Ezekiel 44:4 (NIV) Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the temple of the Lord, and I fell facedown. The final vision given to Ezekiel is of a glorious new temple filled with God’s glory. We saw in our previous lesson that this vision was never intended as instructions for a physical building. Ezekiel was pointing to a glorious reality when the glory of the Lord would come from the east, place His feet in Jerusalem, and fill the temple with His glory (Ezekiel 43:6-9). Jesus proclaimed himself to be the new temple in John 2:19. According to Ephesians 2:21-22 (NIV) In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Another important point that we saw in the last lesson is that these final chapters of Ezekiel are prophetic contrasts. The false shepherds will be judged and the Lord will send a new shepherd. The people had lost their kings because of their sins but the Lord will send an eternal king. The people’s stubborn hearts will be replaced with repentant hearts. In the same way, this temple is a contrast to the way things were when the prior temple existed. In other words, this new temple is not a physical building to be constructed. Rather, the people were to read about this new temple and note its radical difference from the old one. These differences were to cause the people to be convicted and ashamed of their sins. Ezekiel 43:10 (NIV) “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider its perfection…
Now, in Ezekiel 44-46 we are going to see a new prince and the impact of God’s glory returning. Ezekiel 44 begins with a new figure called the prince. Ezekiel 44:1-3 tells us the gates of the temple must remain shut and no one is allowed to enter except the prince. Now why are we talking about a prince? God uses the title of prince to refer to the various kings, rulers, and leaders of Israel throughout Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 12 the prophecy was the prince in Jerusalem was going to pack his bags, leave the land, and not see where he was going. This was a prophecy concerning Ezekiel 19, where a lamentation was taken up against the final three kings of Judah, calling them princes and noting their spiritual failures. Ezekiel 21-22 expanded on those judgments, noting how the kings and leaders had been bent on shedding blood, profaning the Sabbaths, taking bribes, extorting people, and treating parents with contempt.
One particular problem of the prior princes was that the kings and the leaders of Israel had no regard for the Lord and His holiness. Ezekiel 22:8 (NIV) You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. They had no regard for God’s laws. They had no concern for the Lord’s holy feasts and holy days. The leaders did not care and the people did not care. That is why they were in the condition they were in during the days of Ezekiel. The people needed a new prince. A promise was made about this in Ezekiel 37:25 (BSB): They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live there forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever.
So, what is this prince going to do? Ezekiel 45-46 gives a number of expectations for the new prince but there are two key pictures we need to focus on. First, there are limitations placed on the prince. Now this can be confusing because we know this prince is a picture of Christ. How can this prophecy have messages about the limits that are placed on Him? For example, Ezekiel 45:7-8 gives the new prince land but He is restrained from taking any more land than what is assigned to him. A similar point is made in Ezekiel 46:16-18.
Ezekiel 46:18 (NIV) The prince must not take any of the inheritance of the people, driving them off their property. He is to give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that not one of my people will be separated from their property.’” This sounds strange until we remember that this is a contrast to prior princes. When you think about prior princes you might remember that this is what the kings of Israel were doing. It was common for kings to seize land and property for themselves. We have one particular account of this in the days of Ahab and Jezebel recorded in 1 Kings 21. Naboth had a vineyard that Ahab wanted and so Jezebel had Naboth killed so that Ahab could take the property.
Here is the point: prior princes hurt the people for their own selfish desires. But this prince will not do that. This prince will not hurt the people and take their land. This prince will be content with his inheritance and allow the people to enjoy the inheritance with him. The one in authority will no longer abuse the people.
Second, the prince is pictured ruling with justice and equity, unlike the prior princes (45:8-12). Rather than resisting the Lord, this prince is going to serve the Lord. The prince will bring his gifts and offerings to the Lord (45:13-25). The prior princes had no regard for God’s holiness or offerings. They violated the temple rules and did not uphold the holiness laws. They thought they were above God’s law because they were kings. But this king will not do that. This prince will be different. This prince will uphold God’s holiness in every respect. Notice the picture in Ezekiel 45:17 (NIV) 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.
