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More Ezekiel commentaries

Ezekiel 40:1-49
Ezekiel’s Vision For The 3rd Temple

Ezekiel 41:1-26
Dimensions and Design of the Temple

Ezekiel 42:1-20
The Chambers For the Priests

Ezekiel 43:1-12
The Temple, The Lord’s Dwelling Place

Ezekiel 43:13-27
Consecrating the Altar

Ezekiel 44:1-31
Laws Governing the Priest

Ezekiel 45:1-25
Properties of the City and the Priest

Ezekiel 46:1-24
The Manner of Worship

Consecrating the Altar

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Ezekiel 43:13–27
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)

A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. She said, “Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness of sin?” There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy … More

Forgiveness

The substance of the prophet’s vision now returns to a description of parts of the temple area and regulations concerning the temple’s future use. At the very heart of the temple was its altar; the prophet first describes the altar, and then indicates the procedures by which it would be put to use once again.

  1. The description of the altar (vv. 13-17). The altar was a large, stone structure located in the inner court of the temple compound. The construction, as described here, is a reminder of a much larger structure familiar in ancient Babylon, the ziggurat, of which some remains may still be seen by the modern traveler in southern Iraq. The whole structure was more than twelve feet high, and access to the top was gained by means of the steps on the eastern side of the altar. It was on the temple’s altar that the sacrifices were offered which would restore, and make possible the continuation of, the relationship between Israel and God. The altar was a reminder not only of the gap that separates human beings from God, but also of the possibility of that gap being bridged. And thus the altar of Ezekiel’s visionary temple reminds us of another altar, in the form of a cross, on which a perfect sacrifice at last achieved the bridging of that gap that separates human beings from their God.
  2. The laws for the use of the altar (vv. 18-27). Nothing was to be casual in the use of the restored temple; the new altar could not be put to use immediately, as if there had been no break in the functioning of the temple. For one week the priests of the family of Zadok were to offer special sacrifices upon the altar, the purpose of which was specifically to cleanse it and sanctify it for its proper and perpetual usage, namely the offering of sacrifices on behalf of human beings.

Application

Today, Christ’s death has made the forgiveness of my sins possible, making me acceptable to God (Heb. 9:9-15). God stands ready to forgive me when I come to Him in faith.

Ezekiel 43:13-27 (English Standard Version)

"These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth): its base shall be one cubit high and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar: from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, four horns. The altar hearth shall be square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad. The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. The steps of the altar shall face east." And he said to me, "Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and for throwing blood against it, you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord GOD, a bull from the herd for a sin offering. And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon the rim all around. Thus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it. You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area. And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull. When you have finished purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish. You shall present them before the LORD, and the priests shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD. For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided. Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it. And when they have completed these days, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, declares the Lord GOD."

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