Commentary - Ezekiel 46:13-15

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Ezekiel's temple vision, we are given the regulations for the daily burnt offering. At first glance, this appears to be a simple restatement of the Mosaic requirements for the Tamid, the continual burnt offering that was the centerpiece of Israel's daily worship. However, the details here are significant. This is not just a return to the old way of doing things; it is a picture of a renewed, perfected, and perpetual worship. The offering is to be provided by the prince, it is to be offered every morning without fail, and it is established as a perpetual statute. The central theme is the unrelenting, day-by-day provision of a perfect sacrifice that secures the presence of God among His people. This daily rhythm of worship, centered on a blemish-free lamb, is a profound type and shadow of the constant efficacy of Christ's final sacrifice and the daily grace that flows to His people. It is a picture of a well-ordered kingdom where the worship of God is the central, animating principle of daily life.

Ezekiel's vision is not a blueprint for a future physical temple to be built in Jerusalem. Rather, it is a glorious, symbolic depiction of the Church, the new covenant temple, and the worship that takes place there. Therefore, these regulations for the daily sacrifice are not instructions for us to reinstitute animal sacrifices. God forbid. They are a rich, typological portrait of the finished work of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and the life of the people He has redeemed. The constancy, perfection, and provision described here find their ultimate fulfillment in the unceasing intercession of Christ for us and our daily response of grateful, living sacrifice.

Outline

Context In Ezekiel

These verses come at the end of a long and incredibly detailed vision of a new temple and a new order of worship that occupies the final section of Ezekiel's prophecy (chapters 40-48). The prophet has been led by a divine guide through the gates, courts, and chambers of this magnificent structure. He has seen the glory of the Lord return to fill this house (Ezekiel 43:1-5), a stunning reversal of the earlier vision where he saw that same glory depart from Solomon's temple because of Israel's idolatry (Ezekiel 10-11). Following the return of God's presence, the vision lays out the "law of the house" (Ezekiel 43:12), which includes regulations for the priesthood, the altar, and the various offerings. This section, concerning the daily offering provided by the prince, is a key part of that new law. It establishes the rhythm of life and worship in this restored community, a community defined by God's holy presence and the provision of a constant sacrifice.

Key Issues

The Unceasing Lamb

The heartbeat of Old Covenant worship was the daily sacrifice. Twice a day, every day, a lamb was offered on the altar. This was the Tamid, the continual burnt offering. It was the foundation upon which all other sacrifices were laid. It was a constant, national acknowledgment of sin and a constant expression of faith in God's provision of a substitute. It was the backdrop to Israel's life, the smoke ascending as a perpetual reminder that they lived and breathed only by the grace of God mediated through blood. When God, through Ezekiel, describes the worship of the restored community, this daily sacrifice is central. But it is not a mere repetition. It is a purified and intensified picture.

The New Testament believer reads this and should not think, "When do we get back to this?" but rather, "What does this tell me about the one who fulfilled this?" The writer to the Hebrews makes it clear that the blood of bulls and goats could never truly take away sin (Heb. 10:4). They were pointers, shadows, types. The relentless repetition of the daily sacrifice was itself a testimony to its inadequacy. It had to be done again the next day because the blood of that lamb couldn't solve the problem permanently. But it beautifully prefigured the Lamb, the one whose single offering of Himself was so perfect, so complete, that it never needs to be repeated. The constancy of the type points to the eternal efficacy of the antitype, Jesus Christ. His sacrifice is a "continual burnt offering" not because it is repeated, but because its power is never diminished and its benefits are applied to us morning by morning.

Verse by Verse Commentary

13 “And you shall provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering to Yahweh daily; morning by morning you shall provide it.

The command is direct and emphatic. The responsibility is to "provide" or "prepare" (asah in Hebrew) this sacrifice. The rhythm is relentless: daily. And more specifically, "morning by morning." This sets the tone for each day. The first act of the restored community is to acknowledge God through the prescribed sacrifice. The day begins with blood. The day begins with a recognition of the need for atonement and consecration. The qualifications for the lamb are crucial. It must be a "year old," in the prime of its life, and "without blemish." This is not just any lamb; it is the best lamb. This requirement of perfection was a constant finger pointing forward to the sinless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who was "a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:19). The daily provision of a perfect lamb was a daily sermon about the kind of savior God would one day provide.

14 Also you shall provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, a sixth of an ephah as well as a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour, a grain offering to Yahweh continually by a perpetual statute.

The burnt offering did not stand alone. It was accompanied by a grain offering. Where the burnt offering spoke of atonement and consecration through death, the grain offering spoke of the dedication of one's life and labor to God. It was made of fine flour, the product of human work, representing the best of what man could produce. This flour was mixed with oil, a symbol of the Holy Spirit's anointing and blessing. The two offerings together present a complete picture of worship: we are redeemed by the blood of another, and in response, we offer our lives, our work, our substance back to God, all of it sanctified by His Spirit. This too is to be done "morning by morning," and is established as a "perpetual statute." The Christian life is not a one-time decision followed by coasting. It is a daily dying to self and a daily offering of ourselves as living sacrifices, which is our spiritual worship (Rom. 12:1).

15 Thus they shall provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt offering.”

This verse serves as a summary and a conclusion, driving the point home. The provision is threefold: the lamb (atonement), the grain offering (consecration of our works), and the oil (the enabling of the Spirit). The timing is reiterated: "morning by morning." And the nature of the offering is defined: a "continual burnt offering." The word "continual" (tamid) is the key. This is not an occasional, sporadic, or whimsical act of worship. It is the constant, foundational reality of the community's relationship with God. For the Christian, the application is profound. Our standing before God is not based on our fluctuating feelings or our intermittent obedience. Our standing is based on the "continual" efficacy of Christ's sacrifice. He is our Tamid. Because His offering is perpetual, our access to God is perpetual. And because of this, our response should be a continual offering of praise and thanksgiving, morning by morning.

Application

So what do we do with a text like this? We do not start a savings account for a new temple, and we don't go looking for unblemished lambs. To do so would be to trample on the blood of Christ, who is the fulfillment of all these things. Instead, we must see how this vision trains our hearts and minds for new covenant worship.

First, we must be a "morning by morning" people. Our Christian faith is not for Sunday mornings only. The first thoughts of our day should be oriented toward God. We should wake with a profound sense of gratitude for the one-time, all-sufficient sacrifice of the Lamb of God. His mercies are new every morning because the basis of those mercies, His shed blood, is an eternal reality. We should begin each day by consciously pleading the benefits of His cross over our lives, our families, and our work.

Second, we must understand that true worship involves both what Christ has done for us (the lamb) and what we do in response (the grain offering). We do not offer our works to God in order to be saved. That is a damnable heresy. We offer our works to God because we have been saved. We present our bodies, our minds, our jobs, our relationships, our art, our everything, as a grain offering, moistened with the oil of the Holy Spirit, as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the one who bought us. This is what it means to live a consecrated life.

Finally, we must rest in the "continual" nature of Christ's work. The Old Testament saint had to offer a lamb every single day. We have a high priest who "offered up himself once for all" (Heb. 7:27). The work is finished. It is perpetual. It is continual. When we sin, we do not need to find a new sacrifice. We need to turn in faith back to the one, final sacrifice and find forgiveness and cleansing. The smoke from Ezekiel's altar was a shadow. The empty tomb of Jesus is the reality. The lamb has been provided, once for all time, morning by morning, forever.