Commentary - Ezekiel 45:13-17

Bird's-eye view

In these verses, the prophet Ezekiel, having laid out the dimensions of the holy district and the portions for the priests and Levites, now turns his attention to the practical support of this restored worship. This is not some ethereal, spiritualized worship that costs nothing. No, this is worship with substance, with grain and oil and sheep. The text details the specific contributions, or taxes if you will, that the people of the land are to provide for the prince. And the prince, in turn, is not to receive this as a personal slush fund, but is tasked with the responsibility of providing for the entire sacrificial system at all the appointed feasts, new moons, and sabbaths. It is a picture of a well-ordered, symbiotic relationship between the people and their ruler, all centered on the public worship of Yahweh. The goal of it all is stated plainly: "to make atonement for them." This entire economic and civic structure is aimed at reconciliation with God.

What we are seeing is a type, a shadow, of the New Covenant order. The meticulous detail points to a greater reality. The contributions of the people point to our cheerful and liberal giving. The role of the prince points to our Great Prince, the Lord Jesus, who does not take from us to provide the sacrifice, but who provided the sacrifice Himself. And the goal of atonement is the very heart of the gospel. So, as we walk through these details, we must not get lost in the fractions and measures, but rather see the glorious Christological realities to which they testify.

Outline

Context In Ezekiel

These verses are situated in the final grand vision of Ezekiel, which runs from chapter 40 to 48. The prophet, an exile in Babylon, is given a breathtaking tour of a new, restored temple. This is not Zerubbabel's temple, nor Herod's. Its dimensions and glory far exceed anything that was built after the return from exile. The glory of the Lord, which Ezekiel saw depart from the first temple (Ezek. 10), is seen returning to this visionary temple (Ezek. 43:1-5). Following the description of the temple proper, the vision lays out the regulations for the priesthood and worship, and then turns to the division of the land. Our passage sits right in this section dealing with the practical ordering of the land and its people around this central reality of God's presence in the sanctuary. It follows the allocation of land for the priests, the Levites, the city, and the prince. It is a vision of a holy commonwealth, a thoroughly Christian social order, where every aspect of life, including economics and civil governance, is oriented toward the worship of the true and living God.

Key Issues

Beginning: The Nature of Ezekiel's Temple

Before we can make sense of the sacrifices and the prince's role, we have to settle the question of what this temple is. Dispensationalists often want to read this as a blueprint for a literal, rebuilt temple during a future millennium. But this runs headlong into the book of Hebrews, which tells us plainly that the old sacrificial system is obsolete, a shadow that has been displaced by the substance, which is Christ. To reinstitute animal sacrifices for atonement would be to deny the finished work of the cross.

A better approach is to see this vision, with all its glorious and tangible detail, as a prophecy of the New Covenant age, the age of the Church. It is a vision of the people of God, constituted as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16), expanding to fill the whole earth. The specific measurements and sacrifices are not literal blueprints but are symbolic representations of the perfection, order, and substance of the worship of the new covenant. The river flowing from the temple (Ezek. 47) is the gospel going out to the nations. The meticulous detail is meant to convey the reality and solidity of this new order. It is God's way of saying, "This is real. This is my plan for the world." It is a postmillennial vision of the kingdom of God advancing in history, culminating in a worldwide Christian civilization before the final return of Christ.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 13 “This is the contribution that you shall offer: a sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat, a sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley,

The word for "contribution" here is terumah, which means an offering, a tribute, something lifted up or set apart for God. This is not a voluntary, "give-what-you-feel-led" kind of offering. This is a specified, required tribute. It is, in effect, a flat tax. A homer was a large dry measure, and an ephah was one-tenth of a homer. So a sixth of an ephah from a homer is one-sixtieth (1/60) of the total. This is the Lord's portion from the grain harvest. This establishes a fundamental principle: God has a claim on our substance. Our wealth, our produce, our income is not entirely our own. A portion belongs to the Lord, and it is to be set aside for the maintenance of His worship. This is the foundation of biblical tithing and giving. It is an act of acknowledging God as the ultimate owner and provider of all that we have.

v. 14 and the statute for the oil (namely, the bath of oil), a tenth of a bath from each kor (which is ten baths or a homer, for ten baths are a homer),

Next comes the oil. The measure here is a "bath," a liquid measure equivalent to the dry ephah. A kor is the same as a homer. So, a tenth of a bath from a kor is one-hundredth (1/100) of the total oil production. Again, a specific, fixed rate. Oil in Scripture is consistently a symbol of the Holy Spirit, of anointing, of light, and of gladness. The worship of God requires the anointing of the Spirit. Our giving should not be a dry, mechanical affair, but should be done with the gladness and light that the Spirit provides. This contribution ensures that the lamps in the house of God do not go out.

v. 15 and one sheep from each flock of two hundred from the watering places of Israel, for a grain offering, for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make atonement for them,” declares Lord Yahweh.

