Ezekiel 44:11

The Bible says in Ezekiel 44:11-16, “Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.[12] Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity.[13] And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.[14] But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.[15] But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:[16] They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.” All of the people of Israel failed God. That includes the priests and the Levites. Mankind always fails God. But man’s failure is not the end of the story. God always has a plan to fix what man has messed up. That is what forgiveness is all about. God has a plan for every person’s life. That is why Jesus came and died on the cross for sin. That was part of the plan. Every person fits into God’s great plan when they turn from their sins and turn to Jesus.

As far as the Levites were concerned, that even though they had failed in their duties and responsibilities in taking care of the temple, God was going to give them another chance when they would fulfill their duties like they should have in the first place. The first thing that they will do is stated in verse 11, “they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people.” Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Those sacrifices were important in order for the people of Israel to realize that they were sinners. Those sacrifices were important because the sacrifices showed the mind of God who had a plan, a great eternal plan, to send Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sins.

In verses 12 and 13 God states that the priests and Levites would not serve in the temple. They were under the law, and they had to pay: “they shall bear their iniquity.” Of course, God was talking about the current generation. But concerning a future generation that God would raise up: they would serve the Lord in the temple. It says in verse 14, “But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house.” Notice that it says about the priests in verse 16 as they were in the temple: “They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table.” When they were in the temple, they were closer to God because the temple symbolized God’s presence. Under the New Covenant every believer has this closeness to God because of the priesthood of the believer. In true Christianity there are no priests. We no longer need a priest now that we have Jesus. We no longer need sacrifices because Jesus is our sacrifice. We come into the very presence of God through our faith in Jesus. We look to Jesus, and we are immediately in God’s presence. There is no longer a need for a priest. There are no more priests except for Jesus. Jesus is a priest forever. Jesus did the final work of a priest: Jesus sacrificed Himself.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 44:17-23, “And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.[18] They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.[19] And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.[20] Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.[21] Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.[22] Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.[23] And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” The key phrase in these verses is the last part of verse 23 that says the priests will “cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” This last phrase explains the verses that went before. The clothing and the other rules had one purpose: to symbolize cleanliness, the cleanliness of the forgiveness of sins. To be in God’s presence we must be cleansed from our sins. Only Jesus can give true forgiveness and cleansing.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 44:24-31, “And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.[25] And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.[26] And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days.[27] And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, saith the Lord GOD.[28] And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.[29] They shall eat the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.[30] And the first of all the firstfruits of all things, and every oblation of all, of every sort of your oblations, shall be the priest's: ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house.[31] The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast.” Verse 44 is an important verse. It tells us a couple of important truths about judging and judgments. It says, “And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments.” When a judge has to make a judgment, there is often a controversy involved. And so you must have judges who have a backbone to them. They must know where to stand and to stand strong. Here is where to stand: stand with the law. Which law: God’s law. The best laws are based upon God’s revealed Word. That is one of the values of the Bible. Any judge will be a much better judge if he or she knows God’s Word and knows God’s will.

Ezekiel 44:28 is also an important verse. God said to the priests and the Levites, “And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance.” If you have God, you have everything. If you are connected to God through faith in Jesus Christ, you have everything that is of value and that is lasting. Jesus is life, so if you are connected to Him, you have life and that includes eternal life. Jesus is truth, and so if you are connected to Him, you know the truth. That is no small benefit in this world of error and deception. The question is: how much do you value having God as your inheritance?

Even though God was their inheritance and their possession, that does not mean that God is not interested in your material needs. God said to the priests and Levites in verse 29, “They shall eat the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.” The point is that God will supply their needs. There are two great principles involved in having your needs met: one is spiritual and one is practical. If you want to know that your material needs will assuredly be met, make sure that you have your priorities right. No need to worry: just make sure that you put God first. That is what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” If you have your priorities right, then there is also the practical side of things: the work ethic. Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day, the night cometh when no man can work.” Yes, have faith in God and His promises, but do not underestimate the importance of the work ethic. It says in Proverbs 6:6, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise.” And it says in the New Testament in Second Thessalonians 3:10, “…if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

The Bible says in Ezekiel 45:1-6, “Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the LORD, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about.[2] Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof.[3] And of this measure shalt thou measure the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand: and in it shall be the sanctuary and the most holy place.[4] The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come near to minister unto the LORD: and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for the sanctuary.[5] And the five and twenty thousand of length, and the ten thousand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers of the house, have for themselves, for a possession for twenty chambers.[6] And ye shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of Israel.” These verses are about the extra land that would be given to the priests and Levites so that they would have a place to live. Basically, extra land was taken from other tribes and given to the Levites. And of course, what was given to the Levites would benefit the whole house of Israel. The work that the priests and Levites were doing in administering the innocent animal sacrifices was a benefit to the entire nation of Israel. God uses people and God has a way of supplying the needs of the people.

This passage also has a lot to do with giving to the work of God, and this passage reminds us of some differences about that subject in the Old Testament as compared to the new covenant. In the Old Testament there were extra requirements. That is in keeping with the law. Israelites were told exactly how much to give. We know that the Old Testament made it very clear that the Jews living under the law were required to give ten percent. They did not have to think about it, and they did not have to pray about it. It was spelled out for them very clearly. The same thing is true here in Ezekiel chapter 45 concerning the extra land that was to be given to the Levites. The exact measurements of how much land to give them is spelled out. God said in Ezekiel 45:1, “ye shall offer an oblation unto the LORD, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand.” God knew that the priests and Levites had material needs. That is why God was requiring that this land be given to the priests and Levites. God said in Ezekiel 45:4, “and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for the sanctuary.”

In the New Testament giving is based upon a different principle. First of all there is a lot more freedom in the New Testament concerning the principle of giving. Christians are not given an exact percentage that they are required to give. The New Testament principle of giving is stated n Second Corinthians 9:7, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart; so let him give; not grudgingly, nor of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver.” The New Testament is based a great deal on the principle of freedom of choice. We are each supposed to be led of the Lord, and then freely and happily choose to do what He lays on our heart. What a great life it is to follow Jesus. We are not under law, but under grace.

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