A brief outline of this chapter would be useful.
When the Jews are restored to the land, there was to be an allotment of land for the sanctuary, for the priests, the prince, and the city. The land was to be divided by allotment, Proverbs 16:33, thus assuring that there would be a fair division of the land.
We would assume that the original records of the borders and inheritances of the land were destroyed when Jerusalem was burned by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.
The instructions in this context, therefore, were a new beginning for the allotment of the land. The allotment for the Lord was first, Ezekiel 45:1 / Matthew 6:33.
This portion of land in its entirety is to be holy, and it measured eight miles long, six and a half miles wide, Ezekiel 45:1. Note that the Septuagint says 10,000 miles wide.
A section of eight hundred and seventy-five feet square was for the sanctuary, with eighty-eight feet around it for open land, Ezekiel 45:2 / Ezekiel 42:20. The sacred district measured eight miles long and three and a half miles wide, Ezekiel 45:3. This is the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, Ezekiel 45:3.
In order to maintain reverence for the allotment dedicated to the Lord, space was given in order that no one build or go into this space, Ezekiel 45:4 / Ezekiel 48:10-12.
The Levites would be given a specific area for their dwelling that would facilitate their ministry at the temple, Ezekiel 45:5 / Ezekiel 48:13. An area measuring eight miles long and three and a half miles wide. Note the Septuagint says they will have as their possession 20 rooms, Ezekiel 45:5.
Wiersbe, in his commentary, says the following.
‘During the old dispensation, the Levites were allowed to own land but were scattered throughout Israel so they could minister to the people, Joshua 21. Genesis 49:5-7 / Genesis 34:25-31 suggests that this scattering was also a form of discipline.’
The city, as its property belongs to all Israel, and the area measured one and two-thirds of a mile wide and eight miles long, adjoining the sacred portion, Ezekiel 45:6 / Ezekiel 48:15 / Ezekiel 48:17-19.
The unknown prince, mentioned back in Ezekiel 44:3, will also receive a land allotment to the west and to the east of the city portions and the holy areas occupied by the priests and the Levites, Ezekiel 45:7 / Ezekiel 48:21-22.
The rest of the land would be given to the other Israelites, Ezekiel 45:8. This was done in order to stop anyone oppressing God’s people, Ezekiel 45:8 / Ezekiel 11:1-13 / Ezekiel 14:1-11 / Ezekiel 20:1-23:49 / Ezekiel 34:1-10.
Feinberg, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The most notable case is found in 1 Kings 21, where Ahab confiscated the vineyard of Naboth, Numbers 36:7-9 / Isaiah 5:8 / Hosea 5:10 / Micah 2:1-2. No one will be deprived of his rightful possession in that era of righteousness and justice under the Messiah’s benevolent reign.’
Land ownership was a right throughout the history of Israel. Land ownership prevented dominant individuals from taking control of the land and subsequently developing a totalitarian state and oppressing the poor, Ezekiel 45:9 / Leviticus 19:35-36 / Deuteronomy 25:13-16 / Proverbs 11:1 / Proverbs 16:11 / Proverbs 20:10 / Proverbs 20:23 / Amos 8:5 / Micah 6:10-12 / Matthew 5:23-24.
There were very few poor people in Israel for its first five hundred years of history in the land. Only when dominant individuals started ignoring the agricultural land laws of the individual did poverty become a problem.
In order to guarantee fair treatment of the poor and to guarantee land ownership, the people were to use fair scales and specific measurements in order to protect the individual citizen from the oppression of the greedy, Ezekiel 45:10.
The exact amounts of these measures are generally not known today, although the footnotes say twenty-two litres, Ezekiel 45:10-11. The shekel, which weighs twelve grams, is to consist of twenty gerahs, Ezekiel 45:12. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels equal one mina, which weighed six hundred and ninety grams, Ezekiel 45:12.
The leaders were to deal fairly with the people and not use their positions as an opportunity to oppress the people. Civil leaders who use their positions in order to oppress the people will suffer the judgment of God.
