Worship on the Threshold: The Prince, the People, and the Pattern
Introduction: The Grammar of True Worship
When we come to the final section of Ezekiel, chapters 40 through 48, many modern Christians are tempted to treat it like the fine print in a contract. We see detailed measurements for a temple, intricate rules for sacrifices, and prescribed liturgies that seem utterly foreign to our New Covenant faith. The temptation is to skim it, or to spiritualize it into a vague allegory about heaven, or worse, to dismiss it as something that was rendered entirely obsolete by the cross. But this is a grave mistake. God does not waste ink. Every jot and tittle of His Word is profitable, and these chapters are a profound revelation of the nature of true worship, the person of Christ, and the shape of the Christian church.
We must first understand what this temple is. It is not a blueprint for a third temple to be built by unbelieving Jews in modern-day Jerusalem. That is a dispensationalist fantasy that misunderstands the entire flow of redemptive history. The book of Hebrews tells us plainly that the old system of priests and sacrifices was a shadow, and the reality is Christ. To go back to building a stone temple with animal sacrifices would be to deny that Christ has come. No, Ezekiel's temple is a prophetic vision of the New Covenant church. It is the New Jerusalem that John sees in Revelation, which is the bride of Christ. One scholar has rightly said that the book of Revelation is simply a Christian rewrite of the book of Ezekiel. The water of life flows from this temple, healing the nations, which is the gospel going out from the church into all the world.
So when we read these detailed instructions about gates, offerings, and the movements of the prince and the people, we are not reading an expired legal code. We are learning the grammar of worship. We are seeing the holiness, the order, and the Christ-centeredness that must define our approach to the living God. This passage in chapter 46 gives us a picture of structured, covenantal worship. It shows us the unique role of the Mediator, the joyful duty of the people, and the divine pattern that governs how we are to draw near to God. This is not just about architecture; it is about our attitude, our access, and our adoration.
The Text
‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “The gate of the inner court facing east shall be shut the six working days; but it shall be opened on the sabbath day and opened on the day of the new moon. Then the prince shall enter by way of the porch of the gate from outside and stand by the post of the gate. Then the priests shall provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate and then go out; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. And the people of the land shall also worship at the entrance of that gate before Yahweh on the sabbaths and on the new moons. Now the burnt offering which the prince shall bring near to Yahweh on the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish; and the grain offering shall be an ephah with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs shall be a gift from his hand, as well as a hin of oil with an ephah. And on the day of the new moon he shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish, also six lambs and a ram, which shall be without blemish. And he shall provide a grain offering, an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he is able, and a hin of oil with an ephah. And when the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate and go out by the same way. But when the people of the land come before Yahweh at the appointed times, he who enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate. And he who enters by way of the south gate shall go out by the way of the north gate. No one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered but shall go straight out. So when they go in, the prince shall go in among them; and when they go out, he shall go out.”
(Ezekiel 46:1-10 LSB)
The Rhythm of Rest and Worship (v. 1-3)
We begin with the appointed times and the special access they provide.
"‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “The gate of the inner court facing east shall be shut the six working days; but it shall be opened on the sabbath day and opened on the day of the new moon." (Ezekiel 46:1)
The first thing we see is a divinely established rhythm of life: six days of work, and a day of worship. The east gate, the primary entrance, is sealed shut during the week. This signifies that access to God's immediate presence is not a casual, everyday affair. It is special. It is set apart. The sabbath is the day God consecrates for this purpose. In the New Covenant, this principle is not abolished but transformed and fulfilled. We now worship on the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, because it is the day of the new creation, the day Christ rose from the dead. But the principle remains: God sets apart a time for His people to cease their regular labors and gather for corporate worship. Our work is built upon a foundation of gospel rest.
The gate is also opened on the new moon. These were monthly festivals, times of celebration and offering. This reminds us that our worship is not just a weekly duty but should punctuate our lives with regular rhythms of gratitude and remembrance. God has built a calendar of grace into the fabric of our lives.
"Then the prince shall enter by way of the porch of the gate from outside and stand by the post of the gate. Then the priests shall provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate and then go out..." (Ezekiel 46:2)
Now we are introduced to "the prince." Who is this? In the context of Ezekiel, he is the messianic figure, the new David who will rule God's people. Ultimately, this points us directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice his unique position. He enters from the outside, identifying with the people, yet he has a special access that they do not. He stands "by the post of the gate" and worships "at the threshold." He is on the boundary, the liminal space between the people and the priests, between the outer court and the inner court. He is the great Mediator.
He does not offer the sacrifices himself; the priests do that for him. This shows us the two-fold nature of Christ's work. He is both the Prince who provides the offering and the one for whom the offering is made. He provides the perfect burnt offering (total consecration) and peace offerings (fellowship with God) on our behalf. He stands at the threshold, having opened the way for us, and he worships there, leading us in our worship. He is the one who brings us to God.
