Ezekiel 45:21–25

God re-enacts the Passover. It is the great unchanging institution for His people. It began in Egypt. Israel observed it in the wilderness and celebrated it in the land. After long indifference Hezekiah recovered it, and Josiah did so again. Now we see once more that in the kingdom Israel are still to keep the feast of seven days with unleavened bread.

Clearly we cannot see these sacrifices that open the year in the same light as the old ones. These point back to the basic work of redemption at the Cross, while those of the past pointed forward to it. Those looked ahead to it; these are a memorial of it. At the same time they are a constant reminder of God's holiness, which must take notice of the least departure.

Some have found it hard that sacrifices come back. The difficulty disappears once we remember that these sacrifices belong to an earthly people and an earthly temple, and that they look back in remembrance… So they will only recall to the grateful, worshipping hearts of God's people the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, which cleanses from all sin.

Ezekiel calls for seven bulls and seven rams on each of the seven days, and no lambs… It is enough to notice here that the offerings are much richer than under the Law. This stresses the fulness of obedience in service (the bull) and consecration (the ram). Leaving out the lambs would fix attention on the one lamb of this feast — the Passover lamb, and so on Christ, the Lamb of God.

At the Feast of the Passover the prince is to prepare a sin offering for himself as well as for all the people of the land. This proves that the prince cannot be the Lord.

The moment we are redeemed God claims us, and He wants us to answer His claim by holy lives — separation from evil, and separation to Himself. The feast lasted seven days: a perfect period, standing for the whole span of our lives. So in the Old Testament as in the New, all God's claims on His people rest on redemption.

They will have the Passover. No one can do without that sign of Christ sacrificed. Earthly people or heavenly, it makes no difference: the Lamb and the Lamb's blood are essential for anyone to be in living relationship with God… But their distinctive feast in that day will be the feast of Tabernacles… because it is the day when glory will dwell in the land.

The gift of the Spirit has been, and still is, the mark of this day of grace, when we have to walk in faith and patience. It is not the mark of the day when the kingdom comes in power. This does not mean the Holy Spirit will not be poured out on all flesh then. The prophets say plainly that He will be in that day.

"In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves," they had been told (Lev. 16:29). But on that day, Israel knew the atonement covered just one year. For the remnant this affliction of soul will happen once for all when they come to know true atonement. During the thousand-year reign of Christ, there will be no more room for the Day of Atonement. Only the Passover will remain, as a memorial of the sacrifice of the Lamb.

God re-enacts the Passover. It is the great unchanging institution for His people. It began in Egypt. Israel kept it in the wilderness and celebrated it in the land. Hezekiah brought it back after long neglect, and Josiah after him. Now once more we see that in the kingdom Israel are still to keep the feast of seven days with unleavened bread… Here there are no thousands of oxen and sheep offered gladly out of a willing heart. Instead the prince and all the people, on the fourteenth day of the first month, are joined together as they never were before in one single bull for a sin offering. And on every one of the seven days the prince prepares a complete burnt offering, with its sign of perfect consecration to Jehovah, and its daily sin offering.

He is certainly not the Messiah. Though he is clearly set apart from a priest, he still needs to offer a sin offering, and he may have sons. No doubt he is a future prince of the house of David.

It seems clear that he holds a representative position. But it is not the position of the high priest, whom Ezekiel does not mention. Nor is it the position of the king as Israel knew him in the past. He has neither the privileges nor the power of either. He seems to hold a middle place between the people and the priesthood. He is found among the people in their times of worship, not among the priests. He may not enter the inner court, yet he comes nearer than the people do, since he may worship in the inner east gate that opens onto the inner court, while the people worship in the outer court. But he is responsible to supply the offerings at the feasts, the new moons, the sabbaths, and at all the solemn gatherings of the house of Israel. So he receives and holds what the people offer for these occasions.

Some have felt a difficulty about the return of sacrifices. But the difficulty disappears when we remember two things. These sacrifices belong to an earthly people and an earthly temple, and they are commemorative in character. Under the old order they had no power at all apart from their reference to Christ, "for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Heb. 10:4). In the millennium they will look back to that one sacrifice for sin offered on the cross, just as those under the law of Moses pointed forward to it.

God re-enacts the Passover. It is the great unchanging institution for His people. It began in Egypt, was kept in the wilderness, and was celebrated in the land. King Hezekiah brought it back after long neglect, and King Josiah did the same. Now once more we see that in the kingdom Israel is still to keep the feast of seven days with unleavened bread… This is not thousands of oxen and sheep offered willingly out of a free heart. On the fourteenth day of the first month the prince and all the people are joined together as they never were before in a single bullock for a sin offering. Every day of the seven the prince prepares a complete burnt offering, with its sign of perfect consecration to Jehovah, and its daily sin offering.

The people give their offerings to him, and he uses them to provide for the ritual of sacrifice. The people do not seem to bring sacrifices of their own. It is the Prince who gives everything for the set ritual, including the daily burnt offering (Ezek. 45:17). The people are described as simply worshipping when the Prince offers, but the act of offering is his… So he fills a representative position on behalf of the people.

Here there are also marked differences from the order Moses gave. That order required two bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs for each of the seven days (Num. 28:19-21). Ezekiel needs seven bullocks and seven rams for each of the seven days, and no lambs. In both cases there is also the daily sin offering of one he-goat. So it is enough here to notice that the offerings required are much richer than under the law. This emphasises the fulness of obedience in service (bullock) and consecration (ram). The omission of the lambs would concentrate attention upon the one lamb of this feast — the Passover lamb, and so upon Christ, the Lamb of God.

