jesus, the One that offered Himself spotless unto the Father as a sacrifice of sweet-smelling savor. In this portion of Scripture the priests are instructed on the way to offer a series of sacrifices to the Lord in order to dedicate the altar to the Lord. The sacrifices will involve a week to complete. In both the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple there were sacrifices offered and blood applied to the altar. Here we have it being applied to the top of the altar and the four horns of the altar. Second Chronicles 7:1-10 gives a description of the dedication of the altar, and temple, in Solomon’s temple.

The burnt offering tells of total dedication to the Lord, “all on the altar”.

The trespass, or guilt, offering is dealing with the sinner’s offenses against God and God’s people. This offering dealt with the offenses where the people sinned through ignorance, because there wasn’t a sacrifice available for deliberate sin. Sin is not a cheap thing - nor is God’s forgiveness.

The peace, or fellowship, offering was given to the Lord as an expression of praise and thanksgiving. It could also be for the completion of a special vow that one had made unto the Lord.

The meal, or grain, offering was the acknowledgement to God that He is the source of the food that sustains life. It consisted of presenting sheaves, the roasted kernels of grain, fine flour and various kinds of baked cakes.

The drink offering (45:17) was a portion of wine poured out along with another of the sacrifices. It speaks of life being poured out wholly to the Lord. Philippians 2:17 “ Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.”

The consecration of the altar in the millennial temple will take seven days. Oxen, rams and goats are the designated animals. Notice there are no lambs to be offered as in the Old Covenant, THE LAMB has been slain and nothing can compare to it.

Salt is significant in the offering of sacrifices. Leviticus 2:13 “ And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.” The salt covenant speaks of friendship, being with others with unknown intentions and not suffering harm, being a preserver and an enhancer (taste) and of our being God’s salt on this earth.

On the eight day when the consecration sacrifices have been completed, then the regular schedule of sacrificing begins. It is noteworthy that Ezekiel promises that the Lord will not only accept their sacrifices but their persons also.

Ezekiel 44:1-3 (NLT) - ¹ Then the man brought me back to the east gateway in the outer wall of the Temple area, but it was closed. ² And the Lord said to me, “This gate must remain closed; it will never again be opened. No one will ever open it and pass through, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered here. Therefore, it must always remain shut. ³ Only the prince himself may sit inside this gateway to feast in the Lord’s presence. But he may come and go only through the entry room of the gateway.”

The prince is not the Messiah, nor is it David resurrected. He holds a representative position but it is not of Israel’s former position of high priest, or of king. He is in an intermediary position between the people and the priests. During the worship seasons he will be among the people, but he will be allowed to approach closer than the people can. He has a special allotment (chapter 45) of land and is forbidden to take anyone else’s land. He may be a lineal descendent of David.

Ezekiel 44:4-8 (NLT)- ⁴ Then the man brought me through the north gateway to the front of the Temple. I looked and saw that the glory of the Lord filled the Temple of the Lord, and I fell face down on the ground. ⁵ And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, take careful notice. Use your eyes and ears, and listen to everything I tell you about the regulations concerning the Lord’s Temple. Take careful note of the procedures for using the Temple’s entrances and exits. ⁶ And give these rebels, the people of Israel, this message from the Sovereign Lord: O people of Israel, enough of your detestable sins! ⁷ You have brought uncircumcised foreigners into my sanctuary—people who have no heart for God. In this way, you defiled my Temple even as you offered me my food, the fat and blood of sacrifices. In addition to all your other detestable sins, you have broken my covenant. ⁸ Instead of safeguarding my sacred rituals, you have hired foreigners to take charge of my sanctuary.

Up to now, self-will and disobedience prevailed. Starting now, the laws of Jehovah would be kept, and they would be kept in truth and faithfulness. From now on, no one who is a stranger to the Divine Covenant will be allowed in the presence of the Lord. Previously the people of Israel had allowed strangers to enter the temples, now it would stop. Second Corinthians 6:14-7:1 tells that we must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

The term “rebellious” had been used a lot during the first twenty-four chapters of Ezekiel. Now in Chapter 44 it arises again. Previously the children of Israel had been more interested in what suited their purposes than in what was conforming to the covenant of the Lord God.

Ezekiel 44:9-14 (NLT) - ⁹ “So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigners, including those who live among the people of Israel, will enter my sanctuary if they have not been circumcised and have not surrendered themselves to the Lord. ¹⁰ And the men of the tribe of Levi who abandoned me when Israel strayed away from me to worship idols must bear the consequences of their unfaithfulness. ¹¹ They may still be Temple guards and gatekeepers, and they may slaughter the animals brought for burnt offerings and be present to help the people.
¹² But they encouraged my people to worship idols, causing Israel to fall into deep sin. So I have taken a solemn oath that they must bear the consequences for their sins, says the Sovereign Lord. ¹³ They may not approach me to minister as priests. They may not touch any of my holy things or the holy offerings, for they must bear the shame of all the detestable sins they have committed. ¹⁴ They are to serve as the Temple caretakers, taking charge of the maintenance work and performing general duties.