The prince is going to provide the sacrifices for the people (Ezekiel 45:22-25; 46:12-15). Rather than prohibiting the people from accessing the Lord, the prince will be providing everything the people need to access the Lord and worship Him. This is a key point that is made in Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10:1-8 notes that sacrifices and offerings were insufficient and therefore not what the Lord desired. Therefore, a body was prepared for Christ who came to do the will of the Father and we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:8-10).
Hebrews 10:8-10 (NIV) First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
As we saw two weeks ago, we need to consider what the impact is supposed to be on the people. We noted in Ezekiel 43:10 that the design of the temple was to convict the people of their sins and make them ashamed of how they rejected the Lord. But what is the big picture for us by seeing the new prince as Christ who has given Himself so that we can access the Lord? Turn back to the beginning of Ezekiel 44. We saw in verse 4 Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord filling this new visionary temple. I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the temple of the Lord, and I fell facedown. The glory Ezekiel saw fill the temple back in Ezekiel 43:1-4 remained there. As promised, it would be His dwelling place forever (Ezekiel 43:7). Ezekiel’s reaction was as before; he fell on his face (Ezekiel 43:3). The Lord’s message to the people begins in verse 6 so let’s look at Ezekiel 44:6-8.
Ezekiel 44:6-8 (NIV) ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of your detestable practices, people of Israel! 7 In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant. 8 Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary. The coming of the new prince and the filling of the temple with the glory of the Lord are to cause the people to stop sinning. These chapters are a call to the people to live holy lives. But let’s consider the beautiful picture that the Lord sets forth as to why we need to live holy lives. And keep in mind that for us to be holy doesn’t mean that we are perfect, it means we are set apart and therefore should live differently than the world.
The contrast begins in Ezekiel 44:9-14. In these verses the Lord describes the failure of the Levites. They went astray going after their idols and became a stumbling block to the people (Ezekiel 44:10,12). They were going to bear the punishment for their actions. But Ezekiel 44:15 says that the faithful priests of the Lord will come near and stand in service to the Lord, offering sacrifices. Much of Ezekiel 44 is about the required holiness of the priests. Only pure priests can serve in this new temple. They must be holy if they are to be in service to the Lord.
We are designated as priests to the Lord and must be holy to the Lord. 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood…Look at 1 Peter 2:1-5 (NIV): Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Notice the holiness of this picture. We are to put away all things that are sinful and evil and come to Christ to be living stones built up as a spiritual house. Please notice what else Peter says. We are to be a holy priesthood (2:4) offering spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to the Lord. Listen to what one of the roles was to be for the Lord’s priests.
Ezekiel 44:23 (NIV) They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. How can we teach people the difference between the holy and the common and to distinguish between clean and unclean if we are not pursuing holiness? We have to live holy lives as God’s priests, distinguished from the world, so that we can show the world what is right and wrong, what is true and what is false, and what is holy and what is not. We are a royal priesthood and we are to pursue holiness and teach holiness through our words and actions.
So here is the big point for our lesson today. Sometimes we tend to think about how God tells us to stop sinning and live holy lives without understanding the reason for it. But there is a purpose to resisting sin and pursuing holiness. We need to be a light of holiness in the darkness of the world. Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV) “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” We have been called to show and teach holiness to a world lost in the darkness of sin. We cannot be priests before the Lord if we are entangled in idolatrous, worldly ways.
The Lord rejected the Levites because they had gone astray from Him and became a stumbling block to the people. The Lord has cleansed us with the blood of Christ to be a holy temple to the living God, inviting the world to see and enjoy God’s holiness and love.
Hebrews 10:10 (BSB) And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. All of this has been made possible because we have a new prince who has provided the once for all sacrifice for sin through His body, offered up on the cross.
Exhortation: What do we need to do differently to show the holiness of God? What do we need to do different in our families to show the holiness of God? What do we need to change so that we can be considered holy before the Lord? What do we say and do to teach people about God’s holiness in the world? Be a priest to the Lord, offering spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God, teaching people through words and actions about the desires and ways of the Lord. Be holy in all you do because he who called you is holy. We will close today with Peter’s divinely inspired words which are taken from Leviticus 11:44-45 and 19:2.
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NIV) Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”