The correct rendering is (Leviticus 1:3) "for his acceptance." This reveals the great purpose of the burnt offering. Through Christ as the sin offering… the believer knows that all sins are paid for and put away. The burnt offering leads us higher. The spotless One offered Himself to God and we are accepted in Him.

The arrangements made for the slaying of the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings show that even in the Millennium perfection is not reached. This provision for relationship with God and for holiness is there for a people who are still able to sin.

I know some have said that offering sacrifices in the Millennium would be a going back in the ways of God. But this is not true. The sacrifices of Israel in the future will be completely different in kind from those in the past. The old sacrifices were types of what Christ was coming to do by His sacrifice. In those future days they will be the appointed types of what Christ has already accomplished by His one sacrificial offering and death.

God re-enacts the Passover. It is the great unchanging institution for His people. It began in Egypt. Israel kept it in the wilderness and celebrated it in the land. After long neglect Hezekiah brought it back, and Josiah did so again. Now once more we see that in the kingdom Israel are still to keep the feast of seven days with unleavened bread... Here there are no thousands of oxen and sheep brought freely out of a willing heart. Instead, on the fourteenth day of the first month, the prince and all the people are joined together as they never were before in a single bullock for a sin-offering. And every day of the seven the prince prepares a complete burnt-offering, the sign of perfect consecration to Jehovah, with its daily sin offering, and with the grain-offering that belongs to it.

The law of Moses required two bullocks, one ram and seven lambs for each of the seven days, with an offering of fine flour mixed with oil, graded for each (Numbers 28:19-21). Ezekiel calls for seven bullocks and seven rams for each of the seven days, and no lambs... The oblation is one ephah for a bullock, and one for each ram, and a hin of oil for an ephah... Here it is enough to notice that the offerings called for are much richer than under the Law. This emphasizes the fulness of obedience in service (bullock) and consecration (ram). Leaving out the lambs would focus attention on the one lamb of this feast — the Passover lamb, and so upon Christ, the Lamb of God.

The grain-offering also showed all the perfection of the grace of Christ in His life. It shows a humanity pure beyond doubt, yet kneaded with oil. This is a humanity holding in it all the strength, the taste and the savour of the Holy Spirit in its very nature. That is the way it is presented here: not anointed with oil, which would speak of power, but kneaded with oil right through its substance.

The enlarged oblations match the grain-offerings of old. They picture Christ's Person in its human perfection. So they may well speak of the greater appreciation of Him in that day, when He will no longer be One having no beauty that He should be desired... The larger proportion of oil points to the greater fulness of the Spirit, and so to a fuller grasp of Him.

It is important to see that Israel in the millennial kingdom will have a prince on earth. He will go in and out of the sanctuary. Who is this prince? Certainly not the Lord Jesus, the Messiah Himself. He will be the earthly representative of Jehovah and His Christ. Doubtless he will be a direct descendant of David, God's chosen king of Israel.

Some have felt a difficulty about the restoring of sacrifices. The difficulty disappears once we remember that these sacrifices will belong to an earthly people and an earthly temple, and will be memorials. Under the old order they had no power at all apart from their reference to Christ, for "it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Hebrews 10:4). In the millennium they will look back to that one sacrifice for sin, made upon the cross, just as those under the law of Moses foreshadowed it.

But the Feast of Tabernacles will surely be then. This is therefore appointed again here, and at the usual time. The sense of Christ's work is fully kept up, as at the Passover. But the feast most fully expressed then is the great ingathering to rejoice before Jehovah, after the harvest and the vintage, when they look back on pilgrim days gone for ever. It is not a witness now, as in the two loaves, but the blessing of Israel when the glory shines on Zion.

Some have felt a difficulty about sacrifices coming back. But the difficulty disappears when we remember that these sacrifices belong to an earthly people and an earthly temple, and will be commemorative in character. Under the old order they had no power at all apart from their reference to Christ, for it was not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins (Heb. 10:4). In the millennium they will look back to that one sacrifice for sin offered on the cross, just as those under the law of Moses foreshadowed it. They will therefore only recall to the grateful, worshipping hearts of God's people the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, which cleanses from all sin.

There is no Pentecost any more, for it is already completed in the church. There is no feast of trumpets, for the people have already been summoned and gathered. And there is no day of atonement any longer, for the work was done, and they had truly afflicted their souls when they looked to Him whom they pierced. But the Passover remains the memorial of redemption, and Tabernacles will mark their place and blessing.

The prophet sees everything from a point of view connected with Israel. So the remembrance of redemption, the Passover, the basis of everything, and the enjoyment of rest celebrated at the Feast of Tabernacles, will mark the position of Israel before God. The two feasts are celebrated in the recognition of the full value of the burnt offering presented to God.

The feast was called Tabernacles, or booths, because through the seven days they were to live in booths made of palm branches, leafy boughs and willows from the brook, in remembrance of their wilderness life. Dwelling in booths seven days, they kept the feast after they had gathered in their grain, wine and oil. They rested and rejoiced when the year's work was over. This was a foreshadowing of the rest that remains, and of the rejoicing that will take place when all their troubles on earth are over and Messiah is reigning over them. Then not Israel only, but those left of all the nations that will have gone up against Jerusalem, will go up there year by year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Passover concerns the redeemed of the Lord, and Pentecost in a special way those who are called out for heaven. But Tabernacles will concern all on earth who have had dealings with Jerusalem in the past (Zech. 14:16).