What is the significance of applying blood to the altar in Ezekiel 43:20? Text of Ezekiel 43:20 “You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim all around. In this way you will cleanse the altar and make atonement for it.” Immediate Context Ezekiel 40–48 records a detailed prophetic vision of a future, restored temple. Chapter 43 shifts from architecture to worship, beginning with the glory of the LORD returning (vv. 1-12) and then prescribing the consecration of the altar (vv. 13-27). Verse 20 is the first priestly act: blood from a sin offering bull is applied to strategic points on the altar so that the structure itself is purified before any regular sacrifices commence. Historical and Mosaic Background 1. Exodus 29:12 and Leviticus 8:15 describe an identical rite for consecrating the first tabernacle altar. 2. The Hebrew verb kipper (“make atonement/cover,” v. 20) underlies the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). It always involves substitutionary blood. 3. Archaeological finds of four-horned altars at Tel Beersheba and Megiddo confirm the literal feature Ezekiel mentions, grounding the vision in recognizably Hebraic worship practice. Symbolism of the Blood Application • Blood = life (Leviticus 17:11). Life substitutes for life to satisfy divine justice. • Horns = power, refuge, and petition (1 Kings 1:50-51; Psalm 118:27). Coating them with blood signals that approach to God’s power must pass through atonement. • Four corners and rim = totality and outreach (Isaiah 11:12; Revelation 7:1). The act declares that cleansing is comprehensive, extending in every direction. • Ledge (azarah) = platform where sacrificial pieces are arranged; covering it symbolizes inner sanctification of the worship process. Theological Significance Purification: Even a God-designed altar is defiled by human hands (Haggai 2:13-14). Blood cleanses what is otherwise unfit. Dedication: The altar becomes holy (qodesh) only after the lifeblood of a substitute inaugurates its service (Ezekiel 43:26-27). Atonement for Objects: Scripture teaches corporate/representative atonement—objects, people, and land can all be cleansed by blood (Leviticus 16:16-19; Numbers 35:33-34). Typological Foreshadowing of Christ The entire rite prefigures the definitive sacrifice of Jesus: • Hebrews 9:18-22 cites Moses’ blood-sprinkling ceremony as a pattern fulfilled when Christ “entered the Most Holy Place once for all…having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). • At Calvary the blood touches not horn and ledge but the “altar” of the cross, accomplishing in history what Ezekiel’s ritual envisions ceremonially. • Isaiah 56:7 prophesies a future house of prayer for all nations. Jesus quotes this in each Gospel, pointing to His own atoning work as the ground for universal access. Covenantal Continuity and Progression Ezekiel’s temple harmonizes Mosaic law, Davidic promise, and New Covenant hope: 1. It maintains blood atonement (continuity). 2. It magnifies the holiness and glory of Yahweh (progression). 3. It looks ahead to a worldwide knowledge of God (culmination; Ezekiel 47:1-12; Zechariah 14:16-21). Restoration and Eschatology For post-exilic Israelites the vision assured that God would dwell among them again (Ezekiel 43:7). For future eschatology it anticipates a millennial kingdom in which temple worship is a visible memorial of the once-for-all sacrifice (cf. Zechariah 14; Revelation 20). The blood on the altar thus becomes both reminder and guarantee of covenant faithfulness. Ethical and Devotional Applications • Worship must start with cleansing; approach to God presumes atonement (Psalm 24:3-4). • Sin’s defilement is not superficial; even sacred objects require purgation, underlining the seriousness of holiness. • Believers live under the reality that “we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19). Gratitude, not presumption, characterizes such access. Consistency with the Entire Canon From Abel’s sacrifice (Genesis 4) through Revelation’s redeemed multitudes washed in the Lamb’s blood (Revelation 7:14), Scripture presents a unified theology: without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). Ezekiel 43:20 is a vital link in that golden chain. Conclusion The application of blood to the altar in Ezekiel 43:20 purifies, dedicates, and makes atonement for the very center of worship, proclaiming God’s holiness and His provision for sin. It reinforces the continuity of sacrificial theology, foreshadows the perfect work of Christ, assures Israel of future restoration, and invites every generation to approach the living God solely through the merits of the ordained Substitute. |
    |