Chapter 797 of 1163

Ezekiel 44–46

Somebody must serve in the new temple, so God gave Ezekiel instructions concerning the Levites and priests and the manner of worship He wanted. Note the emphasis on the word My: My sanctuary, My food, My covenant, My holy things, My table, and so on. One reason the temple was destroyed is that the priests and Levites forgot it was the house of God, and they did in it whatever they pleased.

What a privilege it is to minister for the Lord! You wonder why people would want to give their privileges to others, especially men who were not qualified (44:4–9). Never lose the wonder of belonging to God and being asked to serve Him (Mal. 1:6–2:9). Such an attitude always leads to sin.

Unfaithfulness in service can lead to loss of privileges (44:10–14), but faithfulness can mean being able to draw near to serve the Lord (44:15ff.). The priests had to be careful what they wore, what they ate and drank and how they looked. How could they teach the people to have discernment (44:23) if they did not practice discernment?

The prince will worship only at the threshold of the gate and the people only at the entrance (46:2–3), but we have the great privilege today of entering into the presence of God (Heb. 10:19–25). However, like the prince, we should not return from worship as we came; things should be different because we have met with the Lord (46:9). And we must not forget the daily burnt offering (46:13; Rom. 12:1–2).

Future Sacrifices

Since Jesus Christ has fulfilled all the Old Testament sacrifices in Himself (Heb. 10:1–18), why will God reinstate them in the future temple worship? Certainly not for the purpose of dealing with sin, for Christ’s sacrifice did that once and for all, and the blood of bulls and goats never did take away sin (Heb. 10:1–4). It seems that these future sacrifices, like the Lord’s Supper today, will be memorials of what Jesus did. They will teach the Jews the meaning of their ancient religion in the light of the Cross.

↑ Back to top