Ezekiel 45:1-25, Worship in the Holy Land

Ezekiel 45:1-25, Worship in the Holy Land
Chapter 45 deals with worship in the Holy Land.

1. Present to God a portion of the Holy Land (1-8): Give Your Life to God
The new land where God's people will reside is God's holy land. God commands that the land be divided by lot(1, " 'When you allot the land as an inheritance, you are to present to the Lord a portion of the land as a sacred district, 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide; the entire area will be holy). The most holy land is the sanctuary, the place where God's presence dwells(2-3). Next, the holy land is for the priests of Zadok, who approach God and serve Him(2, Of this, a section 500 cubits square is to be for the sanctuary, with 50 cubits around it for open land). Third, the less holy land is for the Levites, who serve in the temple(5, An area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide will belong to the Levites, who serve in the temple, as their possession for towns to live in). Finally, the least holy land is the land for the common people(6, " 'You are to give the city as its property an area 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, adjoining the sacred portion; it will belong to all Israel). To the left and right of this land are the royal inheritance(see map). The king's rightful ownership of land is to prevent him from oppressing the people(7-8, "'The prince will have the land bordering each side of the area formed by the sacred district and the property of the city. It will extend westward from the west side and eastward from the east side, running lengthwise from the western to the eastern border parallel to one of the tribal portions. This land will be his possession in Israel. And my princes will no longer oppress my people but will allow the people of Israel to possess the land according to their tribes). In the past, kings oppressed the people and took their land(eg.King Ahab, 1 K.21:1-16). The king, a type of Jesus, the King of God's kingdom, lives on the outskirts of the city, protecting the temple and the people and ruling with justice.

Application: The holy land is distributed around the sanctuary where God dwells. We must live centered on the holy God(Jesus). He will grant us a holy heaven, a kingdom we have neither seen nor known. Therefore, even if we face discouragement, sorrow, and problems now, let us live with joy and hope, anticipating the new heaven and new earth where the holy God dwells. Let us long for heaven, where the best home is(John14:2-3; Rev.21:9-27; 22:1-5), and aspire to perfect communion with God. Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who act violently"(Mt.11:12, meaning, "Those who long for the kingdom of God will rush forward with explosive force and taste its arrival"). Let us live our lives with Jesus as our King and our absolute standard, striving to possess the kingdom of heaven. *Am I living a holy life, dedicating the best of my time, finances, and heart to worship and the kingdom of God? (Rom.12:2)

2. Live Justly (9-12)
 Rulers(kings) of the new age must cease violence and extortion and live by practicing justice and righteousness(9, "'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign Lord). The people must also use fair scales and fair measures(10, You are to use accurate scales, an accurate ephah and an accurate bath). For the Israelites, the practice of using unfair scales and weights to gain undue gains was a classic example of unjust behavior, a practice that had persisted for a long time. Therefore, through various prophets, God repeatedly commanded against the use of unfair scales and unfair weights, and through these commands, He strongly emphasized the need to realize true justice.
Application: Not only leaders today, but all of us must practice fair and honest relationships and actions. Like Jesus, our righteousness and example, let us live lives that care for the weak, stand against injustice, and practice fairness and justice. *Are you living in this unjust world, practicing justice and righteousness with the heart of Jesus? Living this way requires great courage.

3. Offer sacrifices of atonement and thanksgiving (13-25)
 The people were required to offer sacrifices. Verses 13-15 describe the offerings. Offerings include 1/60th of barley or wheat(13, "'This is the special gift you are to offer: a sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat and a sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley), 1/100th of oil(14, “The prescribed portion of olive oil, measured by the bath, is a tenth of a bath from each cor (which consists of ten baths or one homer, for ten baths are equivalent to a homer), and 1/200th of a lamb(15, Also one sheep is to be taken from every flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These will be used for the grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the people, declares the Sovereign Lord). These offerings are grain offerings, burnt offerings, and thank offerings to atone for the people. While not large in quantity, the reason for this mandatory offering is to acknowledge that God is the owner of all things. As a confession of our acknowledgment of God's sovereignty, we offer tithes, Sunday offerings, and thanksgiving or mission offerings to God every Sunday.
 Even in a restored community, the problem of sin remains. Therefore, the need for atonement continues, and sacrifices are continually offered. The king's most fundamental duty is to ensure that worship in the temple continues(17, It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths-at all the appointed festivals of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the Israelites). "It is the prince's duty to provide burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings for the feasts, the new moons, the Sabbaths, and all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and thank offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel." At the beginning of the year, the New Year's sacrifice(purification rites, 18-19, "'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In the first month on the first day you are to take a young bull without defect and purify the sanctuary. The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge of the altar and on the gateposts of the inner court) is performed on the 7th and 14th days of the first month, as a purification ceremony, in the presence of the Most Holy God(20, You are to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance; so you are to make atonement for the temple).
He also commands the observance of the Passover(21-24) and the Feast of Tabernacles(25).
(21-24, 21."'In the first month on the fourteenth day you are to observe the Passover, a festival lasting seven days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast. 22.On that day the prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land. 23.Every day during the seven days of the festival he is to provide seven bulls and seven rams without defect as a burnt offering to the Lord, and a male goat for a sin offering. 24.He is to provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin of olive oil for each ephah. 25."'During the seven days of the festival, which begins in the seventh month on the fifteenth day, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil)

 This demonstrates that we must not forget God's salvation and grace, but remember them from generation to generation, and live in gratitude and obedience. Jesus accomplished eternal and complete atonement once for all through the cross(Heb.9:12). We must confess our sins, repent, and approach God daily. We must not forget the grace of salvation, but live a life of gratitude.
1 Thes.5:18, “Be thankful in all circumstances.” Heb.12:28, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us find grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." "Find grace" means to worship with gratitude. The offerings in the new temple are even greater than those in Numbers. They offer nearly seven times as many animals, as well as grain offerings. Over eight days, they offer 50 calves, 49 sheep, and 7 goats. They also offer 99 ephahs of flour(about 2,200 liters) and 99 hin(about 400 liters) of oil.

Application: Do we believe that our sins are completely and eternally forgiven once and for all through the cross of Jesus? Do we worship God every day with gratitude for His grace? Are we thankful for this amazing grace, forgiving the mistakes and faults of our neighbors, and covering them with love?

*Let us all worship and offer sacrifices in gratitude for His grace, and live righteously, centered on Jesus.