Ezekiel chapter 45
Land for the temple ministers. The offerings.
Note: Many people find it morally objectionable that a religion requires the killing of innocent animals.
LAND FOR THE TEMPLE MINISTERS
VERSE 1. “ ‘ “Moreover, when you divide by lot the land for inheritance, you shall offer an offering to the LORD, a holy portion of the land. The length shall be the length of twenty-five thousand reeds, and the width shall be ten thousand. It shall be holy in all its border all around.
the length of twenty-five thousand reeds. That is about 8.3 miles long.
the width shall be ten thousand. That is about 3.3 miles wide.
VERSE 2. Of this there shall be a five hundred by five hundred square for the holy place, and fifty cubits for its pasture lands all around.
cubits. A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.
VERSE 3. Of this measure you shall measure a length of twenty-five thousand, and a width of ten thousand. In it shall be the sanctuary, which is most holy.
In it shall be the sanctuary. This is where the temple will be located.
VERSE 4. It is a holy portion of the land; it shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the LORD. It shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.
for the priests. This first plot of land will be the home of the temple, AND the home of the priests who minister in the temple.
VERSE 5. Twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width shall be for the Levites, the ministers of the house, as a possession for themselves, for twenty rooms.
for the Levites. This next plot of land will be for the Levites who serve in the temple.
VERSE 6. “ ‘ “You shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, side by side with the offering of the holy portion. It shall be for the whole house of Israel.
for the whole house of Israel. This next plot of land is for the city of Jerusalem.
VERSE 7. “ ‘ “What is for the prince shall be on the one side and on the other side of the holy allotment and of the possession of the city, in front of the holy allotment and in front of the possession of the city, on the west side westward, and on the east side eastward, and in length corresponding to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border.
the prince. That is, David.
VERSE 8. In the land it shall be to him for a possession in Israel. My princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.”
VERSE 9. “ ‘The Lord GOD says: “Enough you, princes of Israel! Remove violence and plunder, and execute justice and righteousness! Stop dispossessing my people!” says the Lord GOD.
Enough you, princes of Israel! The leaders had callously disregarded the rights of those they were to protect. Now Ezekiel exhorts them to repent.
VERSE 10. “You shall have just balances, a just efah, and a just bath.
You shall have just balances. The basic problem of the leaders was greed. That led to corruption. So Ezekiel exhorts them to use accurate scales.
efah. One efah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel.
VERSE 11. The efah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain one tenth of a homer, and the efah one tenth of a homer. Its measure shall be the same as the homer.
homer. One homer is about 220 liters or 6 bushels.
VERSE 12. The shekel shall be twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.
shekel. A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.
gerah. A gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains.
mina. A mina is about 600 grams or 1.3 U. S. pounds.
THE OFFERINGS
VERSE 13. “ ‘ “This is the offering that you shall offer: the sixth part of an efah from a homer of wheat, and you shall give the sixth part of an efah from a homer of barley,
VERSE 14. and the set portion of oil, of the bath of oil, one tenth of a bath out of the cor, which is ten baths, even a homer (for ten baths are a homer),
cor. One cor is the same as 1 homer in volume, and is about 211 liters, 55.9 gallons, or 6 bushels.
baths. One bath is about 21.1 liters, 5.59 gallons, or 2.4 pecks.
VERSE 15. and one lamb of the flock out of two hundred, from the well-watered pastures of Israel—for a meal offering, for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make atonement for them,” says the Lord GOD.
VERSE 16. “All the people of the land shall give to this offering for the prince in Israel.
VERSE 17. It shall be the prince’s part to give the burnt offerings, the meal offerings, and the drink offerings, in the feasts, and on the new moons, and on the Sabbaths, in all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the meal offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.”
VERSE 18. “ ‘The Lord GOD says: “In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without defect, and you shall cleanse the sanctuary.
VERSE 19. The priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the door posts of the house, and on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate of the inner court.
VERSE 20. So you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who errs, and for him who is simple. So you shall make atonement for the house.
VERSE 21. “ ‘ “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.
VERSE 22. On that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering.
VERSE 23. The seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams without defect daily the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering.
VERSE 24. He shall prepare a meal offering, an efah for a bull, an efah for a ram, and a hin of oil to an efah.
efah. One efah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel.
hin. A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons.
VERSE 25. “ ‘ “In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, during the feast, he shall do like that for seven days. He shall make the same provision for sin offering, the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the oil.”
EZEKIEL
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize
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