"And the people of the land shall also worship at the entrance of that gate before Yahweh on the sabbaths and on the new moons." (Ezekiel 46:3)
The people worship at the same gate, but they remain at the entrance. They are brought near by the work of the prince. This is a beautiful picture of corporate worship. We do not come to God as a scattered collection of individuals, each blazing his own trail. We come together, to the one place of access, led by our one Prince. Our worship is public, it is corporate, and it is directed toward Yahweh at the times He has appointed.
The Prince's Provision (v. 4-7)
The text then details the specific offerings the prince is to provide, underscoring the richness of his mediation.
"Now the burnt offering which the prince shall bring near to Yahweh on the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish; and the grain offering shall be an ephah with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs shall be a gift from his hand, as well as a hin of oil with an ephah." (Ezekiel 46:4-5)
Look at the generosity of this provision. On the sabbath, seven perfect animals are offered. The number seven speaks of perfection and completion. These are not just any animals; they are "without blemish," pointing to the sinless perfection of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. The prince also provides the grain and oil, representing the fruit of the land and the anointing of the Spirit. He provides everything necessary for acceptable worship.
The phrase "a gift from his hand" is crucial. This is not a tax or a coerced tribute. It is a willing, open-handed gift. This is how Christ comes to us. He freely gives Himself for us. Our worship, in turn, should not be a grudging obligation, but a joyful response, a gift from our hands, because He has first given to us.
"And on the day of the new moon he shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish, also six lambs and a ram... And he shall provide a grain offering... with the lambs as much as he is able..." (Ezekiel 46:6-7)
The new moon offering is even more substantial, including a bull, the most valuable of the sacrificial animals. This again emphasizes the lavishness of the prince's provision. But notice the interesting phrase in verse 7: "with the lambs as much as he is able." This suggests a heart that is not bound by the bare minimum. The prince's desire is to give abundantly, to the full extent of his ability. This is a picture of the heart of Christ, who did not hold back, but "loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). It is also a pattern for our own giving and our own worship. We are to serve God not with a calculator, figuring out the least we can get away with, but with a full heart, giving as we are able.
The Way In and the Way Out (v. 8-10)
The final verses of our text describe the traffic flow of worship, and the principle is profoundly important.
"And when the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate and go out by the same way." (Ezekiel 46:8)
The prince has a unique path. He comes and goes by the same way, the east gate, which is reserved for him. He is the sole mediator. There is one way in, and that way is Jesus. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). He does not change. His way of access is constant and secure.
"But when the people of the land come before Yahweh at the appointed times, he who enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate. And he who enters by way of the south gate shall go out by the way of the north gate. No one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered but shall go straight out." (Ezekiel 46:9)
The people, however, have a different pattern. They must not turn back. They enter by one gate and must exit by another, moving straight through the courts of God's house. This is a powerful architectural parable. True worship changes you. You do not come into God's presence and leave the same way you came in. You are to be transformed. The experience of meeting with God is meant to be a progression, a forward movement. To turn back is to treat worship as a mere ritual, a box to be checked before returning to your old ways. But God commands a one-way traffic flow. We are to come in, be consecrated, and go out changed, moving forward into a life of obedience.
"So when they go in, the prince shall go in among them; and when they go out, he shall go out." (Ezekiel 46:10)
This is the capstone. The prince is not a distant, detached figure. He is Immanuel, God with us. When the people go in to worship, he is "among them." And when they go out, transformed and moving forward, he goes out with them. He identifies with his people completely. He is not just the one who opens the door for us; He is the one who walks through it with us. He leads us into the presence of the Father, and He leads us back out into the world to live for the Father. He is with us in our coming and in our going. This is the great comfort of the gospel. We never worship alone, and we never walk alone.
Conclusion: Worship That Moves Forward
So what does this ancient liturgy have to say to us? It says everything. It tells us that our worship must be ordered according to God's Word, centered on the person and work of our great Prince, Jesus Christ. It tells us that our access to God is not our own achievement, but is based entirely on the perfect, blemish-free sacrifice He provided.
It reminds us that God has established a rhythm of work and worship, and to neglect the corporate gathering on the Lord's Day is to slam the east gate shut in our own faces. It is to refuse the access our Prince has secured.
And most pointedly, it challenges us with this picture of forward movement. Is our worship transformative? Do we come into God's house one way and leave another? Or do we come, go through the motions, and then turn right back around to the same sins, the same habits, the same worldliness we brought in with us? God's house is not a revolving door. It is a place of consecration. We enter by the north gate of our need and sin, we meet Christ the Prince in the middle, and we are to exit by the south gate, sent out in newness of life, moving forward in the power of the Spirit.
And the promise is that our Prince goes with us. He is among us when we gather, and He is with us when we scatter. He is the beginning and the end of our worship, the one who provides the sacrifice, who stands at the threshold, and who walks with us every step of the way.