Scripture Reading: Ezek. 44:9-30; 45:13-25; 46:1-7, 13-15
In the last message we saw that God cares for His house and that His desire is toward His house. Therefore, our work, behavior, and person must be according to the form, the pattern, the statutes, and the laws of the house (43:10-12). This means that everything we do needs to be according to the church, which is God’s house. The standard of measurement is neither good behavior nor personal spirituality; the standard of measurement is the church. All that we are and do must be measured, tested, by God’s house, the church.
In this message we will cover two major points: first, the kind of person who is qualified to serve in the house of the Lord and how such a person can serve the Lord; second, the offerings made to the Lord. First, however, we need to say a word about a particular gate which was to be shut.
Ezekiel 44:1-3 says, “Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord the God of Israel hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.” The east gate was special because God had entered into the temple through this gate (43:1, 4). This gate was to be shut, and only “the prince” could enter in by it and sit in it 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 about the east gate indicates that Christ and God have an equal position, for after God had entered in by this gate, the only other person who can do so is Christ. Only Christ can enter in and go out by the gate through which God has passed. This reveals that God and Christ have a special, holy portion among God’s people.
If we would serve the Lord in His house, the church, we need to be circumcised (44:9). Uncircumcised persons are not qualified to serve in God’s house. Circumcision typifies dealing with the flesh, the natural man, and the old man by the cross. To 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, natural man, and old man have not been dealt with by the cross, we are not qualified to serve in the church life. Rather, we are considered by the Lord to be a stranger. A stranger is an uncircumcised person, someone whose flesh, natural man, and old man have not been dealt with by the cross. We may be real believers, but if we have not dealt with our flesh, natural man, and old man by the cross, the Lord regards us as strangers, 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, natural man, and old man. These things must be dealt with through the working of the cross. Only then will we be circumcised and qualified to serve the Lord in the church life.
When the majority of the people went astray, some of the circumcised ones also went astray (44:10). Although these ones were circumcised, they went astray from God to idols by following those who went astray. Because these circumcised ones went astray, we may say that they were only half 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 gone astray from God to idols. Their circumcision qualified them, but their going astray disqualified them.
What should the Lord do with them, and what was His attitude toward them? The Lord said that such persons could serve in the house, but they could not come near to the Lord or to the holy things (vv. 11-14). They could minister in the temple by helping the people to present their offerings, but they could not come near to the Lord and serve Him. Some of the saints in the church life today are also half qualified. In a sense they are circumcised, but in another sense they have gone astray with the majority of the people. To follow the majority is awful. Consider today’s situation: Most Christians have gone astray from the Lord to idols, and some of the saints in the church have followed the majority in going astray from the Lord. Because the majority of Christians have gone astray, they have lost their qualification and position to serve the Lord in a direct way. They may still have a part of the church service, 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 went astray, following the majority of the people. They were circumcised and they 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 come near to Him and serve Him directly. They were not limited merely to serve the people; they could serve the Lord Himself.
I hope that none of us is only half qualified. I hope that all of us will be fully qualified: circumcised, honest, never going astray, and never following the majority.
At this juncture we need to consider how the circumcised, faithful, and qualified ones 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. Whereas the fat typifies the preciousness of the person of Christ, the blood signifies the redemptive work of Christ. In brief, the fat signifies 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.
When the priests came in to minister to the Lord, they were not allowed to wear any woolen garment (v. 17). Instead, while they were in the Lord’s presence serving Him, they had to wear linen garments. In the Bible linen signifies a behavior, a living, that is pure, clean, and fine. Linen garments signify a daily living and walk in the life-giving Spirit by the life of Christ.
The priests were not allowed to wear woolen garments because woolen garments would make the priests too warm and cause them to sweat. According to Genesis 3:19 sweat is a sign of being under God’s curse. Because fallen man is under God’s curse, he must labor and sweat. Under the curse man, lacking God’s blessing, must exercise his energy and strength, which cause sweating. In the Lord’s service there is no need for us to use our own strength. When we use our own strength to endeavor and struggle, this proves that we are not under the Lord’s blessing but rather are under the Lord’s curse.
