Ezekiel 42
COMMENTARY:
: 13 Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy. (398 “eat” [akal] means devour, consume, burn up, feed or taste.)
DEVOTION: The LORD designated a special place for the priests to store and consume the sacrifices. The place was holy. The sacrifices were considered the most holy things.
The people were to bring their sacrifices to the Temple and part of the animal or grain sacrifices were to be offered to the LORD. The remainder of the sacrifices was for the feeding of the priests. They were to only consume them in the room designated for this purpose.
Biblical scholar L.E. Cooper writes: “From the whole burnt offering they received only the skin of the animal (Lev 7:8). A memorial portion of grain offerings was burned on the altar of burnt offering and the remainder given to the priests (Lev 2:3, 10; 6:16–18; 7:14–15). The priests received the brisket and right thigh from the peace offering (Lev 7:30–34). The fat of the sin offering and trespass offering was burned on the altar of burnt offering and the remainder eaten by the priests (Lev 6:26; 7:6–7). These regulations for the priests were observed in the tabernacle and temple. The offerings were types of the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ the Messiah (Heb 10:1–39; ….”
The priests would have communal meals together. This was done to support them during their time of ministry. The LORD allowed each priest an portion of the offerings. They had to work during these time periods and so their meals were provided.
Today we have offerings taken in church to support those who work in the ministry. The church designates an annual salary for the pastor/pastors and that is what they take home. If the church doesn’t give the pastor/pastors a good living wage they will have to answer to the LORD but if the pastor takes more than he should he will have to answer to the LORD.
Meals were consumed in the presence of the LORD by the priests in a holy place. Our homes are holy places if we dedicate them to the LORD. Every family of believers should realize that God has provided all of their needs. This includes our food.
CHALLENGE: All of our meals should be blessed with prayer of thanksgiving to the LORD. Even we are out in public we should be the ones who are praying over our meals. It is part of our witness to the LORD.
: 13 ….Here the priests who offer sacrifices to the Lord will eat the most holy offering.
Our meals are supposed to be sacred events in our life. If we believe that the LORD provides for our every need than food is a need not just a want. We should bow our heads in prayer to HIM each time we eat. It is a gift from HIM.
We should be able to know the difference between a need and a want in our life. Too often we think that we need things that are not basic to life. We would rather have a steak than soup. We would rather have name brand clothes over inexpensive clothes. We would rather have an expensive car over a just a car that will get us around. Too often we go into debt or spend our allowance right away instead of saving for something we really want.
The LORD wants us to understand that everything HE gives us is a gift from HIM to be used for HIS glory. So each time we spend money or ask for things we should first ask the LORD if it is really a need. Every part of our life is important to the LORD.
: 14 When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people. (8334 “minister” [sharath] means serve, servant, wait upon, be an attendant to, officiate or render assistance or help.)
DEVOTION: The Millennial priests in the new tabernacle would be ministering to the LORD first and to the people second. Here we have the priests in their garments for worship which were special and the garments they went out into the public wearing. There was a distinction between the clothes that they wore before the LORD and those they wore outside the Temple.
It used to be that people would dress up special for Sunday services. They would wear their “Sunday best” to church. Everyone would come in looking good for the LORD. It didn’t matter what their occupation was during the week they would wear only their Sunday best on Sunday to honor the LORD.
This has changed quite a bit today. It seems that some come to church wearing play clothes and go to work in their Sunday best. There has been a change that might not be for the better. It happens that even the pastors are dressing down to please the people rather than the LORD.
The church has become common ground rather than holy ground. There seems to be less and less respect for the worship of the LORD. Many people come to church for the coffee and the donuts rather than to come into the presence of the LORD.
This verse shows that those who were workers in the Temple had to have certain garments that they wore and then changed their clothes to go into the public square. Should this still be true today? Are people generally disregarding the difference between going to church and other places? Should this be a practice?
CHALLENGE: Those of us who are worship leaders and pastors and officers in the church need to set the example for the rest of the congregation. Our standards should be high then common!! HE is still the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!!
: 20 He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place. (914 “separation” [badal] means divide, set apart, sever, to make a distinction, or to divide into parts.)
DEVOTION: There is a difference made between the sanctuary or holy place and the profane place or the unholy place. The Temple during the Millennium was for worship. There were guidelines for the priests. They were not to offer the sacrifices and leave the Temple without changing their clothes. The clothes were to be keep in the holy area and not outside the Temple.
The Bible makes a distinction between those who follow the LORD and those who don’t. Those who follow the LORD obey HIS rules, whereas, those who don’t follow the LORD make up their own rules. The Bible is the rulebook.
Many people try to say that they believe in God but their lifestyle says something different. Christians do sin after they chose to follow Christ but they don’t live in a lifestyle that is unholy. Many people think that they can make an arrangement with GOD. They think that GOD will allow them to live any way they think in right and HE will go along with it. HE doesn’t!!!
Many people are living in sin and think that GOD will never send them to the lake of fire for eternity. HE will!!! The temple represented a place where people could go into the presence of GOD. They had to enter HIS presence with offerings. They had to enter HIS presence with reverence. They had to enter HIS presence with confession.
How are we entering into the presence of GOD each time we pray? Do we pray? Do we want HIS presence in our everyday life?
HE makes a difference between the holy and the unholy. Do we???? Were we in church this week to reverently worship the LORD?
When we walk into a home that is occupied by Christians there should be a difference than when we walk into a home of those who are not believers. There should be an atmosphere of love in every Christian home. Those who visit us should know without us saying a word that they are in the presence of someone who is a believer in Jesus Christ.
CHALLENGE: Think about those you visit. When you enter a Christian home can you sense the presence of the LORD? When someone enters your home do they sense the presence of the LORD? Should they?
: 20 …to separate the holy areas from the common.
There is a division between the different areas of our life. There are things that are holy and things that are common. In each area we should pray that we honor the LORD.
The priests knew that the Temple area was a holy area. They had to do everything right before the LORD. If they didn’t the LORD would judge them. It was a holy obligation that every priest had to serve for a certain time period. Once their time was up they went home to a parcel of land that was given to them by the LORD. Their only inheritance was that parcel of land.
The LORD had promised to provide for the priests and their families through the giving of the rest of the tribes of Israel. When the people were faithful in their giving the priests were well taken care of but when the people were unfaithful the priests had to care for themselves in other ways.
Sometimes even the priests and Levites would not honor the LORD in their actions. They were not separating between what was holy and what was common. The Christian life is not to be common. We are to honor the LORD in all that we do every day.
We are part of a holy nation today. That nation is made up of only those who are true followers of the LORD. One person told me the definition of church people was those who like to hang around Christians.
Most of those in America claim to be Christians but their lifestyle and words say something different. Be one of those who claim to be Christian that works at acting like a Christian and talking like a Christian. That is the only type of separation that makes a difference. It is not just an outward appearance but an attitude of the heart.
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