Commentary - Ezekiel 43:18-27

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Ezekiel's vision, we are given the divine statutes for the consecration of the new altar. After the glory of the Lord has returned to fill the house, the central point of contact between God and man, the altar, must be properly prepared. This is not a matter of human invention or well-intentioned guesswork; God Himself lays down the precise requirements. The passage details a seven-day process of purification and atonement for the altar, involving specific sacrifices offered by a specific line of priests, the sons of Zadok. This meticulous ceremony underscores the holiness of God and the gravity of sin, which defiles even the instruments of worship.

The entire process is a rich picture that points forward to a greater reality. The blood of bulls and goats, the seven days of cleansing, and the Levitical priesthood are all types and shadows. They are preparing a way for a perfect priest, a perfect sacrifice, and a perfect altar. The purpose of all this is found in the final verse: that God might accept His people. This acceptance is the heart of the gospel, and these ancient rituals, seen through the lens of the New Testament, show us the immense cost and glorious provision of that acceptance, secured not by animal blood, but by the blood of Christ.

Outline

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 18 And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is made, to offer burnt offerings on it and to splash blood on it.

The instruction begins with the ultimate authority: "thus says Lord Yahweh." Ezekiel is simply the messenger, the "son of man." What follows is not a suggestion from a committee on worship practices. This is a divine command. God is intensely interested in the details of how He is to be approached. The modern notion that sincerity is all that matters, and that we can come to God any which way we please, is entirely foreign to the biblical mindset. Here, God Himself provides the "statutes for the altar." The altar is the place of transaction, the place where burnt offerings ascend and blood is splashed. It is the place of death and substitution, and God will not have it trifled with.

v. 19 And you shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the seed of Zadok, who draw near to Me to minister to Me,’ declares Lord Yahweh, ‘a bull from the herd for a sin offering.

Notice the specificity. Not just any Levite will do. The ministry at this new altar is restricted to the "seed of Zadok." Why? Because Zadok was the high priest who remained faithful to David and Solomon when others, like Abiathar, went astray (1 Kings 1). This is a picture of God's faithfulness to His covenant and His demand for faithfulness from His ministers. Those who "draw near" to God must come on His terms, and in this visionary temple, that means a purified, faithful priesthood. Their first act is not one of triumphant celebration, but of dealing with sin. They are to be given a bull for a "sin offering." Before any worship can be offered for the people, the priests and the place of worship must be consecrated, acknowledging the pervasive reality of sin.

v. 20 You shall also take some of its blood and put it on its four horns and on the four corners of the ledge and on the border round about; thus you shall purify it and make atonement for it.

The blood is central. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (Heb. 9:22). The blood of the sin offering is meticulously applied to the altar. The four horns represent the power and reach of the altar's efficacy. The corners and the border signify the complete cleansing of the entire structure. The purpose is stated plainly: "thus you shall purify it and make atonement for it." The word for atonement, kaphar, means to cover. The altar itself, the very instrument of sacrifice, is stained by the sinfulness of the world in which it is built and the men who serve it. It needs to be covered. This is a stark reminder that nothing in this fallen world is naturally fit for the presence of a holy God. Everything must be cleansed by blood.

v. 21 And you shall take the bull for the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary.

The carcass of the sin offering bull is not eaten by the priests or offered on the altar. It is taken "outside the sanctuary" and burned. This is profoundly significant. The sin, having been symbolically transferred to the animal, is removed entirely from the holy place. It is disposed of in a place of uncleanness. The author of Hebrews picks up on this very detail, explaining that Jesus, our sin offering, "suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood" (Heb. 13:12). This old statute was a prophetic drama, pointing to the day when Christ would be cast out of the city, bearing our sin and shame, to utterly consume it in the fire of judgment.

v. 22 Now on the second day you shall bring near a male goat without blemish for a sin offering, and they shall purify the altar as they purified it with the bull.

The purification is not a one-and-done event. It continues. On the second day, a male goat is offered. It must be "without blemish," another picture pointing to the spotless Lamb of God. The process of cleansing the altar is repeated. This repetition for seven days drives the point home: purification is a serious, thorough, and demanding business. Sin is not a trivial matter that can be wiped away with a quick apology. Its defilement is deep, and the cleansing required by a holy God is correspondingly deep.

v. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you shall present a bull from the herd without blemish and a ram without blemish from the flock.

After the sin offering has done its work of cleansing, then come the offerings of consecration and worship. A bull and a ram, both "without blemish," are brought forward. This sequence is crucial. Atonement must precede worship. We cannot approach God with our gifts and praises until the sin question has been dealt with. First the sin offering, then the burnt offering. First the cross, then the crown. First justification, then sanctification.

v. 24 And you shall bring them near before Yahweh, and the priests shall throw salt on them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt offering to Yahweh.

These animals are brought "before Yahweh." The priests add salt, which is a symbol of preservation, perpetuity, and covenant faithfulness. It speaks of the enduring nature of the relationship that these sacrifices establish. This is the "salt of the covenant" (Lev. 2:13). They are then offered as a burnt offering, an offering that is wholly consumed on the altar. It represents total dedication and surrender to God, a sweet-smelling aroma to Him. This is the worship that is possible only on the far side of atonement.

v. 25 For seven days you shall offer daily a goat for a sin offering; also a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be offered.

The pattern is established for a full week. A "seven" in Scripture signifies completion and perfection. Every day, the sin offering is made. Every day, the burnt offerings are made. This is a complete and total consecration. The lesson is hammered home again and again: access to God requires a constant remembrance of the cost of sin and a constant act of dedication. For the Old Covenant saint, this was a week of bloody, repetitive ritual. For us, it points to the one sacrifice of Christ, which was offered once for all, yet whose benefits we lay hold of daily.

v. 26 For seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it; so shall they ordain it.

This verse summarizes the purpose of the week-long ceremony. The goal is threefold: to make atonement for the altar, to purify it, and to ordain it. The Hebrew for "ordain" literally means to "fill its hands." The altar is being filled, prepared, and commissioned for its sacred duty. It is being made ready to be the place where God and man can meet. This is what the cross of Jesus Christ accomplished perfectly. It atoned for our sin, purified a people for God, and opened a new and living way into His presence.

v. 27 So they will complete the days. And it shall be that on the eighth day and onward, the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings; and I will accept you,’ declares Lord Yahweh.”

After the seven days of consecration are complete, we come to the eighth day. The eighth day is the day of new beginnings, the day of resurrection. And on this day, the regular worship of the people can commence. The priests can now offer the people's burnt offerings (their dedication) and their peace offerings (their fellowship with God). And here is the glorious climax of the whole affair, the very goal of redemption, summed up in five stunning words from God Himself: "and I will accept you." This is the gospel in miniature. Through a purified priesthood, on a purified altar, by means of a substitutionary sacrifice, a holy God declares His sinful people acceptable in His sight. This is what Christ has secured for us. Because He was cast out, we are accepted. Because His blood was shed, we can draw near. And because He rose on the eighth day, our fellowship with God is established forever.