In the church service in the Lord’s recovery, we need to avoid and even escape from any kind of self-energy, self-struggle, and self-endeavor. We should not push anything. If a certain matter is of the Lord, the Lord will surely grant His abundant blessing upon it and work that matter out. There is no need for us to push, endeavor, struggle, and expend our energy to work out anything. We should not do anything that causes us to “sweat.” In the church service we all need to be in the life-giving Spirit by the life of Christ and not exercise our natural strength to push anything. On the contrary, often we may need to back off a little and give in to others. To do this is to give in to the Lord and to place on Him the responsibility for the matter that concerns us. Then we will be able to say, “Lord, if this burden is of You, I will stay back and ask You to come in. I ask You, Lord, to take up this burden. This will confirm my burden so that I may know that it is truly of You.” May we realize that there is no need for us to strive or contend with others in our service to the Lord.
Ezekiel 44:19 says, “When they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments.” Here we see that when the priests go forth into the outer court to the people, they must put off their garments wherein they ministered and lay them in the holy chambers and then put on other garments. This indicates that the priests are not allowed to mix what is holy with what is profane but maintain a separation between the holy and the profane. If we today would stand in the position of a priest, we must maintain this kind of separation. God does not allow mixture; He requires us to be separated unto Him.
Another matter concerning the priests who came near to serve the Lord is their hair. “Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads” (v. 20). This verse says that the priests should neither shave their head, cutting off all their hair, nor should they let their hair grow long. Rather, they should poll their hair, which means to cut it short.
First Corinthians 11:5 indicates that to cut off, or shave off, all our hair signifies rebellion against the Lord’s headship. In serving the Lord we must not be rebellious against His authority. Rather, we must submit to the Lord’s headship. For this, we need some amount of hair upon our head, signifying our submission to the Lord’s headship. On the other hand, 1 Corinthians 11 tells us that to have long hair indicates self-glory and self-dignity (v. 15). We may even use another term — self-enjoyment. In the Bible long hair signifies beauty and glory. If a man keeps his hair long, this indicates that he is keeping his self-glory and self-dignity and that he is fulfilling his self-pleasure and self-enjoyment. He simply enjoys his long hair.
These points concerning hair are applicable to the church life. Suppose a brother has the attitude that there is no need for him to be under anyone; he is independent and claims that he is equal to every other member in the Body. He may even quote the Lord’s word in Matthew 23:8 in defense of his attitude. For him to have such an attitude indicates that, spiritually speaking, he has shaved off all his hair and thus does not submit to the Lord’s headship. Yes, Matthew 23:8 does say that we all are brothers, but 1 Peter 5:5 says that the younger should submit to the elder and that we all should submit to one another. In the church life we need the proper submission. Hence, we should not shave our head.
Now we need to see that, spiritually speaking, to have long hair in the church life, signifying self-glory, is to desire and seek to be a leader. One problem in the church life is the lack of submission, and another is the desire for position and leadership. To seek a position in the church is to seek self-glory and self-dignity. Some are seeking to be an elder or to be a leader. This kind of seeking is not a glory; it is a shame. It is a shame to seek after leadership or any kind of self-glory. This kills us spiritually and disqualifies us from serving the Lord properly. If we want to be qualified to serve the Lord, we should not shave our head, meaning that we should have a proper submission, and we should not let our hair grow long, meaning that we should not seek self-glory, self-dignity, position, and leadership.
Both the lack of submission and the seeking after a position damage the church. Whoever is seeking leadership in the church life is disqualified and finished with the church life. I thank the Lord that many brothers have received grace from the Lord and have no desire to seek leadership. However, some brothers desire not only to be an elder but to be the leading one among the elders. This is to let one’s hair grow long, that is, to seek self-glory.
Spiritually speaking, we need to keep a moderate cut of hair. We need to poll our hair, that is, to have a moderate cut. On the one hand, we submit to the Lord’s authority. On the other hand, we do not seek to be a leader. Instead of seeking to be a leader, we should simply minister life to others and support the church life by His grace. We should do everything we can for the church without seeking to have a position or to be a leader. Such an attitude is marvelous.
“Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court” (Ezek. 44:21). Here we are told that the priests who minister directly to the Lord in the inner court were not permitted to drink wine. Wine signifies worldly, physical pleasure and joy. Those who serve the Lord in a direct way should have nothing to do with the “wine” of worldly pleasures.
