The Portion for the Prince

 

Ezekiel 45:7-25

 

February 22, 2024

 

The Portion for the Prince

“And to the prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the property of the city, alongside the holy district and the property of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and extending from the western to the eastern boundary of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.

 “Thus says the Lord God: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people, declares the Lord God.

“You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath  The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, the bath containing one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah one-tenth of a homer; the homer shall be the standard measure.  The shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina. 

“This is the offering that you shall make: one-sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and one-sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley,  and as the fixed portion of oil, measured in baths, one-tenth of a bath from each cor (the cor, like the homer, contains ten baths).  And one sheep from every flock of two hundred, from the watering places of Israel for grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offerings, to make atonement for them, declares the Lord God. All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this offering to the prince in Israel.  It shall be the prince's duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.

“Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and purify the sanctuary.  The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner court.  You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you shall make atonement for the temple.

“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover, and for seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten.  On that day the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering.  And on the seven days of the festival, he shall provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering.  And he shall provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a hin of oil to each ephah.  In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, and for the seven days of the feast, he shall make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and for the oil.

 

First, Let me share that we are no longer under the law, for we have received grace in Christ.  Does that mean we cannot learn from the Law, if that were so why did God command you and me to take the whole council of the word?  Acts 20:26-27, “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”  Do not let anyone put you under religious rule and traditions, In 2 Timothy 2:1,2, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”  Galatians 5:1,
“For freedom, Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

 

In Galatians 5:1–15, the apostle Paul discusses the nature of Christian freedom, beginning with an admonition to “stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1, NKJV). 

“Paul contends that Jesus Christ came to set believers free from a burdensome, legalistic existence as slaves to the law. Therefore, Christians must ensure that they stay free and not get bound up again under a yoke of bondage to the law. (Taken from “Got Questions”)

Let me be clear that Ezekiel's temple has not yet been built, many believe it will be so when Christ returns.  They believe that during the 1000-year reign, the Temple will be built.  That will be a time Satan will be bound and yet we know that the prince will be on his best performance, during that time.  But we also know that after the 1000-year reign that old serpent will be free, and a great battle will take place, and they the children of the devil will spend eternity in a place of torment.  

Anyone who is in Christ should never desire another human to go to hell, and it was not designed for humans but for the devil and his angels.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice