What offerings are mentioned in Ezekiel 45:17, and why are they significant? Text: Ezekiel 45:17 “It will be the prince’s duty to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings at the feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.” Offerings Listed • Burnt offerings • Grain (meal) offerings • Drink offerings • Sin offerings • Peace (fellowship) offerings Snapshot of Each Offering • Burnt Offering – Whole animal consumed on the altar (Leviticus 1). Total surrender and atonement. • Grain Offering – Fine flour, oil, frankincense (Leviticus 2). Thanksgiving and dedication of daily labor. • Drink Offering – Wine poured out (Numbers 15:1-10). Joyful acknowledgment of God’s provision; life poured out. • Sin Offering – Blood applied for specific sins (Leviticus 4). Cleansing from defilement and restored holiness. • Peace Offering – Shared meal with God (Leviticus 3; 7:11-21). Fellowship, gratitude, and communal joy. Why These Offerings Matter in Ezekiel’s Temple • Comprehensive Coverage – Together they span atonement, devotion, thanksgiving, fellowship, and celebration—nothing in life left outside worship. • Responsibility of the Prince – Central leadership ensures pure, uninterrupted worship (cf. Ezekiel 44:3). Points to the greater Prince who secures continual access to God (Isaiah 9:6-7; Hebrews 7:25). • Atonement Focus – “To make atonement for the house of Israel” keeps Israel mindful that sin is real and costly, even in the kingdom age (Zechariah 14:16-21). • Memorial of the Cross – These blood-based rites cannot add to Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 9:13-14; 10:10), but they visibly commemorate it for future generations, much as the Lord’s Supper does today (1 Corinthians 11:26). Connections to the Rest of Scripture • Burnt + Grain + Drink: seen together in daily offerings (Numbers 28:2-8) and speak of total consecration—fulfilled in Christ and reflected in our call to be “a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). • Sin Offering: foreshadowed the cross where Jesus “was made sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). • Peace Offering: echoed in the table fellowship of the New Covenant—“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16). Takeaway for Today The variety of offerings in Ezekiel 45:17 highlights God’s desire for every facet of life—sin, work, joy, and relationships—to be gathered up in worship. The Prince’s provision anticipates our perfect Prince, Jesus, who supplies everything needed for us to live in unbroken fellowship with the Father. |
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