Verse 22 says, “Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.” This signifies that in our contact and relationships with others, we need to be pure and uncomplicated. However, if we contact others in a way that is not pure, we will be defiled with an impure element.
Verse 23 continues, “They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” A priest must be able to teach God’s people what is holy and what is profane and what is clean and what is unclean. One who draws near to God as a priest must be able to discern these things and also be able to teach others to discern.
Verse 24a says, “In controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments.” When there was a controversy, the parties involved would appear before the priest. The priest would then render a judgment, not according to his own opinion but according to God’s judgments. If, as those who fear God and approach Him, we are asked to settle a controversy, we need to ask God what He would say about this matter and then we should judge according to God’s will. This means that in helping to solve difficult matters, we need to stand before the Lord with a fearing heart. Then we need to touch the Lord’s feeling and judge accordingly.
“They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies” (v. 24b). All the feasts, or “assemblies,” are related to the gracious story of God’s salvation. Thus, if we would serve God as priests, we need to remember the gracious story of God’s salvation, including His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
“And they shall hallow my sabbaths” (v. 24c). The Sabbath indicates that God has done everything; therefore, God rests. To keep, or hallow, the Sabbath means that we accept all that God has done and take rest in all that God has accomplished. Instead of trying to do something in addition to what God has done, we should simply enjoy what God has done and take what He has accomplished as our satisfaction and rest. This means that we depend not on what we do but on what God has done.
A priest who would serve the Lord directly in His presence cannot be defiled with any dead person (v. 25). This means that we should not contact those who are spiritually dead. We should not touch any “carcasses.” Spiritually speaking, many Christians are dead, even to the point of stinking. If you contact them and listen to them, they will cause you to become dead, partially if not wholly. Having nothing positive to say, they will speak only negative things to you, perhaps criticizing the elders, the co-workers, or various saints. Contact with such dead persons can cause us to become dead and negative. Thus, when we realize that we are in the presence of this kind of person, we should avoid contact with him. Otherwise, we will be defiled by his death.
To be defiled by death is more serious than to be defiled by something sinful. If we are defiled by something sinful, we can confess, receive the application of the blood of Christ, and immediately be cleansed (7, 1 John 1:9). However, if we are defiled by death, it will take a period of time before we can be cleansed and purified from this defilement (cf. Num. 19:11).
Some of us have had this kind of experience. After spending even a short time with a believer who was spiritually dead and negative, we found that we could not pray or function in the meetings for a period of time, perhaps several days. This should warn us about spending time with dead persons. Stay away from them! Do not think that you can help them. Instead, their death will spread to you. Those who are spiritually dead may be very alive with respect to worldly things or negative things, but with respect to the church they are dead. As far as the church life is concerned they are dead. If we want to serve the Lord in a direct way, we must stay away from dead persons and thereby keep ourselves from the defilement of death.
“In the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering” (Ezek. 44:27). Whenever we approach God, we need to offer the sin offering, even if we are not conscious of any uncleanness. Every time we draw near to God, we need to apply the Lord’s redemption and receive the cleansing of His precious blood.
“I am their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession” (v. 28b). This reveals that the priests have no possession besides God. Their possession is God Himself, and they enjoy God as their supply. All these serving ones have only God Himself as their inheritance, their possession. This indicates that as today’s priests we should not expect to be rich in physical, material possessions. Instead, we need to realize that our God, whom we serve, is our possession, our inheritance.
Finally, all the priests enjoyed the riches of Christ. All the heave offerings, all the firstfruits, and all the top produce of the people of the Lord belonged to these serving ones (vv. 29-30). This indicates that the riches of Christ were for their enjoyment. They had God as their possession, and they had Christ in all His rich aspects as their enjoyment. May we all serve the Lord in this way.
The responsibility of the priest was to present the offerings to God. Concerning this, the record in Ezekiel may seem to be peculiar. Moses told the people of the Lord to offer to God one lamb out of ten, but Ezekiel told them to offer one out of two hundred (45:15). This indicates that if we do not produce large quantities of the enjoyment of Christ, we are not qualified to offer anything. Anything less than two hundred lambs was not adequate. If we would be qualified to offer one lamb, we must first raise up two hundred lambs. This means that our richness in the experience of Christ qualifies us to offer something.
