What is the meaning of Ezekiel 46:20? This is the place Ezekiel is being guided through the future temple complex (Ezekiel 40–48). In 46:20, the angelic guide points out a specific room on the inner court’s north side (Ezekiel 46:19). • The phrase roots the cooking area inside the sacred inner court, emphasizing God-ordained order (Exodus 25:9; 1 Chronicles 28:19). • Because the vision concerns a literal millennial temple, this “place” anticipates real covenant worship restored to Israel (Ezekiel 37:26-28; Zechariah 14:16-21). where the priests shall boil the guilt offering • Guilt (trespass) offerings addressed specific acts of sin requiring restitution (Leviticus 5:14-19; 7:1-7). • Boiling kept the meat holy and confined its aroma and splatter within consecrated walls (Leviticus 6:24-28). • Only the priests ate this meat; its preparation inside protects its sanctity (Numbers 18:8-10). and the sin offering • Sin offerings dealt with unintentional defilements against God’s holiness (Leviticus 4:1-35). • By assigning a dedicated kitchen, Ezekiel’s vision reinforces that even in the coming kingdom, atonement through blood remains central (Hebrews 9:22, 10:1). • The ritual cooking echoes earlier tabernacle practices (Exodus 29:31-33) yet is re-established for the messianic age (Isaiah 2:2-3). and where they shall bake the grain offering • Grain offerings expressed gratitude and covenant fellowship (Leviticus 2:1-16). • Baking inside keeps every stage of worship within consecrated space, reflecting God’s command that holy things stay holy (Leviticus 6:14-18). • This anticipates abundant harvest blessing in Christ’s kingdom (Amos 9:13; Joel 3:18). so that they do not bring them into the outer court • The outer court was accessible to all covenant participants (Ezekiel 46:21). • Moving partially prepared offerings there would risk casual contact with what God set apart (Leviticus 15:31; Ezekiel 44:17-19). • Separating zones teaches reverence and protects the people from unknowingly profaning holy things (Numbers 4:15). and transmit holiness to the people • Holiness is contagious in the sense that sacred objects communicate set-apart status (Haggai 2:11-13). • Unprepared hearts encountering consecrated meat could incur judgment (1 Samuel 6:19; 2 Samuel 6:6-7). • By confining the cooking, God safeguards both His glory and the people, foreshadowing how Christ mediates holiness perfectly (1 Peter 2:5, 9). summary Ezekiel 46:20 identifies a kitchen inside the millennial temple where priests will cook guilt, sin, and grain offerings. Keeping these tasks within the inner court preserves the offerings’ sanctity, prevents inadvertent profanation, and underscores God’s unchanging holiness. The verse anticipates literal future worship in which sacrificial rituals teach redeemed Israel—and all nations—the reverence, gratitude, and atonement fulfilled ultimately in Jesus Christ. |
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