Alexander, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Linear measurements of the ancient Near East were not as accurate as those of today. This is also true of volume measurements. Ezekiel delineated the proper standard of volume measure in the terms of his day.’
The instructions concerning the restoration of the sacrificial ceremonies in reference to the leadership of the prince are the focus of this context, Ezekiel 45:16 / Ezekiel 45:22.
The special gift they are to offer were a sixth of an ephah, which is around six pounds in weight, from each homer of wheat and a sixth of an ephah, which is around five pounds in weight, from each homer of barley, Ezekiel 45:13.
They were also to offer olive oil, measured by the bath, is a tenth of a bath, which is two and a half litres, from each cor, Ezekiel 45:14. This means that ten bath is around 25 litres, which is equivalent to a homer, Ezekiel 45:14.
From the well-watered pastures, one sheep is to be taken from a of two hundred and it will for the grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the people, Ezekiel 45:15.
Cooper, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The required offering for grain will be one-sixth of all produce, Ezekiel 45:13. One per cent of the oil will be given for use in the temple, Ezekiel 45:14, and one of every two hundred animals, Ezekiel 45:15.’
There are to be no exceptions, everyone is required to give this special offering to the prince in Israel, Ezekiel 45:16. This is because it is the prince who has the duty to provide all the offerings at all of the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths, Ezekiel 45:17. It is his responsibility to provide all of these offerings to make atonement for the Israelites, Ezekiel 45:17.
In the re-establishment of the ceremonies of the law, we must keep in mind that God was seeking to consolidate the faith of Israel in the land in preparation for the coming Messiah.
Since the tabernacle was not reinstituted as the point of assembly for the annual sacrifices, the temple was rebuilt in order to be the point of reference for the sacrifices that pertained to all the people.
In the first month on the first day, they are to take a young bull without defect and purify the sanctuary, Ezekiel 45:18. The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the upper ledge of the altar and on the gateposts of the inner court, Ezekiel 45:19.
The giving of life, thus the offering of blood, Ezekiel 45:19, was to be used to symbolise purification, Hebrews 10:1-4 / Hebrews 10:10. The sanctuary was to be ceremonially cleansed twice a year, on the first and seventh months of the year, to make atonement for the temple, Ezekiel 45:20.
Wright, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Even the temple needs to be ‘cleansed’ once a year, Ezekiel 45:18-19 / Hebrews 9:23, because its ministers are human and sinful, and even though they have kept from deliberate sin, there is much that contaminates, Ezekiel 45:20 / Psalm 19:12.’
In the first month on the fourteenth day, they were to observe the Passover, which lasted seven days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast, Ezekiel 45:21 / Exodus 12:1-14 / Leviticus 23:5-8 / Numbers 28:16-25.
There are differences between what God reveals in this context concerning the Passover, Ezekiel 45:21 and what was revealed in the law as stated in Deuteronomy 16.
The Feast of Weeks is not mentioned here, but this does not mean that it was not kept. The purpose of Deuteronomy was to restate the principles and statutes of the law. However, this was not the purpose of the revelation here.
On the day of Passover, the prince is to offer a bull as a sin offering for himself and the people, Ezekiel 45:22. During the seven days of the Passover festival the prince is to also offer on each of the seven day seven bulls and seven rams without blemish as a burnt offering of worship and one male goat for a sin offering, Ezekiel 45:23.
He is to offer, along with each bull and each ram, one ephah of grain as a grain offering, which is around five pounds in weight, along with a hin of oil with the grain, which is one gallon, Ezekiel 45:24.
During the seven days of the festival, which begins in the seventh month on the fifteenth day, he is to repeat the cycle of offerings he made during the Passover, Ezekiel 45:25 / Leviticus 23:39-43 / Numbers 29:12-38.
The focus of Ezekiel was on the sin of the people and their forgiveness. Because the Jews were in a process of restoration from a total apostasy to idolatry, what Ezekiel reveals is meant to continue and maintain this process of restoration until the coming of the Messiah.
At that time, Israel would be assimilated into the worldwide family of God, the church, Galatians 3:26-29. They had the complete directions concerning what God wanted, as it was revealed in the law.