Now we move from produce to livestock. The rate is one sheep from every two hundred, which is a rate of one half of one percent (0.5%). This sheep is not for just any purpose; it is designated for the central acts of worship: the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings. And the ultimate purpose of all these is stated with crystal clarity: "to make atonement for them." This is the key. The entire economic system described here is geared toward dealing with the sin of the people. The grain, the oil, the sheep, they all flow toward the altar. They are all instruments of atonement. Of course, we know from Hebrews that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Heb. 10:4). These sacrifices were types and shadows, pointing forward to the one true Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. But in the economy of the old covenant, this was the God-ordained means of dealing with sin and maintaining fellowship with a holy God. The Lord Yahweh Himself declares it.

v. 16 “All the people of the land shall give to this contribution for the prince in Israel.

This is a universal mandate. "All the people of the land." No one is exempt. This is a national tax for the support of the national worship. And notice where it goes: "for the prince in Israel." The contributions are collected by the civil authority. This is a clear instance of the magistrate's role in supporting and upholding the public worship of God. This is not the separation of church and state as modern secularists imagine it. This is an integrated Christian society, where the civil ruler recognizes his duty to provide for the ministry of the Word and sacrament, so to speak. The people give to the prince, and the prince administers the funds for their intended sacred purpose.

v. 17 And it shall be the prince’s part to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the drink offerings, at the feasts, on the new moons, and on the sabbaths, at all the appointed times of the house of Israel; he shall provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.”

Here the prince's duty is laid out. He is the steward of the people's contributions. His "part" is to ensure that the entire sacrificial system is fully supplied. He is responsible for the logistics of worship. On every sacred occasion, the great feasts, the monthly new moons, the weekly sabbaths, and all other appointed times, the prince must ensure that the offerings are there. He is a facilitator of atonement. He doesn't offer the sacrifices himself, that's the priests' job, but he makes sure the priests have what they need to do their job. This prince is a type of Christ. But Christ is a far greater Prince. He does not simply provide the materials for sacrifice from what we have given Him. No, He provides the sacrifice Himself. He is both the Prince and the Lamb. He provides the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings because He is all of them in His own person. He makes atonement for the house of Israel, the true Israel of God, by offering Himself once for all.

Key Words

Terumah, "Contribution"

This Hebrew word, terumah, appears frequently in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers in the context of the offerings for the tabernacle. It comes from a root that means "to lift up" or "to be high." It signifies something that is lifted up from the mass of one's possessions and presented to God. It is a heave-offering. This is not just giving God the leftovers. It is a deliberate setting apart of a portion that is consecrated to Him. In the New Covenant, our giving is to be our terumah, a cheerful and deliberate setting apart of the firstfruits for the work of the Kingdom.

Kippur, "Atonement"

The verb here is kippur, which means to cover, to purge, to make reconciliation. The entire sacrificial system was built around this concept. Sin creates a breach between man and God, and atonement is the means by which that breach is covered and fellowship is restored. In the Old Testament, this was accomplished symbolically through the blood of animals. But this was always a promissory note, pointing to the day when the true atonement would be made. The gospel is the announcement that the final kippur has been accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He did not merely cover our sins; He purged them, removed them, and reconciled us to God forever.

Context: The Prince in Israel

Who is this "prince" (nasi)? He is clearly a civil ruler, but he is distinct from the priests. He has a political and administrative role. In the context of Ezekiel's vision, he represents the ideal ruler in the restored community of Israel. He is a godly magistrate who understands that his primary duty is not his own aggrandizement but the promotion of true worship. He is a servant of God and the people, tasked with maintaining order and justice, and ensuring that the central institution of the nation, the temple, is properly supported.

This provides a powerful biblical model for Christian politics. The civil magistrate has a duty circa sacra, around the sacred things. While he does not administer the Word and sacraments, he is to protect and provide for the church. He is to use his authority to create a social order where the church can flourish and where public righteousness is upheld. This prince in Ezekiel is a shadow of what every Christian ruler should aspire to be, and ultimately, he is a shadow of the one true King, Jesus Christ, who rules over all for the sake of His church.

Application

So what do we do with a passage about grain taxes and sheep levies for a temple that was never built? First, we recognize the principle of systematic, faithful giving. The worship of God has material costs, and it is the duty of the people of God to support it cheerfully and generously. Our giving is not to be haphazard, but a regular, disciplined "contribution" lifted up to the Lord from the first part of our income. This is how the ministry of the gospel is funded.

Second, we see the proper relationship between the civil and the sacred. While we live in a secular age that wants to rigidly separate them, the Bible presents a vision of an integrated society where rulers see it as their duty to encourage and protect the true worship of God. We should pray for and work toward a society where our leaders recognize the lordship of Jesus Christ and govern accordingly.

Finally, and most importantly, we must see Christ in this passage. The whole system of contributions and princely provision was a complex, burdensome, and ultimately ineffective way to deal with sin. It had to be repeated over and over. But it all pointed to Him. The prince who provides the sacrifice points to Jesus, who is the sacrifice. The goal of atonement is the very center of the gospel. Because of the cross, we no longer have to bring a fraction of our grain or a percentage of our flock to make things right with God. The Prince of Peace has made atonement for the house of Israel once and for all. Our response is not to bring a sacrifice for sin, but to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for the great salvation He has provided.