What does Ezekiel 45:22 teach about communal responsibility in worship and repentance? Text of Ezekiel 45:22 “On that day the prince shall provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land.” Seeing the Verse in Context • Ezekiel’s closing chapters describe a future temple and ordered worship (Ezekiel 40–48). • The “prince” is the covenant head who leads God’s people in these services. • The day in view is the first day of the Passover week (Ezekiel 45:21). What the Prince’s Offering Reveals • Shared guilt is real. Even the leader needs cleansing “for himself.” No one stands apart from the need for atonement (Romans 3:23). • The leader acts representatively. His bull is accepted “for all the people of the land,” showing that God acknowledges a corporate presentation of repentance (Leviticus 16:15–17). • Worship is never purely individual. God’s law joins personal devotion to congregational participation (Psalm 107:32; Hebrews 10:24-25). Communal Responsibility in Worship • Leaders carry a God-given duty to initiate and model obedience (2 Chronicles 29:20-24). • The people are expected to identify with, support, and benefit from that obedient leadership (Nehemiah 10:28-33). • Holiness spreads outward: when the prince obeys, the nation receives covering; when believers today obey, the body is strengthened (Ephesians 4:16). Communal Responsibility in Repentance • Scripture repeatedly shows righteous individuals confessing national sins (Ezra 9:5-15; Daniel 9:3-20). • Ezekiel 45:22 demonstrates that one offering can address many—pointing ultimately to Christ, “the Prince of Peace,” whose single sacrifice perfects forever those being sanctified (Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 10:10-14). • Modern application: churches confess together, observe the Lord’s Supper together, and restore the fallen together (James 5:16; Galatians 6:1-2). Takeaways for Today’s Believer • I am responsible not only for my own repentance but for encouraging and upholding the repentance of my congregation. • God honors leaders who shoulder spiritual responsibility for their people; therefore, pray for and support pastors and elders. • The unity of Christ’s body means personal sin affects the whole, and corporate confession brings collective refreshment (1 Corinthians 12:26; Acts 3:19). |
    |