Neither foreigners to the covenant, nor unfaithful priests will be given access to the sanctuary. They can work as maintenance people, stand guard at gates but they can’t enter the sanctuary. In the Old Testament the worshipper would kill their own sacrificial animal, now the Levites would do the slaying for the people’s private sacrifices.

Ezekiel 44:15-27 (NLT) - ¹⁵ “However, the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok continued to minister faithfully in the Temple when Israel abandoned me for idols. These men will serve as my ministers. They will stand in my presence and offer the fat and blood of the sacrifices, says the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁶ They alone will enter my sanctuary and approach my table to serve me. They will fulfill all my requirements. ¹⁷ “When they enter the gateway to the inner courtyard, they must wear only linen clothing. They must wear no wool while on duty in the inner courtyard or in the Temple itself. ¹⁸ They must wear linen turbans and linen undergarments. They must not wear anything that would cause them to perspire. ¹⁹ When they return to the outer courtyard where the people are, they must take off the clothes they wear while ministering to me. They must leave them in the sacred rooms and put on other clothes so they do not endanger anyone by transmitting holiness to them through this clothing. ²⁰ “They must neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow too long. Instead, they must trim it regularly.
²¹ The priests must not drink wine before entering the inner courtyard. ²² They may choose their wives only from among the virgins of Israel or the widows of the priests. They may not marry other widows or divorced women. ²³ They will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is common, what is ceremonially clean and unclean. ²⁴ “They will serve as judges to resolve any disagreements among my people. Their decisions must be based on my regulations. And the priests themselves must obey my instructions and decrees at all the sacred festivals, and see to it that the Sabbaths are set apart as holy days. ²⁵ “A priest must not defile himself by being in the presence of a dead person unless it is his father, mother, child, brother, or unmarried sister. In such cases it is permitted. ²⁶ Even then, he can return to his Temple duties only after being ceremonially cleansed and then waiting for seven days. ²⁷ The first day he returns to work and enters the inner courtyard and the sanctuary, he must offer a sin offering for himself, says the Sovereign Lord.

Again we have Zadok and his descendents being the only priests allowed into the sanctuary. God never forgets those that are faithful to Him.

The priests were to wear only linen, the statement being that wool caused them to sweat. The presence and power of the Lord was so great that it clung to the clothing of the priests. They had to change their garments before going out among the people so that they would not be sanctified by the priest’s apparel. We must not forget that contact with holy things sanctifies. When we come into His holy presence, we are sanctified by His power.

The reason the priests couldn’t have long or short hair is because it was an Old Testament sign of mourning. No mourning will be allowed in the presence of the Lord. The principal duties of the priests will be: (1) they will be recognized and authorized teachers of the people; (2) they will demonstrate what is pleasing to the Lord; (3) they are to serve in judicial capacities with their decisions being based upon God’s revelation and are to be final for all who are obedient to the Word; (4) they will oversee the appointments of the feasts of the Lord, that they conform at all times to the Lord’s commands and that the Sabbaths are kept from desecration as well. Leviticus 10:10 and Malachi 2:7 gives the general duties of the priests toward the people.

Death will be present during the millennium, therefore the priests had special instructions for their cleansing should they come into contact with it.

The Lord tells the priests what to wear (VV. 17-19), how to groom themselves (V. 20), not to drink wine while ministering (V. 21), who not to marry (V. 22) and at all times to show and teach the difference between clean and unclean (V. 23).

The priests were worshippers, as Christians are today, therefore the importance of keeping them, and ourselves, free from every defiling thing that prevents us from worshipping the Lord is paramount.

Ezekiel 44:28-31 (NLT) - ²⁸ “The priests will not have any property or possession of land, for I alone am their special possession. ²⁹ Their food will come from the gifts and sacrifices brought to the Temple by the people—the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Whatever anyone sets apart for the Lord will belong to the priests. ³⁰ The first of the ripe fruits and all the gifts brought to the Lord will go to the priests. The first samples of each grain harvest and the first of your flour must also be given to the priests so the Lord will bless your homes. ³¹ The priests may not eat meat from any bird or animal that dies a natural death or that dies after being attacked by another animal.

As in the Old Covenant and its division of land among the tribes, again the priests will have theirs only of the Lord. Their inheritance is of the Lord, no land is involved.

