(REFLECTIONS ON EZEKIEL 44:1-31)

15 “‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards.

Not only will the temple be rebuilt and the glory of the Lord enter into His holy temple, but the original purpose of the temple will also be restored. That is it will be a place of worship, a place of sacrifice, and a place where the Lord will be with His people.

Those in charge of ministering in the temple are to stand before the Lord, minister to the Lord, and they are the only ones welcome to enter into His holy sanctuary. In the past, Israel had been unfaithful to God, and in addition to worshiping God, worshiped idols, bringing that which was not holy and made clean into God’s holy place. But God will choose those that guarded His sanctuary when the Israelites went astray to minister and to serve as guards.

What would the point of restoration be, if everything was just going to stay the same as before? Yes, the holy land will been restored, the temple will be rebuilt, the glory of the Lord will once again dwell in the midst of His people, but can Israel remain the same? No, they must be renewed and made new as well. He makes all things new!

This is a reminder to us in Christ that our lives must continue to be molded and changed by God as we mature in our relationship with Him. We are reminded that He is the potter and we are the clay, and our daily prayer should be for Him to mold us and make us into what He desires. He makes all things new!

We no longer stand like the priests of Israel and make sacrifices in the temple, but we still serve the Lord in His presence as the people of God. We are to offer living sacrifices, and are to be made new so that we aren’t like Israel worshiping God and the world all at the same time. Instead, we should be wholly devoted to God alone in Christ. It is because He makes all things new in Christ, that we can be like those Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok, that did not defile themselves, and come near to minister before our Lord.

Paul in Romans 12 writes,

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

May we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice and constantly be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We must remember that “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 2:17)

May we be like the Levites that didn’t follow after idols during Israel’s fall, but rather faithfully carry out the duties of God’s holy sanctuary. For in Christ, we are the people that will minister before our Lord and perform His service, because He makes all things new!

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Ezekiel 44