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 (Ezekiel 44:23).
Chapter 43 continues narrating Ezekiel’s vision and moves on
to the prophet witnessing the return of the glory of the Lord to the temple. As
we discussed yesterday, if this vision is
symbolizing the church as some believe, it’s odd that it carefully
reiterates the rules and regulations for animal sacrifice.
Chapter 44 specifies that only priests descended from Zadok
will be allowed to minister in the new temple. Ralph Alexander explains that
Zadok’s descendants had “remained faithful to their duties in the Lord’s temple
when all the rest of Israel had gone away from the Lord” [3]. Now, in this
priestly book dealing with Yahweh’s holiness, these faithful priests are called
to teach his people the meaning of holy and how to distinguish
between the unclean and the clean.
According to Ezekiel, God is coming to their rescue not
because of their righteousness, not even for their sake, but for the sake of
his own holiness – that he will be honored among the nations. These people are
living the consequences of their parents’ sinfulness, and the Zadokite priests
are responsible to make sure they know the difference between right and wrong
so, once returned to Judah, they don’t have a repeat performance of their
parents’ doomed behavior.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
How can your life
illustrate godly righteousness and the difference between unclean and clean?
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