SCRIPTURE: EZEKIEL 45
DIVISION OF THE LAND (vs. 1-12)
- A portion of the land as a sacred district measuring 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide will be ana holy area. (v. 1)
- A section for the sanctuary measuring 500 cubits square with 50 cubits around it for open land. (v. 2)
- The sacred district measuring 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. (v. 3)
- A sacred portion of the land is for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary. It will be a place for their houses. (v. 4)
- An area of 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. (v. 5 )
- An area of 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long adjoining the sacred portion is a city proper of the whole house of Israel. (v. 6)
- The prince will also have a land as his possession in Israel. Princes will no longer oppress the people but will allow the house of Israel to possess the land according to their tribes. (v. 7-8)
The princes are warned not to oppress the people but do what is just and right. They have to use accurate scales, an accurate ephah and an accurate bath (vs. 9-12)
OFFERINGS AND HOLY DAYS (vs. 13-25)
A special gift with the prescribed quantity of wheat, barley, oil was given for offerings. One sheep is to be taken from every flock of 200 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. All the people of the land will participate in this special gift for the use of the prince in Israel. The prince has to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths – at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offering, grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel. (v. 13-17)
In the first month on the first day, the prince should purify the sanctuary and offer a young bull without defect. The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the door posts of the temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge of the altar and one the gateposts of the inner court. On the 7th day of the month, the priests are to do the same for anyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance so as to make atonement for the temple. (v. 18-20)
Passover feast lasting 7 days is to be observed in the first month on the 14th day wherein they shall eat bread without yeast The prince is to provide a bull as sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land. Every day during the seven days of the Feast, he is to proved 7 bulls and 7 rams without defect as a burnt offering to the Lord, and a male goat for sin offering. He is to provide a grain offering an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin of oil for each ephah. During the 7 days of the Feast, which begins in the 7th month on the l5th day, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil. (vs. 21-25)
THOUGHTS:
The Passover was an annual 7 days festival instituted by God for people to remember when He brought them out of slavery in Egypt. On the first Passover, an angel passed over the house marked by lamb’s blood and struck only the unmarked house. This annual festival was celebrated in October. It commemorates God’s protection of His people as they traveled through the wilderness from Egypt to the Promised land.