What is the meaning of Ezekiel 45:19? And the priest is to take some of the blood from the sin offering • The instruction immediately reminds readers of the foundational principle stated in Leviticus 17:11—“the life of the flesh is in the blood”—underscoring that blood is God’s ordained means of atonement (Hebrews 9:22). • A “sin offering” (cf. Leviticus 4:3–21) signifies substitutionary sacrifice. Ezekiel’s vision looks ahead to a restored temple era when sin is dealt with decisively and visibly. • Ezekiel 45:19 reinforces that the priest’s role is mediatory, prefiguring the ultimate Mediator, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5), whose own blood secures everlasting redemption (Hebrews 9:12). and put it on the doorposts of the temple • Marking the doorposts echoes the Passover pattern in Exodus 12:7,23, where blood applied to entryways shielded households from judgment. • By placing blood on the temple doorposts, access to God’s house is visibly purified, proclaiming that fellowship with the Holy One is only possible through atoning sacrifice (Psalm 24:3–4; John 10:9). • This act anticipates Christ, who said, “I am the door” (John 10:7) and whose crucifixion opened a “new and living way” into God’s presence (Hebrews 10:19–20). on the four corners of the ledge of the altar • The altar’s four corners (often called horns, Exodus 27:2) represent totality—covering every direction and embracing the whole community (Numbers 28:2). • Applying blood to these corners signals comprehensive atonement, leaving no part of worship or geography untouched (Leviticus 8:15). • This points forward to the truth that Christ’s blood reconciles “all things” to Himself (Colossians 1:20), reaching to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). and on the gateposts of the inner court • The inner court was where priests ministered (Ezekiel 40:47). Cleansing its gateposts declares that even those closest to God must approach through blood (Leviticus 16:17). • This cleansing motif keeps worship pure, guarding against profaning holy space (Ezekiel 44:9). • It prefigures the believer’s cleansed conscience (Hebrews 10:22) and the future heavenly temple, where nothing unclean will enter (Revelation 21:27). summary Ezekiel 45:19 portrays a vivid ritual that drenches every access point of God’s house—doorposts, altar corners, inner gates—with sacrificial blood. The vision proclaims that sin must be atoned for, access to God must be purified, and all worship must be covered by substitutionary sacrifice. While rooted in Israel’s future temple, the scene directs our eyes to Jesus Christ, whose shed blood fulfills and surpasses every type, opening the way for forgiven sinners to dwell securely in God’s presence forever. |
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