The principle is the same with the wheat and the barley. Ezekiel 45:13 says, “This is the oblation that ye shall offer; the sixth part of an ephah of a homer of wheat, and ye shall give the sixth part of an ephah of a homer of barley.” One homer equals ten ephahs, and the offering must be one-sixth of an ephah. Thus, one was required to offer one part out of sixty. This is different from Moses’ requirement, which was one part out of ten. Those who had less than an homer of wheat were not qualified to offer anything. If one had an homer of wheat, he was qualified to offer one-sixtieth to God. In order to present an offering of wheat, one had to be rich in wheat. In contrast to Moses’ requirement, Ezekiel’s requirement forces us to be rich.
The offering of oil also required an abundant supply. Ezekiel 45:14 says, “Concerning the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, ye shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is a homer of ten baths; for ten baths are a homer.” One homer equals ten baths, and the people were told to offer one tenth of a bath. To offer one tenth of a bath of an homer is to offer one percent. One must be rich in the produce of Christ to offer an offering of oil to the Lord.
Those who were not rich were not qualified to offer anything. The offering of the wheat and the barley was to be one-sixtieth; of the oil, one-hundredth; and of the lambs, one two-hundredth.
In the writings of Moses there are many kinds of heave offerings, but Ezekiel mentions only three categories for the heave offering: wheat and barley, oil, and lambs. The heave offering was heaved up into the air which signifies the ascended Christ, the highest Christ. In our service to God, we need to “heave” Christ, that is, offer the ascended Christ, the highest Christ, to God.
In The All-inclusive Christ we point out that wheat signifies Christ incarnated to die for us. In John 12:24 the Lord Jesus likened Himself to a grain of wheat falling into the ground to die. From His incarnation to His crucifixion, He was wheat. Barley signifies the Christ in resurrection, because in Palestine barley is the first grain to be harvested. Thus, barley signifies the firstfruits of resurrection. It is significant that the Lord Jesus fed the five thousand with loaves made of barley (John 6:9). Wheat and barley signify Christ from the time of His incarnation all the way to His resurrection. As we know, the lamb signifies the redeeming Christ, and the oil signifies the Holy Spirit. These are the main aspects of the heave offering which we need to offer in our service. All these are related to Christ, for Christ is the wheat, the barley, the lamb, and the oil.
According to Ezekiel’s record there were the yearly offering, the monthly offering, the weekly offering, and the daily offering. The yearly offering was offered on the first day of the year, signifying that, in principle, every year we should have a new beginning (45:18-19). Every year we need a fresh cleansing and clearing up. The yearly offering was offered not only on the first day of the year but also on the seventh day of the year (v. 20). This indicates a period of graciousness for the people. Some were not ready on the first day of the year to fully clear up their situations and to be cleansed, so the Lord gave them another opportunity on the seventh day. If they missed the first day, they had another opportunity on the seventh day.
In principle, at the beginning of every year, we need to have a renewal in our service for the Lord. At the beginning of every year, we need a new beginning in our service.
There was also the monthly offering at the time of the new moon. Whenever there was a new moon, an offering had to be made (46:6). The new moon also indicates a new beginning. We need a new beginning not only yearly but also monthly.
In addition, there was to be a weekly offering. An offering was to be made every week on the Sabbath (v. 4). The Sabbath means not only that we have a new turn but also that we are enjoying the Lord’s work. To keep the Sabbath means that we stop our work and enjoy what the Lord has done. Keeping the Sabbath indicates that we are not trusting in our work but are fully trusting and enjoying the Lord’s work. We need to be able to declare to the universe, “Our work has ceased and we are enjoying the Lord’s work.” This is the principle of the Sabbath.
There was also a daily offering (v. 13). The daily offering in Ezekiel is different from the daily offering required by Moses. Moses said that the continual daily burnt offering had to be both in the morning and in the evening, but in Ezekiel there is no offering in the evening. I believe that this indicates that in the service of the priests there is no evening; they are continually in the freshness of the morning. The situation in Ezekiel has improved to the point that there was no evening, only morning. There was no sunset, only sunrise.
In addition to the yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily offerings, there were also the offerings at the appointed feasts — at the Feast of the Passover, Feast of the Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Tabernacles (45:21, 25). Praise the Lord for the offerings and the feasts!
Now we know what kind of priests we need to be in order to serve the Lord and what we need to offer to the Lord.
