Our Daily Scripture – 12/3/24 (Tuesday)

SCRIPTURE:  EZEKIEL 44

THE PRINCE, THE LEVITES, THE PRIESTS (vs. 1-30)

THE PRINCE (vs. 1-3)

The Prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the Lord.  He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.

THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL (vs. 5-9)

  1.  They had detestable practices. (v. 6)
  2.  They brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh into the Lord’s sanctuary, desecrating His temple while they offered God food, fat and blood, breaking God’s covenant. (v. 7)
  3.  They put others in charge of God’s sanctuary and did not carry out their duties in regards to His holy things. (v. 8)

GOD’S REGULATION:  “No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites (v. 9)

THE LEVITES (vs. 10-14)

  1.  They served the burnt offering and sacrifices in the presence of their idols and made the house of Israel fall into sin. (v. 12)
  2.  They could not come to serve God as priest or come near any of God’s holy things or holy offerings. (v. 13)
  3.  Yet God will put them in charge of the duties of the temple and all the work that is to be done. (v. 14)

THE PRIESTS (vs. 15-31)

  1. The priests who are Levites and descendants of Zadok and who faithfully carried out the duties of God’s sanctuary when the Israelites went astray are to come near to minister.  They are to stand before God to offer sacrifices of fat and blood. (v. 15)
  2.  They alone are to enter God’s sanctuary and come near God ‘s table to minister and perform His service. (v. 16)
  3.  When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes, not woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. (v. 17)
  4.  They are to wear linen turbans on their heads ands linen undergarments arounds their waists. (v. 18)
  5.  Then when they go out into the outer court, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes. (v. 19)
  6.  They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of the heads trimmed. (v. 20)
  7.  No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner courts. (v. 21)
  8.  They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests. (v. 22)
  9.  They are to teach people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the   clean. (v. 23)
  10.  In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges and decide it according t His ordinances. (v. 24a)
  11.  They are to keep God’s law and decrees for all His appointed feasts, and they are to keep Sabbath day holy. (v. 24)
  12.  A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person except the dead persons was his relative. (v. 25)
  13.  After  the priest is cleansed, he must wait 7 days. (v. 26)
  14.  The priest has to offer a sin offering for himself on the day he goes in to the inner court of the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary. (v. 27)
  15.  They shall have no possession in Israel because God is their only inheritance. (v. 28)
  16.  They will eat the grain offerings,. the sin offerings and the guilt offerings. (v. 29)
  17.  The best of all the firstfruits and of all the special gifts belong to the priests.  The first portion of ground meal is to be given to them. (v. 30)
  18.  They must not eat anything, bird or animal, found dead or torn by wild animals. (v. 31)

THOUGHTS:

God gave Ezekiel the instructions covering the Levites and priest on the manner of worship.  The priest had to be careful on what they wear, what they eat and drink and how they look.  They should practice discernment before they can teach the people on how to have discernment.

Zadok’s descendants had remained faithful to God while others had been corrupt.  Zadok supported God’s choice of Solomon to succeed David and was appointed high priest during his reign.  Zadok’s descendants were considered the true priestly through the time between the Old and New Testament’s time.

The regulations given revealed the importance of approaching God respectfully.  Guidelines were given for the priests to live above reproach so that they can carry out their responsibility to teach the people what is holy and unholy and what is ceremonially clean or unclean.