Ezekiel 45:1-8 (NLT) - ¹ “When you divide the land among the tribes of Israel, you must set aside a section for the Lord as his holy portion. This piece of land will be 8¹/₃ miles long and 6 ²/₃ miles wide. The entire area will be holy.² A section of this land, measuring 875 feet by 875 feet, will be set aside for the Temple. An additional strip of land 87 ¹/₂ feet wide is to be left empty all around it.³ Within the larger sacred area, measure out a portion of land 8 ¹/₃ miles long and 3 ¹/₃ miles wide. Within it the sanctuary of the Most Holy Place will be located.⁴ This area will be holy, set aside for the priests who minister to the Lord in the sanctuary. They will use it for their homes, and my Temple will be located within it.⁵ The strip of sacred land next to it, also 8 ¹/₃ miles long and 3 ¹/₃ miles wide, will be a living area for the Levites who work at the Temple. It will be their possession and a place for their towns. ⁶ “Adjacent to the larger sacred area will be a section of land 8 ¹/₃ miles long and 1 ²/₃ miles wide. This will be set aside for a city where anyone in Israel can live.⁷ “Two special sections of land will be set apart for the prince. One section will share a border with the east side of the sacred lands and city, and the second section will share a border on the west side. Then the far eastern and western borders of the prince’s lands will line up with the eastern and western boundaries of the tribal areas.⁸ These sections of land will be the prince’s allotment. Then my princes will no longer oppress and rob my people; they will assign the rest of the land to the people, giving an allotment to each tribe.

This portion of Scripture is an ideal picture of the Lord Jehovah dwelling in the midst of His saints. There is spaciousness here and that would indicate that the Lord has large things in store for His people in the coming day. There are common lands located on each side of the city sectors suggesting that some of the “city people” will work the land so that the other “city people” could take care of the civil affairs and host visitors to the temple. The holy portion of the land that was set aside is approximately eight square miles. All the tribes have the same amount of territory, therefore there is not any preeminence of one tribe over another.

Before Pentecost casting lots was used as the Lord’s method of determining His will, after that we have His Word and His Spirit to lead and guide us.

The division of land given in Chapter 38 is different than that in the Old Testament.

Ezekiel 45:9-12 (NLT) - ⁹ “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough, you princes of Israel! Stop your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Quit robbing and cheating my people out of their land. Stop expelling them from their homes, says the Sovereign Lord.¹⁰ Use only honest weights and scales and honest measures, both dry and liquid. ¹¹ The homer will be your standard unit for measuring volume. The ephah and the bath will each measure one-tenth of a homer.¹² The standard unit for weight will be the silver shekel. One shekel will consist of twenty gerahs, and sixty shekels will be equal to one mina.

Stop taking advantage of the people of God!

Ezekiel 45:13-17 (NLT) - ¹³ “You must give this tax to the prince: one bushel of wheat or barley for every 60 you harvest,¹⁴ one percent of your olive oil, ¹⁵ and one sheep or goat for every 200 in your flocks in Israel. These will be the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings that will make atonement for the people who bring them, says the Sovereign Lord.¹⁶ All the people of Israel must join in bringing these offerings to the prince.¹⁷ The prince will be required to provide offerings that are given at the religious festivals, the new moon celebrations, the Sabbath days, and all other similar occasions. He will provide the sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, liquid offerings, and peace offerings to purify the people of Israel, making them right with the Lord.

The tax was given to the prince and he provided the animals, grains and oils for the sacrifices.

Ezekiel 45:18-20 (NLT) - ¹⁸ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In early spring, on the first day of each new year, sacrifice a young bull with no defects to purify the Temple.¹⁹ The priest will take blood from this sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the Temple, the four corners of the upper ledge of the altar, and the gateposts at the entrance to the inner courtyard.²⁰ Do this also on the seventh day of the new year for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance. In this way, you will purify the Temple.

Sinned through error or ignorance, not willful.

Ezekiel 45:21-25 (NLT) - ²¹ “On the fourteenth day of the first month, you must celebrate the Passover. This festival will last for seven days. The bread you eat during that time must be made without yeast.²² On the day of Passover the prince will provide a young bull as a sin offering for himself and the people of Israel.²³ On each of the seven days of the feast he will prepare a burnt offering to the Lord, consisting of seven young bulls and seven rams without defects. A male goat will also be given each day for a sin offering.²⁴ The prince will provide a basket of flour as a grain offering and a gallon of olive oil with each young bull and ram.²⁵ “During the seven days of the Festival of Shelters, which occurs every year in early autumn, the prince will provide these same sacrifices for the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the grain offering, along with the required olive oil.

Of the feasts that the Jews celebrated in the Old Testament (7 of them) only Passover and Tabernacles will be honored in the millennium. The Passover is about the Lamb of God and the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt (a type of the world). Tabernacles is a joyous harvest celebration that anticipated the coming kingdom and reminded the Jews of their wilderness journeys.