LIFE-STUDY OF EZEKIEL
Message 25
THE PRIESTS AND THE OFFERINGS
WEEK 12 - THURSDAY
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 43:1, 4; 44:1-3, 9-30; 45:15
Read and pray: “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says the Holy One, the True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens:” (Rev. 3:7)
In the previous message we saw that God cares for His house and that His desire is for His house. Therefore, our work, conduct, and person must be according to the plan, the pattern, the statutes, and the laws of the house (43:10-12).
This means that everything we do must be according to the church, which is the house of God. The standard of measurement is not good behavior nor personal spirituality; the standard is the church. Everything we are and do must be measured and tested by the house of God, the church.
In this message we will cover two main points: first, the kind of person who is qualified to serve in the house of the Lord and how such a person can serve Him; second, the offerings made to the Lord. First, however, we need to say a word about a particular gate, which must be shut.
THE OUTER GATE OF THE
SANCTUARY FACING EAST IS SHUT
Ezekiel 44:1-3 says: “Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut. And Jehovah said to me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, because Jehovah, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. As for the prince, because he is the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before Jehovah; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate and shall go out by the same way.”
The eastern gate was special because God had entered the temple through it (43:1, 4). This gate was to remain shut, and only “the prince” could enter by it and sit there to eat bread before the Lord.
The prince here is the King in the coming millennial kingdom, and surely this prince is Christ. This word concerning the eastern gate indicates that Christ and God have an equal position, for after God entered by this gate, the only person who can do this is Christ. Only Christ can enter and go out through the gate by which God has passed. This reveals that God and Christ have a special and holy portion among the people of God.
THE PRIESTS — ARE CIRCUMCISED
If we want to serve the Lord in His house, the church, we need to be circumcised (44:9). The uncircumcised are not qualified to serve in the house of God. Circumcision means dealing with the flesh, the natural man, and the old man by the cross.
For us as believers in Christ, circumcision today is not something outward but an inward dealing by the cross with the flesh, the natural man, and the old man. If our flesh, the natural man, and the old man are not dealt with by the cross, we will not be qualified to serve in the church life. Instead, we are considered by the Lord as foreigners.
A foreigner is an uncircumcised one, someone whose flesh, natural man, and old man have not been dealt with by the cross. We may be genuine believers, but if we do not deal with our flesh, the natural man, and the old man by the cross, the Lord considers us as foreigners, those who are not qualified to serve in the church life.
We need to bring this matter to the Lord and ask Him about our flesh, the natural man, and the old man. These things must be dealt with through the work of the cross. Only then will we be circumcised and qualified to serve the Lord in the church life.
TO BE LIKE THE SONS OF ZADOK
When the majority of the people turned aside, some of the circumcised also turned aside (44:10). Although these were circumcised, they turned away from God to idols, following those who had turned aside.
Because these circumcised ones turned aside, we may say that they were only partially qualified to serve the Lord. On the one hand, they were qualified because they were circumcised; on the other hand, they were not qualified because they had turned away from God to idols.
Their circumcision qualified them, but their turning aside disqualified them. What should the Lord do with them, and what was His attitude toward them? The Lord said that such ones could serve in the house, but they could not draw near to the Lord or to the holy things (vv. 11-14).
They could minister in the temple, helping the people to present their offerings, but they could not draw near to the Lord or serve Him directly. Some of the saints in the church life today are also partially qualified. In one sense, they are circumcised, but in another, they have turned aside like the majority of the people.
Following the majority is terrible. Consider the situation today: the majority of Christians have turned away from the Lord to idols, and some of the saints in the church have followed the majority in turning away from the Lord. Because the majority of Christians have turned away, they have lost their qualification and position to serve the Lord in a direct way.
They may still have a part in the service of the church, but it is an indirect service to the Lord. We all need to be like the sons of Zadok, who were circumcised and absolutely faithful to the Lord. They never turned aside, following the majority of the people. They were circumcised and were always honest and faithful to the Lord (vv. 15-16).
Therefore, they could serve the Lord in a direct way. The Lord said that they could draw near to Him and serve Him directly. They were not limited to serving the people; they could serve the Lord Himself. I hope that none of us are only partially qualified. I hope that we all are fully qualified: circumcised, honest, never having turned aside, and never following the majority.
OFFERING THE FAT AND THE BLOOD
At this point we need to consider how the circumcised, faithful, and qualified men serve the Lord. First, they serve by offering the fat and the blood of the offerings (v. 15).
The most precious part of the offerings is the fat, which typifies the precious person of the Lord Jesus. While the fat typifies the preciousness of Christ’s person, the blood typifies Christ’s redemptive work. In summary, the fat typifies the person of Christ and the blood signifies the work of Christ. In our service to God, we must present to Him the precious person of Christ and the redemptive work of Christ.
🌿Enjoy more: Consecration - "All on the Altar"
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